My wife was asking for a new bike instead of me overhauling the "old" one with new bearings and brake pads. I went to the LBS and the same model as her's is now 200 more list price!


This is her bike:

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/2006/archive/75fx

I was thinking carbon stem, fork, bar and seatpost. If I buy the takeoff/used Bontrager parts off of eBay it will be less than half the price of buying a new bike.

You guys have any advice in what order I should do the upgrades before my wallet runs out?

Wellllll, to be honest, I'd have to see pics of her before I could comment on the eye candy upgra---- what's that? You're talking about the bike?

Ah, that's easy. Swap out the stem and seatpost for silver Thomson versions, tell her it's a new kind of ti, and then spend 500$ on a new wheelset for yourself.

I would go fork first and seatpost last. Maybe bars 2nd and stem 3rd. I think you will get both the best performance and visual upgrade for the $ in the fork.

The cockpit is something she will be looking at all the time when riding so it makes sense to upgrade it to give her that "new bike" feel.

Heck, on a drop bar bike, it is amazing how much of an "upgrade" even new tape can be.

I have an 06 Road Warrior. Before I bought, my short list was the Trek 7.5, Specialized Sirrus and the Cannondale. The C'dale won out.

I swapped the following on mine:
Thomson stem
Thomson seat post
Brooks B17 Narrow
Double 105 crank 53/39 (from a Truvativ 52/42/30)
105 12-27 10-speed cogset (SRAM 12-26 9-speed)
Ultegra RD short cage (Tiagra RD long cage)
Ultegra FD (Shimano FD-440)
D/A 10-speed barcons (Shimano R440-9 flat bar
Nitto Moustache bar (from Easton EA70 from stock flat bar)
Added Tiagra brake levers and new cables.

For what I spent, I could been well on my way to a new bike...but I love my Road Warrior.

I go seat post and stem...make sure they fit. Then saddle, then bars. I don't know if I would go carbon, though...on my flat bar, I liked the Ergon grips.

- Giro Ionos magenta helmet (safety first)
- Seat to match helmet
- Maybe a Telekom/T-mobile jersey

This sounds like a problem that needs a dose of function follows form. Not sure what color(s) your wife likes but I think most women like or at the very least would prefer magenta over something like brown.

Not to patronize but would your wife even notice the feel of a new CF fork? If yes, I would go with tires, they are cheaper.

What's her objective - to go faster and further? If so, upgrdaing a hybrid bike doesn't do anything. Unless her current bike doesn't fit, switching to a new stem, fork, bar and seatpost doesn't do anything. Going to carbon has absolutely no imapct. Despite all the marketing hype, carbon doesn't do anything except cost more - the exception is CF frames.

If she wants to go faster, get a road bike

No the point is to make her feel like she got an upgraded bike. The carbon is so it looks cool.

My question is which parts that I am changing for these reason are more likely to have more impact on actual performance.

Tires.

A CF fork is such a waste imo.

agreed, but 200 on some crap parts is better than 800 on a new bike.

Not if it doesn't do jack **** for the old bike. Then it's just 200 thrown at the wall. Or, you save that 200.. get enough to buy a better bike.. sell the old bike intact and i bet you'd get more of a percentage back than if you sold the few part you want to replace.

Di2

How about adding some pink to her bike?

In all seriousness, rather than me trying to throw out part names, what does your wife want in a new ride?

Spinners and ape hangers?

It's 200 at a wall if the goal is to make a better riding bike. Which is not the OP's goals. If 200 worth of bling makes his wife happy... it's 200 well spent for him.

Sweet mother of mercy! I vote for this, plus a matching pink bell or squeezy toy to put on the stem just for kicks.

oh... right..

If her bike is stock like the link you sent I think the first "bling/upgrade" I would do would be the crankset and drivetrain. You'd achieve both the bling factor (as that old crankset looks like sh**) and I think she'd also get a smoother ride.

Or........if you want you can always give her a

Has she really worn out a bike in three years?
Hardcore.
Carbon is only cool in the eye of the beholder. She actually asked for a new bike? You're not projecting this onto her?

If she did, go for it. Not halfway either. Get her a better bike than you've got. At least 1.5 times better. She'll be faster, more highly motivated, and more fun to ride with. Too many guys put their partners on such reject bikes and wonder why they have to wait for them.

I've advised this before.

No I think StanSeven gave the good advise. Don't patronize your wife and find out what she really wants first. Heck, its your marriage, do what you want but don't blame us for leading you on.

Anthony

Boob job.

You want to put a carbon stem on a hybrid?

rofl

If the goal is solely to make it look cooler, why don’t you spend $75 on some different colored accents?
I’d simply go with blue Salsa skewers and seatpost collar, and some blue bottle cages.

My wife wanted the same as yours a nicer looking bike. New saddle, handlebar tape and bottle cages. $100 spent on her bike, total cost on the credit card $300. we both won

Deep Vs and a top-tube pad.