new bike vs. component upgrades?

[jfogy]

Love this group! I've been stalking and researching and I decided to finally ask my question. I have about 1200 miles on my Giant OCR3 decent bike at the time - but I think I've outgrown it. I really enjoy duathlons (can't swim to save my life) and usually ride 15-20 mile rides twice a week and a 30-40 mile ride on the weekend. I have ridden as far as 65 but it's not something I regularly do. I'm not very fast (15-16 ave) Everything is still original stock on the bike. I can't decide whether to upgrade components or look into a new bike. What do you think?

Thanks!

Jenny

[KnottedYet]

What parts of the bike have you outgrown?

Where do you feel the bike limits you?

[Zen]

I'm guess you ask this because you want to get faster?
Are you having problems with components not working right?

The team of doctors has to know these things
I got my degree by sending ten dollars to a place I saw advertised on the back of a matchbook

[quint41]

Welcome, JFogy! Come on in, the water's fine!

Good question, too, I might add. I just got my LeMond Etape last September and, while I love her, I'm wondering the same thing ... already! I look at better bikes and have bike envy. But, I know that my frame is great, the bike fits, etc., so maybe I should just upgrade components. Let's see what our expert sisters have to say!

[ehirsch83]

I think you could upgrade your components and be very happy with the bike, unless you are looking to seriously loose weight when you were to change bikes.

My mom has a OCR C3 and she really likes it, she upgraded it to ultegra and went from the triple to a double compact. She also put on a set of mavic kyserium es's. She does call her bike the work horse, because it is a little bit heavier, but she likes it that way because when she gets stuck in cross winds she doesn't get blown around like the rest of us.

All in all she has had it for about 2 and a 1/2 years and she takes it with her when she goes on long vacations.

But in the end it is a personal preference, do you want a new bike completely, does the thought of looking at a new frame excite you? Or do you really like how your current frame feels but you just want smoother shifting, maybe some lighter better rolling wheels?

[Dogmama]

Sometimes a new jersey cures the compulsion to shop - and a lot cheaper too! Sometimes I just wash my bike - voila! New bike!

Seriously, you don't say what components you have now, so I'm assuming you're riding the lower rung of Brand X. I love my Campy Chorus & have over 50K miles on my bike with the same components. New rims might be nice too. Just watch that you don't invest a bunch of $$ and then switch bikes. You could always keep this as your around town bike - especially for those Wisc. winters.

Bottom line - if you are fairly new to the sport you might want to train more to get faster. A new bike might shave a bit of time, but saddle time is what you need.

[bike4ever]

jfogy - The OCR 3 comes with the Shimano Sora group. In order to upgrade the components on this bike, you will have to change everything: rear wheel, cassette, rear derailleur, shifters. If you change these you might as well change front derailleur, bottom bracket and crankset. In most shops, this would amount to a total overhaul (approximately $160) in labor. Parts would be extra.

[Aggie_Ama]

I rode on a bike with Sora for 2.5 years. This bike took me through numerous metric centuries, 100 miles most weekends, one imperial century and two MS150's (actually 180 in two days) in a hilly area of Texas. While you will find a lot of snobbery towards Sora, with tune ups it can serve you well. I put over 4,000 miles on the drivetrain and only changed tires and chains. She was still shifting well when I upgraded.

You could upgrade but Bike4Ever is honest- it would cost a lot. IMO ride the heavier bike to get stronger, learn bike handling and figure out what you like then buy a whole new bike. My much lighter bike really didn't make me much faster (maybe .5 mph), it was training and riding.

Why do you want to upgrade? Does the bike not fit?

[SouthernBelle]

What is the frame weight on an ocr3? I have a C3 so it's light. I also know sora components are heavier than the upgrades. Does it fit you well?

The ocr is not a racing frame, much more relaxed, which is another consideration.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

My mom has a OCR C3 and she really likes it, she upgraded it to ultegra and went from the triple to a double compact. She also put on a set of mavic kyserium es's. She does call her bike the work horse, because it is a little bit heavier, but she likes it that way because when she gets stuck in cross winds she doesn't get blown around like the rest of us.

Oh you are SO LUCKY to have a mother that is active and rides bikes! Treat her well!

[ehirsch83]

Oh you are SO LUCKY to have a mother that is active and rides bikes! Treat her well!

I know! I appreciate her very much, I wouldn't know what to do without her in my life! And her boyfriend, he is the one who got her into riding, and they are the ones who got me into riding! They even bought me my first bike for the holidays the other year( I had gone away to college, partied to much, got into some trouble, I came home changed my act around, got really into running, and they were so happy and proud to see the new me that they got me my first bike)

sorry for that short thread hijack there!

[KSH]

I rode on a bike with Sora for 2.5 years. This bike took me through numerous metric centuries, 100 miles most weekends, one imperial century and two MS150's (actually 180 in two days) in a hilly area of Texas. While you will find a lot of snobbery towards Sora, with tune ups it can serve you well. I put over 4,000 miles on the drivetrain and only changed tires and chains. She was still shifting well when I upgraded.

You could upgrade but Bike4Ever is honest- it would cost a lot. IMO ride the heavier bike to get stronger, learn bike handling and figure out what you like then buy a whole new bike. My much lighter bike really didn't make me much faster (maybe .5 mph), it was training and riding.

Why do you want to upgrade? Does the bike not fit?

I rode my Trek 1000 for 2 years and about 4,000 miles. It had Shimano Tiagra components on it.

After 2 years I knew what I wanted... and considered upgrading the components. But, spending as much as I would have spent on upgrading everything... well, I felt a little silly doing it to such an inexpensive frame.

So, I got a new bike. I knew I wanted full carbon with all Ultegra components and went looking for it.

When I got my new spiffy bike, I figured I would be fast. I too had a 15-16 mph average. I figured I would get up to a 17-18 mph average easy.

WRONG! I had to WORK to get my average up. And it's work I could have done on my Trek 1000 and I'm sure I would have been just as fast on my Trek if I had worked for it some.

Sure, a nice bike is nice to ride... but it doesn't add a whole lot in the way of speed. The engine has to make it go faster.

[Trek420]

The engine has to make it go faster.

Oh darn. You mean I can't just buy a new engine?? You want me to train???

I'm a bid fan of upgrading bikes. If the frame fits and has life in it why not?

You learn a lot, and wind up with a bike that's unique, custom for you.

My utility bike now has little that's original; first I got new wheels, saddle of course, and now ... new color to match the wheels.

What'll I do to it next? Hmmmm.

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=8295