Originally Posted by bendembroski

I'm not super familiar with the tournado, but it seems to make financial sense to just swap the frame out. The Ritchey break-away system adds a huge amount of value to the frame. If you don't need it, I'd guess you can get a lovely custom frame, say a Roberts, Yates, or Mercian, for at least even money. This would also have the benefit of having a frame custom made to fit you. (You could get fit locally, and send the dimensions to the frame builder.) I'm saying this assuming you are looking for a conventional, non-break away bike.

If you sell your old bike as a complete unit, you are paying depreciation on all the parts that make up the bike. If you sell just the frame, you are only paying depreciation on the frame. Beyond that, generally speaking, a you'll get more money for a used bike if you sell the parts individually than as a whole unit. Part of the reason for this is bike manufacturers get components at a reduced price compared to MSRP. The market price on individual components is based on MSRP, not the price manufacturers are paying. This goes for frames too.

It's easy enough to determine if you can figure out what the market value of your bike (and the frame by itself) is in it's current condition. Estimate what the frame is worth by itself, and what the used bike is worth as a complete unit. Then price a new frame of equivalent quality (minus the break-away system), as well as a new complete bike similarly spec'd. I'd bet good money that you'll save a bundle swapping the frame.

Of course, none of this considers the hassle of doing the swap, or the labor costs if you aren't going to do it yourself. Not to mention that you would be without a bike while the transition happens. However, to have bike custom made to fit you exactly...

...bliss.