[Spooks]

What would/should you spend money on when buying a new bike, frame or kit? With this I mean I was looking at a cheap Cervelo S2 @ 2800 which you are pretty much paying for the frame against something like a Cube agree Ui2 at around the same price where the Ui2 is what your paying for.
I’m relatively new to cycling so curious as to where people would sink their hard earned.

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[Spooks]

Thanks for the comments,
Thanks for the comments, kinda what I figured with spend on frame, everything else being secondary.
In deep love with how Cervelo R series look but I simply cant afford/justify that amount on a frame, thus my questioning if the frame is the most important.
This will be my second road bike, and i hope a step up from my current cube attempt, and I just hope that no matter what I end up with I can justify owning it.

[Gkam84]

When going for a highend
When going for a highend bike. Concentrate on the frame. get something that fits and in comfortable. Parts come and go, can be changed, replaced and upgraded. The frame is the main part on which your bike is build.

So frame everytime. Forget about the groupset it comes with as at those kinda of prices, they have the top two sets away, Ultegra or Dura Ace, unless its a really high end frame and it might be 105. Which is still a good groupo.

[_SiD_]

Depends on material
Depends on material possibly.
A titanium or steel frame would unquestionably be a sound ‘investment’ returning decades worth of riding from one purchase. These materials aren’t subject to fashion fads and fashions. Essentially just tubes and triangles. The shape doesn’t really change, the detailing and craftsmanship is what sets it apart. update or upgrade kit and it wears out.

Carbon is different. It in vogue and at a premium exactly the way aluminium was up until abut 10 years ago. It can be moulded into any desirable shape and is therefore more susceptible to fads in design and dare I say it marketing. It can therefore lose its ‘cool’ quotient very quickly. You may be ‘marketed’ into an entirely new frame in a few years. It a manufacturers dream material, cheap with infinite design possibilities.

In conclusion:
Carbon: get a entry/mid range frame, mid range groupset, quality wheels and budget for an upgrade in frame and kit in 3-4 years.

Titanium/steel/alu: quality frame, quality wheels, mid range groupset and budget for groupset upgrade in 3-4 years.

In the long run it cost about the same.

[zzgavin]

buy a good frame, a decent
buy a good frame, a decent group set and then better wheels in the spring, especially if you are new to cycling. Great value to be had in the 1500-2000 market too, as this is where there is a lot of competition. Save the rest for clothes and a turbo trainer or spring training camp somewhere warm.
I bought a CAAD10 with 105, then bought decent wheels, shimano RS80s (often spec’d on a bike retailing at 2500-3000). Once the 105 wears out I’ll get Ultegra or Dura-Ace.
It’s definitely worth test riding several bikes and getting a sense of what sort of riding you want to do. My CAAD10 is more of a crit racing bike than a sportive long ride bike, but it fits me, flies up hills and handles well. It’s also aluminium so I can ride it through the winter on its original wheels.
Have fun hunting

[Fringe]

hmmmm, kinda tricky
hmmmm, kinda tricky one,really depends on what kind of riding your intending to be doing.., personally I would go for a better frame with say a shimano 105 or SRAM Apex/rival groupset than a probably okay frame with electronic bling..then spend some more cash on good wheels..

[Author]

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