First Road Bike? Just a bit of advise about your groupset...
deepblue
Posts: 16
hello All,
a very new roadie, only a couple of weeks and about 55km into this type of cycling...
I have had a carbon framed hardtail MTB for 4-5 years now but made the leap to buy my first road bike a couple of weeks ago.
due to a very welcome and sizeable tax rebate that arrived 4 weeks ago i decided to 'splash the cash' and buy a Giant TCR Advanced 2 with full Ultegra on board. my thinking being i will probably get 4/5 years out of it without having to spend big money as my ability and requirements from a bike evolve (a bit optimistic eh?)
the problem that has left me quite deflated is that the compact gear ratio means the lowest gear for hill climbing almost matches the highest gear i have on my MTB, and as such my hill climbs have been rather demoralising affairs - as on my MTB i had tackled the very same hill(s) in 'middle' gears.
the point i am making is this - dont get hung up on the groupset - you could well do what i have done and bite off more that you can chew j- ust because you may have the budget, make sure you have the ability!!
apart from a stiff neck (see different post) i am confident i will get to the fitness level required to tackle the hills with this g/set - but to say it was a rude awakening was an understatement....
i am sure i will get slaughtered for this post but i wish someone had posted something similar before i bought my ride.
a very new roadie, only a couple of weeks and about 55km into this type of cycling...
I have had a carbon framed hardtail MTB for 4-5 years now but made the leap to buy my first road bike a couple of weeks ago.
due to a very welcome and sizeable tax rebate that arrived 4 weeks ago i decided to 'splash the cash' and buy a Giant TCR Advanced 2 with full Ultegra on board. my thinking being i will probably get 4/5 years out of it without having to spend big money as my ability and requirements from a bike evolve (a bit optimistic eh?)
the problem that has left me quite deflated is that the compact gear ratio means the lowest gear for hill climbing almost matches the highest gear i have on my MTB, and as such my hill climbs have been rather demoralising affairs - as on my MTB i had tackled the very same hill(s) in 'middle' gears.
the point i am making is this - dont get hung up on the groupset - you could well do what i have done and bite off more that you can chew j- ust because you may have the budget, make sure you have the ability!!
apart from a stiff neck (see different post) i am confident i will get to the fitness level required to tackle the hills with this g/set - but to say it was a rude awakening was an understatement....
i am sure i will get slaughtered for this post but i wish someone had posted something similar before i bought my ride.
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Comments
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Its not the quality of the groupset, the reasons you cited for buying a higher quality group are fine and valid. You just need to adjust the ratios. What cassette is on the bike? This can be changed to give a lower bottom gear.0
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The TCR Advanced 2 runs a 53/39 chainset and a 12-25 Cassette. This is pretty typical for a £2,500 race bike, and i would say fine for it's target market. Safe to say it's not aimed at someone as their first road bike, more a club racer. I therefore wouldnt blame the bike for the gear ratio's - same with its position which you either aren't used to yet, or the bike isn't properly set up for you yet leading to discomfort. More a case of the gearing not right for the rider than for the bike in this case. As stated above, its not the quality of the groupset that is the issue - its the selection of ratios.
I'd suggest swapping your cassette for one with lower gearing (12-27) or treating yourself to a compact chainset (£165) to lower all of the gearing (probably a better option by the sounds of it). Sort this out and a couple of months training will i'm sure see you loving the quality of your Ultegra equipped bike. You really dont need to be a top quality rider to enjoy top quality components - despite what some (jealeous types
) may tell you. 0
