300-500 pound budget for accessories and upgrades

justintga

Hi there,

Im new here but have been lurking on the forums for a while now.

Ive been riding a Specialized Allez for about 2 months now and have been enjoying the experience immensely.

This is my bike:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... uery=allez

It came with look keo classics so i swapped them out for the shimano a530s as i have primarily been using the bike for commuting around central london.

Im looking to spend anywhere between 300 and 500 pounds on upgrading my bike and buying accesories. I do not own any clipless shoes, bib shorts, jerseys, helmets, lights etc but have been making do seeing that its only summer.

basically all i own in terms of bike gear is the bike itself, a water bottle holder, a good lock and the shimano pedals. i have been cycling around in sneakers, basketball shorts and tshirts.

i intend to use the bike primarily for commuting around central london and weekend cycling plus the occasional longer rides (ie london-brighton).

Whats the best way i should spend the cash i have allocated for upgrades and gear?

I intend to use the bike throughout the year and hopefully will not need to spend any more until next summer (cept on maintenance etc).

Thanks in advance!

justintga

some options ive been considering include upgrading the wheels and/or upgrading the groupset (dont like the thumbshifters much)

meanredspider

Lid, lights (which are going to be essential), padded bib shorts (dhb are fine), clipless shoes. That lot is probably a couple of hundred quid max.

Zoomer37

You've got to be a bit daft to ride a bike these days without wearing a helmet. You will come off your bike sooner or later and its much better to take 5 seconds to put a lid on before smashing your head into concrete or a car windscreen.

Slack

Helmet
Mitts
Padded Shorts
LED rear light
Cycling shoes
Spare Inner Tubes
Decent light weight pump
tyre levers

justintga

so its not practical to upgrade my wheels or groupset with my given budget?

spadve71

if i was on my bike around london i would defo get a helmet first!

golfergmc

1. Helmet
2. Helmet
3. Helmet
Get my drift, it`s madness to go out without a helmet. I was glad to be wearing one when i crashed my mtb on Friday morning, one cut knee, one bruised knee, several sore ribs, cut jaw, scratched oakleys but not one mark on head thanks to helmet.

mustol

Get the accessories listed by others above. Keep riding, get fitter, get faster. Get the most out of the bike you've got, then consider upgrading major components if funds allow. Then you'll really appreciates the upgrades. Anyway, the first upgrades I would recommend are tyres and some decent brake blocks.

justintga

haha okay. point noted.

1. helmet ~ 50 quid
2. mtb clipless shoes (probably the shimano m077 or the specialized bg sport) ~ 60 quid

That still leaves about 400 quid. how else should i spend the money?

any suggestions on which helmet to go for?

justintga

updated list

1. helmet (suggestions anyone?) ~ 50 quid
2. mtb clipless shoes (probably the shimano m077 or the specialized bg sport) ~ 60 quid
3. wheels (planet X model B looks decent but any suggestions for something flashier?) ~ 150 quid
4. tyres (Continental GP4000S or any alternative suggestions?) ~ 60 quid
4. bike service ~ 80 quid?

any comments or help would be very much appreciated