Upgrading components over time
 

I am new to riding and haven't ridden a bike much since I was a kid. I didn't have the money for a really nice bike to begin with so I bougth this bike here: http://www.twospoke.com/forum/f124/c...6-2010-a-3188/ .
2010 cannondale quick 6. I know it would have been cheaper to buy a more expensive bike upfront than to try to change out componets but I thought this was an ok solution for my first year or two of riding. Plus I like the frame so I don't mind putting some very nice componets on this bike. On this bike I have upgraded the saddle. Now what? Should I spend a few hundred on better shifters? If this were your bike and had the factory componets that are on the link and you wanted to make it a really nice bike, what would you do? I'd like to have a 6 month plan on how to improve this. Thanks!

Just ride it.

I used a bottom of the line Cannondale for many years to earn my living. I never replace a component that isn't broken. The cheaper derailleurs are often more durable than the high zoot models.

Just ride.

+1 Here, and his advice has served me well. Richard Just Ride, ( if it is not broke, do not fix it !)

I agree. Just ride the bike. The only thing I do is modify the bike to make it more comfortable. I toyed with the idea of upgrading stuff on my 7.3FX but honestly right now there is no need to. The bike is too new. Maybe once stuff starts to wear out I will consider changing things.

You just have to ride it, take care of it, enjoy it; and only replace/upgrade parts as they wear out......

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that bike...... nice choice!

There is nothing wrong with upgrading your bike if that is what you want to do. If it were me I would have saved up longer and bought an upgraded model from the get go because that is indeed the cheapest way to get a better bike. But that horse has left the barn in your case so it is just something to keep in mind next time. It might be easier next time too since you now have this bike to ride while you save. Don't get me wrong though, there is nothing wrong with the bike as it is either. It could serve you well without any changes for years.

But that's no fun, is it?! What you do is really up to you. In my case I would start with the pedals. I really like clipless pedals and I am happy with the M540s I put on my Fuji. My preference is for mountain/SPD pedals since the cleats are recessed in the sole of the shoes which make it easier to walk in them when you need to make a stop to grab a burger, etc. If you really like platform pedals there are nicer kinds out there too but the ones on the bike are perfectly serviceable so there is less need to replace them right away in that case.

Unless you simply don't like the style of shifter that is on the bike I don't think you would gain anything by changing them. I don't know if it comes with trigger or twist shifters but if you hate the kind on the bike and really prefer the other kind then there is a good reason to swap them out. If you want to really see an improvement in shifting performance then you would have to do a massive upgrade and even then modern low end transmissions are good enough that you might wonder why you bothered when you are done. You would have to go to something like the 105 series (or whatever is equivalent in the mountain bike range) to have a chance of getting a worthwhile improvement. To get that you would need to swap out the rear cassette, chainrings, both derailleurs, and the shift levers to 105 grade components. My Fuji came with the full 105 kit and it is nice stuff, but I don't know how nice what you have is so I can't promise you that the change would be worthwhile. If your goal is to impress other bike nerds, well the 105 series is pretty much the minimum so it won't impress them it will merely get you into the club.:lol:

A more fruitful area of modification is the handlebars. If you find that flat bars work well for you then don't bother. If you want more hand and body positions available to fight fatigue, numbness, and the wind then there are options. Drop bars can be great for a lot of riders though they are larger in diameter than flat bars and require a lot of work and generally expense to put them on a flat bar bike since so many components have to be swapped. Trekking bars are compatible in size so they avoid those problems and still work very well for many people. There are a variety of "moustache" and MTB bars that you could use. And a lot of people find that simply adding some aero bar clip-ons to their flat bars gives them enough hand positions to solve any problems they have with flat bars on long rides. And of course bar ends and better grips can be very helpful too.

Other things are more in the line of accessorizing than upgrading. Maybe there are tires that would work better for your riding. How about a rear rack and trunk bag? Fenders? Lights? Water bottle cages? I've done all that to my Fuji and have been quite happy with the results. I also went with trekking bars and the clipless pedals. You can spend quite enough money accessorizing and the accessories will often give you a lot better bang for buck unless something fundamental on your bike is really substandard (and I think that unlikely on a Cannondale). One of the nicest things I added was the Topeak rear rack and insulated trunk bag. It is a great place to carry tools and tire fixin' gear and as I belatedly discovered halfway through this beastly hot summer it keeps water bottles ice cold for hours whereas a bottle in the bottle cage on the frame is lukewarm after 20 minutes.

You've got a good bike already so choose carefully what you would like to do to it and then enjoy the heck out of it!

Ken

Nice post, Hutch!

Then, take some time to stroll thru this Hybrid forum, to see what others have done, and why....

A lot of info in here will help you decide which direction you want to lean...... Lots of good hints and ideas in here.

