Road bike advice, upgrade or replace?

[HaYWiRe]

Now this may be the wrong forum but at least you all offer pretty honest (read: Not snobby) advice so bear with me...

I own and ride a Btwin road bike, first proper bike and put around 1000mi. On it. However I'm starting to see budget drive train hold me back, being Microshift 8 speed, sora triple cranks and own branded brakes.
Triple FD sucks and I'm hoping on some better shifters so looking at either a Tiagra 10spd or 105 11spd groupsets, as well as some better wheels to make It a bit more lively...

However the costs start to add up quite close to a whole new bike that contains these parts, plus little bonuses like nicer frames or finishing kit. Now I really like my bike and the idea of building up my own sounds appealing but I almost feel like the cost of upgrading means I'm better off replacing all together for a little extra money, leaving a spare bike go to waste (or to my partner)

And finally, spending on something new leaves the dilemma of what bike? And do I get another sportive bike or look at something more versatile like gravel? But means more money for lower spec just for the privilege of fatter rubber and proprietary parts.

Worst part I I've got quite a bit of cash saved and could buy something right now, however knowing how much work I put into saving I'm really quite cautious spending so much. Somebody knock some sense into me before N+1

[Richard G]

Sounds like the perfect opportunity to keep an eye out for sales and deals. There's been some amazing bikes on offer for next to nothing recently.

[cyclingtiger]

The first rule of new or upgrade is do you have access to the Bike to Work scheme?

[johnnystorm]

The first rule of new or upgrade is do you have access to the Bike to Work scheme?

I used to think that but you'll get a better deal from getting an end of line model from someone like Paul's Cycles.

[johnnystorm]

http://www.c6bikes.co.uk/Orro-Terra-105 ... tail/3-246

They look great and there's a medium one in the stw classifieds for 500 quid.

I had a quick go on a Sonder Camino and it was great, the alloy ones haven't surfaced yet though.

[HaYWiRe]

Self employed in afraid, my daily commute is 5 metres from my bed to the office

I've seen tiagra groupsets for around 229.99 which seams good considering its everything, as for wheels im clueless when it comes to 700c

Btwin have bikes with 105 and Mavic wheels for around £750, plus the frame will take upto 32c as apposed to my 28c, or then there's ultegra for £1000 but I'm kind of leaning towards 10spd for spares and compatible chains.

Was in a Giant store on the weekend to see disk brakes on most road bikes, something I'm still undecided on. Next door I saw a specialized gravel bike with a rather sexy frame but medicore parts for £1000.

(I never thought id be using words like "value" or "good for the money" when talking about £750-£1000 quid but hey ho...that's cycling

[gairym]

If you go for a new bike then Planet X have some bloody good deals on road bikes.

You can get an Ultegra clad carbon road bike for £899 (I think, last time I looked) which is crazy!

I've got the Pro Carbon SL and it's a perfectly capable no frills road bike.

[Ray Young]

If upgrading is getting close to the cost of a new bike then sell the one you have and buy new in my opinion.

[fatbikephil]

I've upgraded the groupo and wheels on an mediocre frame and then subsequently bought a new frame and put the new(ish) groupo onto it. Doesn't really make financial sense (Ray has the right idea here) but its more fun if you are happy to do your own spannering.

[slarge]

Keep an eye on the classifieds on STW or maybe eBay. There's often shifters, mechs and cranks coming up for sale at good prices.

I have a set of vgc ultegra cranks if you are interested - 175mm, double (53, 39) and the external BB type, which I could include - £60 posted. I moved to shorter cranks so these have sat in the box of things to sell (it's a big box) waiting for me to get my arse into gear.

I might have an older set of ultegra cranks as well, but Octalink bottom bracket. Again, vgc. Probably £50 posted.

[HaYWiRe]

I suppose one advantage to upgrading is a better bike setup for me, for example im looking to get a 50-34 compact and wider range out back to handle Brecon, crank length I need to work out though as im hobbit sized
I can look into a few other bits like compact drops then too.

Another spanner in the works is disk or no disk? As this will be Frame specific, off road its a no brainer but on a proper endurance road bike I'm undecided again, bikes have been fine without, and plenty of spares but are disks more versatile? And ofcourse grant tyre clearance, something my frame has little of.

[whitestone]

I'd go for disk. Having your braking system wear away a rather important part of your wheel isn't good.

[HaYWiRe]

That's something I thought about a while ago but sorta forgot, a better option for longevity and maintenance then?

Seems nowadays some expensive lightweight bikes cost even more in upkeep and replacement parts

[voodoo_simon]

Unless you're racing or planning a French sportive, then go with disc. Consistent stopping power is what I would be after (and if I remember correctly, you live in the hills?)

Does 50/34 exist now or is 52/36 more popular now?

Keep the old bike for winter riding and put mudguards on it.

Wheels wise, Mavics Aksium are a good set to look after. Not the lightest but for ~£150, a good sensible choice. I'd stick with 105 too as its 11 speed, not for that extra gear but to keep it future proof

[jam bo]

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-re ... 74036.html

£150 and flog it on gumtree for £50 when its worn out?

