Second Bike

hfidgen

Hiya,

I'm starting to mull over a new road bike - for training purposes and also to start doing some club riding I think.

I'm currently on a BMC CX02 and I really love the Shimano 105, the light alumninium and the feeling of "solid" it gives over the shitty london potholes.

However - I'm regularly spinning out on my 50-12 gearing and the braking leaves something to be desired, I think it's time to purchase a bit more speed

Can anyone recommend a starting point for a £1000 road bike which will outspec the BMC and give me a rush?

Alternatively, are there upgrades I should look at first? New wheels? Different crankset?

ketsbaia

I'd get rid of the 105. Can't stand it. Faults include: clunkiness, dodgy left-hand shifter and 'automatic' gear changes. I've had three bike mechanics look at it and they all claim to have 'fixed' it, to no avail.

Probably the worst groupset I've ever had the displeasure of using.

YMMV, of course.

For £1000, you could get a really nicely specced bike from Planet X/Boardman. But if you just want to stop spinning out, maybe think about getting a new cassette (easy option) or (more awkward) getting a 53/39 chainset instead of the compact.

Pufftmw

From the front page - http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... e-11-43396

They seem to like it. I have the 5000SE, which cost about the same a year ago and I so far its been very good & reliable.

I've yet to see another Ghost on the road either!

keyser__soze

What sort of speed are you doing to 'spin-out' with a 50/12, or is it primarily on downhills? 120rpm would work out at 40mph, and you'd only get an extra 5mph at the same cadence from a full-on 53/11.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Keyser__Soze wrote:

What sort of speed are you doing to 'spin-out' with a 50/12, or is it primarily on downhills? 120rpm would work out at 40mph, and you'd only get an extra 5mph at the same cadence from a full-on 53/11.

Quite. I think the OP needs a visit to his local cycling club, a coach and Dave Brailsford's phone number if he's regularly spinning out* in 50x12!


*spinning out: a term which may mean different things to different people. To me, it means getting to a cadence at which you are physically unable to apply pedal pressure quickly enough each revolution to add power and increase speed. Thus, the point at which an individual spins out depends on the cadence at which *they* spin out. A track superstar or BMX rider may spin out north of 180 rpm. A joe public rider may spin out at 90 rpm. Spinning out downhill is something most of us can do. It's all about how your legs muscles are trained, innit?

SimonAH

To me spinning out means the point at which, no matter how hard I try to pedal smoothly in circles I start to bounce out of the saddle.

SimonAH

ah, edit.

That's on a fixed so it's probably a different sensation.

hfidgen

Yeah I tend to ride mashy - using torque ( ) to make progress.

By my reckoning "spinning out" occurs at about 35mph when I'm uncomfortable maintaining the RPM. I think this is likely to be because I'm more about slow-twitch than fast-twitch. I'm not a sprinter - both in terms of cycles and running. I can happily cruise for an hour at 25mph, so I think it's also a lot to do with the setup of the bike - saddle position, cleat alignment etc. From this POV finding a coach with knowledge would be awesome!

Am I interested in completely retraining for bikes? hmm.. not really, I'd rather prefer to find a setup which allowed me to maximise what I have now, and getting a shiny new toy is one way of achieving that I think!

joelsim

Thankfully I don't think I've come anywhere near spinning out

welkman

I thought that 'spinning out' is what happens to you after one too many beers?

W :shock:

hfidgen

So anyone got any more advice on whether I should
a) Stick with the BMC and instead look to train better / get a bike fitting / change parts
b) Purchase a proper road bike with features x, y, z


The Ghost looks quality, will definitely have a look at that, although... Tiagra... really?

The Rookie

hfidgen wrote:

Yeah I tend to ride mashy - using power to make progress.

Erm you need the same power to go the same speed, with a lower cadence your using more torque, so you are using torque to make progress (your Diesel to a fast spinners petrol engine).

Cheaper than fixing the bike is to fix your legs - train them to spin so fast you create your own crosswind!

Simon

hfidgen

Wish I hadn't asked now...

So basically the advice from the forum is "Save your money and just get spinning".

All the threads about titanium cleats and lighter rims are just frippery and nonsense compared to this?

