Advice on Upgrading Bike (ladies)

[TB1972]

Looking for some advice on upgrading my bike. I have had a Carrera tdf for the past two years, initially just used for commuting a 20 mile round trip to work but in the last few months have found myself doing 2/3 20/25 mile spins during the week and maybe a 50/60 at the weekend. I recently signed up for a few sportif's (Tour de Conamara, Tour de Burren, Ring of Kerry etc) and thinking of upgrading so looking for a bit of advice - don't want to spend a fortune but don't want to think in six months time, why didn't I spend the extra couple of bob and get a better bike.

I've narrowed it down to these -

Carrera Virago Carbon Bike - http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_832167_langId_-1_categoryId_212536

Boardman Road Team Carbon Bike - http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_918505_langId_-1_categoryId_212536

Lapiere Audacio 400L - http://www.harrysbikes.ie/bikes/road-racer-ladies/lapierre-audacio-400l.html

Cannondale Synapse - not sure if this is the right link but - http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/synapse-6-tiagra-compact-2013-womens-road-bike-ec042944

Giant Avail 1 or 2 - http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/avail.1/11526/55903/

Any advice gladly accepted!

Tara

Thanks in advance,

Tara

 

[vspa]

difficult to say, i would pick up the Carrera Virago if the size is right for you, a 52cm. according to Cervelo women don't require special geometries, so (i saw that in advertising) second choice would be the Giant Avail, is difficult to say because you picked up bikes of different materials and different accessories and price ranges,

 

[TB1972]

Unfortunately the Virago is out as they only have a large frame, too big for me so our of the others, what would people go for?
T

 

[alfeng]

Originally Posted by TB1972 .

Looking for some advice on upgrading my bike. I have had a Carrera tdf for the past two years, initially just used for commuting a 20 mile round trip to work but in the last few months have found myself doing 2/3 20/25 mile spins during the week and maybe a 50/60 at the weekend. I recently signed up for a few sportif's (Tour de Conamara, Tour de Burren, Ring of Kerry etc) and thinking of upgrading so looking for a bit of advice - don't want to spend a fortune but don't want to think in six months time, why didn't I spend the extra couple of bob and get a better bike.

I've narrowed it down to these -

Carrera Virago Carbon Bike - http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_832167_langId_-1_categoryId_212536

Boardman Road Team Carbon Bike - http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_918505_langId_-1_categoryId_212536

Lapiere Audacio 400L - http://www.harrysbikes.ie/bikes/road-racer-ladies/lapierre-audacio-400l.html

Cannondale Synapse - not sure if this is the right link but - http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/synapse-6-tiagra-compact-2013-womens-road-bike-ec042944

Giant Avail 1 or 2 - http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/avail.1/11526/55903/

Any advice gladly accepted!

Tara

Thanks in advance,

Tara

I'm not sure what you are trying to achieve ... UNLESS you are planning on getting a bike with a different size frame ...

While the CARRERA TdF is considered to be an "entry level" bike AND while the bikes you are looking at are lighter & have nicer components, you will probably not achieve that much of an improvement in your riding experience with the more expensive bikes ...

The advantage of a Carbon Fibre frame over an aluminum or steel frame is less than many would like to think & (IMO) the geometry is more important.

• there IS a weight difference -- a typical CF frame will be about 2 lbs, an aluminum frame about 3 lbs. and a steel frame will weigh anywhere from 4 lbs (very expensive) to 5 lbs. or (sometimes) more!?!
• a CF fork will typically weigh at least a lb. less than a steel fork

If you are not unhappy with your CARRERA TdF but want a slightly more efficient bike, then a new wheelset with better hubs (DT SWISS 240, Shimano Ultegra, Campagnolo Chorus) will probably serve you better than the purchase of a new bike ...

• the DT SWISS 240 hubs have (superior) cartridge bearings ... unfortunately, DT SWISS hubs are rather pricey ...
• some FORMULA hubs have cartridge bearings ... and, are "okay" ... a good value after logging a few miles with them & breaking them in

[*] the Shimano & Campagnolo hubs have loose bearings ...

• a well adjusted set of the least expensive Shimano or Campagnolo hub is almost as good as the most expensive Shimano or Campagnolo hub

A different wheelset will probably shed several pounds off of your bike's total weight from the 'stock' wheelset which your bike came with.

Different tyres & tubes may have some benefit ... and, some people recommend/prefer to begin with THAT change.

A different chainset will probably shed another pound off of your bike ... presumably, your bike's chainset has steel chainrings ... a steel inner chainring isn't that much heavier than an alloy inner chainring, but a steel outer chainring IS a small anchor.

• if you want a "compact" chainset, then an FSA MegaExo chainset with 50/34 chainrings + BB cups should be under €90

If you are unhappy with the way the shifters change the gears, then you (really, everyone!) are a candidate for a pair of Campagnolo shifters ...

• Campagnolo shifters will index with almost any Shimano drivetrain with little-or-no-effort ...

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• the typical Campagnolo shifter will probably be about a half pound lighter than the Shimano shifters which you are using
• the resultant mix of Campagnolo shifters + Shimano drivetrain results in superior shifting, IMO, to an all Shimano setup ... you will especially notice this when going uphill & shifting the descriptions of the electronic Shimano & Campagnolo drivetrains matches what I have achieved for more than a decade with the mixed Campagnolo-Shimano combination

The 10-speed Campagnolo shifters will be a direct connect to your current Shimano rear derailleur to recreate 8-speed Shimano indexing ...

If you were to get an 11-speed Campagnolo shifter & if you want to continue to use the 8-speed Cassette then you will need to connect the rear derailleur cable at 9 o'clock (the alternate Shimano connection which utilizes the 'hook' on the anchor "washer" of most of the Shimano rear derailleurs ...) ... aka "old Dura-Ace" in Chris Juden's Matrix (above) ...

