Upgrade steel frame vs new bike

[ilima]

Most hubs are 8-9-10 speed compatible; I know that's true for Shimano and I pretty sure for Campy. And your Ergo levers might be able to be upgraded to 10 speed, which would save a ton of cash.

Some things to try before spending $ on a new bike (an potentially doing an impulse buy):

-Have your front derailleur adjusted, including the trim (you are using trim, aren't you?).

-Try a smaller big chainring. You're running some pretty big gears (a lot of new bikes come with compact (50/34 or 50/36) cranksets) on your bike.

[metaphor]

ilima, I'm not sure what trim is on the front derailleur. Is it the metal protector part? Also, you are correct - after doing some checking around 2K for a 2006 Madone 5.2 SL does seem a bit high.

I did find some info on branfordbike.com that seems to suggest that the 8 speed levers can only be changed to 9 speed. I'll have to email them to verify that.

Don't get me wrong I do like my current frame. By "nothing special" I meant that it was, I believe, the entry level frame back in the mid 90's when it came out. It's not the highest quality or the lightest frame around, however, it is a good workhorse bike that only feels like it weighs a ton when going uphill

thanks again for all the info!

[metaphor]

Thanks again for the advice. I think I'm going to get a 13-26 cassette to put on and see if that does the trick. I know it won't make a big difference but I think the little change may be good enough.

After thinking about getting a new bike the last couple days I've realized that the big thing keeping me from upgrading is that I really like the way the Campy gears shift more than the Shimano. Call me crazy but I like the thumb shift button.

I replied to this thread yesterday but I think the response is stuck in approval limbo.