Component Upgrade on new Madone 5.1?

[arielmoon]

LBS has a new Madone 5.1 (http://www.trekbikes.com/women/wsd_products/bikes/2008/road/madone51wsd/) on sale and BF gets a discount so I am going to test ride this weekend. BF mentioned that the components are not usually the best. My question is, for someone that is very serious and may race one day... what would you upgrade to?

5.1 comes with:
Frameset
Wheels
Wheels Bontrager Race

Tires Bontrager Race X Lite, 700x23c, folding

Drivetrain
Shifters Shimano Ultegra STI, 10 speed
Front Derailleur Shimano Ultegra
Rear Derailleur Shimano Ultegra
Crank Shimano Ultegra 50/34 or 52/39/30
Cassette Shimano 105 11-25 or 12-27 (triple), 10 speed
Pedals n/a

Components
Saddle Bontrager Select FIT CRZ+
Seat Post Aluminum seat mast cap
Handlebars Bontrager FIT VR, 31.8mm
Stem Bontrager Race X Lite, 7 degree, 31.8mm
Headset Cane Creek IS-2 Integrated w/cartridge bearings, sealed, alloy; 1.125" top, 1.5" bottom
Brakeset Shimano Ultegra w/Shimano Ultegra STI levers


Basically I am trying to see how much I am looking at to see if I can finance this purchase in the first place.

Thanks in advance!

[VeloVT]

It should be fine for racing as is. You don't need to upgrade the Ultegra unless you have cash burning a hole in your pocket and you want to shave every gram you can. You MAY want to consider asking the shop if they would swap out the crankset for a standard double (usually they will give you a substantial credit for this, so you are basically just paying the difference, but shops vary), since you may want higher gearing for racing, but then again you may not. In any case you'd probably be better with the compact than with the triple.

Switching the wheels for a lighter set would probably be the biggest payoff for the money, but you can do that any time and don't need to be in a hurry, you could definitely race on the heavier wheels until you feel like you can justify buying lighter ones.

My bf has a 2007 Madone 5.2 and did not have a good experience with the stock Bontrager tires... and you will probably have to replace the seat... but depending on the deal you are getting, I would say it looks like a good bike. I don't think you'd have to do a lot of upgrading. Of course everything could always be lighter, and eventually you might be making some non-necessary upgrades like carbon bars, lighter stem, lighter seatpost (though I'm not sure how many options you have for the seatpost on the new Madone, come to think about it), etc, but that's another story...

[bounceswoosh]

What she said -- I got the 4.5 due to budget, so I asked a lot of questions about upgrades over time.

The one thing you can't upgrade is the frame. My understanding is that with each whole number in the Madone series, the frame weight goes down by about a pound. So yours would be a pound lighter than mine, and the 6 series would be a pound ligher than that.

I hate Bontrager saddles, so I had the shop swap that out immediately.

The number one upgrade the shop guy recommended, if I felt like it, was a lighter wheelset. That difference may be noticable, whereas shaving a few grams here and there by buying higher end components probably won't be.

[rij73]

Ooooh.... You might really be getting a new bike. How exciting!

Ultegra components are great. Many racers use them. Dura-Ace is the best, but keep the Ultegra. It will serve you great.

Yes, the most noticeable upgrade you can make are the wheels, but again, you can do it later. It's not like the Bontrager Race wheels have much resale value anyway. Lightweight wheels really feel different on accelerations.

If you are a really strong rider, you might want a standard double crankset rather than the compact one the bike comes with. I think for racing that would be essential. Again, you could make that switch later, but maybe the shop would do it for you for free. You would be switching out parts that cost the same.

Last thing... I'm surprised the bike comes with an aluminum seatpost. Carbon is much more comfy, and it seems weird to ride a carbon bike and an aluminum seatpost. You may want to spend a little to change that.

So, other than the seatpost and maybe the crankset (if you are really strong), I wouldn't change a thing at first!

[arielmoon]

Great advice liza, bounceswoosh & rij73!! Thank you!

