Two weeks ago I laid down some dough for a Trek 1000. I really was contemplating on whether to get the 1500 instead since it has better components. But since I wasn't sure if I'll be sticking to it, I ended up getting the 1000.

Now, two weeks and a few rides later, I know for sure that I'll be sticking to it. I feel like I should have gotten the 1500. So my question is, how much of an effect does the weight and components of a bike have on hill climbs? I live in SF and would eventually like to commute to work a couple of times a week. But the hills at SF are no joke, at least to me. On top of that, I find the Sora shifting a bit rough (rear derailleur is Tiagra), could be a user issue rather than equipment issus.

Should I...

a. See if my LBS will take the 1000 back and get the 1500? (Do bike shops usually have return policies?)
b. Get certain components that helps climbing easier? Lighter cranks?? Rims??
c. Stick with what I have and keep riding?

Should I...

a. See if my LBS will take the 1000 back and get the 1500? (Do bike shops usually have return policies?)
b. Get certain components that helps climbing easier? Lighter cranks?? Rims??
c. Stick with what I have and keep riding?

My vote is for option "C"

Since you said you originally were not sure if you would stick with cycling, I get the impression that you're either new to cycling or are coming back to it after a long layoff. The thing that will help the most with the hills is riding, riding, and more riding. Sure, lighter components might be a little nicer and may work a bit smoother but I really think, at least until you have some pretty serious miles under you belt, that riding will help you the most.

If you REALLY want the bike with better components you would always see what the shop can do for you in terms of a trade in (I doubt you could return it after 2 weeks, unless you hardly used it at all). You could also see how much you could sell it for, any friends of yours want a bike? Those options woud likely lead to you spending money that you really don't need to spend at the time.

Hope this helps...
-B

I also vote for "C".

Ride this bike for at least two years. Then buy whatever will make your heart happy.

You can perform some calculations here to determine how much faster a lighter bike will go uphill. http://www.kreuzotter.de/english/espeed.htm

For example, for me on a 20-pound bike, I will climb a 7% grade at 5.7 mph. A 19-pound bike = 5.8 mph.

Rather than worry about your bike, worry about your own power-to-weight ratio. That's the key to climbing hills. Increase your power, lower your weight...or borth.

One more vote for C.

There's no reason your current running gear can't be made to work quite well. It's not Sora, but my wife's Tiagra bike (now pushing up on 2000 miles) shifts very well indeed. When we got it, I had to do some adjusting after a few dozen miles, and it's been good since with only a tweak here or there. Maybe all you need is a tune-up. And don't shift under load, if you're doing that--even Campy Record can be made to shift roughly if you do that.

If you wait until you have some real miles on the bike you have, you'll also be much more able to appreciate any upgrades you make later--most upgrades are very incremental, and unless you really know your preferences and habits, and the feel of your bike as-is, you might be disappointed in the level of improvement you get.

And in my opinion, there's no reason to start taking weight off your bike until there's no more weight left to take off your butt. That's certainly why I don't do weight upgrades.

Agree. I'm not sure of the weight difference between the 1000 and the 1500 but it can't be more than a couple of pounds.. It is a lot cheaper to take a couple of pounds off the rider than the bike.

Don't upgrade....Ride up grades...

its not really about the bike but the ride, dont worry about weight too much at this point. no the shifting will not be as crisp as DA-10 or whatever, make sure you have a low enough bottom gear and you will be fine. ride the bike for a year or two as parts wear start thinking upgrade for components. I think the 1000 and 1500 are the same frame if im not mistaken. once you get really bitten then start looking for the tasty Shifters wheel set exec.. i rode a 7sp downtube shifter bike for quite afew years and still had great fun with it.. i kinda miss the simple days of downtube shifters and all that.

ofcourse its just mho,

One more vote for C.

... don't shift under load, if you're doing that--even Campy Record can be made to shift roughly if you do that.

If you wait until you have some real miles on the bike you have, you'll also be much more able to appreciate any upgrades you make later--most upgrades are very incremental, and unless you really know your preferences and habits, and the feel of your bike as-is, you might be disappointed in the level of improvement you get.

And in my opinion, there's no reason to start taking weight off your bike until there's no more weight left to take off your butt. That's certainly why I don't do weight upgrades.

While I agree with the above statements, I have to add my opinion. If you've found that you love riding, I think it probably makes sense to upgrade to the 1500, and I'm fairly sure your LBS won't mind taking more money from you for the more expensive bike (and a two-week old bike is basically brand-new). If being on a better bike will make you happier, and more willing to ride, then it's well worth the upgrade.

