Component Upgrade on new Madone 5.1?

[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!

[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?

[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 ).