Originally Posted by
Senior Vagabond
I am a little uncertain about what to do. Being almost 70 years old I have ridden the same Specialized Roubaix bike over 13 years. It was custom-fitted to me along time ago and still rides well. My issue is that certain critical mechanicals and components are starting to wear out. My groupset set is Ultegra 6600 and finding replacement parts is quite difficult. I scour the internet and e-bay but that is even getting slim pickings. I did something stupid this week and now need a new triple shifter. So my dilemma is, do I give in and buy a new bike (Specialized Roubaix Comp or Di2) or keep trying to find antiquated parts and throwing money in my current bike which I am comfortable on? I only ride about 80-90 miles a week so I am having a difficult time with the justification for a great new bike and experience.
I feel your pain. I have a 2008 Madone 5.5 with an Ultegra FC6603 triple and I can't find parts for it either. I may be forced to move to a compact double. Even if I could find chain rings to replace my worn 39 and 52 chainrings, I'm not sure I could find new brifters which are getting worn too.
A new bike would be fun, but expensive. I ride 140-180 miles a week typically, but still can't justify a new bike. My Madone is in great shape. Mostly. Except for those worn parts that OEM replacements are not available for. I don't want to hodge-podge a weird collection of parts together that would then likely be high maintenance to keep in tune. I want to stay OEM. I'm ok for now, but know I'll be reaching a point of decision not too far in the future.