Some advice for someone with little road bike experience.

FoldingJoe

So, I decided to go ahead an get a bike on our cycle scheme at work.

Still undecided on bike yet, but am probably looking at a Ribble.

Now, it took me about 2 days worth of internet searching to make that decision, but now I have to choose whether to;

a.) Upgrade the wheels from the standard Pro-lites to the Campagnolo Khamsin
b.) Go for the compact double front of the standard?

My thoughts on the wheels are to get the lightest I can afford, as I've been told that saving as much weight on the wheels as possible will give instant performance benefits, but my only concern is with robustness. I am 16 stone, so don't want the wheels failing on me too quickly.

The chainring I'm not sure on. Cornwall is very hilly, so I'm thinking I could do with the compact. What I'm um-ing and arrr-ing about is if I go with the compact, should I then go for the 11-25 at the back? Also, what is the number at the beginning of the Chainset options, 170, 172.5 etc?

What does it all mean!!! :oops: :shock:

Decisions, decisions.

Any advice would be warmly, and heartily, received.

Cheers,
FJ

kelsen

Go for the compact. I very much doubt you'll miss the top end unless you intend to race. 11-25 is a pretty standard cassette for a compact chainset so should be fine. Cassettes are consumables anyway, so can be changed later if you really don't get on with the 11-25.

170 & 172.5 refer to the length of the cranks. I'd say go for 170 if you're under 5' 8", and 172.5 if you're taller or have long legs.

Edit: Apologies, I was thinking 11-25 for a triple. It might be slightly high for a compact though that depends on your level of fitness.

gtvlusso

Guy in my office is in the same position as you.

New to cycling and wants something useable!

He has bought a Ribble Sportive carbon:

Gone for the 170mm compact chainset and 11-25 cassette - Bristol is hilly too, so this should help him out to begin with.

The 170/172.5 is the length of the crankset arms in mm. Suggest 170mm for a 5ft10" bloke! 175mm for the 6ft + lads.

As for weight - don't worry about it, the Ribble sportive is a light bike anyway - go with the default spec (personally, I would get the SRAM rival version) and think about upgrading wheels if you get into cycling.

So, I would go for compact and leave the wheels to the Pro-Lite como's - upgrade later.

UndercoverElephant

Pro-Lite make decent wheels, they're all hand-built (albeit very quickly) , that said Campag wheels are said to be superb and relatively bombproof, so if you can afford it, why not.

The 170 172.5 and 175 on the cranks are the length of the crank arms in mm, if you're over 6', go for 175, otherwise 172.5 would be the normal. It's only 2.5mm anyway, but it can be felt.

Go compact if you want, 11-25 should get you up any hill on a compact.

Wooliferkins

Last, first 170/172.5/175 are crank length.

11-25 would seem a bit harsh for Cornwall it's pretty much a race cassette. 12-28 would probably be nearer your mark. I would go with the compact.

Have you spec'd a Campag groupset? If not Campag wheels dont spec a HG (Shimano/SRAM) freehub until you get to Zonda.

tailwindhome

FoldingJoe wrote:

Upgrade the wheels from the standard Pro-lites to the Campagnolo Khamsin

The standard Pro Lites are Comos IIRC - I've a set on my Cannondale and they fall into the category of heavy but bombproof......probably perfect for the commute.

Lighter wheels will be faster.....only you can make the judgement of wether or not the weight saving is worth the cost both in absolute terms and in lost opportunity to buy other cycle stuff.

One thing though, it had a problem with a rattling noise from my front wheel and took it to the LBS, he basically just opened up the hub and applied a load of grease. He said that he had seen the same problem with a lot of Pro Comos from Ribble...either not enough grease or poor quality grease, can't remember which.


ETA - this isn't big deal though - he charged me £10

Check out Merlin Cycles for cheap wheels (join there VIP club for a free 10%v off)

It may be an idea to buy a set of lighter wheels for the summer (Askiums or Fulcrum 5s are around the £150 mark) and keep the Prolites for the winter grunge



16 stone and hilly I say you need a compact chainset....but then I've no idea how fit you are

FoldingJoe

Thanks for all the feedback.

Also, what is the differnce, or need for, a short and medium rear mech?