And, don't forget to ask us lots of questions - we will have a chance to learn more too

I'd happily suggest how you could part with your
money, but you never answered the most important question:

What specifically about your bike don't you like or isn't working for you?

I am glad to see that our hybrid forum comprises of sensible people and that we are not telling newbies to upgrade to the max to try and be cool.
I agree completely with what everyone said.
Knrstz (what a name huh? ;) ), upgrading your bike is completely unnecesary and will cost you way too much.
Especially for the first couple of years the overall functionality of your bike will be fine.
There is little point in upgrading the drivetrain unless you upgrade the complete drivetrain, but that might cost you more than your bike was worth in the first place.

Since you are new to this, I'll disclose a secret to you about bike componentry.
Here it goes: "the main difference between very expensive professional components and much cheaper middle range ones is weight and weight isn't very important".

Don't get me wrong: weight is important ... just not as important as most people and especially bike salesmen want you to believe.
Another funny thing about this is that some high-end components are less durable than their much cheaper middle-range counterparts.
This is so because racers care little about durability beyond the race of the day ... If they can have a 5% lighter component that is less durable and will only last a couple of races, they will take a new one of that for every race :)

What you need to do now is: RIDE.
A LOT.
Only by riding will you gain experience and only then will you know what bike you actually need.
You might get into mountainbiking or roadbiking and buy one of those bikes.
You might completely upgrade your bike.
You might sell this bike and build an other one eventually :)

RIDE RIDE RIDE. . . . If you're uncomfortable, buy a good saddle, shoes and helmet, then ride some more . . . buy clipless pedals, then save save save. . . till you get about $2000 together. . . then find a last years CLOSEOUT complete bike with a good frame (material of your choice, but buy the best one you can find) and decent wheels and mid range components. It doesn't matter if it's Sram Shimano or Campy, but consider that once you commit to component brand you're nearly married to them, since drivetrains are mostly not interchangeable. BUT the good news is, once you get that REALLY NICE FRAME, you can upgrade anything else at a reasonable price along the way. THEN RIDE RIDE RIDE RIDE RIDE. . . . Remember what Joe says: they're all bicycles, what matters most is the motor anyway!

mikeinsa, why would anyone that is not a professional need a $2000 bike?
Really, there is no point.
For casual people like us, the difference between a $2000 and a $1000 bike is marginal and would even be very difficult to measure without the use of extremely expensive devices like windtunnels and powermeters.
The inefficiency of our bodies and our riding technique is far greater than the difference in bike efficiency between a tiagra equipped roadbike and a dura ace one.

Thanks so much for all the info. To answer one posters question, nothing is really wrong with my bike. I just don't know if something better will work better for me. As an example, I don't mind my shifters but I've heard others are better. I guess due to my ignorance I'm concerned I'm missing out on something that will really improve my biking experience. A friend of mind told me that if you know what you are doing, you can build a better bike than you can buy. I guess I figured by dropping a few hundred here and there I could really make this a top of the line bike. Top of the line for an avg Joe like me, I mean. Peronally I don't look at this like an investment I'm trying to gain equity on. If I have 1000 dollars in this bike and I could have got something equivalent for 800, that's not a big deal to me. I guess I'd prefer to make this bike the best it can be rather than sell and buy new. That's kind of my mentality with a lot of things. Thanks for the advice everyone. Much appreciate.

Oh and knrstz is just my first and last initials for my first, middle and last names. I use it for my email too. I never thought much of it when I picked it but I get a lot of weird responses when I tell people.

There is some truth in that from an objective viewpoint but like Khutch said, there is no fun in that :). That being said, I really agree that it is not worthwhile buying a bike with cheap components and then spending a small fortune to upgrade the components. It's always cheaper when they already come with the bike.

That is not entirely accurate. I'm not talking about weight ( but I for one still think weight is VERY important), but higher end components are easier to adjust and they maintain their adjustment much better. Cheaper ones quite often do not. High end components also function better because of this. Sorry, it's true. Lower end stuff works just fine but for the most part but you do you have to stay on top of it more. In my experience it takes much less to throw higher end stuff "out of whack". It all boils down to what is important to you ... and how fat your wallet is :)[/QUOTE]

I say ... why not ? ... and sure there is. I'm not sure why you would say this. It's like saying why would anyone want a BMW 840i as compared to a Ford Focus ... right or wrong it is not always about "needs". As the USSR eventually realized ... that's why communism doesn't work. :rolleyes:

Fail

If you can afford a car, you don't need a bike at all, much less a $2000 one.

The question is why would anyone need such an expensive bike. Why not isn't the correct answer. Try again.

Totally illogical ...

First off, the "question" was phrased in a rhetorical manner. But more importantly, the point was that it has nothing to do with "need". I thought that was obvious ... but maybe not ...

