The best upgrade I can make???

[thomo79]

Hi, I have a Carerra TDF 2011 road bike bought from Halfords about 6 months ago. Since then I decided to do the London to Paris bike ride on the 31st Aug.
I am well aware that, although this bike received good reviews, it is a cheap road bike and I am slightly concerned about it's durability for 300 miles over 4 days. My furthest ride so far has been 75 miles and in total I've riden it about 400 miles and so far and I've had no problems, been comfortable and impressed with the ride, so my confidence is building. The only upgrades I've made are replacing the pedals with spd's and replacing the tyres with gatorskins.

In hindsight I would have bought a more expensive bike but I can't afford that now so if I was to make anymore upgrades what should they be?

thanks all!

Here are the specs:

Brake Type: Calliper Brakes
Frame Material: Aluminium
Frame-: Lightweight 6061 aluminium frame
Front Brake: Tektro alloy calliper brake
Front Mech: Shimano FD-A050
Gear Shifters: Shimano ST-2300
Handle Bars: Drop
Headset: Semi integrated
Number of Gears: 16
Rear Brake: Tektro alloy calliper brake
Rear Mech: Shimano RD-2300
Saddle: Carrera
Seatpost: Alloy 350mm x 27.2
Suspension: Rigid
Tyre size: 23c
Wheel size: 700c
Chainset: Shimano FCA050
Forks: Hi-Tensile Straight Blade
Stem: Alloy
Approximate Weight (KG): 11.7

 

[kdelong]

For the sake of comfort, I would look into getting a CF fork to start. And I would upgrade the drive train components to Shimano Tiagra or 105 when the old drive train has started to wear out. At this time you will probably want to replace the wheel set with the drive train so that freehub is compatible with the new drive train. These are things that you might want to budget for if you really like the frame, or you might be better off saving and buying a new bike in a few years. The best time to buy a bike seems to be in the October/November timeframe, as the shop owners are trying to move last years merchandise to make room the incoming bikes.

 

[tonyzackery]

I wouldn't change a thing. You're happy with it - just ride the bike and enjoy it.
You've addressed the tires, and those are the most upgrade you could make at your level.
Don't upgrade this bike piece-by-piece. Save up and get a better model when your funds can support such a purchase, then sell your present bike. Better than trying to unload parts and pieces at a later date...So, in essence, I'm saying you need to upgrade the operator at this juncture - not the bike.../img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif

 

[daveryanwyoming]

+1 on Tony's reply ... if it aint broke, don't fix it.

Your big concern seems to be reliability. The components on your bike aren't fragile or more susceptible to failure than more expensive components. In some cases the lower end and slightly heavier parts will actually be more reliable. Stay on top of maintenance, double check the parts that wear like, brake pads, tires and your chain before your big ride, carry a small roadside repair kit and know how to use it (which applies with this bike or an upgrade) and you'll be fine.

-Dave

 

[cloudhead]

How are your brake pads? I found the default Tektro brake pads to be like cardboard. I upgraded to Kool Stops, and it was like getting a new set of brakes. One of the best $20 I ever spent on an upgrade.

 

[maydog]

Put the money you want to spend for upgrades in the bank. Upgrading a low end bike is an expensive proposition unless you can find killer deals. New rides with carbon forks and 105 level components can be had for under $1000. Save your money until you know what you really want.

 

[64Paramount]

Originally Posted by tonyzackery .

I wouldn't change a thing. You're happy with it - just ride the bike and enjoy it.
You've addressed the tires, and those are the most upgrade you could make at your level.
Don't upgrade this bike piece-by-piece. Save up and get a better model when your funds can support such a purchase, then sell your present bike. Better than trying to unload parts and pieces at a later date...So, in essence, I'm saying you need to upgrade the operator at this juncture - not the bike.../img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif

Originally Posted by daveryanwyoming .

+1 on Tony's reply ... if it aint broke, don't fix it.

Your big concern seems to be reliability. The components on your bike aren't fragile or more susceptible to failure than more expensive components. In some cases the lower end and slightly heavier parts will actually be more reliable. Stay on top of maintenance, double check the parts that wear like, brake pads, tires and your chain before your big ride, carry a small roadside repair kit and know how to use it (which applies with this bike or an upgrade) and you'll be fine.

-Dave

Originally Posted by maydog .

Put the money you want to spend for upgrades in the bank. Upgrading a low end bike is an expensive proposition unless you can find killer deals. New rides with carbon forks and 105 level components can be had for under $1000. Save your money until you know what you really want.

+1 on Tony's, Dave's, and Maydog's comments. Keep riding that bike till you're ready to purchase a new one and then trade it in on the new one, or just sell it, or keep it to use during bad weather.

 

[thomo79]

Thanks for all your comments. Think I'll definiately take your advice and keep things as they are, keep the bike well maintained and make sure I put money away for a new bike.

