Carrera TDF Road Bikes

bykerbloke91

Hi

The Carrera TDF from Halfords has been my first road-bike that I have purchased to see if I enjoyed road cycling and I have loved it. However, I am wondering whether I should upgrade this current bike to better parts, or invest in a more expensive road-bike?

Here are the parts:

Brake Type: Calliper Brakes
Frame Material: Aluminium
Frame Size (cm): 51 - 52
Frame-: Lightweight 6061 aluminium frame
Front Brake: Tektro alloy calliper brake
Front Mech: Shimano FD-A050
Gear Shifters: Shimano ST-2300
Headset: Semi integrated
Number of Gears: 16
Pedals: Road pedals with toe clips
Rear Brake: Tektro alloy calliper brake
Rear Mech: Shimano RD-2300
Seatpost: Alloy 350mm x 27.2
Tyre size: 23c
Tyres: Kenda road tyre - Have upgraded to Continental 4000s
Wheel size: 700c
Suspension: Rigid
Chainset: Shimano FCA050 52/39 / Prowheel
Forks: Hi-Tensile Straight Blade
Stem: Alloy
Approximate Weight (KG): 11.7
Cassette: 12-26T
Geometry: Compact

I realise that I need to upgrade to SPDs and get a pair of road-shoes with them, but after that I'm entirely clueless. Any suggestions?

Also, I was out on a 60 mile cycle yesterday and I was in the same gear as my friend, but was struggling to keep up? Is this because my bike position is not correct?

And on the hills I really ran out of gears to spin in and it became a real slog up some of them in the latter part of the ride. Need to change my cassette?

I know this is alot of information/questions, but hopefully can get some help.

Thanks - Andy

lc1981

bykerbloke91 wrote:

Chainset: Shimano FCA050 52/39 / Prowheel
Cassette: 12-26T

bykerbloke91 wrote:

And on the hills I really ran out of gears to spin in and it became a real slog up some of them in the latter part of the ride. Need to change my cassette?

You could switch the cassette for one with a 28t biggest sprocket, but the biggest difference would come from switching to a compact chainset. That might be pricey though, so might push you towards a new bike.

notlongnow

looks like your 52/39 set up is too hard on your legs as this is considered a "race" set up so you'd be better off with a compact set up 50/34 which is what most road bikes come equipped with.You obviously love your cycling and have the urge to upgrade so I would sell the Carrera and put that money to a higher spec model but keep your conti 4000s tyres.Get a bike with a carbon fork a 50/34 crank a 12-28 or 12-30 cassette and at least tiagra 10 speed and you'll notice a massive difference,you could pick a bike of this spec for less than £700 sheets.This is just my opinion and im sure others will have theirs.

buckmulligan

Yeah, unless it's a specific issue that you want to fix, wholesale upgrades are rarely good value for money. Unless you have a particularly strong attachment to the bike you'd be much better off selling it and buying something better.

Having said that, simply changing in the chainset to a compact (as mentioned) will probably make a big difference as to your comfort on the hills. But if you're just starting out, just getting out and riding you'll find your strength and stamina improving a lot.

Churchill123

You wont get a tiagra 10 speed equipped bike for £700 new that i've seen..

lc1981

Churchill123 wrote:

You wont get a tiagra 10 speed equipped bike for £700 new that i've seen..

Oh no? How about a Cannondale CAAD8 Tiagra for £679.99?

Edit: Oh, it's only 9 speed. Nearly, though...

jimbo0023

Ribble sportive tiagra 10 speed £687.00 ?

jimbo0023

jimbo0023 wrote:

Ribble sportive tiagra 10 speed £687.00 ?

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bbd/road- ... BRA&bike=1

With the link..

bykerbloke91

This might sound very noob, but, what's the difference between Tiagra 9 and 10?

rolf_f

bykerbloke91 wrote:

This might sound very noob, but, what's the difference between Tiagra 9 and 10?

10 gears on the back instead of 9. So, you can either have smaller gaps between the gears or the same gaps and a slightly greater range.

Whether you actually need that is another matter. There is a ring of Spinal Tap about it unless you are in very hilly country.

t4tomo

Rolf F wrote:

bykerbloke91 wrote:

This might sound very noob, but, what's the difference between Tiagra 9 and 10?

10 gears on the back instead of 9. So, you can either have smaller gaps between the gears or the same gaps and a slightly greater range.

Whether you actually need that is another matter. There is a ring of Spinal Tap about it unless you are in very hilly country.

+1 In practice you don't really notice the difference between 10 speed and 9 speed. if you put someone on a bike with an 11-25 9sp and then on an 11-25 10sp and asked them to tell you where the extra jump in teeth occured on the 10 then most would struggle. Obviously 10 speed is more expensive and very slightly less durable as the chain is narrower.

lc1981

I guess another argument in favour of 10 speed is compatibility with newer equipment. Shimano don't offer both 9- and 10-speed Tiagra, they replaced one with the other, and the 10-speed version is the current model.

Awfully-Caj

If you would like to see what can be done in the way of upgrades to a Carrera TDF check out this forum:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40044&t=12880655

I started out with a Carrera TDF as my first road bike and gradually built it up with different parts (Mainly Shimano 105 components). After selling all the original parts and just ending up with the frame it cost me about £650. I'm glad I did it as opposed to buying another bike, I got to choose the exact components that I wanted and I couldn't feel more at home riding any other bike. Check it out and let me know what you think!