Maelochs

The alternative being ... Smart Shopping.

Anyone who cares .... will look at the frame .... Particularly if the frame was the whole issue.

Why would anyone who bought an entry-level bike and was unsatisfied with the frame buy The Same Model, just with better components?

The whole point about buying a better bike is ... Buying a Better Bike.

A lot of manufacturers used to (I haven't bike-shopped in a few years) sell a couple entry-level models, then a better model, then a CF model. Giant's Contend comes to mind. The first model (or maybe the first couple models) had a basic Al frame, then the next model had an upgraded Al frame, then there was a couple CF models.

If the guy bought a bike with a weak frame, why sink money into the components? Sure, it's only $25 for the BB, but them also the cranks, and the cheapest I can find (Claris, pre-tax and shipping) is $105? Now he is $130 into the bike and guess what, the only issue, which was the rubbing chain, is Still There. Changing the BB and cranks won't In Any Way stiffen the frame. Nothing will.

So yeah .... tolerate a little rub while sprinting, and save up for a better bike with better everything. Not the same model with better components. Only an unsmart shopper would do that.

Funniest part is where you say ..... So … he could Not blow $130-$150 (tax and shipping) on parts which In No Way address his problem ….. sell his old bike for $400, save for a month, and shop around for a quality used bike with a better frame and better components …….

But some people suggest he sink $150 into a bike which he already knows doesn’t work for him and never will ……

I tinker with my bikes too … but if I have a problem I need to fix, I fix it. I don’t replace non-involved parts with more expensive parts and let the problem remain.

But that’s just me. When I fix things, I like to start with the things that Need fixing.