Bike Advice! :D
timteamteem
Posts: 2
Hi everyone!
I've been having thoughts and questions about my bike, on upgrades, limitations, etc. and since I can't find concrete answers online, I thought I'd try asking on a forum. I'm new here so I apologize if I'm doing anything wrong (i.e asking questions already answered, wrong section, etc) please take it easy on me and I hope you guys can help answer my questions!
First off, I got into cycling but as I have budget limitations (I'm a student - one that isn't rich or something), my bike was just handed down to me from my uncle when he got a new bike. My bike is an old (not sure how old) Trek Vintage Steel bike with some Livestrong liveries on it. It's fitted with a shimano 105 groupset (the older variant) and ultegra wheels (older ones too, I'm assuming). Apart from road riding, I've used this bike in triathlons. I love the bike and all but can't help but feel like I can squeeze some more power out of what I have right now, without buying a new bike altogether. Given that, here are my questions. I hope it's not too much to ask
1. What are the most cost efficient upgrades that I can do without leaving a hole in my pocket?
2. is it possible to fit a more modern carbon fork into these vintage bikes? I know it would entail changing the stem and bar, but would there be a significant difference to justify the cost?
3. Is it possible to change the brake/shifter levers into a brand apart from shimano? ( you know, cause its cheaper and all)
4. Is it okay to paint the rims to another color? its currently blue and I just want it to be black as the bike itself is black and yellow. too many colors make it look confused (I know it may sound stupid as it only focuses on aesthetics, but is this possible? would the paint rub off or decrease the wheels' performance?)
thank you so much for your time! any other suggestions/advises are most welcome! thank you!
I've been having thoughts and questions about my bike, on upgrades, limitations, etc. and since I can't find concrete answers online, I thought I'd try asking on a forum. I'm new here so I apologize if I'm doing anything wrong (i.e asking questions already answered, wrong section, etc) please take it easy on me and I hope you guys can help answer my questions!
First off, I got into cycling but as I have budget limitations (I'm a student - one that isn't rich or something), my bike was just handed down to me from my uncle when he got a new bike. My bike is an old (not sure how old) Trek Vintage Steel bike with some Livestrong liveries on it. It's fitted with a shimano 105 groupset (the older variant) and ultegra wheels (older ones too, I'm assuming). Apart from road riding, I've used this bike in triathlons. I love the bike and all but can't help but feel like I can squeeze some more power out of what I have right now, without buying a new bike altogether. Given that, here are my questions. I hope it's not too much to ask
1. What are the most cost efficient upgrades that I can do without leaving a hole in my pocket?
2. is it possible to fit a more modern carbon fork into these vintage bikes? I know it would entail changing the stem and bar, but would there be a significant difference to justify the cost?
3. Is it possible to change the brake/shifter levers into a brand apart from shimano? ( you know, cause its cheaper and all)
4. Is it okay to paint the rims to another color? its currently blue and I just want it to be black as the bike itself is black and yellow. too many colors make it look confused (I know it may sound stupid as it only focuses on aesthetics, but is this possible? would the paint rub off or decrease the wheels' performance?)
thank you so much for your time! any other suggestions/advises are most welcome! thank you!
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Comments
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Your bike sounds great!
You can change the fork, but it won't make that much difference. If you want a more comfy ride, get bigger tyres and run them at lower pressure. Why do you want to change your levers?
As for the wheels, I've never seen this done but something tells me it would look awful. You could spend the money you have available on some wheels and tyres that might well be better than what you have now, and this might be the best use of the money.0 -
Your bike sounds very decent. You'd have to spend a lot of money on it to be able to feel any improvement.
Have you got decent tyres ? I low the gp4000s.
I wouldn't paint the rims. You can't see them when youre riding.
And when you're not riding - WHY AREN'T YOU RIDING ???0