 

[swampy1970]

A track pump - they're the big floor mounted pump with the handle on top. Don't skimp on this - something like one from Silca with an all metal barrel, sturdy wooden handles and a good gauge. The bike will roll much more efficiently when the tyres are pumped upto the correct pressure and sometimes folks who are just starting out are surprised at how hard the tyres are supposed to be. The pressure on the side of the tyre is usually the "max inflation" pressure - which isn't what you really want to ride at. For a 23mm tyre with a fairly big guy riding it then around 105psi front and 110psi in the rear would be a good starting point. If you start getting past 120psi on clinchers the ride can get a little bumpy/bouncy with not much in the way of additional rolling resistance reduction.

The best upgrades are often ones that directly involve the rider. If you haven't had one, a good bike fitting can often work wonders especially on the longer rider over consecutive days. Check on the British Cycling website for a coach that's local to you and give them a call on the dog 'n bone to see if they can get you set up with an efficient position on the bike.

After that it's good shorts, shoes, socks and shirt... not forgetting the mitts of course. Again, it's all about the rider and not about the bike... Doesn't matter if you're riding a $10,000 team issue bike or a jallopy from the tip but when things like the lower back, hands or feet start to hurt then things can just plain suck. If you can do a couple of 70 mile rides back to back and things are OK, I'd leave this until after the ride.

If you're fairly new to cycling and want to know more about how the bike works and how to adjust things then Shimano's website is full of good stuff. Unless you need really specialized tools for facing headsets or bottom bracket shells on a frame etc etc then there really is no need to take the bike to a bike shop for maintenance.

One thing I would recommened if you have a history of tighening down screws and bolts mighty tight - a torque wrench and a set of allen key sockets. Most of the stuff on a bike just needs to be snugged down and nothing more and much more than that and things can often break. The front deraileur clamp and seat post bolt are two big offenders for overtightening - handlebars/stem are next. 6Nm of torque really isn't a whole lot...

Shimano Tech Tips:
http://bike.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/tech_support/tech_tips.html

Shimano Tech Docs:
http://techdocs.shimano.com/techdocs/index.jsp

The Tech Tips are basically overviews of how stuff works - it doesn't really matter if you have the bottom of the range dual pivot brake calipers as they essentially work the same as the Dura Ace top o' the line stuff without some of the bells and whistles. Same deal with the gears...

This book is a good read if browsing websites leaves you a little cold:

Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance

Leonard Zinn is the guy who posts on Velonews about bike "stuff" and maintenance issues. There used to be lots of good videos on maintenance up there.

Get some long rides in prior to the event. Aim for a couple of consecutive days of riding - weekends work good for this. As counter intuative as it sounds I'd get the bigger ride in the first day and see how you fair on the second. You've only got a month to go so time is of the essence...

 

[danfoz]

+1 on the floor pump and a good pair (or two) of shorts.

 

[thomo79]

Thanks Swampy for the info. I've got a track pump but may get another more expensive one as it really struggles to pump at about 100psi so the last 5-10psi are a real effort! I'm assuming this is because of the cheap pump as opposed to it being at a high pressure.
I've got 3 pairs of shorts. 2 pairs from Halfords (£16) and one by Altura from Evans (£40) and actually find both comfortable after long rides.

 

[dabac]

Originally Posted by thomo79 .

... I've got a track pump but may get another more expensive one as it really struggles to pump at about 100psi so the last 5-10psi are a real effort! I'm assuming this is because of the cheap pump as opposed to it being at a high pressure..

Dunno if it's the price or the target group that's the problem. Generally speaking, there are more inexpensive bikes with wide tires than there are inexpensive bikes with narrow tires. And someone who buys an inexpensive bike will:
a) be looking at inexpensive accessories
b) find a large-displacement pump more useful, as it'll fill his wide tires with a few easy strokes

Pumping a MTB with a dedicated track/road pump feels a bit funny. No resistance, but plenty of strokes.

 

[cloudhead]

My cheap floor pump (Schwinn from Sears) struggled at 100PSI and rapidly broke. I replaced it with an SKS Airworx pump and I expect to have this pump for years. Made in Germany and the parts are replaceable. Cost was around $40, and it handles my usual 110psi with ease. They claim up to 144psi.

http://www.sks-germany.com/?l=en&a=product&r=floor%20pumps&i=992197754661&AIRWORX%2010.0

As far as tires, there are more inexpensive bikes with wide tires, but there are a lot of entry-level road bikes with poor skinny tires. They do this to keep the cost below the price point the designers were given. People know the drill: Nice rear derailleur, cheap tires, since what will a new prospect be looking at?

For that reason, I like to replace the soft parts immediately--at least the brake shoes & tires. They're too critical to one's well-being to save money on. When I had an Allez, the tires were flat-prone, thin, and grabbed and stuck to every bit of debris they could on a hot day. The brake pads were hard, and I had to death-grip on steep downhills. $100 later, it was like a new bike, and the tires and shoes can be easily transferred if an upgrade ever occurs. I also replace the seat and tape, but that all depends on the rider's comfort.