[HaYWiRe]

I've found groupsets in both 50/34 and 52/36, id probably prefer the former for longer distance and hills, I'm a good climber but a bit easier wont go amiss.

And a was looking mainly at 11 speed for future proofing but finding wheels, spares,ect for 10 speed was cheaper and its what my mtb runs. That and if I was to upgrade a 10spd would be a straight swap up from 8


Ofcourse discs means new bike frame....i have no more room to keep mine for spare so ill probably give it to my partner to get her into road riding.

What's the recommendations for something with discs, preferably tiagra or 105 up, lightish, and around £1000, ofcourse under £800 would be nice if it means extra to spend on other bike related paraphernalia

[Nevis]

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-re ... 74036.html

£150 and flog it on gumtree for £50 when its worn out?

£150, wow, that's amazing!

[jam bo]

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-re ... 74036.html

£150 and flog it on gumtree for £50 when its worn out?

£150, wow, that's amazing!

only in 51cm frame though. but still.

[voodoo_simon]

If you want a comfort road bike, then either Giant Defy or Cannondale synapse.

If you want something a little more versatile, a wilier montegrappa for £1000 or the whyte Dorset are worth looking at

[DrMekon]

I'll offer some dissenting advice. Screw discs for road bikes - anything that makes a road bike heavier has to be avoided.

I don't really mean it, but ask yourself why you want a road bike. I find it easier expressed in terms of cars, even though I'm no petrol head.

It you want a Sunday morning hoonmobile, get a caterham. If you want to cross continents, get a a Bentley Continental. If you want to cross rivers, get a Defender. Don't buy a SUV they do everything badly.

So, I've got a 7kg Madone - it's a hoot, and I've done 600km events and sportives and even commuted on it. Yes, every time I brake I can feel money falling out of my wallet, but it's great fun.

I've also got a Domane Disc with thru axles and 160mm discs. Yes, it's comfy, and there's always more stopping power than required, and it can take big tyres, and I'll use it on this weekend's 600. However, if I'm going out for a Sunday morning blast with mates, it'll always be left in the shed. If I had to get rid of one, the sensible bike would go. I've other bikes to do boring jobs. The whole point of a road bike for me is to thrill, and the most thrilling thing is how light they are, how quickly they climb, and how they respond to acceleration (within the constraints of my ability to cope with aggressive handling and relentless stiffness).

I'm taking an extreme position deliberately, but do think about why you want a road bike. My first road bike was a dull adventure tourer because I thought I wanted a bike to do everything. I wish I'd just got a bike that went quick straight away.

[HaYWiRe]

That last comment is exactly why I'm sceptical about gravel bikes, I love the look and idea but they're still not true road bikes.

My current road bike feels fast, agile and fun. Its lightweight and climbed well...compared to my mountain bike anyway. 10kg feels alot faster than the 13kg mtb but lets face it, 10kg is heavy once you look at what else is out there as 8kg felt crazy light in the shops. 6.7kg....wow

I want a better drivetrain as clunky shifts hold me back a bit but upgrading mine will hardly drop the pounds off, new wheels might help a bit.
I want tyre clearance for comfort, not expecting 40c gravel grinders but going from 23 to 28c made a huge difference in comfort, grip, confidence and luckily becoming more standard nowadays. And the roads where I live suck, still ridable on skinnies though, some people don't give road bikes enough credit.

I ride road the same reason I ride off road, speed, mountains, exploring and the feeling of being a self propelled diabetic. Dirt or tarmac its just a tool for a job. Shame I can only afford 2 tools

[DrMekon]

That was why I got the do it all bike - I could only afford 1. Sadly, the only thing it could conceivably do well - intercontinental loaded bike packing on dreadful roads - was something I'll not get to do for ages. I've had that bike for 8 years now, done 25,000km on it, and never loved it.

I guess what it did mean was when I found money for other bikes, they were free to do what I wanted them to do..

My LBS has an Emonda SLR10 by the till. It's 4.65kg. it feels otherworldly. Sadly, the £9k price tag makes it too heavy for me (or anyone else, it seems) to carry it out the door.

[HaYWiRe]

I'm not after anything for off road, my mtb is getting lighter and faster and I'm very happy with it. But the definition of road bike can vary almost as much as mtb, maybe audax bikes are my ideal although that name has fallen out of fashion nowadays, or just heavy and old fashioned.

My main concern is one of longevity, £1000 is alot of money to me and always worry in a year or two finding spares or upgrades will hard, I've given up on the idea of a "standard" mtb but found it nice that road has barely changed standards....until now I see disc brakes, thru axles and bb types....is it possible to be truly future proof?

[whitestone]

I wouldn't worry too much about not being able to find spares for road bikes - you can still get stuff for twenty year old bikes and a lot of what was "state of the art" is now found on the cheap end bikes so possible to use those. Other than the expansion in the rear dropout to accommodate ever increasing numbers of gears there haven't really been any "hard" updates to road bikes.