Am I crazy like a fox, or just plain crazy?



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Brian Walker

Guest
I started looking at other road bikes over the past month and decided I
liked quite a bit of the features the upper end bikes offer. When I started
looking at the price tags, I knew I couldn't afford to plunk down $1500+ on
a bike all at once. I figured I'd instead upgrade my existing bike. I have a
2003 Trek 1000. I was looking for performance and comfort all in one
package. I started by changing the handlebars from the stock ones to the FSA
K-Wing carbon. After that, I changed the fork to a full carbon fork with
carbon steerer and changed the stem. Talking with others about wheels, I was
told different wheels would help both with performance and comfort. At first
I didn't believe them, but I did some research and found that there might've
been some truth to it. I found some Spinergy wheels that were in my budget
and bought those to put on in place of the Alex rims it had. I changed the
seat and went with a Selle San Marco ASPire. Now I'm looking at changing the
top chainring from a 52 to a 55.

Now that I'm riding this bike, it's a completely different riding bike than
before. It's super smooth, has plenty of performance in handling and speed
and looks GOOD! I never thought these changes would yield such a difference
in a bike, but they have. I've found with these parts I've added that I'm
able to go farther, faster and less stress than before. I've also noticed
the big difference that I don't have that bone-jarring ride I did before.

My question is whether I'm simply throwing my money away by pouring these
upgrades into an entry level bike, or if the bike is now a high-end quality
bike riding on an entry level frame? Did I make the best decision by
upgrading this bike, or should I have went ahead and bought one of the other
bikes I was looking at?

For comparison, I'm only at $1100 total price for my bike with bike and
upgrades combined....still $400 under the price of the bike I was looking at
buying to replace this one with.
 
Brian Walker wrote:
> I started looking at other road bikes over the past month and decided I
> liked quite a bit of the features the upper end bikes offer. When I started
> looking at the price tags, I knew I couldn't afford to plunk down $1500+ on
> a bike all at once. I figured I'd instead upgrade my existing bike. I have a
> 2003 Trek 1000. I was looking for performance and comfort all in one


<SNIP of upgrade details>

> My question is whether I'm simply throwing my money away by pouring these
> upgrades into an entry level bike, or if the bike is now a high-end quality
> bike riding on an entry level frame? Did I make the best decision by
> upgrading this bike, or should I have went ahead and bought one of the other
> bikes I was looking at?


Well, in a word no, a bike is basically a frame with a bunch of parts
attached, so upgrading some or even many of those parts, is one option
to get a nicer bike, without needing to buy a new one. It's also not
that uncommon, although most folks do the upgrading over time, rather
then all at once. I did that with one bike I had, over a 4 year period.


> For comparison, I'm only at $1100 total price for my bike with bike and
> upgrades combined....still $400 under the price of the bike I was looking at
> buying to replace this one with.
>


That depends on what you could sell a 3 model year old Trek for,
probably less then $400, so your actually still gaining.

W
 
I think you did the right thing. I have a year 2000 Trek 1000. I just
bought a new bike because I want to do loaded touring. However, if I had
wanted to continue racing, I would have done exactly what you did.

It's funny, because I had all of the exact same questions in my head. Do
I spend money upgrading an "entry-level" road bike, or bite the bullet
and move to a "better" bike?

The thing is, I /like/ the Trek. I think the frame is well-designed and
very light. In fact, I never minded the stock Sora components that came
on it. Basically, I think it is an excellent bike at a great price.

So, I think you made a great choice and I'm glad you feel that it was
worth it.

Best regards,
--mike

--
Michael Erickson
Senior Technical Marketing Engineer
Logic Product Development
http://www.logicpd.com
 

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