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Sensible upgrades to Trek 1.5 before thinking about new bike?

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  • September 29, 2015 at 6:07 pm #24869
    Ish303

    My current bike (Trek 1.5 with 10 speed Tiagra) was my first road bike so when choosing things were all new and alien to me.
    Now I’ve had it a couple of years I am starting to get a feel for what I want.
    I really like the Trek for the mixture of riding I do which is a couple of 50-60km rides each weekend, the odd long distance 100ish km plus a handful of triathlons each year.

    I’ve been think about upgrading the group set to 105 and in looking at the cost to fit it even wondered about jumping up to Ultegra.
    Then I started to wonder if I’m looking at that kind of cost whether it’s worth it on the current frame and if I should plump for a whole new bike?
    On the trek I’m pretty happy but the Tiagra rear dérailleur seems to take some fettling to keep in check and even then sometimes takes a second or so too long to shift, hence the look at 105.

    Anyone got advice or done a similar swap out? I’m kind of conscious that Ultegra might be something that outperforms the bike and I wouldn’t necessarily recoup (some of) the cost if I sold it later on.

    I would like to start pushing the distance up a bit so have been thinking of something a bit lighter and that would soak the vibes up more.

    Is it new bike time or best to just sort out the niggles (Tiagra) and see how that goes?

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  • June 30, 2018 at 3:52 pm #860931
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    Canyon48

    Hrm, bit of a difficult one.

    Hrm, bit of a difficult one.

    First things first, change all the inner and outer cables with high-quality Shimano cables (Ultegra or Dura-Ace), this makes a noticeable difference to the feel over the brakes and gears.

    In terms of upgrading the first things are wheels, tyres then groupset. Some decent lightweight wheels with good (high TPI) tyres, will cost around £300 and the 105 groupset around £300. It’s unlikely you’ll make much money back on old parts.

    So around £600 would get you a very significant upgrade on your existing bike (make sure to factor in costs if you need your LBS to change everything for you).

    To be honest, I would sell the bike and buy a new one. You can easily expect £400-500 for a Trek 1.5. So add, say £500 onto the £600 all the upgrades would cost and you have around £1000 to £1100 to spend on a new bike.

    For that, you’ll can expect a high-quality aluminium frame, Shimano 105 and some decent wheels (add another £200 on top and you’ll be able to choose and additional upgrade, either Ultegra or a carbon frame). 

    Basically, you have two choices, slowly upgrade the wheels and the groupset (paying smaller amounts at a time), or continue to ride the bike as it is for a while and save the £600 you would otherwise spend before selling the bike and buying a brand new one (which IMO is the best option).

     

    June 30, 2018 at 12:33 pm #860929
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    JCH48

    What did you do in the end?

    What did you do in the end?

     

    My Trek 1.5 triple with Tiagra is very unreliable shifting down and i have been wondering if a  105 compact 11-32 would be better and simpler. I do need that very low gear for my local hills.

     

    October 2, 2015 at 11:13 am #860927
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    CXR94Di2

    Best cutting device for bike
    Best cutting device for bike cables and outer casing is the dremel with disc cutter. Wrap steel cable in tape, gentle cut through with no bent wires or strays. Makes a very tidy cut through the outer casings

    October 1, 2015 at 9:31 pm #860925
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    gmac101

    If my experience is anything
    If my experience is anything to go by replacing the cables is a great first step. It’s not difficult to do if you get some decent cable cutters and watch a few youtube videos. I found a big improvement in braking and gear shifting when I replaced the very basic jagwire cables on my Allez with some teflon lined/coated cables. In particular the rigid sections to go under the bar tape I think made big difference to the braking.
    I also fitted some new wheels (Superstar Pave 28’s), new bar tape, swiss stop pads and Vredestein Fortezza Senso Xtreme tyres. Its like a new bike and the cost was about £270

    October 1, 2015 at 4:57 pm #860923
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    tomisitt

    I’ve been running Conti 28mm
    I’ve been running Conti 28mm tyres on the Trek 1.5 for things like Flanders and Roubaix…they fit no problem, and take some of the buzz out of the ally frame (carbon seat post also helps)

    October 1, 2015 at 3:39 pm #860921
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    2 Wheeled Idiot

    I wouldn’t bother upgrading
    I wouldn’t bother upgrading just as we’re heading into winter, wait until next year/spring so your upgrades aren’t subjected to salted roads/grit/cow shat/wet roads/ice/half hearted cleaning/being put away wet and dirty.
    Just my $0.02

    October 1, 2015 at 3:39 pm #860919
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    2 Wheeled Idiot

    I wouldn’t bother upgrading
    I wouldn’t bother upgrading just as we’re heading into winter, wait until next year/spring so your upgrades aren’t subjected to salted roads/grit/cow shat/wet roads/ice/half hearted cleaning/being put away wet and dirty.
    Just my $0.02

    October 1, 2015 at 3:19 pm #860917
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    Ish303

    I wish I could use the n+1
    I wish I could use the n+1 rule but unfortunately with 5 other bikes in the shed (between me and the missus) the old one would have to go as we can’t fit anymore in 🙁

    I’m going to check with work about the scheme, but I am now thinking about a good wheel upgrade and then seeing how I feel. Wiggle are doing a bundle on Fulcrum racing 3 down from £500 to £300, but I will have to double check the 25mm tyres will fit although tomisitt’s post seems to suggest they will.

