I have three bikes currently and a few needs/wants but don't have the money to make it go. I have one Avanti Monza (14 Speed with STIs and aluminium frame), a Peugeot chromoly which I upgraded from 12 Speed to 18 Speed with downtube shifters which has ridiculously low gearing (28 chainring, 39 cassette at lowest!), and a windtrainer Healing 10 Speed.
Right now I'm currently doing base kms on my Peugeot, finding the hilliest routes I can find, with the ultimate goal of doing a double-century over rolling terrain (perhaps the Waitakere/Hunua ranges) before the end of the year. My training rides are quite short at the moment due to time, perhaps 50 miles max. The Avanti is quite neglected at the moment since I'm finding hills so dam fun. I also find the Avanti's ride quite rough also.
How should I prioritise my spending? Have a few plans for this.
1. Going clipless. Am currently using platform pedals, but my route is through a largely urban area and involves going through quite a few crowded areas with jaywalkers, kids, intersections, etc. Would clipless pedals suit this type of track? Also, how long do the shoes last?
2. Upgrade my Peugeot with a better cassette with closer gears (one tooth apart) and a 14 speed drivetrain.
3. I'm also wanting to purchase an aluminium mountain bike with road slicks to ride in crappy weather. This could concievably increase my training time a bit since I'm getting bored with the wind trainer and the roads here seem permanently covered with water, even in fair weather.
4. Upgrade my Avanti Monza to 700x25 or even 700x28 to give a smoother ride, put a triple on and head for the hills again. Big cost here would be changing from double STI to triple STI prolly.
My budget? $150 NZ dollars to do this. What's worth doing and what's not worth doing? Thanks for your advice.
Right now I'm currently doing base kms on my Peugeot, finding the hilliest routes I can find, with the ultimate goal of doing a double-century over rolling terrain (perhaps the Waitakere/Hunua ranges) before the end of the year. My training rides are quite short at the moment due to time, perhaps 50 miles max. The Avanti is quite neglected at the moment since I'm finding hills so dam fun. I also find the Avanti's ride quite rough also.
How should I prioritise my spending? Have a few plans for this.
1. Going clipless. Am currently using platform pedals, but my route is through a largely urban area and involves going through quite a few crowded areas with jaywalkers, kids, intersections, etc. Would clipless pedals suit this type of track? Also, how long do the shoes last?
2. Upgrade my Peugeot with a better cassette with closer gears (one tooth apart) and a 14 speed drivetrain.
3. I'm also wanting to purchase an aluminium mountain bike with road slicks to ride in crappy weather. This could concievably increase my training time a bit since I'm getting bored with the wind trainer and the roads here seem permanently covered with water, even in fair weather.
4. Upgrade my Avanti Monza to 700x25 or even 700x28 to give a smoother ride, put a triple on and head for the hills again. Big cost here would be changing from double STI to triple STI prolly.
My budget? $150 NZ dollars to do this. What's worth doing and what's not worth doing? Thanks for your advice.