As to the question of making you a better climber: the weight difference is so small, it won't make a real difference. But, strangely enough, most people who upgrade to more expensive bikes feel faster wheather their new bike is lighter or not.

In the end, I think the best reason to upgrade is to get away from the Sora components. If you've ever taken apart a Sora and an Ultegra shifter, you'll quickly see why Sora is so cheap. From other's experience, I can say that the Sora components simply won't last as long as the levels of components above it, and will be a little harder to keep in tune.

Thanks for the replies.

Looks like C is the accord here, I think I'll stick to exactly that. I'll just avoid going into bike shops as much as I can so the shiny new bikes won't scream "BUY ME! BUY ME!"

How are the resale value of bikes anyway?

Thanks for the replies.

Looks like C is the accord here, I think I'll stick to exactly that. I'll just avoid going into bike shops as much as I can so the shiny new bikes won't scream "BUY ME! BUY ME!"

How are the resale value of bikes anyway?

Check out ebay for final sale values.

A lot will depend on the condition of the bike when you decide to sell it.

Looks like C is the accord here, I think I'll stick to exactly that. I'll just avoid going into bike shops as much as I can so the shiny new bikes won't scream "BUY ME! BUY ME!"


Believe me, this will happen anyway no matter how nice your current bike is. :)

MY OPINION -

Ive been riding for about 4-5 months now and am an addict - I bought a Specialized comp and it was more bike than I needed t start with, somethign to grow into. but as I became more addicted I started to read a ton of books and mags about cycling. Climbing was tuff for me at first I weighed about 186 lbs 6'1" - but I found a route I liked that punished me and I ride up it 4 days a week. Now I weigh 173 and climb up that hill an average of 15.5-16.5 - depends on the day of course. But when I started 8-10 MPH was tuff on me. Loosing weight and changing your diet is the best way to improve performance for a beginner I think. also monitoring your performance and stepping it up helps a ton. I bought the garmin 305 for a cyclometer and it has helped me more than anything else because of the vast information. However - now that I am getting more and more serious I started to notice things I would like to change - for example Brake it fun t climb and then bomb down hill after wards but my 105 brakes don't give me alot of confidence. Also my wheels are ALEx ( suck )0 I've notice whne I stand to climb or when I sprint the wheels flex and push the brakes, this scares me and seems dangerous. other than that the rest of the 105/ultegra components seems to be fine unitl I get better and stronger. I've had a mechanic look at the parts etc.. and in the end the solution seems to be new wheels and brakes would solve both of my issues. But one thing I must stress is that I have been going at this like a mad man. day in day out. 15-30 daily and on weekends alot more. I challenge myself about everytime I got out. to better evevrything. I eat differently ( fitday.com ) and I have goals that I want to accomplish. You've only had your bike 2-3 weeks give it more time and see how serious you are and then if it is effecting your training the I would look to change parts, as you get better then upgrade. if you are not willing to make changes in your life to better your performancec then changes inn your bike won't matter. unless your rich. then I would say get what you want. . . . . . .

ride it until it falls apart.

make yourself earn the new bike. It will feel all that much better when you get it. Besides, there is always a sweeter ride out there.

Here is an idea... start a bike fund jar. Put a fixed ammount into it each time you ride. Say 10$ a pop. if you ride 4 days a week for a year you'll have 1680 in there. Good enough for a sweet ride. Plus its a great motivator...

then if a year has gone by and you don't ride much at least you won't have wasted money of a good dust collector.

I'm 5'9' and clocked at 145 lbs, should I be losing anymore weight?? Although I must admit my diet is not exactly what one would consider healthy.

Your weight sounds normal enough to me but only you can determine that...
I'm 6'1" and around 175 right now...

ride it until it falls apart.

make yourself earn the new bike. It will feel all that much better when you get it. Besides, there is always a sweeter ride out there.

Here is an idea... start a bike fund jar. Put a fixed ammount into it each time you ride. Say 10$ a pop. if you ride 4 days a week for a year you'll have 1680 in there. Good enough for a sweet ride. Plus its a great motivator...

then if a year has gone by and you don't ride much at least you won't have wasted money of a good dust collector.

You could also start with a pair of nice stiff wheels, like Ksyriums or 32 spoked hand builts, then use em on your future dream bike. I put away a 20. every time I got a paycheck, and in a year had enough cash to get a really nice bike with a modest credit card payment. I already had the handmade wheels, from Colorado Cyclist. They were so stiff, I could then feel the flex in the old frame. Wheels make a huge difference.

With the stiff wheels on the new responsive frame, I had a bike that accelerated, climbed, descended, cornered, rode hard, did everything better, stealing less energy. With the same amount of effort, it was indeed faster.

