Boardman Road Race Help

Proz

Hi all
My first post here .... please be gentle ... its been years lol
Ok ....so i bought myself the Boardman Road Race entry level bike as I had been away from cycling for years and wanted to be sure I'd get on ok without spending thousands to find out it wasn't for me . Bought it back in August 2012 .
Now im quite enjoying my cycling again i was toying with perhaps upgrading the chainset or groupset .
Quite like my bike frame so not really interested in buying a completely new bike.
It has an FSA Vero crankset and Shimano Sora shifters and Shimano Sora front and rear derailluers .
It Has Tektro R359 brakes ... dont know if these are any good or not as not had anything else to compare to .
So , first thing is can someone please tell me what bottom bracket it has .... according to the spec on Halfords its an FSA Cartridge . But this means nothing to me and the more i try to research the more confused im getting .
But what is BB30 etc and will i have to look for chainsets that use FSA Cartridge . English thread .. Italian thread ?????
I see lots of Shimano Groupsets for sale on a well known auction site complete with bottom brackets but dont know if they are suitable for my bike .
My head is pounding lol .
If someone could point to a Shimano Groupset to suit the bike then please post a link etc so i can see and understand what to look for.... Please ....

Thanks .

cougie

It's really not worth upgrading components unless they break. If you have money to spare - better tyres or a new wheel set.

essjaydee

I have the same bike.
I upgraded the shifters to Tiagra one's bought from the 'for sale' section on this forum. I didn't like the sora button operation. Any Shimano 9 speed shifters will work. I also upgraded the rear mech to a Shimano 105. Also bought from here.
I replaced the rear wheel also because the bearings went and knacked the hub, but it lasted a year before this happened. Front wheel is the original and still ok. Ichanged the rear cassette to an 11-28 for wider gearing and easier climbing.
Do yourself a favour and change the brake blocks to 'swisstop greens' and it will improve the brakes massively.
I wouldn't bother changing the bottom bracket or chainset, unless yours are worn. I don't think it's worth spending lots on upgrading this bike. your better off saving and buying a bike with a better frame and components, IMO.

Proz

Thanks for the replys .... im thinking about changing the front chainset as it looks like it has a very slight warp . Thats why i was asking about the bottom bracket ... what type is it etc .

Proz

Mmmm ... i had no idea this was such a tough subject .
Guess I'll just try and find a local shop to tell me what bottom bracket i have and get them to change the chainring or crankset .

essjaydee

Take it to a good LBS and let them sort for you

Proz

essjaydee wrote:

Take it to a good LBS and let them sort for you

The idea was so i could buy the parts and do it myself so i dont have to pay a LBS to do it .
Didnt think it would be this difficult to be honest .... thought someone would be able to say it has this bottom bracket or can take this bottom bracket etc .... :? Clearly that isn't the case and im still no further forward .
I was thinking about putting on the FSA Gossamer or FSA Team Issue crankset but only because it has FSA Vero on it just now and i assumed it would fit but seems no one can tell me what bottom bracket i have or what it can take .

Just have to make do with my slightly warped Vero i suppose .

Thanks anyway ....

dodger421

According to The FSA website Vero is compatible with JIS Square Taper BB's. I've not been able to find out which cartridge the bike is actually fitted with. Taking off the cranks and looking at or measuring the cartridge should answer that, but I've not got around to it yet. I think, given the bikes are made in Britain, that it'll be British thread.

I've been looking into upgrading to 105 after the winter, that's my excuse for looking.

Proz

dodger421 wrote:

According to The FSA website Vero is compatible with JIS Square Taper BB's. I've not been able to find out which cartridge the bike is actually fitted with. Taking off the cranks and looking at or measuring the cartridge should answer that, but I've not got around to it yet. I think, given the bikes are made in Britain, that it'll be British thread.

I've been looking into upgrading to 105 after the winter, that's my excuse for looking.

Hi
According to the FSA site the Vero crankset as fitted to mine uses the Powerdrive Cartridge .
http://www.fullspeedahead.com/products/37/Vero-Compact-Crankset
And this is the Cartridge http://www.fullspeedahead.com/products/88/POWER-DRIVE---ALLOY-Bottom-Bracket
So if my studying is coming along properly if i want to upgrade my crankset to anything other than the Vero I'll need to change this cartridge ?

Can i change this cartridge to Shimano Hollowtech or what ever else so i too could change the Crankset to 105 or Tiagra for example and how would i go about it ...
I must sound like a right noob here but what bottom brackets can i use .
Also looking at changing the Sora shifters i have but that'll be another topic later ......

Thanks

dodger421

From my understanding that means you could use any British thread bottom bracket, but you'd need to match it to the cranks. For example I was looking at buying the full 105 group set, which includes the hollowtech bottom bracket and cranks. Select the British thread BB option and you should be good to go.

As for the how, check out the park tools website for some good instructions on what to do and what's needed.

Proz

dodger421 wrote:

From my understanding that means you could use any British thread bottom bracket, but you'd need to match it to the cranks. For example I was looking at buying the full 105 group set, which includes the hollowtech bottom bracket and cranks. Select the British thread BB option and you should be good to go.

As for the how, check out the park tools website for some good instructions on what to do and what's needed.

Thanks for your help .

keef66

The downside to switching from a square taper internal cartridge BB to eg Shimano Hollowtech 2 external BB system is you'll need one set of tools to remove the former and a different set to install the latter. Worth bearing in mind unless you can borrow them.