Newbish ? on upgrades/components

In article said:

If I have a Shimano 105 group and I wanted to upgrade slowly, piece by
piece, do I need to get all Shimano or do I just need to be concerned with
staying with 9-speed or 10-speed, etc.?

Shimano is generally not compatible with Campy, if that's what you're asking.
Many components from other companies, however, are compatible with Shimano.

Ashy person said:

I've...a Specialized Allez Elite (105 but with Ultegra shifters).
I've never upgraded anything so my questions are about that.

If I have a Shimano 105 group and I wanted to upgrade slowly, piece by
piece

105 is great stuff...what is that you find unsatisfactory about it...or
are you under the illusion that more expensive parts will somehow make
you faster?

Quoted message said:

If I wanted to get a new wheelset, say Velocity Deep V's, I understand that
I can pick a hub (probably stay with Shimano and get Ultegra 9-speed)

There is no important difference between 105 and Ultegra hubs. You
would just be throwing money away if you ditch your old wheels.

You haven't said what rims you've got, it's possible the Velocitys might
be a bit nicer.

The only way this would make sense would be if you plan to keep two sets
of usable wheels, one for training and one for racing.
,

Quoted message said:

spokes, and nipples... but what happens with the cassette? Do I get my
local LBS to install a cassette (probably go with Ultegra 9-speed) onto the
hub after I receive the wheels

Installing a cassette is trivially easy. You do need an $6 tool for it,
but it's a tool you ought to own anyway.

See: http://harriscyclery.com/tools/cassette.html

Sheldon "You Can't Buy Speed" Brown
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| Small change can often be found under seat cushions. |
| --Robert A. Heinlein |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

Sheldon Brown said:

Quoted message said:

If I have a Shimano 105 group and I wanted to upgrade slowly, piece
by piece

105 is great stuff...what is that you find unsatisfactory about
it...or are you under the illusion that more expensive parts will
somehow make you faster?

I have no complaints with the 105 group I have now. I ask for my own
edification and future reference.

Quoted message said:

There is no important difference between 105 and Ultegra hubs. You
would just be throwing money away if you ditch your old wheels.

OK. Thanks. That's good to know.

Quoted message said:

You haven't said what rims you've got, it's possible the Velocitys
might be a bit nicer.
The only way this would make sense would be if you plan to keep two
sets of usable wheels, one for training and one for racing.

I cannot find any info on the wheels that are stock on the Specialized Allez
Elite. Specialized states they are "Alex ALX-295, 700c, alloy double wall,
machined sidewalls". The front rim is 20-spoke and the rear is 24-spoke. I'm
215lbs and losing weight (I hope!). The rims are fine now but with my weight
I can't see them lasting the this (ending) season and next season. I figure
now with all the end-of-season sales going on I should maybe get sturdier
rims, like the Deep V's in 24-spoke front and 32-spoke rear.

Quoted message said:

Installing a cassette is trivially easy. You do need an $6 tool for
it, but it's a tool you ought to own anyway.

Sounds good. I'd -rather- do it myself, actually. BTW, I have your site
bookmarked and find it a wealth of knowledge. Thanks Sheldon for putting all
that up for everyone.
---
Splat

Splat said:

I cannot find any info on the wheels that are stock on the Specialized Allez
Elite. Specialized states they are "Alex ALX-295, 700c, alloy double wall,
machined sidewalls". The front rim is 20-spoke and the rear is 24-spoke. I'm
215lbs and losing weight (I hope!). The rims are fine now but with my weight
I can't see them lasting the this (ending) season and next season. I figure
now with all the end-of-season sales going on I should maybe get sturdier
rims, like the Deep V's in 24-spoke front and 32-spoke rear.

I recently bought the same bike and it was a pretty nice upgrade from
what I was riding before. I was pleased to get the 105 gear. I guess
it is all in your perspective. The further upgrade to Ultegra just
didn't seem to be worth the extra money to me. I am presently at 210
lbs and losing and have not had any problems with the same Alex wheels.
I am pretty careful with them because of the low spoke count. I only
have a couple of hundred miles on this bike having just gotten it, but
it is nice and light and seems to be working out for me as is. Please
post something if you decide to change out the wheels. My other bike
has skinny Mavic CXP 10 wheels. I have thought about swapping them out
since they feel more sturdy, but don't plan to do anything at all as
long as the Alexs work out.

Sheldon Brown said:

There is no important difference between 105 and Ultegra hubs. You
would just be throwing money away if you ditch your old wheels.

