Advice on Specialized Secteur Compact

[jpwkeeper]

Background:
A bit over two years of cycling, around 2100 miles. I mostly ride at lunch but would like to do group rides and/or gran fondos every now and then. I'm currently too slow for group rides and the Fondo, well let's just say that everything I read says that Hybrids are more comfortable in the short term but for longer rides not so much.

Currently ride a Diamondback Edgwood LX hybrid with 700x42c Burrough CX tires (long story). Bike weighs around 35 pounds but has a 28/38/48 up front and a granny gear in the back (34) before dropping to more road-like gears (25-14 for the other 6 cogs I think). I run pedals with Power Grips on them; not clipless but close. These I will likely transfer to any new bike I get.

I'm a big guy (6'2", 220 pounds) with a bad lower back so I generally spin up hills instead of getting out of the saddle. This means I need some nice low gears.

The guy at my LBS sold me pretty hard on the Specialized Secteur Compact. At $820 it's more than I had wanted to spend (Craigslist in my area has turned up nothing worth mentioning). They are pretty much a Specialized house; they have some other lesser known brands but don't carry Trek, Giant, or Cannondale.

But looking at this bike and its specs...I can't help but be intrigued. This model comes with an 8 speed Shimano 2400 Claris grouping, double-belted puncture resistant 25c tires, Riva plus saddle, and a carbon front fork with Zertz inserts to dampen vibrations. My usual routes do have some rough sections.

The LBS offers a basic fitting plus free yearly tuneups for life.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but other than replacing the moving parts, this bike could end up lasting me 10 years. Other than race, which I have absolutely no interest in, I'm not sure what I would ever want to do that would warrant more bike.

So, my questions:

1. Is this way more bike then I need? I asked about cheaper bikes around the 500 dollar range, but he kept saying that I wouldn't really be happy with them, but didn't get more specific. Now, I realize he was trying to sell me, and he should because that's his livelyhood, but what exactly does he mean?

2. Give that the bike weighs 12 less pounds than mine, with no front suspension, is the 34/32 combination going to be low enough for me? I specced it out with Sheldon Brown's calculator; my bike at 90RPMs in the granny gives me 6Mph. The 34/32 combo gives me around 7.5 (some wiggle room there since I'm not 100% sure about tire sizes). There is a triple in this bike that goes down to 30, although my LBS didn't mention it and started our conversation by talking about how Triples are falling out of style in favor of Compact setups.

3. They also recommended I look at the Sport model. 180 dollars more (an even grand), but with a Sora grouping and Zertz in the rear fork. Is this upgrade worth it, or will I likely not really notice any difference? Edge gear ratios are the same, so the extra cog is somewhere in the middle; as I understand it I'm paying for smoother shifting here.

Yeah, yeah, I know, test ride it and if it feels good, that's the bike. But I want to make sure that, if it does feel good, this is the bike for me. I don't want to have to do this twice. I'm not looking to buy till January/February timeframe, so I'm not in a hurry here. Any advice and/or insight would be appreciated.

 

[alfeng]

FWIW. At a whopping 35 lbs, I am going to guess that your Diamondback has a suspension fork. Is that right?

You can certainly buy a "new" bike if you want to ...

But, if you can DIY, then you can reduce the weight of your current bike to a more reasonable 24 lbs. +/- by changing some of the components ...

I've said it before, I love Hybrids, but I've also said that no one should buy a Hybrid which has a suspension fork because the suspension fork on Hybrids only adds unnecessary weight AND unnecessary cost. If a person who rides on paths feels a need for a suspension fork then they should either buy a 29er Hardtail which has a suspension fork OR replace the Hybrid's fork with a 29er suspension fork.

Simply replacing the 'economy' level suspension fork with a rigid fork will probably reduce the total weight of the bike by 3+ lbs.

Replacing the suspension fork with a carbon fiber fork will reduce the weight by at least one more pound.

You CAN replace the fork with a standard Road fork instead of a 'suspension corrected' fork ... the resultant head tube angle will more closely approximate the 73º which has pretty much been the norm for Road bikes for the past several decades ...

The BB will be slightly lower, but unless you try to pedal through turns on heavily crowned roadways, you probably won't bit the ground with the pedal (you can test how much pedal clearance you have by simply leaning your bike over while one crank is at 6 o'clock -- you may be amazed by how much lean you would have to achieve before the pedal makes contact with the ground).