Bf has a triple crank cause his Madone came with one but I dont know that pros and cons on that. I know that on his 2300 I am on the big ring & middle-ish cog for the majority of the time with good cadence.

The saddle I am using now on the hand me down is a Bontrager gel and I hate it so I was planning to get a new one anyway. The saddle on the bike at LBS is not the one in the picture- it is a cut out but I did not see the model on the Bontrager website. :confused:

I had to swap a wheel with BF from his Madone this week cause of a flat and I did notice that it was much lighter so I can see where that can make a difference. Think that is an upgade that I can make as I get closer to racing in Oct.

BF says I am stong... and I am a big gear masher! Other people have told me I should be racing. I know nothing... I am going by what others have said.

[Mr. SR500]

My wife has a 5.1, it's an AWESOME frame and great bike. NOTHING wrong with any of the components. It's full Ultegra other then the cassette!

We upgraded her's with RaceXLite wheels and a Dura-Ace cassette, because we already had them - makes a killer bike!

Your only real concern would be triple vs double. Either is fine, a double shifts slightly better, and a compact double can give you much of the lower end a triple does, but you can race fine with either. You go just as fast on either!

Great Bike! Congrats!

[alpinerabbit]

Wheels ARE the one best thing you can do to your bike.

Mavic Ksyrium SL or sommat from Zipp. I love my Ksyriums, they are sexy.

A carbon seatpost... oops that doesn't fly with the new Madone seatpost system.... ok at least a great saddle.

Get some good light pedals. Don't get Time, maybe Look Keo Carbon if you want to do yourself some good.

ps. the 12-27 cassette works just peachy on a double, maybe the LBS will swap that for you.

[ilima]

Ultegra drivetrain is great. Saddle, handlebars are more about what works for you. Get the triple if you need it, compact double if you don't.

Only real upgrade needed is a decent wheelset. Like alpinerabbit, I have Ksyrium SLs and they're great wheels. Pretty light & bombproof. But if I were to get a new wheelset I'd probably get Shimano's WH-7850-SL which is tubeless (not tubular) or clincher-compatible. Just to be different.

[rij73]

A carbon seatpost... oops that doesn't fly with the new Madone seatpost system....

Wow, that's strange... Guess I was wrong about the seatpost then! :p

[Southside Sally]

I put the DuraAce derailleurs, brakes, shifters, cassette, from my Blue to my Madone. I also put on my Mavic Ksyrium wheels. That being said, the components and wheels that came on the 5.1 re pretty good, and the Blue rides nice with them. I just prefer the ride with the DuraAce components.

I actually LIKE the seat that comes with this bike, and left it on.

Enjoy!

[arielmoon]

Got rained out of test riding on Sat. Will try again this weekend!

[kelownagirl]

My wife has a 5.1, it's an AWESOME frame and great bike. NOTHING wrong with any of the components. It's full Ultegra other then the cassette!

We upgraded her's with RaceXLite wheels and a Dura-Ace cassette, because we already had them - makes a killer bike!

Your only real concern would be triple vs double. Either is fine, a double shifts slightly better, and a compact double can give you much of the lower end a triple does, but you can race fine with either. You go just as fast on either!

Great Bike! Congrats!

My husband's 5.2 came with racexlite wheels but my 5.1 didn't. Do you think they're worth the difference? Maybe I should put his wheels on my bike and try them?

Also, he's had 3 flats and I've had none. Think there's a connection?

[cosc]

I swapped out the aluminum mast cap on my 5.1 with a carbon mast cap. The aluminum cap started a noise (ping) that resonated through the top tube.

Surprisingly I've got along well with the bontrager saddle after I took off the plastic piece that surrounds the seat. After a 7 day bike tour and a sore bottom I figured out it was because of where my posterior contacted the plastic.

I saved my bontrager folding tires for a rainy day and put on continental 4000.

