Just ordered my new racer :)

cframe

Well over the weekend I finally took the plunge and ordered a new (my first) racer from Alpine bikes in Glasgow, a Trek 1.7 triple!

Took a wee test ride on it and the 1.5 and found the Sora shifters on the 1.5 to be a fir bit crunchier than the 105s which is what eventually swung me in favour of the 1.7. Was also pleasantly surprised at how stable the bike was, having not ridden a racer before I was fully expecting it to be really twitchy compared to a big burly mtb!

I've ordered a set of these pedals as well http://wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx? ... t%20Pedals but have now found that Wiggle are doing a set of Ultegra SPDs for just about the same price.

Do you think it's worth my while trying to get the order changed (I'm getting it on the cycle to work scheme) to try and get the Ultegras or are the R540's good enough to get going with?

On a related note, what's a good set of spd shoes to go with to start, the shop sadly didn't have that good a range in when I was in so had to miss out ordering a pair at the time.

Cheers,
c.

Brian B

Specialised shoes without a doubt. You can pick up a reasonable pair for £60 odd quid from Wiggle and they will last you years. I wont go past spesh shoes from now on.

Enjoy your new ride and hopefully we might even get a dry day up here in not so sunny Scotland in the near future.

Simon Notley

The pedals are virtually identical, I have both sets, one on my racer and one on my commuter and can't say that I've noticed any difference. I think there is a small weight difference, but it's hardly worth the hassle of changing the order now IMO.

Shoes are one of those things you just have to try... which is a pain as most shops only stock few makes. Try and find a make that fits you, then you can always order the model/colour that you want online. As a guideline - Sidi are expensive, but very good, particularly if you have narrow feet and Northwave are fantastic value if you have a wider foot. Other makes fall in between!

Enjoy your new bike!

Simon

cframe

@Brian: cheers for the heads up on the Spesh shoes, I'll maybe try down at Evans over the weekend and see if they've got any in stock - and I echo your sentiments about the weather up here too!

@Simon: thanks for putting my mind at ease over the pedals, good to know that there's not that much difference between them.

Alpine only really seemed to have Shimano shoes in (or MTB ones), are they usually any good?

feel

cframe wrote:

Alpine only really seemed to have Shimano shoes in (or MTB ones), are they usually any good?

I have shimano mtb shoes with spd cleats on my road bike and they are brilliant not least for the fact that you can walk in them when you get off your bike. However they will not fit the spd-sl pedals that you have ordered.

these shoes http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=21639

would fit with pedals like these http://cycle.shimano-eu.com/publish/con ... edals.html

total cost would be about £50 and you would be able to walk

il_principe

Ignore him! It's a road bike, get road pedals. I tried using SPD's for a bit and didn't get on with them at all. I use Speedplay Zero's now and they are brilliant, Plenty of float and a good stable contact area. If you really need to walk just buy some cleat covers!

feel

jashburnham wrote:

Ignore him! !

depends on the riding you are going to do CFRAME. If you are going to do out and out racing and never walk anywhere go for the SPD-SLs, but if you think you occasionally want to walk somewhere having parked your bike then the SPDs may well be a much better option. Have a read here for a bigger discussion on the pros and cons of the two systems http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12559704