UndercoverElephant

FoldingJoe wrote:

Thanks for all the feedback.

Also, what is the differnce, or need for, a short and medium rear mech?

The reach of the rear mech allows you to run different gearing. I believe that medium reach is only required for triple chainring set-ups.

Wooliferkins

Long would be triple only, medium is required on some bigger cassettes, SRAM Apex does an 11-32 cassette which requires a medium cage.

gtvlusso

UndercoverElephant wrote:

FoldingJoe wrote:

Thanks for all the feedback.

Also, what is the differnce, or need for, a short and medium rear mech?

The reach of the rear mech allows you to run different gearing. I believe that medium reach is only required for triple chainring set-ups.

Yes spot on - depends on "loading" of the chainset/cassette - i.e. how many teeth and chain length

Generally, Doubles/compacts need a shortcage mech, Triples need medium cage mech and Mountain bike triples need long cage (big cogs!)

Shortcage mechs are generally more accurate for shifting than long cage mechs - short and medium are found on road bikes, long cage is generally found on mountain bikes.

rolf_f

11-25s, for what it's worth, always seem bizarrely expensive (at least the Campag ones do). A 12-25 is commonly about £15 cheaper (not only do you save £15, you also get an extra tooth!!). Not so much but starting out there are other things to prioritise and you probably aren't going to miss the 11 that much.

FoldingJoe

Wow, £15 for one less tooth.

I hope my kids don't expect that from the Tooth Fairy when theirs come to drop out!!!

FoldingJoe

...is that right; the chainset of the Campag Veloce weighs nearly as much as the whole of the Sportive frame!!?! :shock:

UndercoverElephant

FoldingJoe wrote:

...is that right; the chainset of the Campag Veloce weighs nearly as much as the whole of the Sportive frame!!?! :shock:

7-800g for a chainset isn't a lot, to be honest. It's the part of the bike which deals with all of the power, so it needs to have some stiffness.

clu

Go for a 12-25 cassette. I have an 11-25 on one of my bikes and I find the jump from the 17 sproket to the 15 sproket quite noticeable. I have a 12-25 on my commuting bike, I use the 16 sproket on it quite a bit, so I miss the 16 on the other bike. I have a 53-39 chainset on each bike.

I think I'm going to replace the 11-25 cassette for a 12-25 so the gear ratios are closer together and more comfortable.

As for the crank length, I'm 5ft 8ins and have 172.5 on both of my bikes with no problems and bristol and the surrounding area is quite hilly. From my point of view I don't think it matters too much.

tailwindhome

FoldingJoe wrote:

...is that right; the chainset of the Campag Veloce weighs nearly as much as the whole of the Sportive frame!!?! :shock:

Are you buying a Sportive frame for riding to work?

No point buying a 1kg frame and putting 2.1kg Pro Lite Como wheels on it.


I assumed we were talking about the Ribble Winter Trainer/ Audax here.

FoldingJoe

So what sort of weight wheels would you expect on a frame like that?

rolf_f

TailWindHome wrote:

FoldingJoe wrote:

...is that right; the chainset of the Campag Veloce weighs nearly as much as the whole of the Sportive frame!!?! :shock:

Are you buying a Sportive frame for riding to work?

No point buying a 1kg frame and putting 2.1kg Pro Lite Como wheels on it.

£28 quid extra for the Khamsins and well over 600g weight saved. Really a complete no brainer!

Of course, you could save another 300g and go for the CSN Superleggera XL50s for an extra £371

BTW Folding Joe - worth saying which you are going for out of Campag, SRAM or Shimano. Some of the groupset upgrades are really worth trying for. Last year, I paid much less than the difference in groupset cost to upgrade from Veloce to Centaur. This year, the difference in price on the special edition bikes is greater than the difference in groupset cost!

PS - riding to work on a Ribble Gran Fondo here - with Khamsins.

FoldingJoe

Looking at the Sportive Racing with Campag Veloce.

MaxwellBygraves

FoldingJoe wrote:

...is that right; the chainset of the Campag Veloce weighs nearly as much as the whole of the Sportive frame!!?! :shock:

Chainsets have to be as stiff as poss really. You'd soon notice the flex if the arms were like noodles !

sketchley

FoldingJoe wrote:

Looking at the Sportive Racing with Campag Veloce.

