Buying a new bike -...
 

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[Closed] Buying a new bike - and then upgrading the hell out of it

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Posts: 357
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Why can't I just be happy.
Bars not wide enough, forks not adjustable enough, brakes - Avid.
Given my way I'd just have a frame and shock left.

Upgraditis? Does anyone just ride off the peg bikes these days?


 
Posted : 12/07/2014 8:43 pm
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why not just buy the frameset? Then you just have the shock to upgrade 😀


 
Posted : 12/07/2014 8:45 pm
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I bought an off the shelf bike and changed everything on it apart from frame and fork before I even rode it. Everything. Headset, seat clamp, grips. Bars etc are personal, that's not an upgrade!


 
Posted : 12/07/2014 8:47 pm
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Apart from fitting a pair of pedals, mine is how it came from the factory.


 
Posted : 12/07/2014 8:47 pm
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Depending on what you buy, it's often cheaper to buy the complete bike, take the parts of and ebay them, and then put on your choices, than it is to buy the frame. This seems especially true with road frames from giant and specialized, they are the same money as the base model bikes as the frame is on it's own.


 
Posted : 12/07/2014 8:47 pm
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I bought an off the shelf bike and immediately upgraded both mechs, seat post, stem, saddle, tyres, cassette and in the first few months the crankset, handlebars, bar tape, shifters. Just about to upgrade the brakes but i'm perfectly happy with the wheels and frame set/forks.


 
Posted : 12/07/2014 8:53 pm
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I haven't even got the bike yet and I've splurged another £500 on it


 
Posted : 12/07/2014 8:54 pm
 Kuco
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My last bike I wished I just brought frame only after spending more money on swapping most of it.


 
Posted : 12/07/2014 8:55 pm
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I can only think of one 'reasonably' priced bike that doesn't need anything changing, the yt capra. Thats why its going to be my next bike. 🙂


 
Posted : 12/07/2014 8:58 pm
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This /\ the bike I've bought has only gotta last me til the Capra is available.


 
Posted : 12/07/2014 9:01 pm
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Yeah, I'm like that - really fussy about the kit I like and anything else feels wrong.


 
Posted : 13/07/2014 8:30 pm
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The only thing that's original on my nice off the shelf road bike is the f&f, headset, proprietory seat mast and the bb bearings. Doesn't bother me because I paid less chunk less than the f&f price for the full bike :-). Last 2 mtbs, one was a custom build, the other was off the (very nice) peg. No desire to change anything on either unless it breaks. It's odd, when I've built stuff up from the classifieds over time, they are constantly changing, not always thru breakages, just me being magpie-esque, but when I buy full bikes, that rarely happens.


 
Posted : 13/07/2014 8:41 pm
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The last off the shelf bike i bought I upgraded loads of stuff straight away. The complete bike in it's lowest spec was the same price as the frame and fork would have cost.
Sold all the bit's I didn't want still unused and that went towards the bit's i wanted.
A no brainer really.
I've now upgraded the fork and the shock is next...


 
Posted : 13/07/2014 8:41 pm
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My reasonably priced Capra is flipping great but my upgrade-itis has already made me order new brakes for it.


 
Posted : 13/07/2014 8:47 pm
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Um. I bought a new bike and replaced everything except the wheels and the fork.


 
Posted : 13/07/2014 9:19 pm
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Not got an off the peg bike at all, just pointless really unless you are very very lucky.
The missus got a low spec SC build and the SLX lasted 3 months before it became X0, the Elixirs lasted the same time. The post was never fitted as she had a reverb along with the saddle and the bars were swapped out. The wheels never made it onto the frame either....

However her Tallboy has only had a saddle swap as the spec hit all the right boxes thankfully.


 
Posted : 13/07/2014 10:55 pm
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One of the reasons I bought my Morewood Kalula was because there was nothing on it I would want to upgrade, other than the brakes, which I got them to replace at purchase with some Shimanos. So far, it has remained unchanged.


