New frame, New wheels...what next?

Spaniard

I ride a 5 year old Boardman Comp which i can't afford to replace. I've therefore decided to go down the route of making gradual upgrades. Earlier this year I upgraded the Ritchey wheels for some ksyrium elites which immediately improved the performance of the bike. I'm hoping to upgrade to a light carbon frame in spring to replace the alu Boardman frame. After this, does anyone have any suggestions as to what will be the best bang for buck improvement? New group set? New bars / stem/seatpost - all of which are currently quite low end components?

thanks

hipshot

Suppose the obvious things would be contact points: tyres, saddle, seatpost, bars.

I have to ask though, what is it about the Boardman that makes you want to upgrade it in the first place?

joe.90

A Decent pair of clip in pedals?

*also, group set is probably more important but a group set that you will notice an improvement from wont be cheap.

FlacVest

1) We dont' know what you have right now

2) We don't know what you want to spend

3) We don't know what kind of riding you do

4) What do you not like right now? Or do you just want to spend money?

Spaniard

FlacVest wrote:

1) We dont' know what you have right now

2) We don't know what you want to spend

3) We don't know what kind of riding you do

4) What do you not like right now? Or do you just want to spend money?

Sorry for not making it clear. I have a Boardman Comp (alu) - thought I said that?

regarding spending - can't afford a new bike so can't spend much - hoping to get a frame for 6-£700.

As for the type of riding i do, I road race - mainly TLI and LVRC.

I don't like the fact that my bike's heavier than my mates' bikes. And yes, I like buying kit.

I do appreciate that the engine is the first thing to improve and I'm working hard on this. My bike is noticeably heavier than mates who race with me and I don't want to immediately put myself at a disadvantage.

Captainlip

save your money.

Spaniard

Captainlip wrote:

save your money.

Why do you say that?

nunowoolmez

Yes, we still don't know what groupset you have, what seat post you have etc...

You can upgrade all you like but at the end of the day if it works fine the best upgrade you can make is your engine. Quality tyres are really worth having as they will improve the ride & the grip. A decent saddle that you find comfy is imprtant for a comfy ride, carbon posts are nice but not essential. Not sure what groupset you have but if have something like a 105 or equivalent then it's no point upgrading if it works well, which it should if it's maintained. Decent brake pads are worth investing in for the same reason as new tyres are.

Captainlip

Spaniard wrote:

Captainlip wrote:

save your money.

Why do you say that?

any upgrades you do now will do nothing for yor bike except lighten your wallet. as above, tyres, saddle, bar tape and brake pads are all id consider if i needed to spend some money.

meesterbond

Beyond wheels, there aren't many weight-saving options that are a serious bang for the buck.
I'm still trying to reduce the weight of my best bike, and I did a few calculations on what I've have to spend...

For example, were I to do from the alloy version of the stem and bars I currently use to the Carbon version, I'd save a whopping 117g at a cost of about £400... ok, the ones I've got on there at the moment are mid-range rather than cheap, but it's a difficult one to justify when there will be little to no noticable benefit (maybe a little road buzz removed?).

As you've already upgraded your wheels, then I'd assume tyres and tubes are ok.

Depending on what groupset you have now, I'd suggest that it might be worth looking to replace that... particularly if it's 8 or 9 speed and after 5 years I'd have thought things would start to be wearing out. A full 105 groupset would set you back about £400, would be a slight performance improvement over say, Tiagra, and you'd lose a couple of hundred grams I'd imagine.

Escher303

Am I missing something? You've replaced the wheels and you are going to replace the frame and you want to know if you should change groupset, stem, bars and seatpost but you can't afford a new bike? Don't all those bits add up to a new bike? Sounds like Trigger and his one broom for 25 years - 4 new heads and and 6 new handles. Why don't you save up your cash and buy a new bike? With cash for frame and new groupset you are on the way towards something nice.

markos1963

You say you road race so the most obvious upgrade is you. How about using the money to get a coach and improve yourself properly. The Boardman Comp isn't a bad frame and you have a decent set wheels. Use your cash for other things.