Would these upgrades give me a better bike than I could buy with my budget plus the sale of my current bike? Thanks to everyone who commented on my previous post. I’ve narrowed my options down and would really appreciate advice on the more specific ideas I have in mind at this point.
I'm considering making the following upgrades to my 2019 Specialized Allez. I’ve budgeted about $500 (not including LBS install costs). I've listed the current specs first, followed by the set of upgrades. I would appreciate any advice about compatibility issues, alternatives, or costs (or inadvertent downgrades) I may be overlooking.
For context, I need to replace the rear derailleur due to damage and I want to replace the cassette with a narrow-range alternative because it’s pretty much flat everywhere here and I’ve found that I never use the top 2 or 3 largest gears on my current 8-speed 11-32. I don’t think I’ve ever used the 11, either. The other upgrades are for performance and safety.
So, here goes.
Current specs
Brifters: R2000 Claris
Front/Rear Derailleur: Claris
Crankset: R7000 105 with 52/36T rings
Cassette: SunRace 8-speed 11-32
Chain: KMC X8 w/ Missing Link™, 8-speed
Brakes: Tektro, alloy, dual-pivot
Wheels: Axis Sport
Tires: Espoir Sport, 60 TPI, wire bead, double BlackBelt protection, 700x25mm
Additional specs about the frame, etc. are listed here: https://99spokes.com/bikes/specialized/2019/allez
The only difference from the specs listed at that link is that the bottom bracket has been swapped for a SM-BBR60 round bracket.
Upgrades
Rear Derailleur: Replacement Claris RD, plus a new shifter cable ($32)
Cassette: SRAM PG-850 8-speed 12-23T ($30)
Chain: SRAM PC-870 Chain 8-speed ($18)
Wheels: Campagnolo Calima (cheapest I’ve found is ~$180)
Tires: Continental Grand Prix 5000 (~$105 with tubes)
Brakes: R7000 105 Dual-Pivot Caliper Set ($92)
Total Cost: $457 (on a ~$500 budget)
I'm leaning toward making these upgrades because selling my bike would probably net me at most $500, which would leave me with a budget of about $1k.
Accounting for the above upgrades to my Allez, could I buy a much better new (not used) bike at the $1k price point? Or would making these upgrades be the better option? I'm leaning toward upgrading, but please let me know if there are better new bikes at the ~$1k price point that I’m overlooking.
Upgrading to 4700 Tiagra 10-speed would cost about $260 more, which I could save for, but I don’t know that it would be worth it. I’d also appreciate any advice on this point.
Thanks!
$1K USD new would get you in the range of 9 speed Sora with a low to mid-range aluminum frame, so it wouldn’t be too bad of an option either. In the used market, you could likely get 105 11 speed mechanical on a mid-high end aluminum frame.
Those Campagnolo wheels appear to come with the campy freehub body, so you’ll need to factor in the cost of a conversion to HG for Shimano cassette compatibility.
If you’re happy with the 8 speed setup, go for it. If you want to go to Tiagra, then just buy a new or used bike with the additional budget. Having a shop install an entire groupset will get expensive quick. Speaking of which, how much of this work would you be willing/capable of doing yourself? Your own time and/or LBS expenses need to be factored in too.