My Paradox: To upgrade the retro, or buy the new hotness?

[darpa85]

Hi everyone,
I just recently changed my life. About a month ago I was smoking a pack a day, driving a huge truck to work and looked at bicycling as a once in a blue moon event that was arduous and painful. Then I had an epiphany and decided to sell the truck and commute the 9 miles everyday to work by bicycle, on top of that, I quit smoking. So I went cheap on my bike and got a 1993 Trek 1100 off of Craig's list. I didn't care if the bike was an exact fit at the time because it was "close enough". Now I am in an awkward place. I found that I love cycling! I want to go full steam ahead into the sport and lifestyle but my bike falls short in some areas. Enough Rambling, My question is should I spend the money to upgrade the trek to make the ride more comfortable for the long haul, or... save up and get a new bike that is already dressed for success? BE ADVISED, I am on a budget (duh Commuting).
Max

 

[vspa]

in what areas does it felt short ?

 

[kdelong]

Hello Max and welcome to the forum. Congratulations on your life style change. I think that you will be a lot happier in both the wallet and posterior if you save up and get a new bike rather than start upgrading your trusty 18 year old bike. There have been a lot of changes in product specifications over the past 18 years and you might decide to upgrade one thing only to find out that you need to change two or three other components to get it to work right. And bicycle components are not inexpensive. It is much less expensive to buy a completely assembled bicycle than it is to buy it in pieces at a time. And you can get a proper fitting done so that it is spot on rather than "close enough". Keep riding your Trek and save for the New Hotness.

 

[darpa85]

Thanks for the great advice! I will head down to the lbs asap so that I can set a realistic goal and hopefully be riding in style soon.