to new bike or not new bike?

ARob

would appreciate some advice re a new bike.

i really fancy a new bike :shock: but will it really make a noticable difference if i got something around the £1400 mark? i fancy something carbon and maybe with a triple to get up the odd 20% hills round here, do the odd sportive and the usual club runs/ 40 miler etc

currently i have a claud butler roubaix which i bought 18 months ago for £320 when i took up road biking (dont laugh :oops: ) . i'm getting slowly better and doing 200-400 miles/ month now with a diet of club runs and solos of 40-50 mile rides or so at 17-19 mph. but have a nasty fear that going faster is more down to riding more than spending more!

if it is going to help is there something i should look at? trek 1.5, scot cr1, focas cayo expert, something else?

very unlikely to get any more funds past the 'finance sub committee' and really need to be sure its worth the spend before taking the plunge so any help would be much appreciated.

Gary D

I went from a Spesh Tricross to a Bianchi 928 C2C (less than £1,400 incidentally ) and it was amazing ................... It shaved seconds off my 10TT times :oops: :oops:

Seriously, it definitely is faster and certainly more enjoyable to ride - but don't expect quantum leaps in performance!

If you are averaging 17-19 mph then you are pretty damn fast anyway :shock:

Gary.

meanwhile

What Gary says. If you spend big dosh, ask around where to get the best bike fitting service and pay for it. Fit probably makes more difference than almost any piece of technology on drop handle bikes.

wiffachip

I've got a Falcon Corsair, it's been in the garage unused for at least 10 years , I bought it second hand 20 years ago

Everything on it is shimano sport exage, lowest gear is 42/23, I nearly have to push it up speed humps and whats biopace ffs ?

took it out tonight and averaged 18mph for a very flat 16.5 miles. basically its a pile of rust and like you I would love to replace it - but would it be worth it ? and how much faster would a 48 year old with arthritic knees go on a £1400 bike

Gary D

wiffachip wrote:

................ basically its a pile of rust and like you I would love to replace it - but would it be worth it ?

wiffachip,
I think the first part of your comment above answers the question in the second half :P
It depends how you define "worth it"?

Would a new bike suddenly make you ride like Contador?..............No.

Would it make it your riding more enjoyable and more likely for you to want to go out on a ride or for longer each time?.......... Absolutely YES

Its the same as if you had a rusty old Austin Allegro and a Ferrari. Both are capable of taking you from A to B. But which one are you likely to take the long way home just for the hell of it? Or which one are you going to just jump in to just to go for a drive?

If you can afford it - then go for it

Gary.

Rich Hcp

I suppose a better bike for the club runs may help.

Difficult, really, depends on how you feel about it and if you can justify the cost.

It may be better to wait for the bike you have to wear a bit and get a new one instead of upgrading.

Riding will add more significant speed, but would you feel better on another bike?

ARob

cheers for the tips - maybe i'll have to wait a while. not quite sure i can justify to the kids why we aren't going somewhere nice on holiday because daddy wants a new bike just to look/ feel good. :twisted:

White Ninja

Some one at work recently informed me of a formula to help you to determine the number of bikes that you actually need, I hope it is of use?

"N + 1"

N = The current number of bikes that you currently own
+1 = The bike that you currently desire the most

Go and buy that new steed, you can't take it with you when you're gone and the smile on your face will tell you that you've made the right decision :-)

3leggeddog

As you are unsue, hang on until the autumn. This is when you get the best deals on bikes, old stock is sold off to make way for next years colour scheme. You can save around 30% doing this.

This could put £2K bikes in your range, or buy your wife a sunny holiday with the savings to soften the blow of the new bike!

guv001

Buy it Buy it Buy it. You only live once and you need to enjoy all of it.