How much of a difference does a bike upgrade actually make?

[fallstoclimb]

I am starting to get the itch to upgrade my entry-level road bike. However, I am also cheap, so this is causing some cognitive dissonance

I have a 2010 Specialized Dolce (purchased new in 2011) with a carbon fork, Tiagra derailleur, and Sora shifters. I've never exactly felt like the bike is holding me back, but it is entry-level and a bit old so I am beginning to wonder if I've outgrown it. This is the first season where I'm starting to feel almost like I'm a little bit fast, and I keep wondering how much faster I could be, as I watch people pass me on nicer bikes.

I wouldn't spend a crazy amount of money on a bike -- I think 2K is about my upper limit -- so it's not like I'll go full carbon or anything. I want a durable bike, anyway. Really I'd prefer to buy a used one on Craigslist because new, nice things stress me out!

The husband is trying to push me instead to upgrading my groupset on the current bike. I don't really get why that would make the bike faster, though? I don't have any shifting complaints currently.

OR maybe I should save my money and just work more on the engine

[ny biker]

If you want to look at new bikes, I noticed the other day that my LBS (in Reston, VA) has some from last year on sale. They're a Trek shop, not Specialized. Other shops closer to you might also have some of last year's bikes on sale, and they should all have some at the end of the summer when the 2016s come out, if you want to wait. They also tend to have sales in July to coincide withe Tour de France.

As for whether you need a new bike... I did not really get faster when I upgraded from an aluminum road bike to a carbon frame. My new bike is much more comfortable, though, due to different geometry as well as carbon's ability to absorb bumps in the road.

One thing you might want to consider is new wheels. There are various old threads here you can search for. I think a wheel upgrade might make a difference, and they could also be used on a new bike if you decide to get another one in the future. I could ask my friends in southern MD if they can recommend a good wheel maker, if you're interested. I know there's a good on at Spokes, etc., I think at their store on Quaker Lane in Alexandria.

[fallstoclimb]

I think I just need someone to say what you just did -- new bike does not equal faster rider.

What about upgrading the groupset, though? Is there any actual point to that? My husband salivates over nice groupsets but then has a hard time explaining what the point of them is.....

[fallstoclimb]

Thanks Muirenn! I am now intrigued by the Specialized Amira.

I am super short and definitely cannot ride any men's bikes. I'll probably have to get a shop to order the Amira for me but I might call around to check. The effective top tube length is the same as the Dolce so it looks like I'd need a 48.

I do feel a little silly about upgrading my bike when I could just upgrade myself, but I doubt many men would say that to themselves....I may be starting a little bike fund

[Helene2013]

I have a Amira sl4 expert and although everyone said it was aggressive, it is nothing like the Kuota Kharma I had.

I'm 5'3 (or 5'4'' - no longer sure), and I have a 51cm. Fits perfectly well.

So far, I LOVE my Amira. When you nail that pedal down, you are already far ahead. Hill climbing? No issues. It has so much kick-off. I have no issue with the steering, no issues with getting it back on track if I happen to go over a bump or whatever. Wished I had found this bike before the Kuota and saved myself lots of money. hihi

Everyone love its colour but I totally hate it. Flat black with zebra stripes! For someone like me who likes colour, it's hard to deal with but the comfort of the ride and feeling safe on it, outbeats any colour. I'll just pimp it one day. hihi

But I did keep my American classic wheels that I had so bike + wheels + ultegra, I could certainly not ask for a better bike.

