Advice with Road Bike

fat-lad-on-a-bike

Hi there
I took up running about 18 months ago, and struggled last winter keeping fit dur to the dark nights.
Therefore started considering a sprint triathlon or duathlon.
Hence I am new to road biking, i have been using a friends bike for a month.
I have picked up a used road bike for myself its a Claud Bulter San Remo - about 8 years old but at present about what i need. Also was pretty cheap so can upgrade bits over time if this is something i enjoy.

Here comes the questions.- It currently has some 28c tyres on there which need changing. Do i go thinner or stay the same? RIding on roads mainly with cycle paths or country roads.
(i am about 102kg, not overly fat but an ex rugby player).

- Never had a bike serviced, but was debating as its a older bike and been standing for 12 months plus unused.
A LBS does three levels of service a top level completed strip down and put back together -£90, Middle - a strip down what needs doing and check brakes and gears etc £40. Or there check over and adjust gears and visual check £20

the bike seems in good order and was services about a year ago and not used. what would people recommend, im thinking the top one is a bit OTT for my old girl!!

well think thats is for now im sure ill have more!!

Camcycle1974

fat-lad-on-a-bike wrote:

Hi there
I took up running about 18 months ago, and struggled last winter keeping fit dur to the dark nights.
Therefore started considering a sprint triathlon or duathlon.
Hence I am new to road biking, i have been using a friends bike for a month.
I have picked up a used road bike for myself its a Claud Bulter San Remo - about 8 years old but at present about what i need. Also was pretty cheap so can upgrade bits over time if this is something i enjoy.

Here comes the questions.- It currently has some 28c tyres on there which need changing. Do i go thinner or stay the same? RIding on roads mainly with cycle paths or country roads.
(i am about 102kg, not overly fat but an ex rugby player).

- Never had a bike serviced, but was debating as its a older bike and been standing for 12 months plus unused.
A LBS does three levels of service a top level completed strip down and put back together -£90, Middle - a strip down what needs doing and check brakes and gears etc £40. Or there check over and adjust gears and visual check £20

the bike seems in good order and was services about a year ago and not used. what would people recommend, im thinking the top one is a bit OTT for my old girl!!

well think thats is for now im sure ill have more!!

Oil the chain, pump up the tyres and get out there! 28's will be fine and at your current weight probably a bonus. As long as the bead is not visible they will be good to use over the winter. Replace with new 28's or 25's next year. If it has been service but not ridden then not a lot of point doing it again. service it after the winter. A complete strip down would then be a good idea.

16mm

Can you tell if anything needs doing? If you're mechanically minded enough and can follow a you tube video, you can do lot with a few tools.

At 103kg I'd think of staying with 28's or 25 at the thinnest. Especially going into winter, as the roads will get worse before they get better. It's aerodynamics that slow you down the most anyway.

Be aware that although the bike runs well, if you need to change a lot of parts, like the drivetrain, it may become a money pit.
Maybe get the LBS to check for chain wear (you can buy a tool to do this for about £10). A worn chain can mean you need to change the cassette also, and with labour costs gets expensive.

fat-lad-on-a-bike

Thanks guys.

I think ill stick and set of new tyres on, and the older ones have seen past there best days.
I am mechanically minded but might chuck it at the bike shop for a £20 once over, maybe as peace of mind rather than anything else. given its a older bike im not expecting it to been smooth in all aspects but hopefully it is sound enough for me!!

so a 25 or a 28 for the winter as realistically we are talking mm?

Mad_Malx

If you do anying other than tarmac (eg hard topath) then get 28 mm. Good 25mm's will cope any tarmac surface, but 28s maybe better and more comfy.

Go with Camcyle first. Service may end up a lot more than the prices you indicate. Pretty much impossible to say without looking at it, but I suspect they will come back to you and tell you about all the stuff that needs replacing.
If not much has been done to it for 8yr, you could end up with a long list of replacement parts (with very rough prices, probably more) - cables (£10), brake shoes (£5), chain (£15), bottom bracket (£15), cassette (£20), wheels....
At about this point you may just say sod it, I'll spend ££££ and get a nice shiny one
(NB I'm not in favor of throw-away and fished a pile of junk out of a skip last week in case it was rescuable, but it's going to a bike recyling charity because of the reasons I say above).

fat-lad-on-a-bike

thanks for that.

Thats my worry with a service, given its an old girl
I hoping to get the gears checked over really, but the added cost and surtinty by some backroom geek scares me especially with the cost of bikes in their shop. So guess that what scares me and being seen as naive with a older bike.

16mm

Park tools have loads of good videos online , you can learn the basics, and the right names for the bits quite easily.

simonhead

If you let people know roughly where you live they can probably recomend a shop that wont rip you off as well.

fat-lad-on-a-bike

I'm between Ipswich and Colchester

TommyB61

16mm wrote:

Park tools have loads of good videos online , you can learn the basics, and the right names for the bits quite easily.

+1. I'm not at all mechanically minded, but can now do most of the important fixing jobs on my bikes thanks to good ol' Mr Park. Investing in a few tools & doing what you can yourself is very satisfying imo.