FWIW, I don't think it would prove very fruitful to engage in a debate about "needs". It is a fallacy to think "needs" can be characterized as either logical or objective, especially when the interpretation of such is based on someone elses's perception of the state. Therefore, to claim a "fail" (whatever on earth that means) predicated solely on such a subjective status is equally fallacious.

My Schwinn cost me $300 and was equipped with similar components as your C'dale. I have made many upgrades (saddle, tires, handlebars, stem, pedals, grips, front brake) and added many accessories (fenders, rack, lights, etc.) and have at least equaled the original purchase price with add-ons. I resisted the temptation to change the entire drivetrain and controls, upgrade the wheels, add a rigid fork, etc. as these upgrades would have driven the price up astronomically and instead used my bike as a test bed to determine what sort of bike I really wanted. After a year or so I pulled the trigger on my Norco. If I had tried to upgrade my Schwinn to have all or most of the features that my Norco does it likely would have cost me twice the latter bike's original purchase price.

So my advice to you is to do the same... enjoy your bike as is, make minor changes as you see fit, and when funds permit buy the bike you really want based on lessons learned while riding your Cannondale (and researching on these forums, of course). :thumb:

No one needs a bicycle at all so answers like why not and because are just as good as any other answer. I enjoy my $900 bike more than I would enjoy any $500 bike I have ever seen and I am sure I would enjoy a $4000 bike even more. That is reason enough for me, as long as I have the cash. If I only had $200 to spend on a bike then I would find the best one I could and I would enjoy that too and I wouldn't feel embarrassed about it. Rather than constantly questioning people about how much or how little they spent I would rather see this forum be a place where both the $200 owners and the $4000 owners feel comfortable, accepted, and welcome to share their love of hybrid bikes.

Ken

I rely on my bicycle for transportation and to provide income which goes to needs such as food, clothing and shelter. Feel free to disagree but in my opinion I need a bicycle. I'm sure there are many people who would be hard pressed to provide for themselves without the cheap reliable transportation that bicycles offer. I doubt any of them need a carbon fiber bicycle other than those who earn their living racing bicycles.

I never question how much anyone spends on their bicycles.

Would you be embarrassed to own a $4000 hybrid?

Sorry just could not resist..( Laugh ) Mine would have 700 x 38 to 40c street friendly tires on it, lock out forks with at least
80mm of travel, I would like disk brakes, ( for the days off road in the mud ). A large gear range, 27 speed would not hurt my feelings, Upright riding style, suspension seat
post, comfort saddle, sealed bearings, nice 32 spoke rims, standard quality pedals, Topeak
rack, with trunk bag, large grips, cycle meter, good lighting for night riding, weigh around
35 pounds with all extras...and fit me like a glove, I like the larger frames, but do not want
to feel stretched out. And all this for under say 900.00 dollars... I'm still looking.
I guess I want it all, commute to town, road ride, ( fast is not a priority, but do not want
to peddle a MTB ), Go off road with confidence, and light touring, just a do it all in one Bike....Richard BTW, there are no wrong answers, only what you prefer. Not 4000.00 dollars, but pretty close to the wish list..( show me a 4000.00 dollar Hybrid..
Richard : )

LOL .... OK.

(not mine, BTW)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...eatesttrek.jpg

You know what jumps out at me ! The tires, and for 4000.00 dollars, the tie wrapped speedometer to the forks, that must have been a Walmart add on like mine ! LOL...( Budget must have started running low...COOL PIC, Richard

I am still ( confused ) by the term fitness ( HYBRID ), could someone PLEASE explain that to me. When I think of a Hybrid, ( VERSATILE ),
comes to mind, depending on your personalized needs of (one ) bike. Could be more urban style, or more rugged for off roding, ( BUT )
if your riding, you are getting a work out ! Is that just a term for LOW end road bikes ? And I am not sure that you would receive any more
exercise on one, maybe less. Do to better faster components, etc...I can except performance Hybrids, want to be jam around the rides, comfort
Hybrids, a nice Sunday ride through the park, Versatile Hybrids, off road and road riding capability's , and commuter Hybrid, we have agreed
to disagree, that Hybrid is just some ( MADE ) up word with no meaning. Can not define it ! If we can not define one, Maybe it is just a bike.
and would fall into another category, I love this guys video, ( Lock it next
to TallDogs Picture, ( Problem there )...Here is another interesting video of components, if you take your bike off road.. and that is the X-5 not 7 or 9 or even 0.....but if you never really leave
the road, are you really on a Hybrid ? or just a city bike, commuter, flat bar road bike, ( or the GREAT FITNESS MODEL )...Richard

Just a rant on a term that seems to have ( NO ) meaning, Richard