I've bought myself this bike: Raleigh AirLite 100 half a year ago. The bike is primarily used for home - work trips.
I know that the bike has pretty low end components (probably the cheapest you can get).
So I was thinking to upgrade my bike for the summer. I currently don't have the money for buying a whole new bike (since I'm a student). So I was thinking of buying some new components so I can have enjoyable summer rides.
Put the old components back in the winter months, and start to save for a proper frame and fit my "summer components" on this one (eventually)
My question is:
Is this the right strategy? I was thinking of buying a (partly) Shimano 105 set, maybe some fulcrum wheels.
What do guys think is the best investment to improve the ride? Or am I talking nonsense since it's not possible to do this!
Paul, going the route that you are suggesting is impractical. First, it is more expensive to try to upgrade a bike piece by piece than to purchase a better bike. Second, you are going to have to purchase either an entire new or used 105 drive train or you are going to have compatability issues that will be extremely difficult or impossible to correct. This topic has been discussed on this forum many times before. Try using the search funtion at the top of the page with "upgrade" as the key search word.
My advise to you is to ride and enjoy your current bike and then upgrade to a better complete bike when your finances permit it.
