How can I make my Felt better?

Apeman14

Looking for a bit of advice - I've just bought a Felt f95 having converted from hybrid to road biking. I'm enjoying it so far (except the crap British weather preventing me from getting out as much as I want) and have read various topics on forums about improving the bike. I'm no Wiggins or Frome but want to get the best out of my weekend rides. I don't want to spend a fortune (whoever does?) so don't want ridiculously expensive wheels or gear sets. I'm thinking of practical stuff like tyres, saddles, pedals and the like.
Any tips/advice would be appreciated

imposter2.0

Easiest way to get the best out of your weekend rides is to improve your fitness...but I'm sure some other people will be along in a minute to suggest 'practical' stuff, if that's what you want. If you have just started road biking, then just ride it for several hundred miles first, and you will begin to get your own feeling on what you like about it and what you don't...

Anonymous

First of all make sure it is set up as well as possible (seat/bar height/position etc.) and review that constantly as you get used to the bike.

You should have some idea quite quickly if the saddle needs changing. Guessing you spent hours in the saddle on the hybrid so that should be easy to sort out.
Get some decent bib shorts for longer rides once you have sorted the saddle.

Get some decent clip in shoes/pedals if you do not already have them.

I always upgrade tyres and brake pads on a new bike, but as its winter and you have used the stock tyres maybe wait until the spring/summer now if you are happy with grip and stopping power.
Tyres are your contact with the road though. So it always pays to have very decent ones in my book.

Only other thing I would upgrade is the wheels at some point, but don't bother unless you have a desire to.

iron-clover

Mudguards will help you to enjoy more of the British weather

Then there's the standard responses- making sure the position is reasonable, lighter wheels/ tyres and putting more time in on the bike.
However, if you've only just started you'll find you'll be able to increase your fitness pretty quickly so I'd just stick with the sturdy/ cheap tyres and wheels over winter and let your body do the 'upgrading' for now. In the new season if you start reaching the end of your fitness curve (we all reach a point where it takes proper training to get better) then you'll appreciate component upgrades.

For the time being, focus on getting out and riding, so mudguards, comfy clothes, decent lights etc.

Have fun!

EDIT: If you haven't already got clipless shoes/ pedals, I would highly recommend them- they are an instant upgrade that makes the experience so much more enjoyable. you can gain far more control and never have to worry about feet slipping off pedals. MTB style shoes can also be walked around in fairly easily too and good for longer hops through town on the hybrid so I'd go for the mtb style shoes/ cleats to begin with- and NEVER put mtb style cleats on a road shoe!

Apeman14

Thanks for the tips so far - much appreciated. I will definitely be going for the clip in shoes (Xmas is round the corner so they will be on my list....!), and from speaking to other cyclists they should improve my ride no end. I've read on other forums that the FELTF95 saddle could be better, but I've nothing to compare it too really, but I'm thinking that the combination of shoes to improve the ride and a new saddle to make me a bit more comfortable whilst doing it, could be a great place to start my upgrading journey.
Can anyone offer any good saddle choices (any where to get them)?
Thanks again, I'm constantly surprised by the amount of time and effort (us) cyclists will put in to help others. Keep it coming!

craigus89

Bike fit is probably the most efficient use of your money. Many people don't though as it's a couple of hundred quid and nothing to show for it. But it arguably, makes the most difference to your enjoyment, comfort and performance.

imposter2.0

Saddle recommendations don't really count for much unfortunately, as everyone has their own idea of what makes a good saddle.

As above though, if you're determined to spend on something, then spend it on a bike fit.

arlowood

Apeman14 wrote:

Can anyone offer any good saddle choices (any where to get them)?

Agree with Imposter that saddles are such a personal thing that you need to sort out what suits you best by trial and error unfortunately. However there are a couple of approaches that might make the search less damaging to your wallet.

Firstly you could look at the lower end of the market where the cost of the saddle is reasonable so you won't loose a great deal if it doesn't suit you and you can easily sell it on as "nearly new" and recoup a fair bit of your initial outlay. Well regarded saddles in this category are the Charge Spoon

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/charge-spoon-sa ... omo-rails/

Madison Prime:-

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Madison-Prime-R ... wgoduaUA1g

and the RSP Pro by Raleigh

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.RSP-Pro-Race-Sa ... wwodhpYAhw

At the higher end of the market I would suggest searching out one of the Specialized Concept Stores or one of their dealer outlets. Specialized offer a 30 day "satisfaction guarantee" on their body geometry saddles so if what you try first is no good , you can get a full credit against another Spesh saddle if you return it in good condition within 30 days. See below:-

http://www.specializedconceptstore.co.u ... guaranteed

Hope this helps

ai_1

As Imposter said, saddle recommendations aren't that useful. Ignore comments telling you your saddle isn't comfortable - how do they know? They're not in a position to tell unless they have the same ass/anatomy, weight and position as you. If you're comfortable, no need to change. If you're reasonably comfortable but think it could be better then consider trying some trial saddles of similar design when you get the chance. Some LHSs will let you try out a test saddle for a couple of weeks, usually free of charge with just a deposit in case you nick it. Don't start buying blindly based on other peoples recommendations. If you're getting numbness or pain then don't just endure it - try different types of design, i.e. different shapes (some are flat some are curved in different ways), try some with cut-outs or try non-conventional saddles like the Adamo ISM range.

If you got your bike in a local shop they should have done a basic bike fit when you bought the bike. If you bought online, they just didn't bother or you think they made a mess of it then it's worth making sure your set-up is good. If you spend a bit of time researching it you can come up with a pretty good bike fit on your own but if you want to save yourself the effort and be pretty confident in the outcome you can get a fit done professionally.

I would endorse the idea of getting clipless pedals and cycling shoes. This makes a bigger difference than any other change to your bike in my opinion. For me, it improved comfort, control, performance and therefore enjoyment of cycling significantly.

Tjgoodhew

Another agreeing with ignore the saddle comments. the most comfortable saddle i have ever had was the stock cannondale saddle that came with my Caad8. Saddles costing 4 or 5 times as much just didnt work for me.

I would also say the pedals and shoes are probably your first point of call. Get a decent pair of shoes - avoid a budget pair and go for something with a stiff sole and a ratchet fastening.

Apart form that the best bang for buck upgrade is tyres - especially on a lower spec bike as usually the tyres are cheap and heavy without a huge amount of puncture resistance.