William102 said:
I started cycling late 2009 after I dislocated my knee cap to rehab my knee. I purchased a Fuji Roubaix 3.0 in late 2009. It came with Shimano Sora shifters, which I found out that i dislike tremendously after riding the bike for a while. I would like opinions on whether it is better to upgrade the parts and keep the same frame or should I just upgrade to a new bike altogether. I will be doing a lot of cycling this spring/summer and doing a city to shore ride later this year.
Thank you in advance
William
FWIW. As
dabac has suggested,
"Big upgrades are rarely worth the money" ...
But, IMO, you do not need to spend a great deal of money to achieve better shifting efficiency ...
So, for the umpteenth time. let me say that you simply need to replace ANY pair Shimano mechanical, indexed shifters with a pair of Campagnolo shifters which have the
dreaded thumb shifter.
YOUR cost is between
$100-to-$500 depending on which Campagnolo shifters you choose (
lightly used or new, high-zoot Record) ...
Unlike other "upgrades" which might involve more expensive Shimano shifters + etc. (
i.e., new chain, probably a new front derailleur, etc.) or SRAM shifters (
i.e., both derailleurs, chain, etc.), you would not need to replace anything else if you opted for a pair of Campagnolo shifters as the core of the upgrade because the only other thing which might come into play are the cables and/or housing.
With Campagnolo shifters, you do NOT need to worry about the chainrings and/or their ramping-and-pinning OR lack of.
With Campagnolo shifters, you do NOT need to worry about the front derailleur.
Heck, with Campagnolo shifters, if the bike has a 9-speed Shimano chain, then you really don't need to worry about it other than having the correct number of links for the combination of chainrings & Cassette Cogs.
Again, with regard to the
dreaded thumb shifters, I simply move my hand from the lower portion of the Drops forward inside the bend of the handlebars so that the crook of my thumb is essentially behind the lever's clamp on the handlebar (
of course, the clamp is covered by handlebar tape).
Do THAT and you will see how easily you should be able to reach the thumb levers IF the levers are properly placed on the forward bend of the handlebars rather than the
apparently fashionable location whereby the upper rear portion of the hoods are flush with the upper bend of the handlebar which are then curiously placed horizontal to the ground to create an extended platform in lieu of orienting the lower portion of the Drops in what (
for me) would be usable
/comfortable position.
BTW. IMO, your bike may
not be set up properly for YOU ...
The height of the stem/handlebar relative to the saddle is VERY AGGRESSIVE for an average
/typical rider ...
Consequently, while you did not immediately indicate that you are uncomfortable with what I consider to be a your superficially smallish frame, you may find that a shorter stem or a hi-rise stem may-or-may-not result in a more comfortable riding position ...
Based on YOUR comments + similar comments by those of others in the past, I reckon that in addition to not having the shifters well placed on the handlebars ...
You-and-they may have an incorrect perception that you should be able to reach the thumb levers when your
/their hands are located anywhere on the Drops ...
That is, based on
my experience with Campagnolo shifters, it is effortless to reach the thumb levers if the levers are properly placed on the handlebars AFTER the orientation of the handlebars is adjusted for the rider (
i.e., me).