HELP

Janiemac123

Hi I'm new to this. Asking for help regarding a trek 1000 road bike. Bought this second hand to see how I would get on with road biking. I love it. Now wanting a new bike thinking of buying a carerrs zelos. Can anyone offer advice please

imposter2.0

I would hang on to your Trek until you've got a bit more budget.

Bobbinogs

I cannot see what on earth the Carrera offers over the Trek. What are you hoping to improve upon given the Trek's performance? Bear in mind that if you are new to this then the biggest improvement to come will be as a result of you riding a bike, not a particular bike.

Cycling can get very expensive but once you have bought a good selection of kit that works for you then you don't really need to spend much more. Have you got decent shorts, gloves, bselayers, etc???

Janiemac123

Thanks guys for replying. Husband says I'm being a snob wanting a shiny new bike !! Yes got all base layers and gloves etc. There is a Pendleton in halfords for not much more than the zelos. My trek bike goes, just looks a tad old possibly like me

ForumNewbie

Janiemac123 wrote:

Thanks guys for replying. Husband says I'm being a snob wanting a shiny new bike !! Yes got all base layers and gloves etc. There is a Pendleton in halfords for not much more than the zelos. My trek bike goes, just looks a tad old possibly like me

Nothing wrong with wanting a shiny new bike, but it would be better to buy, or save up to buy, a new better bike as regards performance and comfort, than your Trek.

Janiemac123

So therefore what do I buy ?? Not into spending thousands just in case I give up !! All advice is welcome cheers

imposter2.0

Janiemac123 wrote:

So therefore what do I buy ?? Not into spending thousands just in case I give up !! All advice is welcome cheers

I think you've answered your own question. Ride the Trek, enjoy riding it and review the question again in six months.

Janiemac123

Imposter. This doesn't really help. Lol.

nuclearred955

I'm afraid I agree with Imposter. If you're still broadly undecided about this whole cycling lark, buying a new bike that is inferior to the one you already own will only disappoint and discourage you.

And yes - give it a while. If you're still riding and enjoying it in 6 months, when the weather has turned a whole lot more crap than it is now, you'll probably feel happier about spending a bit more money on something that's a genuine step up. And you don't need to spend thousands to buy a very good bike.

milemuncher1

Remember to budget for the biggest shiniest stickers you can find. A big shiny sticker or two, on the frame is going to make the bike worth loads, and make it better. Why on earth would you go for a 'lesser' brand bike, with a better group set, and very acceptable finishing, when you could spend twice as much, get less good running gear, and ( most importantly) a big shiny 'big brand' sticker or two. But seriously, forget the bike / brand snobs. Go and see if you can beg borrow or steal any bikes you like the look of, and have a good ride of them, then decide which is best for you. Don't discount any bikes that 'Terry the water cooler expert' tries to tell you are not as good as ( insert relatively cheaply clad 'sticker' bike), just because they like shiny stickers. There are some very good bikes, which cost substantially less than the 'branded' equivalent ( which often have a lower spec, which is the important bit).

ForumNewbie

Rather than buy a new bike at this stage, you could just do some simple upgrades to the Trek to make it feel like new. I'm just thinking new and better tyres, new saddle and fresh bar tape for example.

meesterbond

Milemuncher1 wrote:

There are some very good bikes, which cost substantially less than the 'branded' equivalent ( which often have a lower spec, which is the important bit).

Since when was the spec the important bit? A rubbish frame dripping with eTap and Enve will still be a rubbish bike. The frame is the key to the whole package.
Having all the specs and info on the web is great but it does drive people down the route of comparing what can be directly compared online i.e. groupset and to a certain extent wheels and ignoring what can't i.e. the frame.

Just for clarity, I'm not saying the Carrera is rubbish, I don't think anyone here is, it's just that it's really not a step up from what the OP is currently riding.

keef66

Janiemac123 wrote:

So therefore what do I buy ?? Not into spending thousands just in case I give up !! All advice is welcome cheers

If you could give us an idea of what you are prepared to spend it would help a bit.

Does your Trek fit you properly? Is there anything about it you're not happy with? If yes and no respectively, and you're talking of spending only £2-300, then your best option really is is to tart up the bike you have.

If you have say £500 to spend, you can get a new, reasonably well specced alu framed bike. Or with a bit of knowledge / help, pick up a second hand bargain.

Janiemac123

Thanks for all these replies. This bike malarkey is a real mine field. The trouble is I know nothing about it.
I just know I am enjoy my bike just now. Yes I could spend £500 to get the shiny new bike but it just seems a lot of money. I washed my bike and tbh it comes up well ! The only bit I don't like is the taping round the handlebars so maybe I should change that. Would like to be faster but I can't change my wee legs !!! Thanks for help maybe best to hang onto trek just now or until I see a great bargain.

Bobbinogs

When I bought a bike for my wife (2nd hand Spesh Dolce, which seems to have been an ideal choice and it cost less than £300) it was spruced up with a few cheap colour matched components inc. a new bottle, a purple anodised bottle cage and some nice cheery purple bar tape. Took me about 10 minutes to apply all the bits but it made a big difference to the overall look (at least in her eyes).

daniel_b

A Trek 1000 is a very good bike indeed, I bought one new in 2006 for my gf, it was a 2005 model, and I landed it for £300.

The wheels were rubbish, and needed replacing, but as it was a budget bike I just popped on a £60 pair of Shimano R500's and it was fine.
She now has a new bike, but sold it to my cousin who loves it - great looking bike imho, Tiagra 9spd IIRC, and carbon fork, surprisingly light - oh and we changed the saddle.

£500 won't get you anything 'too' amazing and beyond the Trek imho, I would be inclined to see if you really get the bug this summer (Which will determine what you are prepared to spend), and then look for a sale bargain in the new year.

And re the post above, as this Trek is silver and blue predominantly, I found some lovely blue handlebar tape, and some blue tyres, made it look a LOT nicer.

kingrollo

You really need something with electronic shifting. Anything less and you're not a proper cyclist.

Janiemac123

To bobinogs. What a thoughtful husband you are !!
Daniel b. Yes I've been told my bike is quite a good one already and I only paid £80 for it.
I will try the new handlebar tape not sure it will make me any faster but I can live in hope. Ta.

Janiemac123

Kingrollo. What on earth is that. Likening the sound of it electronic. Do I push a button. Lol

keef66

Janiemac123 wrote:

Kingrollo. What on earth is that. Likening the sound of it electronic. Do I push a button. Lol

You do indeed get buttons to push. The first thing you'll notice however is that you've suddenly gone overdrawn

Janiemac123

Thanks. But how do you know my bank balance. Lol.

ForumNewbie

Janiemac123 wrote:

Kingrollo. What on earth is that. Likening the sound of it electronic. Do I push a button. Lol

Hi Janiemac123, I think he was joking. Electronic shifting may be an upgrade too far - it moves the gears at the push of a button rather than manually moving to different gears by the shifters pulling cables. About £2K upwards should get you a bike with electronic shifting - that's one reason I've never bothered.

alexgeorge

i have a trek 1000 and will be doing ride London 100 on it .not by choice i must admit my new bike broke but the trek is a good solid bike.

DBPDX

Just buy something 2nd hand. I know most on here are from UK and im from America, but i bought my sister a 2012 Trek Lexa for $350 (266 in GBP), and when she didnt ride it as much as i expected, i sold it again for $600 (450 GBP)