A pair of Campagnolo shifters should cost you under €120 if you get them via eBay ...

• if you need a lower gear, then I recommend that you use the new shifters as an opportunity to get a 9-speed Cassette ...
• but, you can buy a single, MICHE cog (< €10) & restack your Cassette ... of course, a new, 11-32 SunRace 9-speed Cassette would probably only cost about €20 (they are only $25, shipped in the States) ... if you change to a MTB Cassette & encounter a problem with the largest cog, then simply changing the 11t upper pulley wheel to a 10t pulley wheel should resolve the problem ...
• otherwise,, a Shimano LX-or-better MTB rear derailleur may be required.

That's a long way of saying that 'I' think you should take advantage of your current bike & simply make it a semi-custom bike which suits you & which will exceed the an off-the-peg bike.

For SOME (most) people, the frame is a big deal ... for most riders, it really doesn't make that much of a difference unless it is damaged or the wrong size ...

• however, the actual fork & headset angle can matter to some extent
• AND, the headset adjustment always matters, but nicer stuff is typically just easier or nicer to work with-or-on than less expensive components

• FWIW. If the weight of your bike is THE concern, then here is a comparatively porky (alloy ... probably 1/4 lb heavier than your bike's frame) MTB Hardtail frame retrofitted with reasonably nice (better than the components on the five bikes you listed -- Ultegra rear derailleur, XT front derailleur, Chorus shifters ... current crank is an FSA MegaExo [not pictured]) components ... the weight is under 20 lbs, as pictured ...

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• if I was a little more selective in the components used then I could shave some weight off the current configuration
• if I were to swap that CF fork for a steel one, then the weight will go up by at least 1 lb.
• a different wheelset might shave a few ounces off the total weight OR add weight

THAT's a long way of saying that you should be able to reduce the weight of your bike by several pounds by simply making a few judicious changes which will yield a better bike than the ones you have been considering at a fraction of the cost.

BTW. If you don't like the decals on your bike, then either remove them or spend a couple of Euros for a couple of cans of Flat Black spray paint & re-spray the frame.

 

[alienator]

I'd ignore the **** about mixing Campy shifters with another maker's drivetrain, especially as the bikes you're looking at don't come that way. It's essentially a pointless comment that Alfeng inflicts on everyone asking about a new bike. Are you able to test ride any of these bikes?

 

[alfeng]

Quote: Originally Posted by alienator .

I'd ignore the **** about mixing Campy shifters with another maker's drivetrain, especially as the bikes you're looking at don't come that way. It's essentially a pointless comment that Alfeng inflicts on everyone asking about a new bike.


Of course YOU would ...

• while many people have seemingly limitless budgets for their bikes, that is not true of everyone who rides a bike ...
• while the bean counters at all the major component manufacturers would like people to believe that components which do not share a label cannot be substituted, it just isn't true ... is the [COLOR= rgb(0,0,255)]hubbub.com[/COLOR] alternate cabling misinformation? I know otherwise.
• do you believe that Chris Juden is lying when he suggests that some combinations are a "[COLOR= rgb(0,128,0)]Good mixed marriage[/COLOR]"? should we presume that you don't accept Juden's conclusion because you are a now un-closeted bigot who has protested too much about the comments made by some others?!? ignorance or bigotry would seem to be the most plausible epxlanations

[*] have you ever bothered to try a wheel with a Shimano Cassette in your Campagnolo equipped bike? I think not.

• out of curiosity, 'I' have even tested 10-speed Campagnolo shifters + 9-speed XTR rear derailleur whose stops were set up for a 9-speed Shimano Cassette without changing the stops & managed to achieve surprisingly good results with a wheel which had a 10-speed Campagnolo Cassette ... do you really believe that MAVIC's "neutral support" involves wheelsets with both Campagnolo & Shimano cassettes? I think not.

• have you ever used a Cassette whose Cogs were not ramped? I suspect not, otherwise you would have a better understanding of how significant the ramping on Cogs is to shifting performance regardless of the shifters ... even so, Campagnolo shifters are capable of smooth shifting when the chainrings are NOT ramped/-and-pinned
• while the ramping on the Cogs is not necessary for a Campagnolo shifter, Campagnolo's rear derailleur shifting is enhanced from the ramping on Cogs
• and, while Campagnoplo's engineers probably ramped their 11-speed Cogs in a manner which mimics Shimano's ramping more to reduce the weight of the Cogs than to benefit the shifting, a small benefit is collateral ...

YOUR comment suggests that you are NOT CAPABLE of understanding the simple math of Chris Juden's compatibility matrix ...

• Juden's matrix IS an example of the objective formulation which you pretend to want to see BUT which we can see you are apparently not capable of fathoming!!! if YOU can't understand a simple matrix then it is difficult to believe that you can understand the arithmetic within the formulas which you have cut-and-pasted in the past

YOU can choose to continue to wallow in your ignorance for whatever reason you choose ...

But, IMO, you do the community a disservice when you suggest that proven, less expensive options should not be entertained by those for whom a Leisure Suit Larry appearance to their bike's components is not necessary.

BTW. Does YOUR head start to hurt when you see a Trek bike (or, subordinate brand) with non-Bontrager tires? After all, the majority of Trek bikes certainly come with Bontrager tires!

What do YOU think about those people who dare to replace their chain with one which has a different brand name or model number stamped on the plates?

What about non-OEM handlebar tape?

NOKON or AZTEC cable housing?

A completely different wheelset?!?

A different saddle?!?!?

BTW2. I believe that it could be readily suggested that it is YOU who have inflicted the cycling community with YOUR comments ...