new bike or new wheels and if new wheels what type

chickenlicken

Hello,

Please help me with this decision, I am agonizing over it. I have been commuting 15 miles round trip on my Ridgeback genesis day 01 for the last 5 or so years. It fits me well, I can go fast on it and it is undesirable to thieves.

However - I have been lusting after a fast road bike. I am doing a 100 mile ride next year plus a triathlon so starting to do a few longer rides. But every time I go into a bike shop, they tell me not to get a new bike and just to upgrade the one I have as the frame is still good and for my budget (~£1000) i couldn't afford anything better. They also tell me that road bikes are uncomfortable and not good for commuting. My bike has flat handlebars but is quite a racing position so I'm not sure why it would be more comfortable.

I upgraded the rear wheel accidentally to a Fulcrum 5 after the previous one was stolen and that was the cheapest one I could find in the nearest bike shop (Condor) - I really like it but is now nearing the end of its life. Other than that, have only replaced parts. Is it worth shelling out £300 or so for wheels - potentially the Mavic Ksyrium Equipe, or the guy in LBS recommended Shimano RS20s. Or would i be wasting my money? Should I just save up for £1500 or so and buy a road bike.

Thank you!

ugo.santalucia

A bike shop that doesn't want to sell you a new bike? That's unheard of...

Mr Dog

Keep your bike for the commute. Now is a great time to buy a bike as the new models are just arriving. A little searching can uncover some real bargains, and for aound a grand you could be flying around on a carbon rocket.

vectra0

For a start you dont need £1500 for a decent road bike!!
And compared to your hybrid there will be a bit of differance in position but not enough to be uncomfortable...
if they were so uncomfy none of us would be riding one... As for wheels £300 will get you some pretty decent wheels if you look around

chickenlicken

Ugo, i know, I was very surprised. But the question is, would new wheels and possibly spds make my old hybrid feel like a £1000 road bike? That question looks pretty stupid written down. I may ignore the bike shop advice. Did vaguely wonder if my being female influenced them at all. After all, even Victoria Pendleton thinks women only want bikes to do the shopping on. Not that I'm against that per se..but I definitely don't want a basket

vectra0

No, it would be like driving a pimped up car compared to a porche....
I ride with a guy on a decent hybrid he struggles quite alot with it compared to our race style bikes... it may just be the rider though ;-)

desweller

1. Road bikes are comfortable if they are set up correctly. Your bike shop is talking nonsense.
2. For £1000 you should certainly be able to pick up something decent (e.g. Planet X Pro Carbon. You might have to try a few different shops though.

ugo.santalucia

chickenlicken wrote:

Ugo, i know, I was very surprised. But the question is, would new wheels and possibly spds make my old hybrid feel like a £1000 road bike? That question looks pretty stupid written down. I may ignore the bike shop advice. Did vaguely wonder if my being female influenced them at all. After all, even Victoria Pendleton thinks women only want bikes to do the shopping on. Not that I'm against that per se..but I definitely don't want a basket

There is nothing preventing you from riding 100 miles with a hybrid. Road bikes are generally lighter, but that doesn't come without problems... they are generally a lot fiddlier, there is always some noise that needs to be looked at, the riding position is never comfortable enough... as you can see from the number of threads, there are a lot of problems associated with road bikes, the biggest of all being never satisfied with the bike and constantly looking for an upgrade.

I think you should try a demo bike for a weekend, most shops offer this service... if you like the feel of a road bike, then think along those lines, if you find it too twitchy, then look for a set of wheels that won't make your bike feel like pushing a rock... incidentally I have the perfect wheels for you...

chickenlicken

Thanks all for replies. Demo bike is a very good idea. And hadn't seen those Planet X bikes, like the look of them.

What set of wheels would that be, ugo - tell me more?

EarlyGo

Ugo builds wheels ... pretty good ones too by all accounts!

Regards,

EarlyGo

bikeit65

Ugo is the king of wheel builders, im really happy with the wheels he built for me.

ugo.santalucia

Bikeit65 wrote:

Ugo is the king of wheel builders, im really happy with the wheels he built for me.

That's pushing it a bit...

bikeit65

chickenlicken

Well - I bought ugo's wheels and I love them. So far, they are everything and more that I could ask for in a wheel.

Have to admit I am now suffering from pimped up car syndrome. But the wheels are great and I'm happy.

bikeit65

Chickenlicken i knew that you would not be disappointed.
As i said above Ugo is the king.