Very true. I have the 9spd version of both. I've taken them apart,
inspected them and read Shimano's PDF documents. The only differences
are: the front Ultegra hub is reportd by Shimano to be 7 grams less in
weight and the nicer polish finish of the Ultegra hubs, if you choose
silver 105s (also available in black). Personally I'd consider these
trivial differences.

A shy person asked:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If I have a Shimano 105 group and I wanted to upgrade slowly, piece
by piece

I replied in part:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

There is no important difference between 105 and Ultegra hubs. You
would just be throwing money away if you ditch your old wheels
You haven't said what rims you've got, it's possible the Velocitys
might be a bit nicer.
The only way this would make sense would be if you plan to keep two
sets of usable wheels, one for training and one for racing.

I cannot find any info on the wheels that are stock on the Specialized Allez
Elite. Specialized states they are "Alex ALX-295, 700c, alloy double wall,
machined sidewalls". The front rim is 20-spoke and the rear is 24-spoke.

Oh, that's different. You had said you had a "105 group" but you
actually don't. This is not unusual these days, a lot of companies like
to substitute cheapo off-brand wheels like these, and they often
represent them as if they were some sort of "upgrade." They are not.
The whole wheelset is probably cheaper than a pair of 105 hubs alone.

The hubs are arguably the jewels of the Shimano line. There's nothing
else out there that's as good, even if you spend 3 times the price, with
the possible exception of Phil Wood. However bike buyers are more
likely to notice derailers and shifters, and don't always pay as much
attention to the hubs as they should, so this is a very convenient place
for bike manufacturers to cut corners.

Quoted message said:

I'm 215lbs and losing weight (I hope!). The rims are fine now but
with my weight I can't see them lasting the this (ending) season
and next season. I figure now with all the end-of-season sales going
on I should maybe get sturdier rims, like the Deep V's in 24-spoke
front and 32-spoke rear.

The upgrade you describe would probably be quite a good idea. Might be
even better to go 28 front, 36 rear.

Sheldon "Genuine Shimano Hubs" Brown
+--------------------------------------------------------+
| You can fool some of the people all of the time, |
| and those are the ones we're after! --Anon. |
+--------------------------------------------------------+
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

Sheldon Brown said:

Oh, that's different. You had said you had a "105 group" but you
actually don't. This is not unusual these days, a lot of companies
like to substitute cheapo off-brand wheels like these, and they often
represent them as if they were some sort of "upgrade." They are not.
The whole wheelset is probably cheaper than a pair of 105 hubs alone.

Yes, I'm finding this out. The brakes aren't apparently 105 either but some
knockoff.

Quoted message said:

The hubs are arguably the jewels of the Shimano line. There's nothing
else out there that's as good, even if you spend 3 times the price,
with the possible exception of Phil Wood. However bike buyers are
more likely to notice derailers and shifters, and don't always pay as
much attention to the hubs as they should, so this is a very
convenient place for bike manufacturers to cut corners.

With the knowledge that the Ultegra and 105 are supposedly mechanically the
same I'll go 105 hubs.

Quoted message said:

The upgrade you describe would probably be quite a good idea. Might be
even better to go 28 front, 36 rear.

Sounds good. The more I read the more I change my mind! LOL! It's coming
down to Velocity Deep V or Fusion rims, DT Revolution spokes, brass nipples,
Shimano 105 hubs, 3 across. Whatcha think?
---
Splat

Sheldon Brown said:

Quoted message said:

newbish wrote:
I cannot find any info on the wheels that are stock on the Specialized
Allez Elite. Specialized states they are "Alex ALX-295, 700c, alloy
double wall, machined sidewalls". The front rim is 20-spoke and the
rear is 24-spoke.

el sheldono replied:
Oh, that's different. You had said you had a "105 group" but you
actually don't. This is not unusual these days, a lot of companies like
to substitute cheapo off-brand wheels like these, and they often
represent them as if they were some sort of "upgrade." They are not.
The whole wheelset is probably cheaper than a pair of 105 hubs alone.

Sheldon, could you please throw out a couple of wheels that you might
recommend that represent an upgrade from the Alex 295s? I ride on
mostly paved surfaces, but sometimes they can be in pretty sorry shape.

I finally found what I was looking for with regards to component
compatibility. I found Shimano (whom I plan on staying with) has a
compatibility matrix in their Tech section on their site. Sweet.
---
Splat