Changing standard equipment when buying £800 ish road bike

CarrickRoads

Hello Forum

My first post. Presently deciding on first road bike in 30 years through the cycle to work scheme and looking at Giant SCR1.0, Trex 1.7 and Specialized Allez Elite.

My question is: should I be looking at changing any of the standard equipment fitted to these bikes, when I am negotiating the deal? On the basis that a better deal may be had when purchasing the bike, as opposed to going back in a few months to upgrade.

Not sure whether after a few months, of riding 90 mins each workday and a longer ride at weekends, will have me considering some changes.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

thexvw

Hi, the first thing I would look at is the saddle, I wouldn't necessarily change it straight away unless you find it totally uncomfortable, but something worth spending some money on.

The second area is tyres, personally I would change straight away to something with good puncture protection, the last thing you want on your commute is a puncture.

As for the rest I would leave alone until it starts to wear out. You will find you will need to spend on lots on other items if you haven't already got them, like shoes, helmet, jacket , shorts, pump, tools etc etc.

fizz

I've noticed alot of bikes in that price range come with what I'd class as "Budget" wheels, so it might ( I stress might ) be worth thinking about a wheel upgrade.

But only if you have the spare cash. Is it your first bike ? if so then I wouldnt stress about it to much and spend the money on good quality bib shorts, pedals and shoes as they'll make the bike more comfortable for you.

HTH

topdude

Hi, i am in agreement with "thexvw" above,
Get them to fit some good puncture resistant tyres at a discount, but you won't really know if the saddle suits you until you have ridden it for a while.

CarrickRoads

Thanks for the replies.

First I heard of puncture resistant tyres! Il'll browse the net to find out more.

Cheers

thexvw

These look good value for money, they do a pro version as well (more expensive) :-

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360018648&N=Vittoria%20Rubino%20Tyre

sicrow

Don't do anything yet, ride whichever you choose and enjoy them, yes you will want to upgrade various components as you go on but each manufacturer gives an adequate set to start with and only by riding and bolting on the miles will you find which bits you need to upgrade and in which order

gavintc

sicrow wrote:

Don't do anything yet, ride whichever you choose and enjoy them, yes you will want to upgrade various components as you go on but each manufacturer gives an adequate set to start with and only by riding and bolting on the miles will you find which bits you need to upgrade and in which order

I completely agree. Use your bike first and 'upgrade' parts as they either wear out or you become aware of the limitation of that part. For what is worth, I commute on lightweight race tyres. Yes, I get the odd p thing, but I have only had 1 in the 6 months of my current commute. You could spend a small fortune - upgrading and achieve not much in the process other than making your wallet lighter. Personally, I would consider the pedals first (get some clipless), then the saddle, and maybe the wheels.