[sundial]

I like tweaking new bikes to suit my tastes and here's what I do:

1. new saddle
2. new rims--Mavic Crossmax SLR for the mtb, Ksyrium SL for the roadie
3. new cranks--FSA with sealed ceramic bearings

I'm also debating about putting on a different cassette on the roadie and a Salsa mtb handlebar for the Epic.

[Eden]

Your only real concern would be triple vs double. Either is fine, a double shifts slightly better, and a compact double can give you much of the lower end a triple does, but you can race fine with either. You go just as fast on either!!

From experience I can tell you no - if you really wish to be in contention to win races, I would not recommend a triple. You very rarely see anyone race on them and there is a good reason. It seems like a small thing, and for a recreational ride it doesn't make any difference, but even the tiny bit of lag that you experience shifting up from the small ring on a triple can mean the difference between staying on the break or missing out. So you end up handicapping yourself by not riding in the small ring ever -that means your small ring is a 42 instead of a 39 (or a 36 if you use a compact).... (I had a 52-42-32). I looked into switching my old bike from a triple to a standard or compact and in the end I would have had to spend so much money that I just saved for a new bike. For a while I swapped my middle ring on the old bike to a 39 and locked out the small ring. I use a standard double now

A compact double should be fine. I know plenty of people who race with them, though you may someday miss that top end that you don't have with a compact, especially given that Florida is very flat and often windy. In a tail wind situation you may very well want to push a big, big gear.

As far as the rest of the bike goes, everything is fine as is. I know plenty of people who started racing on far less advanced bikes.

[aicabsolut]

I would also go with the compact and 11-25 cassette if you're planning on racing eventually in any terrain other than on steep mountains, depending on your strength. A 50/11 is a larger gear than a 53/12, so if you need/like the low end gears, the compact will serve you fine (over a 53/39) even for descending and sprinting. I also like having a compact for rolling races, because that means I don't have to shift into the little ring as much. It seems to be a bit easier on the drivetrain to crosschain with a compact setup than it is with standard rings for some reason too. The only thing with having a 34 small ring (as opposed to a 36), is that you *might* want DA level front derailleur trim eventually (not part of the front derailleur itself so much as the shifters, unfortunately, which is a more expensive upgrade). You can position the FD where this is not so much of an issue without having the limits set where you really risk chain drop, but it can be a matter of millimeters. In my experience, I've had to do it myself because the shops just aren't so careful with building up compacts despite the tendency for a lot of chain rub. The more trim you have, the less you have to worry about it. For some reason, I've found that 105 and Ultegra level shifters have good trim for the smaller cog/small ring position but not so much for the larger cog/large ring position. (When I try to do a 1/2 click there, it doesn't work--I only get a full click of the front derailleur down to the small ring or nothing at all). Maybe there's a way to fix that, but I haven't found it.

You will be able to race just fine on the other Ultegra components (many race with less!), and you'll get good life out of that 105 cassette. If you want to upgrade eventually, I'd start with rear derailleur and shifters to DA, but it's totally not necessary.

Some people really dislike the Bontrager wheels and saddles. I would definitely swap out the tires based on what I've heard about them from friends. My teammates and I prefer Michelin Pro Race (2 or 3) tires. They have a lot better cornering grip than the Bontrager tires for sure. You can train on the Bontrager tires, and they will last you a long time, but my friend says they feel unstable on twisty descents and in the wet. So, based on that, I'd switch for racing at least. Saddles are obviously personal preference.

The only advantage you'd have in upgrading the grouppo from the start would be that you can sell the Ultegra parts on eBay and get some $ back. But really, the Ultegra is fine. If you really want DA, for example, it would be much better to get the next step up in frame that comes with DA, but that may have a much higher price tag than you want to take.

[tulip]

While the equipment certainly is important in racing, it's the engine--YOU--that is the most important. The bike you describe sounds very nice, but it's you and your training that will determine your success in racing.

If your boyfriend pooh-pooh's Ultegra, he's a bike snob. Just something to be aware of. (I used to be one, too, but like adolecence and pimples, I thankfully I outgrew it ;)).