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Upgrade Worries - first post

1K views 20 replies 16 participants last post by  Mr. Versatile 
#1 ·
I'm looking to upgrade my ride from the current 105 to Rival. The main reason is to go from 9 speeds to 10 and the new sharper look. (my wife thinks I am nuts in that respect.)

I really enjoy my bike. In the past i've upgraded wheels, seat, pedals, etc and have always been more than pleased. For some reason I'm just not getting the same vibe in doing this upgrade. For those of you that have upgraded/swapped/changed the drivetrain components or any components for that matter, have you ever looked back and realized just didnt get the results or satisfaction that you thought you would, and if you had to do it all over again, you would not?
 
#6 ·
If you really like your frame, I would stick with it. I will probably put a new group on my Master X-Light some day (second bike). If I could afford it, I would buy a new bike (bought one two years ago).

As for being nuts. All cyclists are nuts. I get that from my wife all the time. I always tell her I need a new bike as it's for my health. But that excuse is getting old. I will have to come up with a new one.

What are you riding now?
 
#8 ·
With regards to drivetrain upgrades, I wait until the components are either worn out or I break something. I haven't found reason to change out any of the Ultegra components (other then new chain) on my road bike as it works fine so there's no reason to fix, road stuff lasts a long time.

Last summer on my mountain bike, the XT rear derailleur was getting pretty sloppy and I just had a case of SRAM lust so I changed out the Shimano rear derailleur and shifters for SRAM X9 and frankly, I couldn't be happier. I also changed out cassette, chain and chainrings at the same time so the shifting is now crisp and accurate. The nice thing about waiting until you old components are really worn out is that you really notice and appreciate the difference.
 
#11 ·
OldItalian said:
I'm looking to upgrade my ride from the current 105 to Rival. The main reason is to go from 9 speeds to 10 and the new sharper look. (my wife thinks I am nuts in that respect.) ...For those of you that have upgraded/swapped/changed the drivetrain components or any components for that matter, have you ever looked back and realized just didnt get the results or satisfaction that you thought you would, and if you had to do it all over again, you would not?
That's the story of my cycling career. I got back into it with a mountain bike about 1985 after a post-college layoff, and in the first few years i spend hundreds of dollars (a lot in those days--a top line rear der. was about $20) on "upgrades" that didn't make any difference at all (embarrassing confession: I once spent $13 to upgrade to a titanium seatpost bolt when the standard Shimano part cost $2.75--and there was nothing wrong with the bolt I already had).
Within a few years I'd bought a better MB, then a couple of road bikes, and I "upgraded" each one with "better" components, from chains to cables to freewheels to every damn thing that came along. I couldn't feel a difference at least 95 percent of the time, and when I did, it was almost always tiny.
Wheels were an exception, of course, and sometimes tires. But in my experience, 105 stuff works pretty well (my Rambouillet is full 105, and the Atlantis has some 105 parts). I no longer swap parts unless the old ones aren't doing what I want them to.
But it's your money.
 
#12 ·
OldItalian said:
For those of you that have upgraded/swapped/changed the drivetrain components or any components for that matter, have you ever looked back and realized just didnt get the results or satisfaction that you thought you would, and if you had to do it all over again, you would not?
Nobody does that publicly. All that shite that we buy costs way to much to admit any sort of error.

My Super Record 11 is on the way and I love it.
 
#13 ·
Ricko said:
With regards to drivetrain upgrades, I wait until the components are either worn out or I break something.
.
Me too...I usually wait until something wears out....and this helps perpetuate the myth that component X is so much better than component Y... When someone replaces a worn out part with a new part, of course it works better.....
 
#14 ·
I currently have a 2006 trek 2100(alum with carbon stays) I've replaced the wheels with Bont Race X lites and the seat to a san Marco, cables to the Gore cables, new shimano pedals and probably a thing or two that I've forgotten. Sounds corny but aside from chains, tires, etc I've never had components wear out on me. (Maybe because I've replaced them before they could. When I was young it was easy, now not so simple. Maybe if I just change the shifters, derail, cassette + chain to 10 speed. Darn it, if it wasn't so nice looking and i wasn't so stubborn. Maybe I am making my mind up!
 
#16 ·
Dinosaur, as much as I would love to do that, I dont think the wife would go for that right now. In the past she has been extremely supportive (bike was a present from her! present are usually a gift certificate to LBS, cant ask more than that.) but she would flip on me if I suggested a new bike. She is ok with an upgrade but a new bike? of course if I continue to save money... hmm... thanks!!! now, I'm back to where I was this morning.
 
#17 ·
OldItalian said:
I'm looking to upgrade my ride from the current 105 to Rival. The main reason is to go from 9 speeds to 10 and the new sharper look. (my wife thinks I am nuts in that respect.)

I really enjoy my bike. In the past i've upgraded wheels, seat, pedals, etc and have always been more than pleased. For some reason I'm just not getting the same vibe in doing this upgrade. For those of you that have upgraded/swapped/changed the drivetrain components or any components for that matter, have you ever looked back and realized just didnt get the results or satisfaction that you thought you would, and if you had to do it all over again, you would not?
Are you deriving satisfaction from spending money? If so, go for it. Will it make a whit of difference to your riding? No. Changing components is mostly just different, not really better.
 
#18 ·
i went from sora 8spd to 105 10spd.. i really didnt realize it was 10 speed until i got off the bike and counted cogs. the big difference between that shift was getting rid of the silly thumb shifter sora units, but even that doesnt seem like much of a big deal.

i cant help but think you're really just wasting money and getting nearly nothing at all from it.
 
#20 ·
Go ahead and upgrade your bike - not because you need to, but because the Economy needs you to.

Spending money is what the economy thrives on, so do your part as a good American and help save the economy. Oh, and you get that better looking Rival group.

By the way, I just replaced my Ultegra 10 with Red, and I am really starting to like it. The Ultegra, which still has lots of life left in it, is going onto an old S-Works aluminum frame I picked up cheap off Craigslist to be used as a Cat 5 race/ nasty weather bike.
 
#21 ·
"For those of you that have upgraded/swapped/changed the drivetrain components or any components for that matter, have you ever looked back and realized just didnt get the results or satisfaction that you thought you would, and if you had to do it all over again, you would not?:

Umm, that'd be me. I just switched from 8spd Campy Chorus, which I could no longer find parts for, to a full 7800 Dura Ace gruppo. I wanted to get Campy again but the price was horrific. I put the Dura Ace on my race bike. I've only ridden it about 200 miles or so before putting it up for the winter, but so far the Dura Ace isn't doing it for me. It has some advantages over the Campy, but the Campy still has so many strong points the Dura Ace can't touch it. Maybe when I ride it more I'll like it better. But so far...I'm just not feeling it.
 
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