I have a aging Giant Cadex CFR pro series road bike fitted with 9 speed campag chorus and cosmic elite wheelset. I love the bike and regularly ride 70 – 100 miles on Sundays on it. It is in need of some tlc.The drive train is fairly worn and bb has developed a creak. 9 speed parts are getting hard to come by unless you look at downgrading to lower end components. Is it worth the investment or should I start afresh with a modern full carbon frame and 11 SPD group set? Will I notice the difference when riding? My current bike is 9.4 kg and 58 cm.

Do you want a new bike? I mean for me the answer is always ‘of course’ but I’m a bike butterfly and love to change kit as often as my under crackers until I have the best I can afford, but not everyone is as fickle as me.

If you want a new bike you will definitely feel an improvement/step forward in terms of performance if you buy wisely. Whether that is a big enough step to justify the outlay only you can decide.

9.4 kg

😯

You’ll get more gears/close the gaps in the ratios, and have a bike that doesnt weigh as much as a full sus MTB…

As discussed in current threads, Pauls cycles for Cannondale and Giant bargains, Westbrook Cycles for Scott.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/what-road-bike-for-2k
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/what-roadie-for-3k

This in team colours is a thing of beauty IMHO

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b65s6p5164/CANNONDALE-SUPERSIX-EVO-RED-2013

Or this would get you high end frame and gears, to finish off as you wish

http://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/scott-foil-hmx-team-issue-di2-frameset-with-11-speed-ultegra-6870-electric-pack-2013-p213652

OK thank you I will have a read of those other posts. I would like a new bike but there is a greater cost involved and I wanted to know if a modern bike will be faster and more forgiving on longer rides in relation to the increased cost.

There will be bikes that are faster and there will be bikes that are more forgiving. There will be bikes that are also both, you just need to be careful about what you buy if you value both.

You’ll notice a lighter bike more going uphill than on the flat for sure and wheels will make as much, if not more, of a difference.

Looking at the age of bike you have, I would be surprised if you weren’t blown away by how far things have moved on in the last ten years or so. I also think you’ve got a very big win coming by having a proper bike fit and getting someone who really knows what they are doing to set the bike up for you.

To be honest, you could opt for one of the modern light steel frames now available at a reasonable budget and with a very good pair of wheels on it, you’d still get a big step forward.

The Genesis Equilibrium springs to mind; put a set of Kysrium SLS or even SLR wheels and you’d have a very fast and very comfy bike. It won’t be a whole lot lighter than your current one, maybe a kilo or so, but all round it would be a great ride.

As an example of what fast and comfy could be.

Future classic – the first mainstream affordable carbon frame. You like it, it fits, and you enjoy using it. It just needs a good service and some parts. If it were mine, and I was attached to it, I’d treat it to a new 10/11 speed groupset, and possibly some wheels. New parts could save up to a kilo. It will never be a 7 kilo whippet, but good bikes have always been good – see 531 steel.

Then I’d buy a new Giant to compare and contrast 😀

Yes I do like riding it and it fits – but an upgrade to 11 SPD with the new wheels would be near a grand.

steve73, I was in the same boat as you (Principia RS6 with 9 sp Ultegra) just all a bit tired, creaking and if I wanted to have the same sort of spec groupset and other bits and bobs, has you’ve pointed out…Its a grand on what’s still a 2006 bike, that could also do with a respray…

So, bought a R872 with 11sp Ultegra and Kysrium for £1700 from Ribble

But does it ride better than your old bike after the shiny new bike effect has worn off ?

Steve if it makes things any easier, the answer is quite simply yes. You would have to be incredibly unlucky or trying very hard to replace a bike that is now, what, ten to fifteen years old with something that won’t feel like a big step forward in terms of performance.

Let me introduce you to this to demonstrate the point:

It’s the Canyon Ultimate CF SL. It has a sub 1kg carbon frame, full Ultegra 11 speed group set, a pair of wheels that retail on their own for £700 and an all in weight of around 7.3kg. Oh an it costs £1899.

It’s going to feel like a monumental step forward and while it is a significantly bigger spend that replacing an old drive train, I think it makes a lot more sense if what you want is a) a new bike and b) a step up in performance.