Have you upgraded from your first road bike?

[crazycanuck]

I'd like to upgrade my mtn bike as my current one (small size) is a smidgen bit too big. I just need to save a few more sea shells & get the a-ok from de man.

[RolliePollie]

My first road bike was a Trek 1000 WSD. My main justification for upgrading was that the frame was too small. It was a 51 and I was pretty cramped on it. I rode her for two seasons and put about 6,000 miles on her.

Now I'm riding a 54 cm Trek Madone 4.7 WSD. She's almost a year old already and I absolutely love her! But now that I've had two road bikes and I can compare, I must say that the Trek 1000 was really a wonderful bike. I like the carbon frame on my 4.7 a lot, but the aluminum was pretty nice too. The two things I really notice (and appreciate) about my upgrade are the better fit and the Ultegra components. Ultegra shifting is much smoother and more reliable (I dropped my chain all the time on my 1000). The one thing I do not like about my upgrade is trying to keep her clean (she's white...pretty but not too practical).

I am telling myself that my next upgrade will be in five years when I turn 40

[tulip]

Oh, sure. I got my first road bike in 1983. It was a Univega Gran Turismo, and I wish that I had held on to it. It was a classic touring bike. It took me through France when I was 15 years old.

After that, I started racing and I got a speedy red Fuji. I don't remember the model. I didn't have it for too long; it was stolen.

Then I got a top-of-the-line (for the time) Centurion. It was aluminum, and there were very few aluminum bikes back then. I rode it in races for a few years and then sold it.

I then got a used 1983 Vitus in 1989. The Vitus bikes are aluminum and from France. They are pretty unique and classic. I wasn't racing much anymore, and that bike never fit me. I rode it until 2005, when I was involved in a serious crash and broke the frame.

That triggered getting my beloved Luna. It was my first new road bike in a very long time. I had bought a Jamis Coda for commuting in 2003. I love my Luna--I can't say enough good things about it.

In 2008 I got a Bike Friday Pocket Rocket Pro. This is in addition to my Luna. I take the Bike Friday to places where my Luna won't fit, like on an airplane and in the way back of my little bitty car. It's great.

That's it. I don't expect to get any new bikes for a while. I'm all set.

[7rider]

I was curious, how many of you have upgraded already from your first road bike?

How long did you ride your first one before deciding to upgrade?

What made you decide to go ahead and do it?

Well, since my first road bike was a $10 beater from a yard sale, yeah, I guess I've upgraded from that! Second bike was a too-small hand-me-down from my sister. I upgraded from that, too. Third bike was a hybrid, as I had a bad back, and needed the upright riding position. That bike was stolen, so I guess my upgrade from that was sort of forced. Went back to a road bike, and since then, upgrades have come because of:
1. The next bike was available at a price that was right, or
2. More back/neck pain made moving to different geometry pretty much a necessity.
Now, I don't so much "upgrade" as add to different niches in riding habits. Commuter, mountainbike, (dreaming of a 'cross bike and a new commuter)....stuff like that.

[tinycities]

i just bought my third bike.

i started off with a hybrid about 4 years ago, then bought a terry geometry bianchi that i just sold to a fellow TE member.

what caused me to sell that was learning way more about bikes than i knew before, and knowing the bike fit me wrong. the person who bought it seemed way more at home on it than i ever did!

but knowing what i wanted [ horizontal dropouts, tire clearance but with road bike geo ] i got fast measured and was fitted to a salsa casseroll which fit me perfectly. now i'm building that up how i want it and its awesome knowing all this stuff about bikes and being able to put exactly what i want on it.