    October 1, 2015 at 12:50 pm #860915
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    vonhelmet

    Ish303 wrote:Our scheme is

    Ish303 wrote:
    Our scheme is £1000 but I was under the impression that above that you cover it yourself and there’s no saving on that portion.

    Although maybe I’d better check as that puts a spanner in the new bike option and would push me to the upgrades.

    Technically you can’t, as the employer has to retain ownership of the bike, and they can’t retain ownership of 10/17 of a bike. In practise, many bike shops will let you get away with it. Dolan spring to mind.

    The limit on the scheme is not actually a hard £1,000, incidentally. Employers can offer as much as they like. In practise, though, you need a consumer credit license to be loaning more than £1,000 to an employee, and most employers don’t want that sort of hassle.

    October 1, 2015 at 12:43 pm #860913
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    Super Domestique

    Am I the only one hearing n+1
    Am I the only one hearing n+1 here?

    Shiny new toy and yet keeping a very nice bike that you are happy with as a winter/bad weather bike that gets upgraded parts as and when they wear out.

    October 1, 2015 at 11:55 am #860911
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    gdmor10

    I have a Trek 2.1 and then I
    I have a Trek 2.1 and then I built a carbon bike this year using all 2nd hand parts.

    The carbon bike flies and is much faster on hills, however I am convinced that it is the wheels rather than the frame that has made the difference.

    Spend all you upgrade money on the best wheel you can afford, then you will still have them as better wheels if you upgrade the bike in a few years.

    And you can keep your old wheels for winter/bad weather riding.

    September 30, 2015 at 5:54 pm #860909
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    gonedownhill

    Not sure I’d spend £700
    Not sure I’d spend £700 upgrading a bike just in case at the end of it all it didn’t really feel much different. I’ve never done such a thing so probably not that qualified to say. If you have space for another bike then you can get a Canyon Endurance with Ultegra and their flexi seatpost for £1050 plus about £40 P&P and Rose do similar deals I think. You would still need/want a fit and I don’t think there’s anyway to hook up with C2W scheme with Canyon. You can maybe get similar from Planet X.

    September 30, 2015 at 4:38 pm #860907
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    sergius

    Similar to you, my first road
    Similar to you, my first road bike was a 2013 Cube Agree GTC, reasonable carbon frame with Tiagra and Shimano R501 wheels (the cheapest ones they make, about £80 for the pair).

    I ended up upgrading the wheels to RS31’s because I saw a really good deal (£250 to £120 or something like that) and was feeling flush, it was a noticeable improvement over the old ones.

    It didn’t stop me buying a new bike with Ultegra Di2 and hydraulic disc brakes though, a purchase I’ve been super happy with. My best bike is far nicer to ride than the old one – I certainly could have done without but it’s not a purchase I regret at all.

    Going from Tiagra to Ultegra Di2 is a huge difference in terms of shifting, I’m vaguely dreading going back to the other bike for the winter I have to say – I’ll have to start trimming the FD again 🙁

    I think it comes down to how much cash you want to spend on your hobbies really, I get so much enjoyment from my riding that I’m very happy to spend my hard-earned on new toys – not that it’s necessary, but I choose to do so.

    September 30, 2015 at 4:24 pm #860905
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    tomisitt

    My Trek 1.5 (9-speed Tiagra)
    My Trek 1.5 (9-speed Tiagra) has been up the Alpe d’Huez, Tourmalet, Aubisque, and done Paris-Roubaix and the Ronde van Flaanderen with nothing other than a pair of Fulcrum 5s running 25mm Contis as an upgrade. Might be worth upgrading to 105 just for the better braking, but I would definitely upgrade the wheels.

    September 30, 2015 at 1:24 pm #860903
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    CXR94Di2

    Looking up the spec of the
    Looking up the spec of the Trek bike, it looks like 23mm tyres are maximum size. If that is the case and you’re finding on longer rides a harshness , you need larger tyre compatible frame.

    Now frame type, and material. Consider audaux, endurance frames which have a little gentler geometry and will take tyres upto 30mm. Material if you could afford it a titanium frame would be ideal, but can be costly.

    I prefer cyclocross frame as they will take upto 40mm tyres and can be easily adapted to audaux comfort geometry

    Groupset.

    The 105 is just as good as ultegra except it weighs a little more, literally a few grams.

    I would future proof myself and get 11speed.

    Wheels, get some quality aluminum wheels which are ‘tubeless’ ready so new wheels can take new models of tyres coming out in the future.

    I have built or modified several bikes now and love the sourcing/specification of parts. Then when it’s all built a great satisfaction I did it. There is nothing complicated in building your own

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