Bike or bits?

Keith1983
Keith1983 Posts: 575
edited June 2011 in Road beginners
I've got a fairly old Carrera Virtuoso, which is mechanically sound. I'm fairly new to the cycling malarky and would like to take it a bit more seriously. Would I be better off selling the virtuoso (estimated value £75 - £100) and spending about £250 - £350 on a new bike or spending a couple of hundred on upgrading the Carrera? What upgrades would people recommend?

Comments

  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Assuming you don't already have them, I'd just put some decent tyres on the thing. GP4000s or similar.

    failing that, flog it and try to find an Ebay bargain. £350 wouldn't get you a better new bike, but second-hand you could gety lucky.
  • Chris McG
    Chris McG Posts: 189
    I'd go for parts upgrades, perhaps some new wheels...
    "Orbea, Bianchi, Ridley, Van Nicholas, Planet X, Niner. My Euro-bike menagerie was going well up to the last 2..."
  • Keith1983
    Keith1983 Posts: 575
    Cheers Keef 66, it might be worth me mentioning that Im looking to use it to commute in a couple of months, it's a 10 mile each way commute. How puncture resistant are those tyres you mentioned?

    Chris Mcg - Any parts in particular you'd recommend upgrading?
  • dmont
    dmont Posts: 74
    re- Chris Mcg - Any parts in particular you'd recommend upgrading?

    Keith, is there anything wrong with your bike ? if not then no need to upgrade anything, only upgrade whats broken...

    Personally I'd keep the Virtuoso, it's a very good bike and for your £350 spending money well, you already have the best in that price bracket.
    Riding - Voodoo Bantu
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    Ah! They are race tyres really. They would make the bike feel livelier though. For commuting then I'd suggest Conti gatorskins or 4 Seasons.

    Lighter wheels would be the best upgrade if you're determined to spend serious money, but I still think the cash would be better spent on a decent frame / bike.
  • Duffer65
    Duffer65 Posts: 341
    As already said. Keep hold of it if there's nothing wrong with it. Maybe save the money and buy a better bike later on. Or if you're not mechanically minded take it to your LBS for a good 'tune-up' and then see if anything needs replacing.
    Where would you be if you fell down a hole?.. Stuck down a hole... in the fog... Stuck down a hole, in the fog, at night... WITH AN OWL!
  • Tonymufc
    Tonymufc Posts: 1,016
    Yep keep the bike, just go buy another one. Nothing will make you ride faster than a new bike underneath you. :lol: N+1
  • topdude
    topdude Posts: 1,557
    Nooooooo, go for a new or (good used) bike :D

    After you fit a couple of hundred of pounds of parts to your old one it is still a "fairly old Carrera Virtuoso"

    Never underestimate the difference a "new" bike makes, remember Christmases when you were a kid ?
    He is not the messiah, he is a very naughty boy !!
  • Keith1983
    Keith1983 Posts: 575
    Well I've been looking of ebay and found what I think are some bargains. I'll not go into detail as I don't want to tip anybody else off! I think I'm gonna go for a new second hand bike for about £200 then sel the carrera and maybe have £100 to spend on the new bike so probably go for a saddle that suits me and some new tyres when the current ones are worn out.
  • cyberknight
    cyberknight Posts: 1,238
    If the virtuoso is sound i would keep it as the commuter, it has points for a rack + gaurds .

    Parts are cheap to buy and once you have a tool kit you save yourself a lot of money in labour costs, last week i put in a new bottom bracket on mine and it cost £13 for the part and maybe an hour to do ( 1st attempt at a BB it will be a lot quicker next time )

    My virtuoso did a 80 mile ride the other weekend and i was far from last .....

    Then you need to convince your better half that you need another bike as "back up" for when the bike needs a repair so you can get a nicer weekender .....
    FCN 3/5/9
  • Keith1983
    Keith1983 Posts: 575
    I'm really tempted to keep the virtuoso to do a job and then build myself something a bit more interesting over time.hmmmmmmm, all those options.
  • MountainMonster
    MountainMonster Posts: 7,423
    Personally I think dropping only 200-300 on an "upgrade" bike is going to be pointless. Probably just end up with exactly the same quality of bike, just a different name on the frame.

    Save up 7-800 and get yourself a decent bargain bike from a proper bike shop, and worry then about upgrading.

    That's just my 2p, though.
    My London Road
  • sumosprintstar
    sumosprintstar Posts: 171
    Keep the Carerra, eventually use it for winter riding. Take your time over a second hand purchase since you have a perfectly good bike at present. You have the luxury of waiting for that bargain to present itself to you. It may take a week or a few months but you will have much fun finding the right one for you.
  • Keith1983
    Keith1983 Posts: 575
    Right then, a quick update.

    I've bought a used Claud Butler Vicenza. It's an upgrade form my Virtuoso and I'm going to keep the virtuoso and strip it down and re-build it over the warmer months ready to use as a commuter when the awful weather comes to keep the CB in good condiiton. It will be a good project to learn some basics of cycle maintenance as well as I'm not great at it!

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