Good luck in your search and as most of us would tell you : Go get your dream bike! Only one life to live. hihi

[pumpkinpony]

I started on a LeMond Tourmalet (entry level relaxed geometry), and after a few years upgraded to a Mrazek BOH RD (more aggressive geometry) with an awesome set of Topolino wheels on it. I think the wheels make more difference than anything else. It's still an aluminum frame. The other big difference was switching to Campy which came on the newer bike... You might try test riding a bike with Campy or even SRAM, just to see what you think of a different groupset. I really have enjoyed the Campy though I probably wouldn't have sprung for the extra cost if the bike didn't come with it. The hoods are smaller, brake levers easier for me to grab, and thumb shifters. Since I got the new bike I rarely ride the LeMond (anyone want a LeMond? :-) Definitely test ride a few to see how they feel. I haven't regretted my upgrade in the least. You do know the perfect number of bikes is n+1, right? <g>

[IBrakeforPastry]

??

Am I looking at the same thing? The current 48 cm Dolce has an effective TT of 522, and 506 for the Amira. The head tube is so much higher on the Dolce, through, that the reach is almost the same on those two: 371 for the Amira, 370 for the Dolce. So, yeah. May feel like the same size.

Did I look at the wrong chart?!

Specialized changed the geometry on the 2015 models. Is that where the confusion is? I started a thread about this a while ago. This is also why I'm looking at last year's closeouts.

I went to Specialized's website and searched "archive" with the year and model. If it was no longer available, I then searched for a dealer who still had the stock, and sometimes they would have the correct geometry chart.

ETA: the change may have been made on the 2014 models.

[fallstoclimb]

What is NOS?

I do have a question about the bike stiffness and power transfer. Is the Dolce NOT stiff? I asked my husband about this and he said aluminum is a stiff material but sometimes he just pretends he knows what he's talking about

[zoom-zoom]

I <3 my 48cm SuperSix! Definitely worth trying to find.

[fallstoclimb]

Kirsten, I'd love to hear about what other bikes you rode/considered before you got the SuperSix! Or was it love at first sight?

[MarieV]

I'm also 5'2" with a 28" inseam (barefoot), so I have a short reach. For me (and probably for you) the smallest stock bikes are usually just too big. I wonder if part of what's holding you back may be due to bike fit. Have you ever gotten a bike fit, where the fitter spends an hour or more watching you riding the bike on a trainer and adjusts the seat position, stem, handlebars, etc.? For women our size it's definitely worth it since most stock bikes are just too big. Also, some PTs who specialize in bike fits take insurance, so it may only cost you $25-50 rather than $100-150+.

I bought and rode three different road bikes (aluminum, steel, and carbon) that all turned out to be too big for me. The first was a Kona Lisa RD aluminum bike (510 mm effective top tube), which has a similar geometry as the Specialized Dolce, but I was never very comfortable and always anxious on that bike. I thought it was because road bikes just aren't as comfortable and easy to ride as hybrid and mountain bikes, but then I test rode a Bianchi steel bike (also 510 mm ETT), which was a revelation. It was so much fun to ride, more comfortable since the steel frame absorbed road noise better than aluminum, and once the LBS swapped the stem for a 70 mm stem and the right width handlebars, I bought it and really enjoyed riding it. I finally felt like I was in control of the bike rather than at its mercy. I realized the Kona was just way too big for me, so I put it on craigslist the next day.

With the steel bike I started riding more and doing longer rides, eventually doing a 100 km ride with DH. I would get frustrated, though, because he rode 10x more and was much stronger, and although he was incredibly patient and would usually let me set the pace. Still, he was on a light carbon bike while I was on my heavy steel bike, so I couldn't go as fast, had to work harder, and would get tired faster. All of this became evident when we did a particularly hilly 100 km ride when I'd only been riding about 6 months. I just wasn't very strong or very good at climbing, and that ride was so hard for me, I ended up sobbing.

