AusTai

I have a '99 cro-mo (thron) bike with Campy Mirage components. 9-speed rear. Upgraded various things and the bike now weighs about 22 lbs. Shifting is still good, etc. My question: roughly how much would I have to spend today to get a new, noticeably lighter bike (sub 20 lbs)? Also, anything with Sora components (need flexibility with shifting) or 8-speed cassettes would be ruled out. I'm guessing at minimum, $1K. Thanks!

halfspeed

Ibtc9

Rob P.

The answer is "it depends."

If you just want to upgrade to a lighter frameset, then you can spend as little as 300-400 or as much as $3000 and swap your Campy stuff over.

If you want a completely new bike, then expect to pay around $1500 or more with Shimano Ultegra (not Ultegra SL) or Sram Rival.

If you want to build something better for less than buying, get a decent frameset and use a new Rival groupset and Ultegra SL / Mavic wheels. I just built my new Orca for <$1800 but reused my almost new Vuelta wheelset. New wheels would have sent the total to around $2300 or so. My Orca is <18 lbs for a 60cm frame and "mid range" components.

Georgebowen

I have a specialized allez sport and it is under 20 lbs, but I have lighter wheels and bars.

The stock specs put it at basically 20lbs and you can get one new for $800.

It has Tiagra/105 components.

AusTai

I'm starting to think the cost of going to a noticeably better bike will be a lot more than I'd hope. Maybe I should wait till full-carbon bikes drop below $1K.

sheddle

You'd probably be better off with high-end alu and steel than cheap carbon.

NoGaBiker

I don't mean to be a smartass, but does anyone still make a road gruppo with only 9 speeds?

Little Darwin

Yes. Shimano Tiagra is still 9 speed, and a good option for a lot of people.

BarracksSi

palesaint

The ever-loved bikesdirect has multiple 9 speed < 20lb bikes. Anywhere from $650-950. Get some tools and jump in feet first!

Rob P.

High end steel = Yes! Titanium = Maybe, depending on who makes it. Aluminum = No.

Seriously, I just went from alum to carbon and I will NEVER go back. I will eventually get a high end steel bike (Colnago) but I will not even consider aluminum again.

AusTai

Carbon is out of the question. I do not ride enough to justify that. High end steel sounds expensive. Are even there high end steel bikes under $2k, let alone $1k? So that leaves alum, which will be lighter than my bike, but I have a feeling my steel bike will ride better. True, or are there high end alum bikes for around $1k. Is the Caad9 frame considered high end? Would that ride more smoothly than my steel frame? Thanks.

sheddle

Yeah, you can easily manage a high end steel (TrueTemper OX) build under $2K, Gunnars (https://www.gunnarbikes.com/) are basically less fancy looking Waterfords. Used could be even better, I got a deal on a Lemond Poprad (also TrueTemper OX) for $600 a few weeks ago.

Rob P.

Alum will NOT necessarily weigh less than your current bike. My Trek 1100 tips the scales at 27 lbs for a 60cm with high cross-section rims (Vuelta XRP's @ 2100 grams/set plus wire bead tires)

You can get decent carbon bikes for around $1000-$1200 from Performance Bicycle. Their Scattante bikes are 105 I believe.

BarracksSi

Even though it's one of the fastest, stiffest, best-handling aluminum frames on the market, I don't think its price puts it into "high end" territory compared to everything else.

Nope. Well, highly doubtful, anyway.

sheddle

Yeah, the CAAD9 is probably not made for a soft ride, it's a fullblooded crit bike.

halfspeed

The CAAD 9 is not just a crit bike. It's a proven grand tour stage racer and its predecessor (CAAD8) is plenty comfortable for my 44-year-old cat 5 butt in up to 500 mile weeks.

I swear half you BFers are the princess and the effin' pea.

hendrick81

Caad9 6, $1000

AusTai

I actually have noticed a lot of enthusiasm for the Caad9 series since I first posted. Unfortunately, none of the Cannondale dealers in Austin have any in stock. Weird. I may just go to a few bike shops and see what a bike around $1K feels like. If they don't blow me away, I'll just stick with my current bike. I just ride for fun, not racing. Not sure I'd even notice a difference of 2-3 lbs.

A friend who recently dropped $3K on a new bike passed the upgrade bug to me, but I seem to be recovering. After all, riding an old steel bike has the advantage of lowering expectations.

urbanknight

+1 I have an aluminum (scandium) bike I built pretty cheap that comes in around 17.5 lb. I could lose another pound on the wheels easily, too.

DwayneS

I got my Trek 2.1 for $1100 and it's one of the best aluminum frames out there but it's components are slightly inferior to the CAAD9. It's a trade off, frame or components, I chose frame over components. And contrary to popular belief around here, properly made aluminum with a bit of carbon here and there can give an excellent ride and still be stiff for great climbing, sprinting, and all around riding.

Jinker

I've ridden my $83 Nashbar aluminium straight gauge 'uncomfort'bike back to back with a ~$2500 carbon Trek Pilot designed to coddle it's rider as much as possible. The bikes were set up as identically as possible (+/- less than .5cm in each dimension as far as handlebar and saddle position with respect to the cranks).

My conclusion? On short rides (less than 2 hours) on decent roads, I don't think there's any major impact. Sure the carbon bike absorbs the road buzz a little better, but honestly, the second you're off the bike it's no longer an issue.

On the back to back centuries I road a couple weeks ago (365km in two days) I'm glad I was riding the carbon bike. Taking the edge off of the road buzz meant a lot on 6+ hour days, from a butt, hand and shoulder fatigue perspective.

So my answer? If you're doing long rides, go with a carbon frame. Heck, go with 25c tires and drop the pressure a few pounds. If you're into shorter rides, treat yourself to better components.

In either case, IMO, focusing on the weight of the bike is silly. Three pounds is two full water bottles. No big deal.

DwayneS

A carbon fork helps a lot and carbon seatpost and seatstays also help a ton. I get almost no road buzz even on the crappy roads I ride on in the middle of nowhere. I'm sure a full carbon bike would ride better, but is the price justified?

AusTai

Good point.