The old bike was still useful as a beater. Its always nice to have two bikes. You can set up one with fenders and bigger tires for errands, commuting and winter riding on wet roads, the other for fast rides on nice days, club rides, events, and races.

I am 6'7" and 190lbs. I look really skinny hehe but I just moved up to Cat 4 and riding strong! My components do take a beating but the 2006 shimano 105 kit has been working very well on my 2004 fuji team issue. I love it:D

I'm 5'9' and clocked at 145 lbs, should I be losing anymore weight?? Although I must admit my diet is not exactly what one would consider healthy.

Sounds a bit light to me. Lance Armstrong is 5'9" and was racing at 160-165lbs. He's more muscular than most pro cyclists, but he's not exactly a bodybuilder, you know.

Jump from a 23 pound bike to a 15 pound bike and you'll definitely feel the difference. The bike seems to just jump from under you under every pedal stroke. You'll like the 15 pound bike better. You'll just pay $5,000 or so more for it.

bike poundage is insignificant. your poundage is. First rule for better power to weight ratio is you. Yes the engine, you!

Yes, but ride 23 & 15 pound bikes back to back, then we'll talk. Part of the difference in effort/efficiency can be attributed to better hubs, smoother bearings... but weight does make a huge difference.

I'm 5'9' and clocked at 145 lbs, should I be losing anymore weight?? Although I must admit my diet is not exactly what one would consider healthy.

As far as i'm concern you could loose a couple pounds.....:idea:


I'm 6'1" and look forward to joining you in the sub 160's. werd up.

A couple of reiterated points: first, I vote C. Not enough difference between the Sora and Tiagra stuff to make that much difference. second, riding time and experience and physical condition will nearly always out-trump a better bike, especially a marginally better one. third, while you are riding your current bike you can always start looking for the parts to upgrade to the next level, Tiagra 9 in your case, or even higher, one part at a time aat the cheapest cost you can find by regularly scouring ebay and the clearence sections of nashbar, excel, performance, etc... You will need new shifters, chain, cassette, and maybe front derailleur to make the basic upgrade to Tiagra 9 or 105-9, all of which are going for pretty cheap right now if you just look around. Once you have all your components ready, the upgrades should all be done at one time, and ...voila'....practically new bike, at a significantly reduced cost thatn buying new. You will also have the side benefit of getting to know the workings of all the new parts and how to install and adjust them, useful knowledge to have should something ever break down or go out of adjustment.

Oh, one more thing that others have already stated, but I will repeat in a different fashion. The slight weight drop gained by the upgrades is minimal, and far less than say the weight of a full water bottle or frame pump, or just a couple pounds of rider weight. Trivial by comparison.

How about wheels? My guy at the LBS say new wheels/ tires will improve performance overall.

I see the overstock sale of the Neuvation R28 SL for 299.00. Seems like a good deal. My 1000 currently has the Alex AT450.

wheels is the most significant upgreade for a bike because you minimize rotational inertia. but anything after that is really not very effective

wheels is the most significant upgreade for a bike because you minimize rotational inertia. but anything after that is really not very effective
Rotational inertia is virtually irrelevant when considering cycling performance.

From http://www.biketechreview.com/archive/wheel_theory.htm
"How can it be that wheel inertial forces are nearly insignificant, when the advertisements say that inertia is so important? Quite simply, inertial forces are a function of acceleration. In bike racing this peak acceleration is about .1 to .2 g’s and is generally only seen when beginning from an initial velocity of 0 (see criterium race data in Appendix D ). Furthermore, the 0.3kg/0.66lb difference in wheels, even if this mass is out at the rim, is so small compared to your body mass that the differences in wheel inertia will be unperceivable. Any difference in acceleration due to bicycle wheels that is claimed by your riding buddies is primarily due to cognitive dissonance, or the placebo effect (they paid a lot of money for the wheels so there must be some perceivable gain)."

Whatever people will tell you about wheels mattering or not mattering or whatev, those Neuvations are a steal at that price. I wouldn't think twice.

I say KEEP the bike you have and start saving for a high-end scoot. Last summer I bought a Trek 1200 and got hooked real quick, so I went out and bought a full DA Look 585. Then made my big mistake........I gave away the Trek. I didn't think I needed it any more but I quickly learned that you need two bikes!! Sometimes I look out the window and can't really tell if it's going to rain or not. It would be great to have a beater bike.

C is the correct answer. Your preferences in bikes will change from time to time. Give them a chance to settle down a little before you start bike shopping. What you have will work just fine. Lance Armstrong could ride it and beat every person on these forums in a race.