Upgrade Destined to Happen. Last October my employer gave me a $ 250 Nashbar gift certificate as a bonus and a few weeks later my brother-in-law gave me a new set of Ultegra shifters off a new Klein he just bought. He converted the Klein to a triathlon bar/shifter. I had given him an old Cannondale a few years back and he must of felt this was a gift in return. What to do ? My commuter bike is a touring Raleigh R300 with Sora components that I bought new off Ebay last January for $ 305 plus $ 50 for shipping. It was a steal. I put 2,760 miles commuting on it this year. The Sora triple components were functional, but heavy and I never used the granny gear. So ding ding, upgrade to Ultegra double with 12/27 cassette was on the way plus a new set of Mavic MA3/105 wheels. I bought a Lifu $ 39 toolkit and did the whole upgrade myself. The only missing tool is a nice cable cutter, they run about $30. I bought some accessories at my LBS and they did the cable cutting for me. Here is a picture. I would consider this bike an all-arounder. My question is ‘why can’t I buy a stock bike like this ?’ I don’t want a race ready roadster or a full touring triple designed for 60 pounds of gear. I want a fast commuter that works in the rain, carries 5-10 pounds of commuter stuff, has eyelets for fenders and racks, clearance for a kickstand, and strong 28c tires/wheels that can handle potholes.