To put it another way, the typical (non-exotic) aluminum bicycle frame weighs roughly 3 lbs. (THAT's based on measurements which I made about a dozen years ago) ... I don't know what the lower limit is on an aluminum frame's weight OR the upper end.

For illustration, the following aluminum MTB frame which I cobbled together as a Road bike weighs UNDER 20 lbs ...

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With some different components, it might weigh closer to 19 lbs., or less. THAT's not even close to being a remarkable weight for a Road bike with an aluminum frame.

Of course, it wouldn't take too much effort to make it weigh more than 20 lbs. (a steel fork would probably push it over 21 lbs.).

A different headset could add a few ounces.

A different seatpost than the one which is pictured would probably reduce the weight, but if your bike has a suspension seatpost, you will easily reduce the weight by SEVERAL ounces with almost any rigid seatpost.

Ounces add up to pounds.

The particular saddle on the bike is neither porky nor lightweight ...

Your crankset is probably REALLY PORKY & replacing it with an aftermarket Road Triple-or-Double could reduce your bike's weight by another pound, or so.

Pounds add up.

If the bead-to-bead size of your rims is 17mm, then you can easily use 700x28 tires & tubes as an alternative to your 700x42 tires. Otherwise, 700x32 multi-use (deep tread) tires are available which will probably be okay.

If you are on a budget AND can DIY, then you can make the changes (including Drop handlebars + Campagnolo shifters) for under $300.

If you are really wise shopper, you can probably get that cost (exclusive of tools) closer to $200.

If you feel compelled to buying a different bike, then I recommend you look at the JAMIS CODA line of bikes ...

'I' would opt for the base model (under $600 MSRP ... NOS should be reduced by 20% to 40% depending on the model year) which has a steel frame & cantilever brake braze-ons (the bike has V-brakes) with an eye toward eventually installing Drop handlebars + Campagnolo shifters.

People will rightly say that you can buy a ready-to-ride bike from a shop for this-or-that sum, but if you are wise shopper, then you will have much BETTER components than for less money than the bike shop bike will provide.

Most of the components which you might buy to upgrade your bike can be transfered to another bike in the future (Campagnolo shifters are almost universal).

BTW. You can certainly continue to use Flat handlebars AND you do not need to update YOUR bike with Drop handlebars + Campagnolo shifters to reduce its weight ...

You can simply retrofit YOUR bike with components which are similar to the components which are on the bikes you are being shown.

 

[jpwkeeper]

Yes, it has a front suspension fork. I got this bike because of it's price; the front suspension wasn't really a selling point or anything.

One point of clarity; I don't particularly like flat bar bikes. I prefer drop-bars, if for no other reason then the more natural hand position with riding on the hoods as well as more options for riding positions. I grew up with a Huffy 10-speed road bike, and frankly I miss it.

While the project you outline sounds intriguing, I'm pretty sure it is well beyond my capabilities. It would also take me months to do (Assuming the project takes around 80-120 hours to complete for me with a large learning curve), which would be time where I wouldn't have any bike at all.

I do appreciate your putting all this together though; I'm going to file this away for another day when I'm feeling a bit more motivated and I have something to ride in the mean time.

 

[alfeng]

Originally Posted by jpwkeeper
Yes, it has a front suspension fork. I got this bike because of it's price; the front suspension wasn't really a selling point or anything.

One point of clarity; I don't particularly like flat bar bikes. I prefer drop-bars, if for no other reason then the more natural hand position with riding on the hoods as well as more options for riding positions. I grew up with a Huffy 10-speed road bike, and frankly I miss it.

While the project you outline sounds intriguing, I'm pretty sure it is well beyond my capabilities. It would also take me months to do (Assuming the project takes around 80-120 hours to complete for me with a large learning curve), which would be time where I wouldn't have any bike at all.

I do appreciate your putting all this together though; I'm going to file this away for another day when I'm feeling a bit more motivated and I have something to ride in the mean time.

Oh, if it's just a bike with Drop handlebars which is your goal then you do NOT need to make all of the changes at once ...

ANY bike can have Drop handlebars & appropriate shifters.

Here is a 26er (as pictured, only the rear brake caliper + cables & handlebar tape are not installed) retrofitted with Drop Bars, Campagnolo shifters, & a Road crankset ...

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If you can successfully remove the cap from a pickle jar & successfully replace it then you can make the changes without requiring 80 hours.

Certainly (for the time being OR forever), if you can live with the added weight of the fork/etc. then you can just put the replacement handlebars & shifterrs/etc. on the bike without too much sweat or aggravation.

