upgrading my road bike?

[TedL]

ive asked a question like this before but am still not totally satisfied and have a few more questions.

would it be better to upgrade from tiagra shifters or derailler to ultegra.
which one would be better to do and i would feel a better performance out of and why.
is there any advantages to upgrading from tuvativ ISOflow cranks to shimano ultegra?
what would be some other upgrades beside wheels that could be cheap since their on their way. i want to go from a triple to doulbe crank as well.

thanks

 

[bikeworks]

Heres the problem you are going to have.

As you start upgrading the bike you will spend a lot trying to improve performance, but you will still have the same old bike when it comes right down to it.

Don't get me wrong- there is nothing quite like the smell and feel of a new derailleur in your hand with the expectation that it will make you fly, or installing that new crank that just looks SO good. The reality is that on a bike equipped from the factory with Tiagra you should NOT upgrade, instead you should maintain and save the difference in the money towards a better bike.

As far as your selections, I would go with new shifters before a derailleur (but make to sure to avoid compatability issues I would go with shifter/derailleur/cassette change all at once). When I spec a bike for production I tend to give Truvativ a wide berth... had a bad experience with a few thousand bikes... so I would actually go with FSA or if money was no object then Shimano would be good.

Your mention of going from a triple to a double solidifies my opinion. Your frame is not a performance model- it is a sport model for banging around the roads and for charity rides.

Do yourself a big favor. Maintain, not upgrade. Save for a new bike.

 

[edwardw]

If you wanted Ultegra components in the first place then why didnt you buy one with this already on it in the first place? Sure you would feel a difference if you have been ridding for a few years now and that difference would be more than noticeable to you. The difference between the two is generally night and day to most avid riders but if you are just trying to spend your money..... Dont do it. Your bike was speced with the Tiagra group because it is lower end and does not rate much more than what it came with in the first place .....105 at best and that would just about do it?! You will likely spend more on this bike than you paid for the bike in the first place, does that sound like it makes any sense??? Please think about that and shop for bikes that would cost as much +/- the 500 to 700 dollars that you propose to spend for a bike that would cost as much as the money you plan on putting into the one you have now! Look here: http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=25726&subcategory_ID=3040 this bike is equipped the way you want and even has a compact crank with wheels that are not that bad and compared to how much you paid?
Edit: Thanks bikework... gives me a warm fuzzy knowing that I know what Im talking about at times!