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Hi,
I have a 2011 Orbea Aqua which I bought second hand and I am wondering about upgrading it. It rides well but is a touch heavy. It was not a standard build but I think the frame is the same as the Shimano 105 model but it has a full Tiagra 10 speed group on it and Mavic Askiums and FSA finishing kit. Looking at bikes around the £1500 mark they seem to offer a better group set (105 or Ultegra) but the wheels do not seem as good. Is it worth spending out on a whole new bike or should I just spend the money or a new groups set and/or wheels? Is the frame worth the new addditions. I was looking at getting a CAAD10.
Thanks,
Richard
Two alternatives:
But a new set of really nice wheels like Mavic Ksyrium SLS at around £800 I think; these will transform the bike and when you buy a new bike you can move them over and keep the old kit for winter.
Or save up and buy a £1500 bike, which will come with a low spec wheelset as that's how he manufacturers save money, in the expectation that most people will upgrade the wheels later.
I'd go for the second option because bike technology has moved on a lot in the last few years and there are some crackers out there within your budget.
Don't know much about the frame but [url= http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/category/bikes/road/product/review-orbea-aqua-t23-13-46890/ ]this review[/url] seems to suggest it may be worthy of a few upgrades. If it's a decent fit then it may well be worth having a bit of a play with some scales and seeing where the weight is. And road bikes always benefit from a decent set of wheels. May be worth pricing up some upgrades and see how it compares to a new CAAD10.
Having said that, a CAAD10 is a lovely bike... and new CAAD12 out now too 🙂
If you do go for a full bike upgrade, I've found the new 105 to be very close in performance to Ultegra. In your shoes it would make sense to prioritise wheels/frame over groupset.
I have a similar bike and whilst it will never be a true lightweight, the frame is worth spending money on, particularly if you like it and it fits.
My experience is that the finishing kit is very, VERY heavy. Changing the stem, bars, saddle and seapost will save quite a chunk of weight as a start point. Those wheels are also not overly light, you could save a few grams there as well. Beyond that you're into groupset upgrades and that really does get to the "shall I just buy a new bike" point.
don't bother changing the groupset - the 10sp tiagra is good
the finishing kit is a good idea, have a look on ebay etc, I got a very nice deda stem for not a lot and bars are plentiful
some nice tyres for the summer and lightweight tubes maybe ?
but most importantly - get out and ride it 🙂
Cheers all. Was planning a ride tonight but got the OFSTED call this afternoon so better make sure everything is up to date.
Carbon Orbea with (brilliant) 11spd 105 and half decent wheels and kit for £1100
Carbon C'dale Supersix Evo with Ultegra reduced to £1450, but still with Aksiums
You'd get (and notice) the biggest change by putting lighter wheels on, you'd be surprised how little weight "posh" finishing kit might actually drop. I've changed all the kit on my lapierre from cheap OE to nice Deda stuff; the carbon post was no lighter than the cheap ally, the posh superlight stem with Ti bolts was only a few grams lighter, and by then I didn't even bother weighing the bars! Saddle may well drop weight but I'd change that for comfort and any weight loss is a secondary bonus (my 40 quid San Marco Spid is much comfier than the San Marco Ponza and something like 150g lighter).
Either an entirely new bike because you want one, can afford one, and are justifying one, or new wheels and tyres will breath new life and performance into your Aqua. I'd ride the Tiagra 'til it wears out, then upgrade it to 11spd 105 which is sub £300 mail order.
Slippery slope; 3 years ago I had an Aqua 105, now got a carbon Lapierre with full Ultegra (and sub 1300g Light Bicycle carbon wheels 8) ), currently coveting this
http://www.drakescycles.co.uk/m1b0s6p4454/CANNONDALE_SuperSix_EVO_HiMod_Dura_Ace_REP_Compact_2014
I had a similar dilemma with my specialized allez which had a nice frame, tiagra kit but heavy wheels. Upgraded the wheels (got some pacenti sl23 rims built on bitex hubs by jra for around 400 quid). Incredibly lighter and like a completely different bike. Try some nice tyres and latex tubes as well for the win.