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component upgrade

Old 05-04-09, 11:26 AM
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shmee40
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component upgrade

SO i have a 2005 specialized allez triple w/ crappy sora/tiagra/sugino. I am thinking about upgrading to full ultegra. Does this make sense on such a base model bike? Or is it more worthwhile to just get a whole new bike?
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Old 05-04-09, 11:40 AM
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spring must be in the air - this has to be the 5th thread this week already about upgrading "crappy" components.

i say get a new bike and keep the old one for a spare if you really must have full ultegra. it will be hard to justify the cost of a full grupo upgrade to the mediocre frame with probably mediocre wheels.

if you;re going to get wet - go swimming.
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Old 05-04-09, 12:04 PM
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I have a similarly crappy components and have been asking myself the same question. I've priced a set of components from Ebay to convert to 10spd from Sora, and it came out to $417 including both deraillers (DA front and Ult rear), Ultegra shifters, a 105 compact crankset, and cassette and chain. Those are all un-used (new) components. The Allez is a decent frame, much like my OCR, so I think it would be worth it. If you don't need a spare bike, why spend $1400 on a new bike similarly equipped? BTW, I also priced a full Campy Veloce group w/wheels for <$500 on Ribblebikes.com.
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Old 05-04-09, 12:14 PM
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If you get a group set get Sram or Campy. They are both superior to Shimano.
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Old 05-04-09, 12:37 PM
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Upgrading your drivetrain will cost more than the bike is worth. Much more cost effective to sell the old bike and buy a better one. Or just upgrade the engine and leave the bike alone.
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Old 05-04-09, 02:20 PM
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well i dont need a spare bike bc i already have two others.

my dillemma is between just upgrading the componenet on the allez, upgrading to a new frame+components (already have some nice mavics), and recycling the carbon fork, carbon seatpost n wheels, or getting a whole new rig and selling the old bike.

ps my engine is upgraded
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Old 05-04-09, 02:29 PM
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Ride up grades, not upgrades, as someone on this list always says.
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Old 05-05-09, 05:56 AM
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I went to Campy Veloce with Mirage crank and brifters on my '06 Giant OCR3. I liked the idea of taking it apart and putting it back together myself, and I also like the Campy fit/finish/function much better than Shimano. I too had already upgraded things like seatpost, handlebars, etc to get my fit just right, so I decided to just change out the drivetrain instead of buying a new bike since I was already really comfortable on this one. After a few years riding this, then I'll probably spring for a new Centaur/Chorus ride, but I'm happy with it for now.
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Old 05-05-09, 06:36 AM
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Originally Posted by Zen Cyclery
If you get a group set get Sram or Campy. They are both superior to Shimano.
Opinion.

I personally can't stand Campagnolo...and that's just opinion too.

To the OP:

If you have Sora shifters, that's probably the only "crappy" part of your bike. Everything else is quite serviceable, and I'm rather fond of Sugino cranks.

If you're not as fast as you would like, I bet it's not the component group slowing you down. If you had to actually upgrade something, the first thing I would look at is the wheels. Bikes are always "under-wheeled", and entry level bikes have the very worst wheels.
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Old 05-06-09, 08:27 AM
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just got a sick deal on ultegra SL groupset on eurobikeparts.com for $769
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Old 05-14-09, 07:28 PM
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also blueskycycling.com has the ultegra groupset for ~ $750
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