You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
I don't know a great deal about road bikes. I bought a carrera one last year for one sportive and used it for about 800 miles through the winter. Once the hub started playing up I gave it away. I fancy a couple more sportives this summer but it won't see much use other than that until probably the winter. I could use my cx bike but I have a single 42t ring at the front and could do without regular tyre changes as it's my most used bike. I have been looking at bikes around the £500 mark and even cheaper were the triban 3 and carrera velos. The main negative of these cheap bikes always seems to be heavy unbranded rims. I am tempted to get the carrera and for just over £100 I can get shimano wheels and carbon forks. I have a set of conti gpx4000 tyres already I had on over winter. An outlay of around £450 would see me have the carrera velos or zelos with carbon forks, carbon seatpost and shimano wheels, including the already owned tyres. Is this a waste of money or will it do someone who will use it only on occasion. I did a 100 mile ride last year on a carerra tdf no bother so im just looking for something that will do a good job. The cheaper the better as im building another bike which I don't want to compromise on.
Sounds like a waste of cash to me, but if you already gave away a bike that only needed a hub service, your value of money is obviously different to mine!
Perhaps get a spare set of nicer wheels for your CX bike, leave road tyres on them for the summer and you only have to swap the wheels over for your Sportives.
Sportives aren't races - so no big worry if your bikes a bit heavy. Plus if it's mainly for winter use.
No need to stress about carbon forks etc.
Can often pick up a used road bike in the classifieds for less than your budget that will be much better than a Carerra and just needs some new brake pads or a fresh set of tyres.
Or look out for deals in your LBS.
Go used get something about 2012 upwards as gear sets improved massively around then...
Cheap road bikes are poorly spec'd, normally heavy and have rubbish seats and bar shapes.
Specialized Allez sport from 2012 would be a stunning bike you could upgrade on
You clearly need to buy an expensive bike with terrible hubs. I'll be happy to collect when the hubs go. (I'd also suggest a 60cm frame).
Separate set of wheels and tyres for the cx bike??
The carerra went to my brother on the premise he started riding a bike. Never happened by the way. The problem with that bike was it didn't fit properly which may be an issue second hand. I may just get one cheap and use it as it comes. As someone mentioned above I won't be having a race it's just a day out.
Seperate wheelset means swapping the cassette, I have set windows after work when the kids go to bed. Reckon swapping stuff over all the time would be a pain. If there is no tangeable benefit in upgrading a cheap bike I may just ask to take my old bike back.
Err... Buy a second cassette with the wheels!
I have done this, so now have a Giant Tcx with 32spoke cx wheels shod with 32mm knobblies and 32t cassette for arseing about on, but when the mood takes me I swap the wheels for a set of lightweight road rims with 23s and a 25t cassette.
As long as rim width is the same you won't even need to adjust your brakes!
Im glad I asked, this was one of those brainwaves that seems like a great idea but really isn't. I've asked and been given the right answer, wheels and cassette for the CX, I think anything else and im just trying to convince myself otherwise. I think ill go for a 12-34 like I have now with only having the 42 at the front. Not drinking gives me too much thinking time on Saturday nights
Fair enough reason to give your old bike away, but if your bro' doesn't ride it, could you have it back?
Also, perhaps go for an 11-34 cassette, that will give you a little bit of extra speed with your road specific wheel/tyre combo but not loose out on the climbs. With 42 on the front for the road you could probably get away with 11-32 actually.
I have a TriBan3 (the red one, with the carbon forks). I popped some decent (to me...), wheels & tyres on it.
Now, I've not owned any other modern road bikes, but I'd struggle to justify spending more than I did, as it rides lovely. Weighs 8.6kg on my luggage scales. Might chop it in for something a bit more X/tour orientated. Really fancy a Fargo.
Buy a decent set of new wheels, say Ultegra, or handbuilts with 105/ultegra hubs and Open Pro rims, some decent road tyres in a 25c and a small block 23-11 cassette. Stick to relatively flat Sportives in 1x10.
42-23 would be a brutal gear for most people 😯 Its the other end that would bother me 42-11 would be much to spinny. A carbon forked triban with descent wheels would be my choice.
42:16 is a standard a single/fixed for rolling terrain. 42:23 will be fine for anything not too lumpy. 42:28 will get you up proper hills. I'd still recommend better wheels and 1x10 over a triban or other cheap road bike, very good though they are.
Sorry tired your talking about what might work for you, how and where you ride. The gears you mention wouldn't work for 90% of people in 90% of places. The only thing that works for most people in most circumstances is a compact chainset with a 28:11 block. Your definitely over estimating what gear normal people can climb in.
Fair point. The best solution would be a compact chainset and new lighter wheels. Id do this over a cheap road bike. But for optimised cost and smallest pfaff, and flattish rides 1x10 for an occasional sportive would work. I assume the cx has a long cage RD? If so, you could go to a 32, then spin on the flat. Three gears are enough, just ask Billie Dovey 😉
For £450 quid you could get something rather nice second hand, I just sold my mint condition Planet x sl carbon with numerous upgrades weighing 7kg for that.
I bought my first road bike off here for 300 quid, trek with full ultegra after putting a wanted ad in the classifieds.
Just get a Giant Defy 5.
Great frame and good enough equipment for most people.
£499 RRP.
I know a dealer who can knock one down to £450.