AFTER you have the necessary components & tools, it will take you much less than a weekend to swap the parts ...

You just need to be methodical about how you approach it ...

And, wrapping the handlebars (unless you don't care how well you do it) will probably take the most time ...

Replace the tires & tubes when needed.

A simple $20 bike stand which holds the rear wheel off the ground will be very beneficial.

1. disconnect the current shifter & brake cables from their respective components
2. if your stem has a front plate, then remove the handlebars
3. replace the Flat handlebar assembly with the Drop handlebars of your choice* (due to your height you should probably consider opting for a 44mm size -- you only need to decide which bend profile you prefer)
4. install the new shift levers (for the current [V3] Campagnolo shifters, you will need a T25 Wrench which has a 4" long shaft ... for the prior [V2] version, you will need a 5mm Allen Wrench which has a 4" long shaft) ... installing the brake & derailleur cables BEFORE mounting the levers will greatly expedites the process ... remember to LUBE the cables before you install them in their respective housings ... put a dab of any light petroleum based grease between your thumb tip + finger tip of your choice & run the cable through the grease to lightly coat it ...
5. tape the cable housing onto the handlebars ... I recommend MASKING TAPE
6. wrap the handlebars
7. almost done ...
8. you will need to replace the current V-brake calipers with either Cantilever brake calipers OR Mini-V-brake calipers
9. secure & adjust the brake & derailleur cables
10. done!

If the stars are aligned, then you can easily do it on a rainy afternoon while watching TV in the background ... unless you get distracted, it will probably take you less than 2 hours with most of that time being spent wrapping the handlebar tape onto the handlebars.

If you have not adjusted your brakes before, then LOOK at the brake pad offset from the rims before disconnecting the brake cables so that you can get a sense of where to set them, initially.

Consult www.parktool.com or YouTube.com if you need help to adjust the rear derailleur's indexing.

* If you want a handlebar which is only available with a 31.8mm (OS) center section, then you may need to buy a quill adapter (~$20) + appropriate length OS stem unless your bike's current stem can accept OS handlebars (sorry if that stating the obvious).

Replacing the fork & headset should take less than 2 hours.

Replacing the crankset & BB should take you less than 1 hour.

Replacing the seat post takes about 2 minutes PLUS as long as it takes to move the saddle over.

A set of 10-speed Campagnolo shifters (<$120 on eBay) will index to most Shimano derailleurs ... a better Shimano rear derailleur than your bike currently has is always a future-or-immediate option to consider ...

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The 10-speed Campagnolo shifters will allow you future compatibility with either a DIFFERENT freewheel (e.g., 7-speed SunRace which will have a 13t smallest Cog) or a wheelset whose rear wheel has a Freehub & uses Cassettes.

FYI / BTW. To utilize either Shimano or SRAM shifters will require a wholesale change of components; and consequently, cost much more.

 

[maydog]

Quote: 1. Is this way more bike then I need? I asked about cheaper bikes around the 500 dollar range, but he kept saying that I wouldn't really be happy with them, but didn't get more specific. Now, I realize he was trying to sell me, and he should because that's his livelyhood, but what exactly does he mean?

Depends on what your needs are. If you plan on doing group rides and fondos, the specialized would be a better choice than your current bike. The component spec on the bike is good, but far from being bling or overkill.

Quote: 2. Give that the bike weighs 12 less pounds than mine, with no front suspension, is the 34/32 combination going to be low enough for me? I specced it out with Sheldon Brown's calculator; my bike at 90RPMs in the granny gives me 6Mph. The 34/32 combo gives me around 7.5 (some wiggle room there since I'm not 100% sure about tire sizes). There is a triple in this bike that goes down to 30, although my LBS didn't mention it and started our conversation by talking about how Triples are falling out of style in favor of Compact setups.
34/32 is a pretty low gear for a road bike. If you are not riding mountains, I suspect that your low end should be more than enough. I am 220 as well and spent a week riding on the big island of hawaii on with a low gear of 34/28 - there were a few climbs that I would have liked more low end, but I was never reduced to walking. Two of my current road bikes have a 30 small ring, I used the small rings for maybe 2 miles this year mostly by accident.

Quote: 3. They also recommended I look at the Sport model. 180 dollars more (an even grand), but with a Sora grouping and Zertz in the rear fork. Is this upgrade worth it, or will I likely not really notice any difference? Edge gear ratios are the same, so the extra cog is somewhere in the middle; as I understand it I'm paying for smoother shifting here.

