PhotoJoe 

OK, so I'm getting close to my Lynskey being delivered. I think I can swing upgrading one of the "lower end" items spec'd to save me some money. Right now, the bike is spec'd to have the FSA Omega compact crank, Gossamer brakes, and an Easton EC-70 fork. The EC-70 weighs 530 grams. They have an option of an ENVE 2.0 for $200 more, which weighs 350 grams.

If you were to upgrade one item, what would it be and why? What real-world benefits would I see? I'd rather upgrade what I can (within reason) now rather than buy one item, then upgrade it later. I think this will be cheaper long-run.

BTW, salmon pads are one of the first things I'll change when I get the bike. Wheels are spec'd at FSA RD-60's which is fine. Once I hit a weight reduction target, I'll look for some Boyd/Williams or...???? The RD-60's will be fine for now.

RT

I would upgrade the crank, if you had to upgrade anything. I use an FSA compact crank and like it a lot, but you will have your FSA naysayers.

Just get it, ride it for a bit, and don't blow all of your upgrade money before you have the bike.

Homebrew01

Why is everyone so eager to upgrade bits of their new bikes that they haven't even ridden yet ?
Upgrade something you will actually notice such as clothes, shoes, saddle, helmet ....

Seattle Forrest

I'd leave it as is, and that's how I voted. If you ride it a while, and part of the bike annoys you, upgrade that part. Otherwise, spend the money on gas and a hotel room ... say just outside Yosemite, or some other place you would enjoy riding.

PhotoJoe 

I'm eager to learn if it's a good move or not....thus the "leave it alone" option on the poll. I'm pretty new to this world, and asking questions is how I learn. If the "experts" tell me that from their experience I'll be just fine with everything as spec'd...GREAT. I can save some money. However, I'd be really frustrated if I could have upgraded something and didn't, and everyone except me knew that one of the components was complete crap and I'd have to spend even more later to fix it. That's it.

I have a new helmet, enough shorts/bibs for now, pedals and shoes, etc. I'll need a few bottle cages and would like to buy a Garmin, but that depends on my decision here. Otherwise, that can be done later.

PhotoJoe 

I like the way you think. That would be awesome!

LowCel 

I would go for the fork. The other items you can upgrade for a decent price later on. The fork is a pretty good expense so I would go ahead and do that one now. It is also a pretty substantial weight savings.

ravenmore

+1 - I've always wanted an ENVE fork but couldn't justify the cost. Very light and very blingy.

Seattle Forrest

It's a pretty big weight savings, because the OP comes with an unusually heavy fork. The Enve one ... well, it's Enve, if that means anything to you, but it's also in the same ballpark as a lot of nice forks. Here's an even lighter fork for $210, which isn't much more than the upgrade. Is there anything about the Enve that's actually better?

RollCNY

Assuming you have 5700 levers, get 5700 brakes. The new levers have a different cable pull than historic calipers, and will have a "squishy" feeling, no matter what pads you install. Leave everything else alone.

himespau 

saddle

Nachoman

I voted upgrade brakes and crank to 105. It seems like a reasonable upgrade, that you could easily do later, but then it would cost you more money and you'd be stuck selling used equipment.

Pendergast

Put a couple hundred more bucks on the credit card and upgrade all those things. Buy once, cry once. I mean, you're going to have this bike forever, right? I say this as a notorious cheapskate about most things.

PhotoJoe 

Didn't think of that. I guess that is one item that if it needs upgrading, I would definitely feel the difference. It's spec'd with Selle Italia XO Flow - Black.

PhotoJoe 

Ain't gonna happen. My wife and I got in the credit card trap early on. NEVER AGAIN. If we don't have the money, we don't spend it. Simple enough. I'd ride a big-wheel before putting a luxury item on the credit card.

Pendergast

I've never gotten myself into a credit card bind(probably because I'm so careful with money otherwise), but I do know people who have and wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Brakes seem like the most reasonable upgrade if you need them to match the pull of the levers that are spec-ed, so that's what I'm voting for in the poll.

deacon mark

FSA lower model gossamer cranks are not good. The FSA CARBON are great have one on my Moto Imm Spirit. The gossamer on my other bike I swapped for a 105 and night and day difference in shifting. The gossamer would miss a shift or just not go smooth. The 105 has never missed best thing I did. Funny because the FSA carbon light shifts perfect but huge difference in price. Do not take the FSA

rat fink

Whoa. Dump that junk for sure. As a rule, no saddle that retails for under $70 is usually any good at all.

MikeyBoyAz

I personally hated my gossamer crank. I upgraded to ultegra and I have loved every goss free minute. it flexed quite a bit and the large chain ring was soft enough metal that the chain would chew tiny bits when I dropped to the small ring (yes I did so under load...) the ultegra crank has been nothing but heaven... get the 105 crank and the fork if you want... as long as the brakes don't fall off they can wait, pads are more important anyway.

JoelS

The fork. IMO, the Easton forks are soft.

mmmdonuts

I voted: Leave it.

Ride it and find out what you don't like. Otherwise you should have spec'd it the way you wanted it.

baj32161

I have always wondered this myself.

Pendergast

I think in this case, it's because the bike hasn't been built up yet.

PhotoJoe 

This. And with all my med bills, I wasn't sure I was even going to be able to afford the "cheaped out" version. I'm funding all of this through ebay sales - 100%. They're going pretty well and it would be cheaper to do whatever I can now than buy cheap and upgrade. And, there is no difference in having the bike spec'd with some corners cut, then changing my mind before it's built and getting a few better pieces if it makes sense than if I just ordered up the full 105 build from the beginning. I'm just realizing I may not have to be AS cheap as I thought I would. Notice, I'm not talking Ultegra/DA. I'm still on the low side of the spectrum. I just want to get the best bike I can for the money. And I appreciate all the insights. Good food for thought.

Seattle Forrest

I've always wanted to ride from Mono Lake up to Tioga Pass, and down to Toulmne Meadows. Here's a picture of the road, to tempt you.

A lot of people are very eager to upgrade the bike they've just bought/ordered. There have been too many threads about "What should I buy next?" to count. I think a lot of the questions people are asking about that in your thread aren't really directed at you.