Upgrade existing bike with new frame or new Winter Bike?
BlueDynamo
Posts: 143
I bought a secondhand 56" Spesh Allez Sport via the Classifieds three years ago for about £500 and this has been a good bike for me to develop my riding with. The bike consisted of the following kit:
Frame: Allez Sport (2006?) - basically this frame..... http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/archive/2006/allez/allezsporttriple#specs
Front Mech: Ultregra
Rear Mech: 105
Cranks: 105
Wheels: Bontrager "Etrto 622x14"
Brakes: Appear to be unbranded but I've since replaced the pads with some SwissStop ones
Finishing Kit (stem, bars, seat): Basic Bontrager gear
I've come to the realisation that the frame geometry just doesn't suit 25mm tyres and mudguards. I really want to maintain my riding over the winter but I've found over the previous two winters that the hassle of getting mudguards to fit resulted in me riding less than I would have liked. I've tried Crud RR in the past and the fiddly nature of the installation put me off straight away. The so-so reviews of other guards like Raceblades also puts me off.
Would it be sensible to buy a frame suited to big tyres and full guards and transfer all my kit across to the new frame or just buy a new winter bike outright and think about upgrading the Allez in the new year? I've looked at previous "Winter Bike" threads and the usual suspects keep getting mentioned as ones to consider: Kinesis 4S, Planet X London Road etc.
Oh and I recently had a bike fit where I was advised that if I were to consider buying a new bike in the future I should look to get a 54" frame with a slightly longer stem (110mm as opposed to the 90mm I currently ride).
Frame: Allez Sport (2006?) - basically this frame..... http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/archive/2006/allez/allezsporttriple#specs
Front Mech: Ultregra
Rear Mech: 105
Cranks: 105
Wheels: Bontrager "Etrto 622x14"
Brakes: Appear to be unbranded but I've since replaced the pads with some SwissStop ones
Finishing Kit (stem, bars, seat): Basic Bontrager gear
I've come to the realisation that the frame geometry just doesn't suit 25mm tyres and mudguards. I really want to maintain my riding over the winter but I've found over the previous two winters that the hassle of getting mudguards to fit resulted in me riding less than I would have liked. I've tried Crud RR in the past and the fiddly nature of the installation put me off straight away. The so-so reviews of other guards like Raceblades also puts me off.
Would it be sensible to buy a frame suited to big tyres and full guards and transfer all my kit across to the new frame or just buy a new winter bike outright and think about upgrading the Allez in the new year? I've looked at previous "Winter Bike" threads and the usual suspects keep getting mentioned as ones to consider: Kinesis 4S, Planet X London Road etc.
Oh and I recently had a bike fit where I was advised that if I were to consider buying a new bike in the future I should look to get a 54" frame with a slightly longer stem (110mm as opposed to the 90mm I currently ride).
"One thing that is worse than Carlton Kirby: people complaining about Carlton Kirby.
Talk about first world problems."
The_Boy, 13/4/14, Paris-Roubaix 2014 "spoiler" thread
Talk about first world problems."
The_Boy, 13/4/14, Paris-Roubaix 2014 "spoiler" thread
0
Comments
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Do you have the space / desire to own 2 bikes?
If yes, keep the Allez for drier weather and buy a winter bike.
If no, either sell the Allez and buy a winter bike, or strip it and transfer the parts to a winter frameset. You can then sell the Allez frame / fork.
Paul Milnes' Ebay shop is worth keeping an eye on; they often have frames / forks that fit the winter bill in terms of clearance / mounting points for proper mudguards. Kinesis Racelight T, Forme Longcliffe etc.
Remember you'll need long drop brake calipers.0 -
Do you have the space / desire to own 2 bikes?
If yes, keep the Allez for drier weather and buy a winter bike.
If no, either sell the Allez and buy a winter bike, or strip it and transfer the parts to a winter frameset. You can then sell the Allez frame / fork.
Paul Milnes' Ebay shop is worth keeping an eye on; they often have frames / forks that fit the winter bill in terms of clearance / mounting points for proper mudguards. Kinesis Racelight T, Forme Longcliffe etc.
Remember you'll need long drop brake calipers.
Thanks for the response.
If I'm honest I probably don't currently have space in my bedroom for a third bike due to living in a shared flat but I could potentially take the Allez back to my parents and store it there over Winter if the more economical option was to buy a new bike.
I'm trying to get a feel for which option people have usually found to be more cost effective:
(a) new winter frame plus the cost of getting a bike shop to transfer the kit across from the Allez, long drop brakes (£70 for a pair?), full mudguards, potentially a headset and bottom bracket?
(b) new winter bike plus mudguards.
I know "cost effectiveness" is totally dependent upon the cost of a winter frame or winter bike cost. How much is it reasonable to expect a bike shop to charge to transfer kit to a new frame (I don't feel confident enough to do this myself)?"One thing that is worse than Carlton Kirby: people complaining about Carlton Kirby.
Talk about first world problems."
The_Boy, 13/4/14, Paris-Roubaix 2014 "spoiler" thread0 -
I never had this dilemma because my first bike was bought specifically to be an all-weather year round bike and just ridden without the mudguards in the summer (Racelight Tk). Then when funds allowed I bought a second, carbon frameset and built up a summer / best bike too. The Racelight is now a dedicated wet weather bike. Annoyingly I'm riding it a lot at the moment :evil:
If you're having to pay a bike shop to transfer the kit, it's probably better to buy a winter bike complete. The Racelight T2 from Merlin is a good all-rounder if you don't have to have disk brakes.
http://www.merlincycles.com/kinesis-racelight-t2-complete-bike-79103.html
Or if you can afford it, the 4S you mentioned in the OP0