Though I do like this - definitely worth a try

The Beginner wrote:

Cheaper than fixing the bike is to fix your legs - train them to spin so fast you create your own crosswind!Simon

The Rookie

Heh no probs, always happy to help!

Simon

SimonAH

You must be kidding! Training is for people who like sweating.

Go get yourself another bike, a lovely shiny curvaceous bike that you can sit cross legged on the garage floor and just stare at for hours.

Justify said bike by how much time it will shave off your commute, and then only ride it on sunny weekends so as not to get it dirty.

The Rookie

The idea was to keep the training to when he's already cycling.......

Simon

Aguila

hfidgen wrote:

Wish I hadn't asked now...

So basically the advice from the forum is "Save your money and just get spinning".

All the threads about titanium cleats and lighter rims are just frippery and nonsense compared to this?

Though I do like this - definitely worth a try

The Beginner wrote:

Cheaper than fixing the bike is to fix your legs - train them to spin so fast you create your own crosswind!Simon

There's no doubt some people are just less spinny than others, trying to get more spinny isn't the be all and end all. I'm a bit like this and changed my compact to a double. It does make a diffecrence when you are pushing along in the high 20's low 30's mph. That said it is considerably less flexible and I do struggle a bit when riding somewhere very hilly eg the white peak challenge ride recently. My knees also do enjoy things less on the double.

If you are not riding anywhere hilly why not try a double, very easy to fit yourself if you have/can borrow the tools. You might need a new chain too as it needs to be a bit longer.

All that said I am probably going to change back to a compact soon, mainly to preserve my knees.

hfidgen

Interesting - by the looks of things a new double chainset and chain will be best part of £180 which while steep is not impossible.

And yeah I intend to use the bike (be it old or new) more and more, taking up weekend riding, if only for fun at first. Re-reading the comments and doing a bit more research it seems I can get quite a lot more out of the current bike, but that doesn't detract from the fun of buying something shiny and new Shall have to see how the budget looks over the next couple of months.

Having a 12 mile commute is one thing, but I quite fancy getting out on the road for a good long stint without traffic lights every 200m :roll:

UndercoverElephant

hfidgen wrote:

Interesting - by the looks of things a new double chainset and chain will be best part of £180 which while steep is not impossible.

You what now?

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/Chainsets-Road-Shimano-Tiagra-Double-4500-4550-9spd-Chainset/SHIMCHAR460

Tiagra chainsets are pretty damn good, and apparently a bit stiffer than 105. It'd be a hellishly expensive chain to bump the price up by £140.

hfidgen

The BMC is running on a full 105 setup though, which means I'd need this one surely? This matches the current rear mech and chain setup. (Would need longer chain?!)

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... HIMCHAR245

UndercoverElephant

The only real reason why you would need the matching one is purely aesthetics: only you know weather you can live with that. The latest Tiagra chainsets are compatible with 10 speed, so you'd see no problems. Personally, I have one Tiagra shifter and the other is Ultegra on the Equilibrium, I could find a replacement Ultegra much cheaper when the old Tiagra one broke.

Edit: They also have a 5600 (last year's) 105 chainset for £64.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... HIMCHAR235

stuj15

hfidgen wrote:

Having a 12 mile commute is one thing, but I quite fancy getting out on the road for a good long stint without traffic lights every 200m :roll:

Ahh, you must be a CS2er like myself

I'm on the market of renewing my chainset - the factory Truvativ Elita on my Scottie has done nearly 10,000 miles now and is looking worse for wear and rather than just changing the chain rings I thought I'd treat the bike to a new set. Probably the Ultergra, still undecided.

Thing is, where do you stop?
New chainset means new rear mech, means new cassette, means new chain (at least that's what I'm telling the wife.:) )

The Rookie

stuj15 wrote:

Thing is, where do you stop?

When you've built yourself an entirely new bike obviously......

Simon

unixnerd

Don't get a new chainset. Get a cassette with an 11 tooth top gear, much cheaper and you'll gain a 9% advantage vs 6% by changing to a 53t chainset.

But DO get a second bike. One for nice days and one with mudgaurds for wet weather is the accepted rule :-)

Spend a 1k on a used bike from ebay and you'll get something originally worth around 2k. A surprising number of folk buy nice bikes, ride them a handful of times and give up cycling. I've had bargains that way myself.