Similar money would get you this

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBP ... pag-athena

cjcp

If you're 16st, go for the compact. I'm 12.5st and find a compact much easier on my knees than my old 53/39s.

As for wheels, I've never used Khamsins, but my Sciroccos were brilliant - solid as a rock, and my brother-in-law in still using them without any problems three years on.

bails87

I also ride to work on a Carbon Sportive, it's fine.

I got the 105 groupset, which came with RS10 wheels, they haven't broken.....not much else to say about them really!

As a regular MTBer but newbie to road cycling I went with a compact over the standard double and am glad I did.

tailwindhome

bails87 wrote:

I also ride to work on a Carbon Sportive, it's fine.

Didn't mean to imply it wasn't

My comment was more that the wheels and groupset should be in keeping with the quality of the frame.

You wouldn't spec the frame with either Campag Record or Shimano 2200.

It's a good mid range frame and should be specced with good mid range kit

I'd put 105 on it and probably Askiums or Krysium Equipes

itboffin

I'm loving my ribble sportive with campag groupset and wheelset, it's a double currently with 13-26 cassette which gives me a very nice bailout gear, i haven't needed the last cog here in the UK yet but then again I haven't ridden it much here in the UK.

I guess it helps that my daily alu commuter is also a ribble with double set up, I find it easier to cruise around in the 39t up front then the 34 or 50t of a compact.

I have a couple of compact bikes, could never get happy with my old trek on long rides so I swapped the 34 for a 36, little difference but at least it felt better to me.

Horses for courses I guess.

rolf_f

Sketchley wrote:

FoldingJoe wrote:

Looking at the Sportive Racing with Campag Veloce.

Similar money would get you this

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBP ... pag-athena

But then you can get a Ribble Evo Pro for less than 1k with Athena. Or a Sportive Bianco for a £100 less than the Planet X.

They are all much of a muchness in terms of superb value for money.

itboffin wrote:

I'm loving my ribble sportive with campag groupset and wheelset, it's a double currently with 13-26 cassette which gives me a very nice bailout gear, i haven't needed the last cog here in the UK yet but then again I haven't ridden it much here in the UK.

Just been testing the 13 - 29 I got for the Fred. I don't think a 26 is bailout enough for that.........

FoldingJoe

Is 105 worth the 70/80 quid more than Veloce?

Would upgrading to Centaur be a better option than 105?

itboffin

FoldingJoe wrote:

Is 105 worth the 70/80 quid more than Veloce?

Would upgrading to Centaur be a better option than 105?

I have carbon centaur on the ribble and ultegra/105 5600 on the trek both perform exceptionally well, the campag looks the business and allows me to shift up/down more gears in one go, the 5600 shimano shifters do stick out quite a bit, like bull horns, they've changed that with the 5700s.

Try both pick the one you prefer. Simples!

tailwindhome

itboffin wrote:

FoldingJoe wrote:

Is 105 worth the 70/80 quid more than Veloce?

Would upgrading to Centaur be a better option than 105?

I have carbon centaur on the ribble and ultegra/105 5600 on the trek both perform exceptionally well, the campag looks the business and allows me to shift up/down more gears in one go, the 5600 shimano shifters do stick out quite a bit, like bull horns, they've changed that with the 5700s.

Try both pick the one you prefer. Simples!

Dunno - never used Campag, like leg shaving I hear it's great but I'm afraid I might like it.

Campagnolo or Shimano is like politics or religion. You're entitled to your views but shouldn't discuss them in polite society as it only ends in tears.



The 5700s also route the cabling under the handlebar tape which looks neater than 2010 105 (5600).

FoldingJoe

OK, see, now you've got me scratching my head.

Should I go compact, or as ITB prefers, go standard up front and a 13-26 at the back.

I guess the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so they say!!!!

Cheers for all the comments thus far, chaps.

FJ

Wrath Rob

Go for the compact. It gives you more options and changing the rear casette, e.g. 11-25 to 13-26, is very easy.

The compact on my Fuji has been enough for me to get up Cob Hill (average 20% but up to 30 in places) as well as hit 40mph down hill.