Is it sensible to upgrade an entry level bike?

timman

I have my Cannondale Synapse for about a year and I'm in general rather happy with it (even the saddle). Recently I'm thinking may be I should make a bit of upgrade here and there. But then, should I just save the money for a future new bike instead of spending on upgrades which probably would be outdated when I finally buy a new bike anyway?

Any advices on that?

-Tim

pbamf

I have a trek1.5, and against the forums advice decided I couldn't wait to save for a better bike so upgraded. Changed the wheels to shimano rs20's, tyres, and managed to get a cheap 105 groupset from various places off ebay. It is now a completely different ride and bides my time till I can afford a better bike. If I was on a limited budget I would certainly upgrade wheels and tyres. For me this was the biggest change.

roger_merriman

essentially depends on how good the frame is, as there isn't a lot of point upgrading parts if the frame isn't much good, on the other hand bike parts are interchangable one can even buy a new frame at some point....

timman

Thanks for replying. I guess I probably ignore the groupset part and save for wheels, tyres and pedals first. Or possibly a nicer colour saddle.

On tyres, anyone know where I can find Gommitalia tyres? My LBS doesn't have them and apparently there aren't many online stores selling it too.

kingrollo

I would save for a new bike - you generally get a good deal when buying a whole bike - then buying the parts separately.

Stone Glider

It would make sense to just change the things that wear out, like tyres; or things which affect you personally, like the saddle.
These can be transferred to your next bike as part of normal usage.
Whether to change wheels rather depends on the wheels that equip the "better bike". You may have already worked out a wish list like everyone else on this forum. The important thing is that you still enjoy the Synapse, so small changes are worthwhile to prolong your riding pleasure until the change.

synchronicity

What sort of parts are you thinking of upgrading?

robmanic1

I had the same predicament recently, waiting for my workplace to commit to the CTW scheme or upgrade my OCR2, decided on a new wheelset because I'm impatient, also thought I may as well buy new rubber, ended up spending way too much on a set of Racing 3's, which are probably far too good for this bike, but my reasoning was that if and when I do get a new bike these wheels should easily be good enough to transfer.
It's commonly acknowledged that wheels and tyres are the areas which upgrading will benefit the most, I'd say go for it and buy the best you can afford with a view to transferring them to a new bike later.

Mettan

pbamf wrote:

I have a trek1.5, and against the forums advice decided I couldn't wait to save for a better bike so upgraded. Changed the wheels to shimano rs20's, tyres, and managed to get a cheap 105 groupset from various places off ebay. It is now a completely different ride and bides my time till I can afford a better bike. If I was on a limited budget I would certainly upgrade wheels and tyres. For me this was the biggest change.

Agreed - I did the same and was similarly very pleased - and the good thing is, when the time's right you can simply upgrade the frame (get your LBS to swap the parts over).

ohlala!

If you love the frame, just upgrade the components at the end of the day it's not the equipment, it's the rider. Equipment can only help you so far. May i suggest that you should not be too savvy on wheels, it makes the most distinguishable difference in terms of weight and performance. And maybe custom your gears too. The rest is about fitness and comfort on the bike really.

Unless you do pro cycling upgrading would be much more sensible especially during credit crunch. Look at it this way, the spare money that you'll have can be spent on cycling holidays or pay for entrance fee on races.

GoLance

I have had my Giant SCR4 since June 07 and tbh it was heavy, and components were pretty bog standard. But I gave it a 105 rear mech, Alpina carbon forks, Wing TT seatpost, Profile Carbon Strykes, Dura Ace pedals, Pro3 race tyres, Open Pro wheels, Bontrager stem, and Specialized Toupe TriTip saddle. Now it feels like a bike twice the price of what I paid for it!

keef66

I suspect that's because it is now a bike twice the price you paid for it. In less than 2 years you've replaced everything but the frame and the chainset!

Hornetto

That reminds me of the story of the school caretaker who had used the same broom for 40 years. Just 7 replacement handles and 8 replacement brush heads, but still the same broom...

robmanic1

Hornetto wrote:

That reminds me of the story of the school caretaker who had used the same broom for 40 years. Just 7 replacement handles and 8 replacement brush heads, but still the same broom...

The "Trigger's broom" effect.

zedders

I would say it is worth getting another ride. Am in the same boat & have just ordered a new £1600 Ribble. I looked at upgrading, but by the time I'd added up what I wanted I was half way to a new bike anyway. So I decided to go for a new bike because:

1) If you have a problem with one, I'd still be able to use the other? So I won't be kept of the road for long periods, whilst making repairs.
2) I'll keep my new ride for summer only, so hopefully it will last longer = making more financial sense.
3) I'll use my older Bianchi bike for training/winter/turbo rides etc.

Although I haven't - if you stick with Shim you may be able to swap parts around (poss)? I haven't though and thought I'd give Campag a try! (Which is also another point, if the Cannondale is your first ride. Have been in both Shim & Campag camps?) That's a whole new topic! (Lets not go there)!!!
ZEDDERS

BigStu2

If yours is a 105 aluminium model then I'd suggest upgrading the wheels, check out chain reaction for their easton ea70 wheels, good price and will knock a bit of weight off. If your bike came with the fizik pave cx saddle (almost 300 grams) then you can buy a saddle that weighs less than half for not much moola. I have this years CAAD9 105 model and I just fitted a raceface crankset that was going for a song at wiggle, an FSA carbon seatpost, specialized toupe saddle and some new bar tape, ironically the standard seatpost was lighter although it doesn't have the same cool factor.
Just these few mods transformed the bike from slightly mundane looking to a bit of a head turner, so it will work for your ride as well 8)

LingfieldXC

The first question i would ask yourself is why do you want to upgrade.
I'm in a simelar situation. I bought a trek 1.7 allmost a year ago and modded it to my preferences, ie saddle and adjustments. I'm considering upgrading stuff but then I thought why?
Well come september when I go to uni I want to join the uni team and hopefully do some racing so I want something I can race on. I know 2 years down the line I will be taking cycling much more seriously and so if I invest now in something I can still use then I will be happy to spend the money.
The obvious choice for me is to get a good set of wheels. They make a huge difference weightwise and if I buy a good racing set then I can use them with my next bike when I upgrade. So i'm going to spend a decent amount of money on wheels.
Current choices include Mavic Ksyrium SL, Zipp 303s, fulcrum racing zeros. I want clinchers as I am not farmiliar with tubs and it seems tubs are also more expensive to maintain.
The mavics and fulcrums I like as everyone I know who has them say they are robust and will last ages and so I could train and race on them. The 303s are light and would make good race wheels but I would be nervous to use them for training (then again why do you need light aero wheels for training?)

timman

Some scumbags solve my problem by stealing my entire bike from just outside my flat in King's Cross.. So no more question on upgrade, all I can do is saving for a new bike then. That's would be a long time for a poor student like me - guess I will miss the whole summer. Sigh.

Btw, it's a 2007 model Synapse in black, Size 47 with Tiagra groupset and a triple crankset. I have Shimano A530 single side SPD pedals on it. It looks like this:

flanners1

Locked up? Feel for you mate....

timman

Yes locked to the rail next to the staircase. Have to admit I didn't lock it in the most secure way though, because it's indoor and the apartment block has security, etc. What an expensive lesson to learn.