Opinions needed - upgrade or replace????

paul_or

Hi, fairly common question I guess. I bought an Orbea Aqua Fleche (Tiagra/105) last year and have barely been off it since. My enjoyment of riding is increasing each week, esp. with the good weather.

Question is, as I increase mileage and speed, do I spend money on the bike (which I do love the qualities of), or should I really look at the £12-1500 price banding to get significant improvements? The Giant Defy TCR3 topped the polls recently at this price point.

Obviously wheels and tyres will be the prime upgrades but would the cost justify itself, I get a feeling that it's easy to do the 'grandpa's broom' thing and keep drip-dripping spend on a bike like this??

I'd be looking to keep the Orbea as a winter bike if I did replace.

Chirg

If you did buy wheels now then you would get the enjoyment out of them for this summer and when you come to upgrade most bikes seem to underspec the wheels so use the wheels you bought for summer and sell the ones that come with the bike on ebay.

Some shops (like Condor) will sell you a bike with everything apart from wheels, others only if those wheels are sellable.

paul_or

Yes, what's also occurred to me is that even bikes like the TCR3 are thought to be 'modestly specced', such that the standard wheels etc would probably not be a massive improvement over what I have now. Also I notice that most bikes around the £1200 mark still have 105 groupset, which mine has most of now.

I was thinking of a set of Easton EA50 wheels for this year......

Chirg

I feel that wheels make a big difference and so spend roughly half the value of my frame on them. The stand alone TCR adv frame whilst not exactly the same as the TCR adv 3 frame is 1,200 quid. I think that frame deserves something around the EA90 level.

Anonymous

I'd get some new wheels now then get a new bike during the september bike sales, keep the wheels you bought and flog the ones that came with your bike (or put those on your now winter bike...)