In a crash last night the fork on my 2008 Cervelo Soloist Team snapped in half. The right shifter got mangled and the derailleur hanger snapped.
I only bought the bike for $800 but I’ve upgraded the handlebars and wheels. I’ve been quite happy with it but I’ve never been on a disc road bike with wider tires.
Is it worth replacing the parts or is it time to have a funeral and bury this in the back yard?
(My own body sustained almost no injury, just some minor scrapes on the elbow. Another rider broke his shoulder, and the young dude that caused the mayhem suffered embarrassment and some pretty good road rash.)
So you need to replace a fork and one shifter to keep the 12 year old bike on the road. The newer handlebars and wheels can be moved to a new frame or sold.
So it really comes down to whether you really want to keep that bike for another few years, or fancy a new one, or and what life is left in the other components.
The chainrings, headset, and BB, have a finite lifespan - are they all in good shape or getting worn and nearing replacement time? (I left out the cassette and chain as they’re nearly consumables)
Are derailleurs, cables etc all in good shape?
I’d certainly be tempted to replace the bike if it was me, but if the rest of it is in good shape and you can get a fork and shifter for reasonable money, why not keep it going. Much better for the environment too!
check the frame out carefully, as well as the bars and the wheels. If what you’ve listed is the only damage, you can get that fixed / replaced for under $500 (probably less than that, but giving myself some wiggle room). If you’ve upgraded to carbon bars, then I would probably replace those anyway since you say that the crash mangled one of your shifters, it was clearly quite a bit of force to the shifter and bars. I prefer round aluminum bars myself, so they’re not expensive. Actually just waiting on a new bar with a more modern bend shape that I picked up for $35 to arrive.
If the damage is more extensive, or any sign of frame damage, then it’s new bike day.
Don’t forget that you’ll end up spending a lot more than the actual sticker price of a new bike. I always kid myself about the budget. Then find I need to add:-
New tyres as the OEM ones are always something I don’t like/trust ($100)
Bike fit ($300 assuming we’re only talking shims here and there not new stem / bars)
Bottle Cages - $100
Saddle - $250
Computer mount (because the old one is wrong size for new bars… etc etc)
And so whilst you may suggest that things can get transferred, in reality then they don’t as you’ll justify keeping the old one for the trainer, etc…
Dude… can’t tell if you are out of touch, this being a brag fest, or you are trying to make the sports sound like it’s more expensive than it is… or just didn’t read the original post.
Don’t forget that you’ll end up spending a lot more than the actual sticker price of a new bike. I always kid myself about the budget. Then find I need to add:-
New tyres as the OEM ones are always something I don’t like/trust ($100)
Bike fit ($300 assuming we’re only talking shims here and there not new stem / bars)
Bottle Cages - $100
Saddle - $250
Computer mount (because the old one is wrong size for new bars… etc etc)
And so whilst you may suggest that things can get transferred, in reality then they don’t as you’ll justify keeping the old one for the trainer, etc…
I think it’s probably less than $500, especially if you look for used parts. I think the Soloist team is aluminium, isn’t it? I wont’ be too concerned with it. I’d also check the bars, have seen a friend’s handle bar snap off just below the shifters while he was on the drops.
Unless you just want a new bike and are ok with the price, then go for it.
New bike day!!
check the frame out carefully, as well as the bars and the wheels. If what you’ve listed is the only damage, you can get that fixed / replaced for under $500 (probably less than that, but giving myself some wiggle room). If you’ve upgraded to carbon bars, then I would probably replace those anyway since you say that the crash mangled one of your shifters, it was clearly quite a bit of force to the shifter and bars. I prefer round aluminum bars myself, so they’re not expensive. Actually just waiting on a new bar with a more modern bend shape that I picked up for $35 to arrive.
If the damage is more extensive, or any sign of frame damage, then it’s new bike day.
Dude… can’t tell if you are out of touch, this being a brag fest, or you are trying to make the sports sound like it’s more expensive than it is… or just didn’t read the original post.
Don’t forget that you’ll end up spending a lot more than the actual sticker price of a new bike. I always kid myself about the budget. Then find I need to add:-
New tyres as the OEM ones are always something I don’t like/trust ($100)
Bike fit ($300 assuming we’re only talking shims here and there not new stem / bars)
Bottle Cages - $100
Saddle - $250
Computer mount (because the old one is wrong size for new bars… etc etc)
And so whilst you may suggest that things can get transferred, in reality then they don’t as you’ll justify keeping the old one for the trainer, etc…
Yo bro. Sup.
