Help Needed...Please!

raptor

Hi all,
wonder if you could advise. Right now I have a rather heavy calud butler Ali frame commuter bike. I find this a little hard work after 5 miles, so my dilem is.....I only do about 5 miles a day max could be 30 . My question is...do I and can I make my ride more conforatble and worth it by buying better tyers, carbon forks, better handle bars and stems....or do I buy a new bike and would that actually be the best/cheapest way to go.

what I would want is ..confort, lightness, and really I only need a few gears certainly not the 18 I have on my claud buttler...My budget would be around £600.If you do think it is a new bike..what would you reccomend?

Thanks in advance for your input.
Alan

MichaelW

Upgrading a so-so frame with classy bits is hopelessly uneconomic. You pay retail for the parts. If you buy a complete bike, the maker pays wholesale (and in some cases less than cost), you start with a better frame and get all new parts of higher grade than current. Entry-level carbon forks are quite sufficient but aftermarket ones tend to be expensive premium grade.

If you want something light and speedy, what style? Do you want dropped road handlebars or flat hybrid style?
You can all kinds of transmission types: 3x9, 2x9, occasionally 1x9, singlespeed, 8-speed internal hub gears.
Make sure you have sufficient tyre clearance for your winter riding, with mudguards and that you have threaded eyelets for a rear luggage rack.
Many commuter bikes come with disc brakes which work consistently in poor conditions.

raptor

Thanks MichaelW....I thought as much a newer bike would be the better way to go...I definetley just want flat handle bars, not drop. To be toatally honest I could probably stretch to £1000...but do you think the extra £400 could be justified? I dont mind paying more, as long as ..well for the amount of time I would spend on the bike It would be worth it. What do you think?
Alan

raptor

Anyone else have any advice?? :?
Alan

Marcus_C

Whether £1000 is worth spending over £600 is entirely up to you, though if I was buying a bike at £1000 not to be used offroad I wouldn't consider flat bars. I agree with Michael, a new bike is your way to go. Get to your LBS and see what takes your fancy, have a chat with someone in the shop, if they're not chatty move on to the next one, a test ride should tell you all you need to know.

It also depends what you want from your new steed, it's possible to get pretty much any combination of derailleurs/ hub gear/ ss/ steel/ alu/ carbon/ disc brakes/ rim/ flat/ drops. Are you going to use it for anything other than a commute, where do you have to lock it etc. £1000 bikes tend to be rather attractive to thieves. If you are contemplating ss take a few rides on you CB bike without changing gear and see how it feels, it's not appropriate for a lot of use but there's no denying they're lighter and easier to maintain.