Am i going about this the right way? New bike....

will_85

So i'm basically brand new to road biking & recently picked myself up a 2012 Carrera Virtuoso.... I got it for £170 second hand and am using it as a project, to see if my heart is really in it & so far it seems it is!

I've upgraded a couple of bits - new pedals, and a carbon seat post / clamp. Im half torn betwen leaving it as it is & waiting 6 months or so & upgrading the bike as a whole (like the look of the Ribble 7005 Sportive as an entry level bike) But then theres also a burning desire to just upgrade it bit by bit & then eventually buy a new frame set & transfer which ever parts i buy for the virtuoso. Which is likely to work out best financially? Im definately a boy who loves his toys & tinkering about with bikes.....

I am by my own admittance addicted to all things Carbon fibre (goes back to my car days) so will be looking at buying as many carbon goodies as possible, mainly smaller components for now as i dont want to shell out big bucks just yet.... Stem, spacers etc. Probably first on the hit list of upgrades would be new wheels (Looking at Shimano R500 / R501) Also tyres, tubes & brake pads before moving onto bigger components.... Im guessing its probably best leaving Carbon forks until upgrading the frame?

What are your views?

rstabler11

Will almost certainly work out cheaper to buy a whole carbon bike if that's what you want.

However I can see the attraction of building up bit by bit, it will be more fun and interesting, but more expensive.

Wheels are a fairly major component to be upgrading (I would consider them a "bigger component"), however even if you buy a carbon bike quite often people will decide they want a new wheelset anyway.

Bare in mind that if you do upgrade bit by bit and then decide to buy a whole new bike, you won't have added any value to the old bike by putting a new stem etc. on.

Personally I would do more riding on the bike you have and decide if this is something you want to spend a lot of money on before buying anything else - even if the little things don't seem like a lot of $$ they will add up if you keep doing it. Just my opinion though, if you get as much enjoyment out of tinkering as riding then tinker away

Barteos

Ride it.

Mullet52

^^^^^This

Neil_aky

Like all hobbies it is very easy to get obsessed with the kit - I speak from experience with photography (and cycling) which can also be very expensive.

Please remember that it is a case of ever decreasing returns - the bike you have bought is a decent bike and any upgrades will be marginal compared to the improvements you will see in yourself from riding it.

I would ride the bike, replace parts if they fail / wear out and then buy another bike when you are ready - you could then use your current bike as a winter bike.

I would try to go cold turkey on upgrades so you fall in love with cycling rather than the bike and components.

Hope the above doesn't sound patronising - I am talking from my own experience and I still have the upgrade urge and stare at photos of all things carbon, new wheels, the latest groupsets etc in the mags.

As long as your bike is reasonable, upgrades / bikes do not make you a better cyclist any more than better cameras made me a better photographer. My best photos were taken with my cheapest camera...

keef66

If you buy loads of expensive parts for the Carrera

a) it will look a bit odd
b) you'll keep thinking they'd look better on a carbon frame
c) when you do get round to buying the carbon frame, the bits will no longer be new and shiny and some will be showing signs of wear, and you won't want to put them on your pristine carbon beauty.

So I'm in the camp that says

1) Ride The Bike
2) Replace bits that wear out
3) Save for a new bike

nochekmate

Shimano R500 wheels would not represent a worthwhile upgrade at all in all honesty. Ride it as it is and save up for your worthwhile upgrade (you'll also have developed the fitness to enjoy it even more when it arrives too).

Anonymous

Enjoy riding and save up for a nice carbon summer bike.

You will get the money sooner by not spending it on the Carrera and know more what you really want while waiting.
Look for a good Autumn/winter bargain for use the following spring/summer maybe.

Keep the Carrara for winter use and trickle down upgrades from the carbon summer bike.

Bikes usually come with wheels that are not worthy of the other bits (IMO) so first upgrade might be new wheels, then you can then stick the ones it came with on the Carrera, giving it a whole new lease of life ;-)

If the Carrera (with new wheels) is not a worthy winter/second bike then it was probably a bad choice for a first one in the first place.

will_85

Cheers people, some good advice, so thanks. To be fair there's little wrong with the bike, the tyres will need replacing soon, along with the brake pads, other than that it's sound...... Ill hold back on shelling out on any major upgrades as i can definately see the value in seeing how serious i am about it all & then possibly buying a new bike altogether...... Cheers for the input, it was helpful