[Crankin]

I started riding in fall 2000, on a hard tail mountain bike. After 2 years, I bought a Cannondale R600 for my first road bike. I guess it fit OK, but the aluminum was jarring and the components were cheap. I constantly was dropping the chain and unable to shift. Exactly a year later, I bought a Trek 5200, 47 cm wsd. I had that bike from July 2004 until July 2006, when I got my Kuota. After fighting with the lbs for 2 years, they exchanged the frame for a smaller one, different model. But, I don't really count that as new, since I didn't pay for it and they were the ones who pushed me into buying the first one. I finally have the right brifters, bars, etc. I like my bike, but I have never been entirely pain free on a road bike. In retrospect, I maybe should have kept the Trek, and tweaked a few things.
I am thinking a good present for myself when I finish my grad program might be a custom bike, a tad more upright, but still a road bike. It probably won't cost more than I paid for the bike I have, though. I have never really had "bike lust" for a particular bike, so I might let the feeling pass and just keep riding my Kuota until I really need something different.
I bought a Jamis Coda for errands and around town riding in 2008. It fits right and makes me happy, although it feels incredibly heavy to me.

[featuretile]

I started riding a little less than a year ago on a Specialized Globe hybrid. That lasted about 3 months because I joined a bike club and could not keep up with a bike that heavy (and I didn't know any better when I bought it).

Then I bought a Specialized Vita flatbar roadbike. It was pretty good and I did not expect to need a real road bike for a few years.

However, I was casually looking on craigslist and saw an almost new Specialized Ruby Comp at a really good price in my size. It had been ridden 100 miles on a trainer and sat in the garage for 2 years. (A husband had bought it for his wife who never used it.) I bought it and sold my Vita to a friend. I don't think I have any more bike lust after buying this lightweight carbon framed woman's bike with 105 components. My riding has really improved. I can't picture needing a better bike. It fits perfect. I seem to work well with the Specialized geometry.

[beccaB]

I have a trek 7.3 fx and everything on it is perfect for me. I feel like I am at one with that machine. I can't imagine anything fitting me better. It can take all the abuse Michigan roads can dish out. However, I think if I had something lighter I could get finished with a century faster, and that is something I would really like to do. So I'm thinking of upgrading to a similar bike, which I think would be the new 7.6. I feel guilty enough about spending even that kind of money on myself, with kids in college and all the other demands on my finances, but my kids would have to put up with a crazy person if I didn't ride my bike.

[Maxxxie]

I started out on an Apollo Fiamme (2008 model). It was a magnificent bike - reliable, nimble, sturdy. It rekindled my love of cycling. But it was too big for me. After about 12 months, I developed pain in my right knee and hip, and the only thing that gave me relief was not riding the bike. Ultimately, I took the bike to a fitter who declared there was not much he could do as the frame was too big. Anything he did would be a bandaid.

I'd been thinking I wanted something a bit nicer anyway, so that was the last straw for the Fiamme. I got a Cannondale Synapse 4 carbon bike, built to the fitter's specifications, and I couldn't be happier. My riding has improved, both because the bike is much nicer, and also because I'm riding a lot more.

I don't regret buying the Fiamme. I loved that bike. It holds a very special place in my heart. I learnt so much from it... about cycling and about myself, too. I felt very conflicted about selling it, but it was the right thing to do. I knew I would never ride it again, and I wanted it to have a long life on the road. I think the guy who bought it will love riding it.

The Cannondale also holds a special place in my heart, for all sorts of other reasons. When I ride it, I feel like I'm totally at one with the bike. It feels absolutely perfect.

Max

[shootingstar]

Next bike would be a folding bike, but still use and keep my present bike which it is aluminum, road/hybrid bike. If the latter bike wears out, I might look into a steel bike..if I can find something reasonably priced but not a whole heavier than aluminum. I've given up thinking I could ever have fantastic upper body strength even with abit more exercise.

I would like the travel convenience.

[moderncyclista]

I had a bike shop fit me on a 13 inch Trek 7.3 originally. I bought one a couple of years back and had to get a new bike due to the fit being all wrong. I experienced a lot of back/leg/neck pain - as well as aluminum buzz that made my hands go numb. Ultimately it was too small for me. I'm 5'3'' My LBS told me a 13 inch should fit a 4'11'' - ish woman. Hoo-boy. I now have a 520 and an Aurora both fit differently but fit well and I adore them both. The Aurora was a graduation/xmas present. The 520 was my re-placement bike.