Should i sell my allez sport and buy an elite?

Mark__gti

I purchased my 2011 Allez sport at the end of last year to see how i would get on with a road bike for the first time.

I didn't really know alot about road bike gearing when i bought the bike and although i like the bike i would like something with better shifters than the sora it has.

I have seen the 2011 Allez elite for sale currently at £644 which has Tiagra shifters and a slightly lighter frame.
My main question is if i sell my bike for around £400ish is the elite worth the extra £200ish im going to spend or should i just live with the sora shifters?

supersonic

Are there any other differences in spec? Would simply buying new shifters be the easiest way?

Mark__gti

the frame is made from a different aluminium (Elite - E5, Sport - A1), im guessing buying the tiagra shifters will cost round £150ish where as the elite bike will have the whole tiagra groupset for around £200 more than what im hoping i could sell my bike for.

iPete

Live with them and run them into the ground [this takes a long time I should warn!!] and purchase a 105 5700 groupset with internal cabling, made my Allez so much nicer.

Saying that a £200 loss is a relatively low hit for a nicer bike. Any idea what the overall weight difference is?

symo

No get something new altogether from PX. From the same moulds as every other manufacturer anyway. :twisted:

Headhuunter

I've got bikes with Sora, Tiagra and 105. I think I prefer the shift positioning of Tiagra and 105 and Sora is a little more clunky to shift than the others but unless it's really driving you mental I wouldn't bother. Maybe the gearing just needs a bit of fettling?

HebdenBiker

No you shouldn't. It is one thing to save up and upgrade to your dream bike, but getting rid of your bike in order to buy the next one up the range is daft. People who obsess about incremental differences between products in a range are a marketing man's dream. Having a cheap aluminium frame which is slightly lighter than your current cheap aluminium frame will not make you a better cyclist.

Your heavy, Sora-equipped bike is still lighter and better-equipped than the bikes which were winning the Tour de France 25 years ago. You are just locked into a "must upgrade" mindset, created by the bike industry and the cycling press.

See my blog - I did a mountainous mini-tour in Australia on a cheap bike specced similarly to yours. It was a load of fun, the bike was great, and never did I think to myself "if only I had Tiagra shifters". The bike was a good fit and the components were reliable. Apart from the ropey tyres, I wouldn't have changed anything.

The best upgrades many people can make, which will actually improve their cycling, are some good weatherproof clothing (to get them out on their bike all year round) and a course of hill reps.