Originally Posted by
Miradaman
Yeah, I realize a full upgrade would be costly. I'm thinking of simply starting with a new cassette and chain and seeing how much of a difference that makes — both are original and pretty worn. I like the bike and its not that heavy, around 24 lbs. Plus Im not overly concerned with weight. If anything, I like a bike with some heft. I borrowed a friend's 17 lb. carbon road bike once and it was so twitchy light and insubstantial-feeling it spooked me. But if improving performance on my Trek ends up being a multi-hundred dollar proposition, then I'd be inclined to sell it and go with something like the Decathalon. (I also hate spending money so I overthink and over-debate any kind of recreational expenditure)
Two things that are good to know:
* If you're going to replace a worn chain and cassette, you'll probably benefit from replacing the chain rings at the same time.
* That twitchy feeling doesn't come from the bike not weighing enough to be held down to the ground. It's from the bike's geometry, which means how it distributes your weight over the wheels, etc. You can get a super light bike that feels more ponderous.