I spent the next few months researching carbon bikes and test rode 5-6 of them (e.g., Specialized Ruby 44, Ridley, Giant, etc.). I did hilly test rides, and while I could tell it was easier to climb the hills on the carbon bikes than my steel bike, they just didn't feel quite right. One day I test rode an XS Wilier Izoard XP (515 ETT), and it was amazing! I could climb more easily and ride faster on the flats, and the bike was so stable, I could descend confidently. I was grinning during that entire test ride. Needless to say, I bought the Wilier. (For some reason I really like the ride on Italian bikes.) BTW I never test rode a Cannondale when I was bike shopping, but I've since ridden the Cannondale Synapse 44 (491 ETT) carbon bike when I took a friend bike shopping. It's really nice and responsive, and if they'd had one in my size when I was shopping for carbon bikes, I might have gotten it.

So to answer your original question, "How much of a difference does a bike upgrade actually make?" It makes a HUGE difference if you upgrade frame material and components and the bike fits. And you should be able to feel the difference, but only if you do a long enough test ride to feel the difference on climbs and descents and long flats. There's no way you'd be able to really know how well a bike fits and handles just by riding around a parking lot. You might be able to tell a bike is way too big or way too small just by doing a parking lot test ride, but there's no way to tell its responsiveness (i.e., has a stiff BB, so you accelerate faster and climb more easily) unless you do at least a 15-30 minute test ride where there are hills and some straightaways where you can punch it. If you're looking at carbon bikes, I can't imagine the LBS not letting you take the bikes out for longer test rides.

Fast forward almost three years, and I've since traded in the Wilier for a Colnago CLD 40s (500 ETT), the smallest available WSD carbon bike in 2013. I rode the Wilier more than my steel bike and could definitely finally feel myself getting stronger and faster, but once I started consistently riding over 50+ miles, I started getting knee pain that turned out to be IT Band Syndrome. My PT gave me exercises to address the ITBS, but she was convinced my bike was just too big for me. The wear marks on my saddle showed I was clearly dropping a hip to compensate for the reach, putting strain on my knee. I didn't want to believe it since it meant I'd have to get yet another bike. I just kept riding, but the harder I rode the worse the pain got. Once the pain got to the point I couldn't even ride, I finally realized she was right. I did more research on carbon bikes and found the smallest non-custom bike with the shortest top tube and reach was the Colnago CLD 40s. I had my LBS order one and sold the Wilier on craigslist. Within a month of me getting the Colnago, I did a century ride and the 180+ mile RSVP (Seattle to Vancouver) ride, and I knew it was perfect! I continually get stronger and faster riding this bike, and I've been riding pain-free and injury-free ever since.

[fallstoclimb]

I'm glad you found an answer to your shortie problems!!

I think my proportions must be a bit different from yours, as my 48 Dolce does fit me well. I got a professional fitting and he didn't even change all that much. I'm just finding that most bike shops stock 'comfort' women's bikes, whereas I'm looking for elite road bikes, but I did track down one I'm going to test ride on Sunday.

I wish I were upgrading from a steel bike as that would make a significant difference in terms of speed!!! Dolce to carbon/high level aluminum will be much more subtle, but I'm now firmly convinced it is time for an upgrade, not least of all so that I don't stick out like a sore thumb when I do the fast group ride and am the only one on an entry level bike....of course I stick out when they drop me about halfway through, but that's a separate issue

[fallstoclimb]

Thanks Sheila!! I'll keep my eyes open for someone stocking small men's sizes!

[zoom-zoom]

Kirsten, I'd love to hear about what other bikes you rode/considered before you got the SuperSix! Or was it love at first sight?

I really didn't ride any others. I'd had a Cdale Synapse in the same size for a year and was desperate to switch from aluminum to carbon (LOTS of rough, chip-sealed roads around here). I also wanted something with more aggressive geometry, once I decided that I wanted to do some duathlon races and keep up with faster folks easier. And then the bike with the exact components I wanted just happened to come out with orange accents...my favorite color. It was pretty much destined to happen. Cannondale was the primary brand our LBS carried, so we ordered one for me sight-unseen. Even though I have a $$ fancy Ti Seven CX bike, my SuperSix is my favorite ride. For a reasonably performance-oriented bike it's really comfortable. I've ridden it across the state 3x.