The sora setup is 9-speed, correct? 180 bucks to change from a 8 to 9 speed, with a better groupset seems fair and probably worthwhile for a wide range cassette. I have no experience regarding zerts.

 

[jpwkeeper]

Originally Posted by maydog
The sora setup is 9-speed, correct? 180 bucks to change from a 8 to 9 speed, with a better groupset seems fair and probably worthwhile for a wide range cassette. I have no experience regarding zerts.

What is better about the Sora vs. the Claris (note: This might sound snarky; it's not. Please take the question literally). Is one extra gear in the middle that noticable, and or is there something else about it that's better?

 

[maydog]

In the Shimano hierarchy, Sora is a step above 2400. Either should perform well.

I have no firsthand experience to compare the two. I have an old, year 2003'ish, Sora setup and a newer 2300 setup - neither of which resemble the current state of Shimano groupsets.

Years back, I threw on a long cage rear derailleur on my road bike and put on some very wide range (34 to 11) 8 speed cassettes. With such a wide range, there were instances where I couldn't find a good gear to ride in. This was especially apparent during group rides. Now I ride with much narrower cassettes, ({26,25 or 23} to 12} so it's not a big issue.

Generally 9's are better than 8's. The market is slowly moving 8's toward obseclence as even higher gear counts become available. However, 8's are inexpensive and perfectly functional.

 

[jpwkeeper]

Good to know.

However, 5-7 years from how is it going to be hard to get replacement parts for the 8 speed group?

 

[alfeng]

Originally Posted by jpwkeeper
Good to know.

However, 5-7 years from how is it going to be hard to get replacement parts for the 8 speed group?

FWIW. By my reckoning, unless there is a Global Economic Collapse, looking back at what was in vogue 30+ years ago (40+ if you like) and then looking forward then you should certainly be able to get 8-speed compatible components for the next 20-to-30+ years through eBay or similar online retailers ...

That is, you can certainly buy "stuff" for 40 year old bikes, now ...

EITHER vintage OR suitable replacements.

And, you will probably still be able to buy 5-speed stuff 40 years from now; so, 8-speed stuff should similarly be available for the foreseeable future.

It's the non-Campagnolo 11-speed stuff that I would worry about until its acceptance reaches a "critical mass"

 

[jpwkeeper]

Yeah...I guess that was a silly question in retrospect.

I'm strongly leaning towards the 9 speed version. I suspect that this bike will do absolutely everything I want out of a bike other than race (and I have NO interest in participating in bike races).

I also strongly suspect that this bike could last me 10 years or more other than the moving parts (so wheels, rims, and drivetrain). So 180 dollars over 10 years...not so expensive.

 

[oldbobcat]

Originally Posted by jpwkeeper
Yeah...I guess that was a silly question in retrospect.

I'm strongly leaning towards the 9 speed version. I suspect that this bike will do absolutely everything I want out of a bike other than race (and I have NO interest in participating in bike races).

I also strongly suspect that this bike could last me 10 years or more other than the moving parts (so wheels, rims, and drivetrain). So 180 dollars over 10 years...not so expensive.

Hey, if you're going to ride it for ten years (or more), splurge a little. A Sora-equipped Secteur is an excellent choice. Shimano really outdid themselves and improved the ergonomics and durability of the levers for 2013. Happy trails.

 

[ChuckTowne]

Hey I've been cycling for about two years now. And I recently wanted to get rid of my department store bike and upgrade. I went to the local bike store and I feel in love with the Specialized Secteur Comp. I wasn't looking to blow the bank because I ride my bike for exercise mostly and to just get away from life. I have maybe put about 100 miles on the Secteur in about 2 weeks and I love it. I'm not bike smart and I don't really have anything to compare it to besides my old department store bike, but this bike rides like a dream. I got properly fit for it and I can go on three hour rides and feel like a pro. I even blow past some of the cycling groups that ride around here. Get the Secteur, you won't be disappointed.

 

[Waynethomas]

While the project you outline sounds intriguing, I'm pretty sure it is well beyond my capabilities. It would also take me months to do (Assuming the project takes around 80-120 hours to complete for me with a large learning curve), which would be time where I wouldn't have any bike at all.

I do appreciate your putting all this together though; I'm going to file this away for another day when I'm feeling a bit more motivated and I have something to ride in the mean time.













Freestyle Motocross Gloves

 

[oldbobcat]

Originally Posted by Waynethomas
While the project you outline sounds intriguing, [. . .]

Nicely put. Enjoy your new Secteur.

 

[karlmax1103]

nice post