What I didn’t do is remember to convert to us dollars from NZD for the convenience of Americans. But the point is still legit.
And so quite the opposite what you read from the post is why I race an e-114 and only last replaced my Caad 5 road bike 2 years ago. It’s ready to forget the true costs of swapping.
OK, I’ll bite. Cycling is not that expensive to get into, and about everything you said is optional / overstated.
Please don’t tell someone they “need” to spend upwards of $1,000 after just plunking down $800 for a bike and trying to just ride. A lot of people already think they need to spend more than a few thousand dollars just to get in the sport. It’s not true, and please don’t propel the myth based on your own spending habits.
Maybe it’s true that for you “And so whilst you may suggest that things can get transferred, in reality then they don’t”, a good chunk of the rest of us do manage to keep to our budget. Also, if what you said is true, the sport would be prohibitly expensive for the good number of us that got into this in college while managing student loans and limited income.
You can always use existing tire, cage, saddle, mount. and nothing wrong with using OEM tires
You can always replicate your exisitng bike fit, and not get a new fit
You can always buy steel bottle cages for a couple dollars, aluminum cages, bend them in for more grip, add grip tape, or cheap carbon ones from China. They work.
If you have to, you can always buy the cheapest saddle within the shape range. I am sure it won’t cost $250 NZD, you can also buy used
Unless you have integrated stems (which means you are already buying something expensive, aka. not a $800 used bike, why would handlebars not be of the standard 31.8, and you can always use a rubberband stem mount
Need to keep the old parts for the trainers… Hmmm, I am sure many people make do without a trainer, or having trainer dedicated parts… but if you can spare the income… sure why not…
have an e-114, and “Only” replaced a caad5 2 years ago… both of those bikes would be around 2-3x the price of the OP’s bike… so… I mean… Yo Brau
Dude… can’t tell if you are out of touch, this being a brag fest, or you are trying to make the sports sound like it’s more expensive than it is… or just didn’t read the original post.
Don’t forget that you’ll end up spending a lot more than the actual sticker price of a new bike. I always kid myself about the budget. Then find I need to add:-
New tyres as the OEM ones are always something I don’t like/trust ($100)
Bike fit ($300 assuming we’re only talking shims here and there not new stem / bars)
Bottle Cages - $100
Saddle - $250
Computer mount (because the old one is wrong size for new bars… etc etc)
And so whilst you may suggest that things can get transferred, in reality then they don’t as you’ll justify keeping the old one for the trainer, etc…
Yo bro. Sup.
What I didn’t do is remember to convert to us dollars from NZD for the convenience of Americans. But the point is still legit.
And so quite the opposite what you read from the post is why I race an e-114 and only last replaced my Caad 5 road bike 2 years ago. It’s ready to forget the true costs of swapping.
yeah, my power meter is in the hub. If I bought a new bike I would go for disc and have to get a new PM. And the stock bike in my price range probably wouldn’t have carbon dishes like I have on the current bike.
Anyways, I ordered a used Easton EC90 Aero fork and some used 10 speed Sram Red shifters. The shifters should be an upgrade and I guess the fork is a fork.
So while I cobble together used parts to keep a 12 year old bike on the road my son is getting race wheels for his MTB this year. Happy Fathers Day! He really ought to have my name as a sponsor on his jersey.
OK, I’ll bite. Cycling is not that expensive to get into, and about everything you said is optional / overstated.
There wasn’t anything there to bite at. The point being that keeping the original bike and replacing the broken part was the more sensible way as there is always an ‘optimism bias’ in the cost of a new bike.
FWIW then the old Dale was NZD700 (so USD500) when i bought it and it is lovingly known as Lazerus in the bike club as no matter what happens it keeps coming back from the dead. Each time something happened people would think that would be the end of it, and yet each time I’d work out that I could fix it, and that whilst I had the cash, approval from the OH to buy a ‘nice’ bike, then I couldn’t justify it. Bonus was people would take one look at it and then assume I was no threat in races. Was my secret weapon.
Anyway, the OP has made a decision, the one I supported, and is happy. And so thread over for me.
