New to Cycling, looking to upgrade components.

[Roverno]

Hi all,

I have had my Apollo Slant bike for about 4 months now and i ride to work every day, about 3 miles a day. Also take it out for some light off road on the weekend, about 20-35 miles. I only paid about £150 at the time but now it's coming up to Christmas i would like to try and get some new parts for my bike to improve my riding experience.

I am probably going to be able to spend around £200-250, maybe a little more at a push but since i am very new to cycling i am unsure as to how this might be well spent. I know a lot about buying computer hardware and often there are parts that stand out as being excellent for their price bracket so i'm sort of looking for parts like this within a fairly low cost price bracket. A friend of mine suggested front and rear derailleurs as well as brakes but this was only a suggestion and is definitely not a fixed decision.

Would love to see what suggestions you can come up with.

This is the bike: http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_762075_langId_-1_categoryId_165499


Thanks.

 

[qdc15]

It doesn't make a lot of sense to put 200 into upgrades on a 150 bike.

 

[qdc15]

Oops, double post. Ride your bike. Buy mini pump, patch kit, inner tube. Seat bag. Helmet. Bike shorts. Gloves, jersey, jacket, tights, socks. Bike shoes. Bike computer. Bell.

 

[Roverno]

Well i was under the impression that i could take whatever i buy with me along the way as i eventually upgrade all the parts of the bike? (this is what i do in computing you see)

What would you recommend? Just save the money until i can get enough for a decent bike?

 

[Roverno]

Originally Posted by qdc15 .

Oops, double post. Ride your bike. Buy mini pump, patch kit, inner tube. Seat bag. Helmet. Bike shorts. Gloves, jersey, jacket, tights, socks. Bike shoes. Bike computer. Bell.

Got a minipump, patch kit, helmet, gloves already. The other stuff would not be a bad idea. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[qdc15]

Yes, I would save my money.

If you buy a better bike, it might have comparable components to those you've purchased. The accessories I mentioned you can move to a new bike. I edited the post, because I wasn't sure if clipless pedals would be appropriate on a bike like yours, but why not? As you say, you can take them with you. A complete bicycle costs much less than the sum of it's parts, so it best to get a bike with good components already on it. Looking at the picture of your bike, it looks like a very basic, low price bike. Is it working well enough to provide an enjoyable ride? If the shifting or braking performance in inadequate, you might consider your friend's advice.

If you ride a lot, parts may wear out or break. Then you can upgrade. Haha, that's kinda how I do it. I try to ride the stock parts unless or 'til I have a problem.

 

[Roverno]

Originally Posted by qdc15 .

Yes, I would save my money.

If you buy a better bike, it might have comparable components to those you've purchased. The accessories I mentioned you can move to a new bike. I edited the post, because I wasn't sure if clipless pedals would be appropriate on a bike like yours, but why not? As you say, you can take them with you. A complete bicycle costs much less than the sum of it's parts, so it best to get a bike with good components already on it. Looking at the picture of your bike, it looks like a very basic, low price bike. Is it working well enough to provide an enjoyable ride? If the shifting or braking performance in inadequate, you might consider your friend's advice.

If you ride a lot, parts may wear out or break. Then you can upgrade. Haha, that's kinda how I do it. I try to ride the stock parts unless or 'til I have a problem.

It is definitely very basic. I think the only respectable feature is the shimano brakes as i hear they are a decent brand. Other than that, not much to speak of. Its is enjoyable but recently i have noticed it significantly more difficult. Done some cleaning today and took the front wheel off to see how easy it was to do (to fit in a car). I held the axle and spun the wheel and its rough and uneven and bobbles as it spins. I think the bearings in the wheel are damaged.

The minor issue i have at the moment is that i have to leave my bike outside all the time. if i buy i nice bike i am worried that it will just get damaged by the weather very quickly and i don't really want that.

Shifting and braking are both fairly poor and inconsistent so this may be my move. Could you recommend a specific product or two that i could buy for this?

 

[qdc15]

You may need to adjust the cones on the front hub, they maybe too tight. http://sheldonbrown.com/cone-adjustment.html

If you loosen enough to get them to feel smooth though, they might be too loose, so you end up with compromise, a little rough feeling while leaving a very small amount of play in the bearings. This is a problem with cheap parts, they can be difficult to adjust. Likewise the brakes and derailleurs will probably work better if you take the time to adjust them as well as you can. Tutorials at Park Tool http://www.parktool.com/ and Sheldon Brown's website are great resources.

The brakes will work better if you true the wheel. The reason the riding has recently become more difficult may be related to the wobble you see. Lift the bike to see if the brakes are rubbing on the rim. Is there a local bike co-op that you can go and learn how to keep you bike in good running order?

 

[vspa]

i would start by changing the stem, buy a longer stem with a more horizontal angle, it will increase your bike fit enormously, set aside some money to replace tyres when needed, if you buy a cheap PC mother-board lots of the high-end accessories are not going to be supported, in this case disc-brakes which would have been a nice upgrade, so