hi a total newbie but a few questions
dazaster
Posts: 3
ive just got this bike http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165710 and before i get the "its crap etc etc" 
its only so i can try the sport of duathons, my plans if i enjoy it and want to take it more serious would be looking to get a better bike in a year or so. ive seen very average review with the tyres and punctures. am i correct in thinking upgrading the tyres to "all condition armadillo 700c road tyre" would be a good move to limit the chance of a puncture? or is they a better tyre? and as the tyres on now are 700 23c sized, and would i get a 700 28c tyre on the same rim? or would i need a new wheel? and as ive not used clipped pedals before could you recommend a decent cheap pedal if i need to change them..
its only so i can try the sport of duathons, my plans if i enjoy it and want to take it more serious would be looking to get a better bike in a year or so. ive seen very average review with the tyres and punctures. am i correct in thinking upgrading the tyres to "all condition armadillo 700c road tyre" would be a good move to limit the chance of a puncture? or is they a better tyre? and as the tyres on now are 700 23c sized, and would i get a 700 28c tyre on the same rim? or would i need a new wheel? and as ive not used clipped pedals before could you recommend a decent cheap pedal if i need to change them.. 0
Comments
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It's not a terrible bike and you've got the right idea about changing the tyres first.
Flats are something you deal with so I wouldn't worry too much just have a repair kit and spare tube. I would personally recommend Continental 4 Seasons as a good all round tyre.
700c is the wheel size and 23 is the width of the tyre. If you can fit wider depends less on the rim and more on clearance under your brakes and chain stays etc. you'll probably be able to fit 25mm.
Do you mean clipped or clipless? Personally I would recommend getting some M520 pedals and suitable shoes such as M088.
Oh and stop all that running lark; don't you know it's really bad for you
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Its not a shit bike as such its just most of us ride full carbon race bikes and it miles away and we merely label them but we all started with something like it.
Firstly, my opinion is that a puncture is a puncture your going to get one at some point depending on how often you ride, i ride about 5-6 times a week and on average id say i punctures once ever 2 months, no matter what tyre you use if you run over some broken glass it will most likely puncture. Personally i run Schwalbe Lugano in the winter and this weekend in fact i changed to some slicker Continental summer tyres.
You many be able to push to 28mm tyres depending on how wide your callipers are (whether they can accommodate a wider tyre) for what ever reason you want wider tyres id stick with 25mm at the widest. the less tyre on the road the less likely a puncture is.
As far as pedals go your best bet is sticking with some basic shimano pedals such as the Shimano r540, they are pretty bomb proof and be good enough until you understand why people buy speedplays and Looks for example. most importantly they will get you used to clicking in and out. You will need to get some shoes to go with them however i wont recomened anything as i don't know the shape of your foot
so get down to Halfords on that one. 0 -
wellbeloved747 wrote:As far as pedals go your best bet is sticking with some basic shimano pedals such as the Shimano r540, they are pretty bomb proof and be good enough until you understand why people buy speedplays and Looks for example
At this stage it's important for the OP to know there are different types of pedals, apart from flat pedals there are two types which shimano do, with confusing names
SPD: Often called mountain bike, but this is just a marketing category - there isn't anything about them which makes them MTB'ish. These have a 2 bolt cleat which is recessed into the shoe. Advantages are that you can walk easily in the shoes as the cleat is recessed and you have proper grip on the soles. You can also get double sided pedals so easy to clip into. Disadvantage is the smaller contact area with the pedal.
SPD-SL: Often called road pedals. Uses a three bolt cleat and has the advantage of a wider contact area with the shoe so it's a bit more efficient and nicer over long rides. Disadvantage is the cleat goes on the bottom of the shoe and sticks out, so difficult to walk in, also the pedals are only one sided.
Personally I ride SPD as the advantages in walking outweigh the drawbacks but it's your call!0 -
I would just add that punctures for newbies also tend to happen more often as they do not keep their tyres inflated high enough. A £12 track pump is a good investment as well as going on somewhere like Wiggle and getting some decent tyres at a reduced price.0
