I have a 2004 Felt S32 (17K miles on it) with original Tiagra front and 105 rear derailers, brakes, cranks, etc. The shifters were replaced about a year ago. I have a chance to bid on a wrecked Trek road bike with a SRAM Red group. The fork and front wheel were destroyed but otherwise the bike appears to be intact. I’m seeking comments on the wisdom of swapping parts. Are there compatibility problems or other matters I need to consider? Thank you.
Go for it. Double check your f/d specs and make sure the barrel nut for the front brake on the SRAM fits before you dump your current front if you decided to sell it. I dumped my 7800 gruppo for Rival and couldn’t be happier for road purposes. Way better hand comfort and so much extra bling left over I bought a new set of Open Pros with Pro Race 3’s, new stem and some Zero’s!
Nice to see you have figured out the latest carbon marketing gimmick isn’t going to put you in Kona;) If the S32 fits you can rock that beast to the top! Ride safe out there.
I have a 2004 Felt S32 (17K miles on it) with original Tiagra front and 105 rear derailers, brakes, cranks, etc. The shifters were replaced about a year ago. I have a chance to bid on a wrecked Trek road bike with a SRAM Red group. The fork and front wheel were destroyed but otherwise the bike appears to be intact. I’m seeking comments on the wisdom of swapping parts. Are there compatibility problems or other matters I need to consider? Thank you.
if the frame is intact on the Trek, sell the felt and replace the fork if possible…
if its the right size of course…
If theTreck is a carbon jobie and the fork is uterly destroyed, then odds on that the frame is also - but not visibly - until it fails taking a bump downhill, usually at the headtube/toptube connection.
BUT - If it’s sold for far less than a Red group, go for it and swap away. If your FELT fits you like a glove, a more modern frame is not going to make any big difference.
AND use all the crap that you have lying around, including the stuff you have on your Felt, stick it on the Treck, and stick it permanently on your home trainer.
If your FELT fits you like a glove, a more modern frame is not going to make any big difference.
AND use all the crap that you have lying around, including the stuff you have on your Felt, stick it on the Treck, and stick it permanently on your home trainer.
If the felt fits like a glove why wouldnt you want to use that on the trainer as well?
You make a good point about gambling on the integrity of the frame if the fork is busted.
Although it would be funny to see somebody riding a bike on a trainer and have it fail on the stand
Carbon doesn’t ‘explode’ when it fails under normal use(unless you consider crashing normal use;)…or at least my 5200 and 5500 didn’t. It felt mushy and then I heard a crunchy sound on both and stopped to find my bb shell cracked. The big problem is if it happens at speed and you can’t get stopped in time. Had I been screaming down the back side of a descent and had to hammer the brakes, eh, dunno what would have happened but given the fact I could pull the down tube away from the bb shell by hand methinks it coulda been a much different outcome.
I wouldn’t think twice about riding a compromised carbon frame on a trainer.
OP: Red will be a blast to have. Frame is another ball of wax, but I believe in my heart riding a known crashed carbon frame out on the road is just not wise unless you have someone like Craig Calfee work on it. If you decide to take the Trek on the road make sure you inspect the crap out of it…please!
Who said carbon “explodes”?
My other coment was, if the Felt fits like a glove, why not ride that as well on the trainer? Whats the benifit to riding the Trek over a better fitting Felt on a trainer?
Usually you get either a “pop off” delamination or a progressive breakdown of the fiber structure - probably won’t kill you, but could mean you having foreseen having a spouse that’s happy to go get you on the godforsaken piece of lost mountain where it packed in.
The breaking into bits is uber light frames hiting a pothole or a normal frame a lampost/car/Al Bundy.
If the bike is on the trainer, you don’t need to care if it handles, you just need to put your contact points in the same place as the Felt - even is that means getting creative. Just use a good ol’ dose of common sense.
G
If the bike is on the trainer, you don’t need to care if it handles, you just need to put your contact points in the same place as the Felt - even is that means getting creative. Just use a good ol’ dose of common sense.
G
Or just leave the trainer skewer in and avoid the hassle?
I’m in the same position as you; 2005 Felt S32 and was torn between a new bike or just upgrading. I figure I’d have more fun passing others on faster bikes with my old beginner bike so I went the upgrade route, especially since the frame already fits me decently enough. Don’t think you have to worry about compatibility if you’re swapping out the entire group.
Just as long as you don’t expect to go faster. Components don’t really affect your speed unless they are so worn they are creating friction, like in a chain. Otherwise Tiagra is just as fast as Red. “Upgrading” components is the biggest myth in cycling. Well, one of them.
Chad
If the bike is on the trainer, you don’t need to care if it handles, you just need to put your contact points in the same place as the Felt - even is that means getting creative. Just use a good ol’ dose of common sense.
G
Or just leave the trainer skewer in and avoid the hassle?
That’s just the point, leave the Treck in the trainer, and use the Felt on the road, even LESS hassle… Just set up the contact points to be the same. It does not matter if the Treck looks weird, or lacks brakes cables etc… It’s kinda in the trainer - no need to put it in, climb stairs, having to uber clean it before hubby lets you in the house with it… One bike in the garage, one in front of the TV perfectly set up with the remote taped to the bars - lovely.
Did I mention the Treck is in the trainer?
G