upgrading bike components...

Wheelset...

HyperPhreak said:

im about to start upgrading components on my bike. Just wondering which part would be the best to upgrade first.

What model frame are you upgrading?

HyperPhreak said:

im about to start upgrading components on my bike. Just wondering which part would be the best to upgrade first.

WHY ??? Sometimes it's just time for a whole new bike.

HyperPhreak said:

im about to start upgrading components on my bike. Just wondering which part would be the best to upgrade first.

The rider....

Seriously, your fitness level is going to be the number one contributing factor to making you a better/faster rider.

What bike are we talking about upgrading? What component group? Wheels usually are the item most noticable improvement. Deraillers, shifters and cranks are the least bang for your buck.

i have a trek 2100 2004 edition. i just thought it would be nice to get some new/better components thats all.

HyperPhreak said:

i have a trek 2100 2004 edition. i just thought it would be nice to get some new/better components thats all.

Your best all around bang for the buck upgrade will be to upgrade your bike's engine.

HyperPhreak said:

i have a trek 2100 2004 edition. i just thought it would be nice to get some new/better components thats all.

To me, there's no point in throwing away good components on an '04 bike. I'd save the money for when your tires, chains, wheels, and other stuff wear out and need replacement. That's the time to consider upgrades.

HyperPhreak said:

i have a trek 2100 2004 edition. i just thought it would be nice to get some new/better components thats all.

The 2100 is a solid bike. I wouldn't necessarily upgrade until parts wear out or if you had another frame to transfer the original parts on to. I have upgraded parts before and it get's expensive. Some upgrades like wheels can give you a good bang for the buck. Other parts like derailleurs, cranks, fork and shifters offer improved performance (and weight savings) but it can get very expensive. Brakes, in the Shimano or Campy lines really just save you grams. I prefer to build my bikes from the frame to get the group, saddle, post, fork, headset and wheels that I want. If anything I would go for wheels since they can improve the bikes weight and performance and it's good to have a spare set. Just my .02.
😎

If you're not sure which part to start with then it suggests that you don't really need to upgrade anything.
The Trek 2100 is full Ultregra right?...and it's only a year old? You'll end up with a load of still-valuable parts gathering dust after you replace them.
If you want a better bike then maybe sell the Trek and buy and better bike.
Just my opinion, whatever you end up doing, good luck 🙂

Tonto said:

If you're not sure which part to start with then it suggests that you don't really need to upgrade anything.
The Trek 2100 is full Ultregra right?...and it's only a year old? You'll end up with a load of still-valuable parts gathering dust after you replace them.
If you want a better bike then maybe sell the Trek and buy and better bike.
Just my opinion, whatever you end up doing, good luck 🙂

if you insist on changing anything and you have done a considerable amount of miles on it then change your chainrings, rear cassette and chain maybe your tyres and the bearings if you have done over 3000miles on any of them.

other than that i guess you wouldn't see much difference in upgrading an ultegra groupo to a durace maybe a few hundred grams or so and maybe an extra gear.

If you do change your chainrings and groupo if there in good health, i'll keep an eye open on Ebay maybe for some new components 😉 atleaste they won't be gathering dust since my work bike could do with upgrading from the sora groupo it has at the minute.

thanks for the feedback. not everything on the bike is ultegra. i think the only thing that is ultegra is the rear deraileur. shifters are shimano 105 and the front deraileur is shimano tiagra. the crank is a bontrager race triple. im still new to bike equipment. just trying to learn whats the best and pro's and cons and whatnot of each. pretty much just seeing what i could change to make the bike better. so i guess ill get a new set of wheels and not worry about the rest. lookin into gettin some of the higher end bontrager wheels.

HyperPhreak said:

thanks for the feedback. not everything on the bike is ultegra. i think the only thing that is ultegra is the rear deraileur. shifters are shimano 105 and the front deraileur is shimano tiagra. the crank is a bontrager race triple. im still new to bike equipment. just trying to learn whats the best and pro's and cons and whatnot of each. pretty much just seeing what i could change to make the bike better. so i guess ill get a new set of wheels and not worry about the rest. lookin into gettin some of the higher end bontrager wheels.

Why not try riding it rather than throwing money at it? Better fitness and loosing any extra bacon is alot more cost effective.But bling and poseur' points....priceless..

boudreaux said:

Why not try riding it rather than throwing money at it? Better fitness and loosing any extra bacon is alot more cost effective.But bling and poseur' points....priceless..

oh i forgot that you know everything. sorry for my ignorance. 😄

HyperPhreak said:

thanks for the feedback. not everything on the bike is ultegra. i think the only thing that is ultegra is the rear deraileur. shifters are shimano 105 and the front deraileur is shimano tiagra. the crank is a bontrager race triple. im still new to bike equipment. just trying to learn whats the best and pro's and cons and whatnot of each. pretty much just seeing what i could change to make the bike better. so i guess ill get a new set of wheels and not worry about the rest. lookin into gettin some of the higher end bontrager wheels.

Wheels and tires would be a cost effective upgrade. Nothing wrong with having two sets of wheels & tires - one set for training and one for racing or personal bests.

Performance is having a sale on tires right now. I just picked up quite a few Conti Ultra 2000 & 3000 tires on the cheap.

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/item_list.cfm?estore_ID=270

closesupport said:

if you insist on changing anything and you have done a considerable amount of miles on it then change your chainrings, rear cassette and chain maybe your tyres and the bearings if you have done over 3000miles on any of them.

Even at 3000 miles the rear cassette and chainrings should still be in excellent shape unless the rider never cleaned the drivetrain and the chain lube turned into a grinding paste.

Doctor Morbius said:

Even at 3000 miles the rear cassette and chainrings should still be in excellent shape unless the rider never cleaned the drivetrain and the chain lube turned into a grinding paste.

Mileage is meaningless. People trash chains in 1000 mi or less. The only way to judge chain wear is to measure it. If a cahin is worn to 1/8" elongation in 1' , the cassette may well be trashed too.

Doctor Morbius said:

Wheels and tires would be a cost effective upgrade. Nothing wrong with having two sets of wheels & tires - one set for training and one for racing or personal bests.

Performance is having a sale on tires right now. I just picked up quite a few Conti Ultra 2000 & 3000 tires on the cheap.

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/item_list.cfm?estore_ID=270

Awesome. great prices. thanks.

HyperPhreak said:

Awesome. great prices. thanks.

I like wiggle www.wiggle.co.uk they offer free delivery and all other savings
but i guess you ain't in the UK!

HyperPhreak said:

thanks for the feedback. not everything on the bike is ultegra. i think the only thing that is ultegra is the rear deraileur. shifters are shimano 105 and the front deraileur is shimano tiagra. the crank is a bontrager race triple. im still new to bike equipment. just trying to learn whats the best and pro's and cons and whatnot of each. pretty much just seeing what i could change to make the bike better. so i guess ill get a new set of wheels and not worry about the rest. lookin into gettin some of the higher end bontrager wheels.

Looking at the specs for the 2100, I would say the wheels are the only thing that i might upgrade. Assuming you have a specific amount of money to spend, have you considered getting some nice clothes? Specifically, really nice shoes, some high-end shorts/bibs and/or a super comfortable helmet? Those are some of the things on my wishlist.

Another thing to look at is pedals. There are some really nice pedals out there and prices seem to be coming down. How about a good Heart Rate Monitor?

When in doubt, accessorize!