upgrading old FUJI

[juanele]

Hi all
I'm in a big dilemma. I've been conmuting in my bicycle for years and recently start taking it more as a sport. The thing is that I love my old heavy Fuji Monterey but it's way outdated.
My plan is to stick to my old frame and little by little rebuild a whole new machine ... carbon handlebars and seat post, titanium skewers ... I think I'm gonna have more fun and know more in depth my equipment than if I just go to the store and spend $2K in a new one.
Anybody has done sometyhing like that? Is it possible to get a decent machine and think in century races and longer trips?

currently with the bicycle as is, I'm riding 30 miles 3 or 4 times a week

thanks

[dhk2]

Hi all
I'm in a big dilemma. I've been conmuting in my bicycle for years and recently start taking it more as a sport. The thing is that I love my old heavy Fuji Monterey but it's way outdated.
My plan is to stick to my old frame and little by little rebuild a whole new machine ... carbon handlebars and seat post, titanium skewers ... I think I'm gonna have more fun and know more in depth my equipment than if I just go to the store and spend $2K in a new one.
Anybody has done sometyhing like that? Is it possible to get a decent machine and think in century races and longer trips?

currently with the bicycle as is, I'm riding 30 miles 3 or 4 times a week

thanks
CF bars and post, Ti skewers aren't going to save a noticeable amount of weight anywhere but in your wallet. If your Fuji Monterey is a heavy-duty steel bike, set up for commuting/touring, no amount of component upgrade can change that.

If you want to build up a new bike, you could get a bargain AL/CF frame from Nashbar for $300 or less, and build up a pretty competitive bike using some of their bargain build kit stuff and wheelset. A buddy of mine did this in the spring and built it himself. He didn't put the Nashbar decals on it, so it's just a plain metallic red finish with the carbon rear. Really looks pretty nice, and he hasn't had one problem with it all year long. He surprises a lot of people when they find out it's a Nashbar frame he got on sale for $259.

[gclark8]

If you are in NY, go and se R&A, they have some nice frames, wheels, etc, in their "steals and deals" department.
http://www.racycles.com/