recommend a bike up to 1500 for JOGLE

lcwilliams

hi folks

i'm currently riding a specialized secteur sport, and really enjoying it, its my first road bike and i bought it for a JOGLE charity ride in august this year.

The thing is i'm getting into this whole road bike thing and want to spend a few bob now - i love the look of a ribble but dont think its the piece of kit for a 1000 mile / 10 day journey, i've read elsewhere on the forum that a good bike would be a Kuota Kharma but what do you think?

or should i spend the cash on upgrading the components on the secteur?

thanks!

leighton

Mothyman

i'd go for the upgrade components....... how come you're cycling against the wind?

lcwilliams

you're not the first person to ask that!

its far easier for all the family, friends etc to be at the finish line as we all come from south wales.

will it make that much of a difference?

willharris10

Quite a bit more work with the wind against you. But a challenge you'll no doubt enjoy.

What kit is on your Secteur at the moment?

lcwilliams

hi

other than spd-sl pedals its totally stock!

cooper.michael1

It looks like you've got a decent frame, so i'd go down the upgrade route.

This is what i'd do in the order i'd do it (dependant on funds)

1. Contact points - get these spot on for a long ride. A saddle which annoys you on a 50mile ride will become literally a complete 'pain in the arse' over several days. Also get your setup correct, spending £30 on a new stem or compact handlebars to hone your position will be money well spent.

2. New wheels - This is the area most £500-700 bikes cut corners, they have shoddy wheels. not nessesarily that heavy, but the hubs are generally not that great, and rims not so strong. The obvious choice for long distance routes would be a pair of shimano 105 or ultegra hubs, paired with a decent Mavic rim. Probably set you back £150-200. this is 100% the best way in wihch to improve bike performance - better wheels. Allied to this, top quality tyres make a difference, and could be worth the investment...but specialized tyres are already good quality!

3. Chainset/BB - The chainset on that bike looks like it is relatively cheap (2010 model) As it is the device by which the power is tranmitted and is constantly in use, it is a good upgrade. Look at something along the lines of a Tiagra/105 compact chainset, or Deore/XT touring (48t) chainset to upgrade. I've got both the deore and XT on my bikes at the monent and they are excellent (the XT is simply 200g lighter and a bit more bling, but perfect for touring)

4. Mech's - smoother gear shifting. (probably not much point...)

5. STI levers - Very expensive to upgrade, for very little performance gain.

6. A whole world and £000 of lighter weight bling...the world is your oyster!...but remember for this type of ride, reliability is just as important as lightweight.

jimwin

As important as the right kit is, have you thought about luggage needs?

Is this fully supported, a B&B ride or (hopefully not) a camping ride?

Assuming a B&B ride, you'll need a decent saddlebag to carry everything from clothing changes, tools, spare parts etc. You will also need space for food, emergencies etc. Carradice do good bags that will fit on the seat alone using the Bagman saddle support whioch obviates the need for a rack. There are other methods from other companies. Make sure what you get is waterproof!!!

-- JimW

PS- I have only ever broken a spoke once in 20 years of cycling and that was on my LEJOG ride. Fortunately, I carried spare spokes for the first time ever.

PPS - my colleague on this same ride had to buy new shoes in Warrington because his regular shoes pitched a bit. Didn't matter on normal day rides, but after several days enroute, it created a blister and infection. Make sure the kit that is next to your skin is absolutely comfortable and nicely worn in.

lcwilliams

fantastic advice! thanks very much guys!!!

its an assisted ride (thankfully) - man in a van following/leading us with all our bits and bobs. was thinking of keeping a spare set of wheels & tyres on the van and deal with punctures in the night rathe r than on the road.

two of us are going - early/mid august, he wants to camp every night but i've said there's no chance i'm doing 100 miles a day then sleeping in a field!!!

owenlars

Cooper's advice is good but you will be spending about £700 if you upgrade all that lot. Using the N+1 rule you could look at a decent audax/touring bike (e.g. Thorn Audax Mk3 Pearson Compass + others) with a similar spec (+ baggage carrying) for around £1200. You will always get the components cheaper on a new bike than you would buying them singly. Also you will end up with a best and a winter bike.

