mountain biker turning road biker needs advice!!

Robert208454

as mentioned above im a retiring mud lover, dont get me wrong i still like to dabble and have a shed full of various mountain bikes to prove it but i feel im getting a little to long in the tooth (36 yo) to be flying around getting filthy and spending hours cleaning maintaining etc etc. I have many friends who pound the tarmac so i have decided to shift to the dark side to see what all the fuss is about!!
Because im new to this i have given myself a budget of £800 for my first cycle and have picked out one and need a little advice! its the BIANCHI NIRONE7 TIAGRA COMPACT. I have a bianchi carbon hardtail mtb and love it so i know they have pedigree!
Before people start shouting FALSE ECONOMY!! and say you might as well just spend £2000 now because blah blah etc etc i fully intend (if i take to it, which i probably will) to sell all but one of the mtbs (cube full sus) and to upgrade after about a year! so i would be grateful if some of you could help with a little of your undoubted knowledge!!

cheers

skyd0g

It's a nice bike & very popular.

Make sure you get the correct size for yourself & go ride! 8)

passout

I made the same journey and now enjoy MTBing & road equally.

My advice would be to get a winter trainer bike i.e. a road bike that takes mudguards & can be used all year round. That way, if you don't really get into the roadies side of things it's still a useful bike to have for the odd fitness session, commuting etc. If you do get into it in a big way, then it will act as a winter trainer to save your 2K carbon bike from road salt & the extra wear associated with bad conditions. Either way it's a more flexible choice.
The most common winter trainer are Ribbles: http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/specialed ... type=RIBMO
Alternatively cyclo cross bikes can make excellent winter trainers, perhaps a Kona Jake or Specialised Tricross. Cross bikes (the ones which take guards & racks) are even more flexible. They are comfy & make a good transition from MTB to road in my opinion. With slicks they are not much different from road bikes in truth but can cope with moderate off road conditions with a the appropriate tyres.

Hope that helps.

Personally I went straight in for the full carbon Ultegra bike but ended up buying a Tricross later as a commuter / winter trainer. It would have made more sense to do it the other way around.....especially as it is winter now!

ketsbaia

This one ain't too shabby.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus_Cayo_105_2009/5360037591/

Carbon frame, Shimano 105 groupset, OK wheels. And just £24 over your budget.

Robert208454

That Focus looks lovely but my fear is testing it and seeing if it fits my style!! road is the same as mtb the most important thing is fit and try!! wiggle are mail order and if not i live just outside of Newcastle so would struggle to find a try out centre!! :roll:

EKIMIKE

Ok, so good choice for a first road bike. I got one at the end of 08, it being my first road bike. It's not super aggressive race geometry, but it's no slouch. It just means longer days in the saddle are made a little more comfortable.

Tiagra is good starter kit. It functions perfectly well, does the job. Problem being that it's 9 speed. Thats not a problem of functionality, but if you're upgrading it might be easier to have a 10 speed drivetrain to start with. 105 is the next Shimano group up and it's 10 speed all the way from there. If you're happy to scrap the whole Tiagra groupset when you upgrade then fine. If you want to have spare parts or want to upgrade, say just the shifters then you'll curse the fact that Tiagra is 9 speed. Might I suggest Campagnolo (no, not because i'm some sort of fanboy) because you can get a 10 speed drivetrain on the Nirone 7 for the same price as Tiagra. Upgrading then becomes a little more hassle free in the drivetrain department.

Thing to consider with Campag/Shimano is shifter differences. Got to a bike shop to see what suits you.

I suppose on the upgrade front the way i'd do it, if money wasn't a barrier is:

Wheels
Groupset
Forks
Finishing Kit

You'll probably skip the forks though, as by that time you'll be wanting to save your money for a more expensive carbon bike.

In terms of those upgrades costings:

Wheels: £400 - £500 is a good price point. Alot of wheels out there for that.
Groupset: Shimano 105 £400/Ultegra £500-570 Campag Veloce £315/Centaur £460-540

Forks: £200+
Finishing Kit:£150-200

So you're talking around about the value of the bike again just for worthwhile upgrades. If that sounds ok to you then do it. So far I've got Wheels (£400 Ksyrium Elite), Crankset (£70 (rrp£200!) FSA Team Issue), Brakes (£70 Token/Planet X forged + Swiss-stop pads), Stem (£40 Deda Zero 100). The wheels are the most important and significant upgrade, the crankset and brakes were just good deals and the stem was something that fitted my christmas present budget but really makes no sense.

I'm now getting to the point where I want a carbon bike. In which case I don't have to worry about wheels crankset brakes or stem cos i've already got them. I'll simply transfer those upgraded bits onto a new frameset, put the originals back on the bianchi. Voila: winter bike. It's not a false economy if you buy upgrades for your Nirone 7 which you'd be happy to use on a more expensive bike. Especially because you'll want to spec all your own bits if/when in 2 years time you want a fancy carbon machine.

Mike

JonEdwards

but i feel im getting a little to long in the tooth (36 yo) to be flying around getting filthy and spending hours cleaning maintaining etc etc

Wash your mouth out! :twisted: :twisted:

35 here, and judging by my old man (just turned 60) I've got at least another 25 years of MTBing to go. Getting filthy is what keeps me young, and the maintenance doesn't take *that* long, even with 10 bikes between me and the missus.

I do enjoy road riding, but it doesn't hold a candle to hammering flat out down a piece of singletrack deep in the mountains.

Robert208454

Cheers Mike some food for thought there!! however rather than upgrade parts i would probably jusy buy a new machine!! im not really into self builds, have tried this with mtbs and my patience for waiting for parts is limited i always just want to get out there.

Jon i totally agree belting down mountain sides and through the pines is untouchable and that is why i would keep my Cube and get rid of the rest, it comes down to time or the lack of!! Work and family commitments, golf and other things limit my time so the wasted hours of coming home head to toe in mud is getting tiresome!!

JonEdwards

Ditch the golf, and ride your bike on the golfcourse instead?

LardLover

Just get rid of the mountain bikes altogether and join the rank and file Ex-Northumberland MTB'ers fella

cal_stewart

Made the switch a couple of years ago, would prob never ride a mtb again. The advice on the ribble winter bike makes good sense to me wish i was given this advice. Alot of people use the ribble all year round and you can spec it to your budget.

Robert208454

Ex mountain biker from Northumberland eh! are you an ancient 35yo also?? anywhere near Prudhoe?? As for the riding on the golf course well lets not go there :P :P

LardLover

Dude I'm even more ancient-er than you, 38 1/2yrs young.

I'm in Morpeth, tend to ride out your way in't summer-type months, head out to Blanchland via Corbridge then back round Derwent Resevoir towards Stocksfield, then home. A nice 82 miles door to door.