Newbie looking for advice - upgrading components
 

How's everyone doing. I've been doing some sprint and olympic triathlons and have just signed up for my first half ironman. I have a Felt f90 which has Shimano Sora components. I am not in the market to buy a new bike and was looking to upgrade the components and maybe the seat. I have a selle italia gel now.

I'm not sure what would be a reasonable upgrade from what i have as far as components go or even where to get them. As far as the seat goes, I'll sacrifice a little weight to get comfort.

Thanks!

Seats are very personal. You have to figure out what works for you.

Upgrading the components won't make you faster. If your purpose for upgrading is to get faster, consider aero bars, aero helmet and a good fitting by someone who is familiar with triathletes. Wheel covers for the rear wheel, if they are allowed by your sanctioning body, would also help and not cost much.

Clip on aerobars. Frankly Sora-level bikes are rarely worth putting much money into. Just make sure it fits you well and shifts and brakes as well as possible. Things like cables, housing, and brake pads DO make a difference, so don't cheap out when it's time to replace them.

As for the saddle, see if there's a local shop with a demo program that would allow you to try a few saddles under real riding conditions.

I would not upgrade any components. I would buy good wheels instead. I have mixed "success" with aerobars. It was not easy to set them for comfortable position, and I personally did not have any advantage on aerobars vs drops. For the half IM distance the comfort is important.

If you really-really want to upgrade, you can look at Tiagra shifters. Buy them on eBay or Craigslist. But I would not do it. Ride your triathlons on what you have, save more and get TT bike + aero wheels. The small upgrades to your components will not make you faster.

Trip to the fitter, aero bars, wheels...lol...actually a trip to the fitter with the aero bars.:D

Thanks for all the responses. I actually found a 2011 felt f95 on craigslist for 300 that I bought. Compared to my old bike it has a carbon fork and is about 5 years newer. Plus it has mavix aksium wheels and puncture proof tires. The guy also left an 80 wireless cat eye computer. I think it was a pretty good deal.

It has micro shift levers with tiagra derailluers. They're a bit loud when shifting but change gears immediately with no hesitation.

My old bike needed a tuneup and new tires which would have been about 200 anyways so I figured I couldn't pass this deal up. I did find a set of 105 shifters for 150 on eBay. These microshifters are loud but work nice, from the posts I'm thinking it wouldn't be worth it too buy em vs. What I have.

I have those Microshift levers and prefer them over any Shimano lever. For $300, you stole that bike - good find. Don't go nuts on drivetrain upgrades though. I suspect they won't help you in your tri pursuits as much as wheels might. Wheels are the meat, levers are only the gravy. Unless you are going old 105, your bike is a 9-speed and 5600 and up 105 are 10 speed. Settle down and evaluate before buying a single thing.

Thanks for the advice, I prolly should wait before i buy new components! I just kept reading how 105's are the best and figured I should try to find a pair. The microshifters on there now aren't bad, just a bit loud when shifting.

I've read some reviews of these wheels and they seem to get good reviews. I guess now my focus should be on a fitting and a good seat. Any recommendations for a good saddle?

105 is Shimano's sweet spot, but even Tiagra 4600 (older 5600 105) is 10 speed now. You would be surprised though at how you can tune the discomfort out of almost any saddle - often times the smallest adjustments make a world of difference. Selle Italia isn't by any means a bottom brand. Check out YouTube for some tutorials on how to adjust the saddle properly and you may be surprised at how much your ride improves.

Any upgrade form 9 to 10 speeds will be an expensive endeavor as almost all of your drivetrain would need replacing. Chain widths, derailleur movement, cassettes, levers - after considering all of this, unless you are in love with your frame, you'd be better off saving for a new bike when the time comes.

I was only thinking of upgrading because I found a 105 groupset for 220. But you're right I could sell all my old stuff, take the money I'd spend on upgrades and just buy an even better bike!!

I'll prolly stick with what I have since I got such a good deal on it. I'll look at some youtube videos on seat adjustment. I think a big part is just getting used to the mileage again! This seat only has a few hundred miles on it. If I wanted to upgrade, are there any you would suggest??

i was surprised how good tiagra is. my friend's tiagra on a nice frame really rides very nicely. i think it's probably worth waiting and saving up for a nicer bike with a nicer frame. the micro shift I tried on another friend's bike seemed pretty good too. i suspect that component upgrade is not a big enough improvement to be worth doing on a basic bike.

Do a search on saddles in this forum - you will find that like fingerprints, everyone's saddle preference is different.

if saddle is uncomfortable, it is worth changing. but give the current one a bit of time. my current saddle has been really comfy then uncomfy and then comfy again as i got used to it. it's a fizik arione and it does feel very good for my ass.

play around with the saddle position especially the tilt. that made all the difference for me because i was trying another saddle and reinstalled it slightly differently. i tilted it down a bit more and hey presto! it felt good.

I remember that a few years ago, when I was riding routinely, I wouldn't even wear cycling shorts for a 15-20 mile ride cause I was used to it. I'll give it some time along with the components.

Thanks for all your responses. I'm a bit of an impluse buyer but your guys have convinced me to sit tight and wait.