 
Posted : 13/07/2014 11:01 pm
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Its the mags! If you hadn't read all those mags, you probably wouldn't have bought a new bike let alone suffered from upgraditus 🙂


 
Posted : 14/07/2014 4:57 am
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I bought a base-level carbon Roubaix SL4 because I liked the black and red colour scheme then I swopped all the Ultegra bits over from my older SL3 and gave that to my son with the new Sora/105 kit on it. The SL4 is definitely a superior frame so I got the colour I liked with the bits I like. Perfect.


 
Posted : 14/07/2014 5:29 am
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spooky_b329 - Member
Its the mags! If you hadn't read all those mags, you probably wouldn't have bought a new bike let alone suffered from upgraditus

Not really just some stuff is either not to taste or crap when compared to other components. That and bikes are specced for Mr Average by Accountants these days.


 
Posted : 14/07/2014 5:57 am
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Bought a brand new Orange 5 shop discounted to £1,800 as it was the 26". Handlebars, stem, wheels, tyres, seatpost and saddle all went instantly. All functional but tipped the mass to over 31lb stock. Upgraded accordingly, but as the stuff taken off was new and branded, it was all sold at a similar price to the new bits I'd put on. My upgrades probably cost less than £100 in all once the old stuff was sold on.

Why upgrade? Well the stock handlebars were 1990's XC slim, the stem reached into the next postcode, and the tyres were just awful. The rims had to go as I like to run tubeless, and I'd just blagged a new Reverb for £129 from CRC.

If you're buying a top dog bike, you'll probably leave well alone and use as is. Most entry level kit is entry level for good reason though, as some marketing guy has realised that most owners just buy for the badge and never actually ride the things, so don't care.


 
Posted : 14/07/2014 7:00 am
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This is why I build all my bikes from the frame up. The thrill of the chase and all that!


 
Posted : 14/07/2014 8:34 am
 D0NK
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Yeah upgrade-itus can be nasty, something I'm predisposed to, tho I try to keep a lid on it. You've just got to be strong, go out ride your bike appreciate it and realise x part won't make it more enjoyable.

or...

buy a frame, you can transplant your old/parts bin gear onto it [i]for now[/i] on the understanding that parts befitting the frame [b]will[/b] be purchased in the coming months 🙂


 
Posted : 14/07/2014 8:53 am
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Does anyone just ride off the peg bikes these days?

Mine have all been off-the-peg for quite some time I wouldn't have bought them if there were so many things that needed changing. Nothing worse than a clothes horse frame coated in superglue and ridden through Chain Reaction imo

Otherwise stuff gets changed as it wears out have never bought anything just for the sake of it


 
Posted : 14/07/2014 9:49 am
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I bought a bike for £300 (massively reduced in a sale) for the frame,then spent at least another £300 (at trede prices) immediately to 'upgrade' it. It was stolen not long after. 😥


 
Posted : 14/07/2014 9:56 am
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Some of you folk are:
a) buying the wrong bike, or
b) in need of medical guidance
🙂


 
Posted : 14/07/2014 11:36 am
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New bike is on its way to me and I am going to attempt to hold out and see if SRAM gears and Formula brakes are any good. I had pondered just swapping them straight out and sticking some old Shimano stuff on and may regret not doing so.

The tyres are going to be swapped straight out to something chunkier and my Reverb is going on too and some XT SPDs but that should do it for now.

My experience tells me that the Specialized HiLo hubs will suffer a premature freewheel failure sometime in October...Hope hubs beckon...


 
Posted : 14/07/2014 12:10 pm
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I used to upgrade or change parts like crazy.

These days I tend to view it more on the lines of, would I be happy to hire the bike? Rather than, what do I want in my dreams.

On my current bikes the only parts I've swapped is tyres and stem.

Then spend the difference on going to ride the bloody thing.


 
Posted : 14/07/2014 12:19 pm

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