Is it worth upgrading?

MattN81

Hello,
Just looking for some advice, hopefully from someone who has been in a similar situation:
I currently ride a '10 Specialized Allez Sport, which has been a great bike and has got me back into cycling. I've been taking part in a few sportives and plan to train with my local club to help me improve.

The question I have is: Is it worth getting something a little better & what difference would I notice between what I have and some of the bikes that I'm considering. I could probably afford to spend up ot £1.5k on a bike and like the look of the Boardman Team Carbon & the Canyon Ultimate CF 9.0.

I appreciate that there are other bikes out there & I'm open to suggestions, but my real query lies with whether or not I'd notice much of a difference by doubling the value of my bike. I figure I'd be quite disappointed if I spent all that money and it just felt the same as my current bike!

Thanks,

Matt

ugo.santalucia

Prices have gone up a lot since 2010, so effectively you are not "doubling" your bike. I would keep it a bit longer if it's still good. As usual, look for offers, I would wait a couple of months, when the 2012 stock goes on sale

Ringo 68

I went from my £720 Boardman Comp to a £1550 Cube Agree pro, so as near as double the price as you can get.

The Cube is lighter, stiffer and accelerates faster than the Boardman and seems to climb that much better. It also looks better in my opinion and has a far better spec on paper.

Is it twice as good as the Boardman though? Not a chance.

It is difficult to put a figure on how much better the Cube feels but at a guess it is about 20% better tops.

styxd

Only you will know if its worth it.

rolf_f

The diffence between my heavy steel tourer and my carbon Ribble isn't that much in real terms - it does feel faster and it is but not by much. Maybe 1 mph on my commute. The difference between your Specialized and the Boardman will be even less.

If you wanted a noticeable difference, you'd probably be best spending (some of) the money on new wheels!

However, this doesn't cover for the new bike feeling and carbon is nice. It might not make you any faster (it probably won't) but you'll feel better on the new bike. If that's worth it for 1.5k, then go for it.

unixnerd

If you wanted a noticeable difference, you'd probably be best spending (some of) the money on new wheels!

Totally agree. Something around the 1500g mark with decent tyres. Planet-X Model Bs are good value.

Would you benefit from having a nice bike and a commute bike? Keep the Allez as-is for cycling to work and get something posh for the weekend.

MattN81

Thanks Folks,

Feedback greatly appreciated-I guess it's hard to put a tangible value on what you gain with a new bike, but Ringo68, I'll bear your comments in mind to help me justify the purchase.

I have already upgraded the wheels on the Allez last year and I definitely noticed an improvement to the bike in terms of how it climbs and accelerates, although again I would struggle to say whether I was actually riding any faster with them.....perhaps a gain of 0.2/0.3 mph average on a ride.

I don't use the bike to commute on, but my plan was to have the allez as a winter bike with mudguards, etc (my current winter bike is a real old beast and I thought it would be nice to have something relatively light and easy to ride in the colder months) and use the new bike for events and sunny days, etc.

For me, £1500 is a lot of money so I'm just not sure whether I can justify spending it on a bike that doesn't offer any benefit when compared to what I have. It seems to be impossible to get a demo ride from either Canyon or Boardman, which is a shame because it would help clarify things for me. I've ridden some lovely bikes, but it's always a 'quick shot' of a bike that isn't necessarily set up for you!

Thanks,

Matt

Ringo 68

I used the 'my current bike will make a good winter bike' excuse to justify upgrading, and I believe it will.

I was in the same boat as you, current bike pefectly good but it is natural to want something better. Anything that gets you out on the road more is money well spent in my opinion (as long as you can afford it, and the missus reluctantly says OK )

unixnerd

I'll say one thing, 1500 would buy an awfully nice one or two year old bike.

nellie72

Interesting thread. I'm in exactly the same position having owned my Boardman Comp 2010 for about 18 months now. It has got me converted back to road riding after years and years of off-roading.

Recently though (ok the last 2 or 3 days) I have been contemplating upgrading the Boardman and have got my eye on one of these;



Currently available at Evans for £1759 (pricematch Winstanley Cycles) reduced from £2200

I am sorely tempted but again am not sure i will notice enough difference to warrant the investment. I upgraded the wheels on my Boardman to a set of Shimano RS80 C24's so these would go straight onto the Wilier.

decisions, decisions...

unixnerd

Nice. Very very nice. That with RS80s will be superb.

Mettan

Matt - if you're happy enough with your existing groupset, why not just buy a new frameset and maybe some carbon clinchers (assuming you haven't already got them)?? Your lbs could swap over all of your existing components to your new frameset. 1500 quid will comfortably get you a new frameset and some chinese or Planet X carbon clinchers.