Good luck on JOGLE.

amaferanga

If its a supported ride there's no need to get an audax/touring bike as the OP doesn't need to carry luggage. Why use a heavier bike than is necessary?

You won't go far wrong with a Kuota Kharma. I have one and did LEJOG on it last year as it happens. You can then relegate your Secteur to winter bike and keep the Kuota all nice for spring/summer/autumn.

But be prepared to change bars/stem/saddle to make it really fit you (as would be the case with anything but a custom build).

cswebbo

Don't forget decent clothing, you are going to need 2-3 decent pairs of padded shorts, gilets, waterproof jkt (definately in uk!!!) etc. Nutrition also needs planning.
I'd recommend the Assos mille shorts, worth every penny on long rides like this.
Extra layer of bartape may come in useful.

owenlars

amaferanga wrote:

If its a supported ride there's no need to get an audax/touring bike as the OP doesn't need to carry luggage. Why use a heavier bike than is necessary?

You won't go far wrong with a Kuota Kharma. I have one and did LEJOG on it last year as it happens. You can then relegate your Secteur to winter bike and keep the Kuota all nice for spring/summer/autumn.

But be prepared to change bars/stem/saddle to make it really fit you (as would be the case with anything but a custom build).

Fair comment!

cooper.michael1

owenlars wrote:

Cooper's advice is good but you will be spending about £700 if you upgrade all that lot. Using the N+1 rule you could look at a decent audax/touring bike (e.g. Thorn Audax Mk3 Pearson Compass + others) with a similar spec (+ baggage carrying) for around £1200. You will always get the components cheaper on a new bike than you would buying them singly. Also you will end up with a best and a winter bike.

Good luck on JOGLE.

It would not cost that much. I offered all possibilities, as far as you could go...in upgrading.

I decent set of Shimano hubs and mavic rims would cost maybe £150-200, with say £100 for a deore chainset, or £150 for the XT (including fitting) that is all I would upgrade. Basically for £3-400 tops he'd have a bike which would ride really really well, as opposed to spending £1500 on a new bike.

lcwilliams

thanks for all the advice huys, i'm gonna go the upgrade route.

which mavic rims would you suggest? looked at their website and i'm mystified!

cooper.michael1

I have'nt had a look at their website for years...but all the models are still the same.

The Open Pro is the classic road bike rim, light and reliable. I've been running these for 5 years and found them bomb proof, my next door neighbour is 65 years old, been riding for 50 years has a beautiful £3000 classic colnago, and would never use anything but open pro's. Somewhat says it all.

The CXP 33 is the stronger road rim, so if you think you want an bit of extra durability, or are carrying touring loads maybe this is a better choice. However unless touring with panniers I dont think you can go wrong with either Open pro or the CXP range.

Make sure they are built by a reputable dealer, using normal gauge spoke (not super fancy lightweight ones)...if used a couple of online shops for handmade wheels and they've been fine. The shimano/mavic ones on my commuter bike from chain reaction have been great.

If you are looking at wheels remember that only road bike hubs will work with a road bike (MTB hubs like deore and XT are too wide) and that some of the really expensive road hubs like dura-ace will only accept a 10sp cassette, so won't work with a 9sp system (however I really don't think there is a need to buy better than the mid-range shimano 105 for 90% of users!)

nmcgann

lcwilliams wrote:

fantastic advice! thanks very much guys!!!

its an assisted ride (thankfully) - man in a van following/leading us with all our bits and bobs. was thinking of keeping a spare set of wheels & tyres on the van and deal with punctures in the night rathe r than on the road.

two of us are going - early/mid august, he wants to camp every night but i've said there's no chance i'm doing 100 miles a day then sleeping in a field!!!

That is a good idea, a spare set of wheels ready to go could save time and you'd have a backup against pothole-induced wheel damage.

A good set of handbuilt open-pros as your main wheels would be my advice. A good 32 spoke (or 36 for a back wheel if you are heavy) handbuilt wheel is about as bulletproof as it's possible to get.

lcwilliams

sorry for being a bit thick, but is this the correct chainset;

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/cate ... nset-23128

i ask as it seems to be referred to as an MTB chainset.

cooper.michael1

Yeah indeed, there is the MTB version with the 44t big ring and the touring one with the 48t big ring.

The other option would be to look at road specific compact chainsets....like Shimano 105.