Upgrade help needed

Wheatabixman

Firstly let me apologise to anyone if any of this is simple or stupid I am new and looking for advice on how or what I can do to upgrade my first road bike.

I wasn't sure if I was going to stick at it so I bought a cheapish bike, now I'm looking to upgrade parts firstly the wheels of possible.

After some digging I have found out (hope this is right) what is on there originally and hope to find some advice on what I can change to.

Factory wheels fitted with 7 speed freewheel, Shimano tourney rear derailleur.

What if anything can I change these wheels to? As it seems every wheel I look at is not compatible I don't mind buying new cassette etc but if I need to start looking at group sets etc I may slump for a better bike and start from there.

Again hope all this makes sense and really appreciate any help you can give.

diamonddog

TBH in your position I would be saving up for a new bike rather than trying to upgrade a 'cheapish' bike.
Tourney is the bottom rung for Shimano so you would need to upgrade more than the cassette if you want 8/9/10 or 11 speed.
You may upgrade your wheels and not notice any difference, new bikes are always more fun.

fenix

What is the bike you have ? Might help us - but yeah 7 speed - I'd think its really a new bike if you want a big difference.

OnTheRopes

Wheatabixman wrote:

Firstly let me apologise to anyone if any of this is simple or stupid I am new and looking for advice on how or what I can do to upgrade my first road bike.

I wasn't sure if I was going to stick at it so I bought a cheapish bike, now I'm looking to upgrade parts firstly the wheels of possible.

After some digging I have found out (hope this is right) what is on there originally and hope to find some advice on what I can change to.

Factory wheels fitted with 7 speed freewheel, Shimano tourney rear derailleur.

What if anything can I change these wheels to? As it seems every wheel I look at is not compatible I don't mind buying new cassette etc but if I need to start looking at group sets etc I may slump for a better bike and start from there.

Again hope all this makes sense and really appreciate any help you can give.

You need to give a bit more info about your current bike, what make model/cost etc.
As has been said it would possibly be cheaper in the long run to buy a new bike. You could use the old bike for winter when the salt is on the road and buy a new one for spring. Just a thought.

Wheatabixman

Thanks I kind of thought that getting a new one was the best option. Any recommendations? There is a Boardman carbon at Halford going at quite a good price (even though I don't like the shop, but that's another story) http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/r ... arbon-bike

If you have any others you would recommend please feel free.

The bike I have at the moment is a viking peloton and has ridiculously high gears and being surrounded by hills where I live made me find to ride uphill quite hard!

trailflow

What's your max budget ?

Wheatabixman

Probably around £1k but could stretch for the right bike

diamonddog

Wheatabixman wrote:

Thanks I kind of thought that getting a new one was the best option. Any recommendations? There is a Boardman carbon at Halford going at quite a good price (even though I don't like the shop, but that's another story) http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/r ... arbon-bike

If you have any others you would recommend please feel free.

The bike I have at the moment is a viking peloton and has ridiculously high gears and being surrounded by hills where I live made me find to ride uphill quite hard!

That Boardman is a good bike but you may get just as good a bike with better components for the same money, if you don't mind buying online look at PX/Dolan and Ribble.

trailflow

Also check out Pauls Cycles for massive discounts

http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p0/R ... oad-Racing

diamonddog

I would be looking for Shimano 105 or SRAM Rival as a minimum drive train level with the budget you have.

trailflow

I agree with what's said above. It's not worth sinking any more money in to such a low end bike.

There are absolutely tons of bikes in the £300-£1000 range and lots of good deals around.

Try to decide what features you prefer for the type of riding you plan to do. how often do you intend to use it. And in what kind of weather.

Disc vs rim brakes
Aluminium vs carbon frame
Type of geometry - comfort/distance or race/fast geometry.
Tyre clearance - 25,28,32c (bigger is comfier)
Gearing ratio's for hills

Will it be used for leasure, commuting, racing, touring ?
Will you need mudguard mounts, rack mounts ?
Are you considering taking it off road ? would a cyclocross bike or gravel bike be more suitable ?

Also does your budget include expenses for any clothing or accessories needed. Like helmet,lights,shoes,pedals,cages,bottles,saddlebag,pump,repair kit,tools etc.

And mostly importantly make sure its the correct size. Don't assume the sizing of the Viking compares directly with other bikes as every brand/model is different.

Wheatabixman

Thanks for all your help its been much appreciated.

This will mainly be for road use, training and the odd Triathlon race im going to keep my Viking for my commute. Thanks for the heads up on Planet X & Ribble too, its good to be pointed in the right direction.

I have seen these two, slightly stretching my budget by what the hell i spend a lot of time on the back of it! What im thinking is maybe hanging on until January to get a good deal on a 2016 model. But not sure if that works or when the best time to buy would be as im not in no massive rush as i have my other.

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXRRRIV/ ... al-edition
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-sp ... rrency=GBP

Anyone spot any problems with anything like these?

diamonddog

PX don't tend to offer model year discounts but do randomly alter prices. The EC130 is a lovely looking bike and came top in a recent comparison test. I would have a good look through all their offerings with ref to geometry etc, for instance the EC130 is the same ETT, head tube length and reach as the Pro Carbon with the stack only being 3mm difference.
The Ribble link doesn't work so can't see your choice.

keef66

2016 models tend to be discounted any time from August onwards, so if you wait till January you may have a lot less to choose from...

Most important thing is to make sure you get a bike that's the right size for you, and which you can ride in comfort.

Wheatabixman

I ended up going for a pro carbon from Planet X they had a great deal on that one, had the same group set as the earlier one I was looking at and was looking to buy a new helmet and the deal throws one of them in so I'm happy

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/ZX299PCB/f ... ike-bundle

Seriously I can't thank you all enough for you help and advice, thank you so much.

You have made another happy rider

diamonddog

One of my bikes is a Pro Carbon with SRAM Rival and it has been a great bike, never had a problem with it and I still ride it regularly. You should get a lot of fun out of your new bike, enjoy it.

OnTheRopes

Wheatabixman wrote:

I ended up going for a pro carbon from Planet X they had a great deal on that one, had the same group set as the earlier one I was looking at and was looking to buy a new helmet and the deal throws one of them in so I'm happy

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/ZX299PCB/f ... ike-bundle

Seriously I can't thank you all enough for you help and advice, thank you so much.

You have made another happy rider

Cool you will enjoy it, try not to let the salt on the roads over winter wreck it. If you do use it then you need to wash it off immediately after use, just a quick wash down and hose off then fry the chain with a rag and re lube when fully dry. It will save a lot. Netter to use the old bike when salt on the road though

hsiaolc

Wheatabixman wrote:

Firstly let me apologise to anyone if any of this is simple or stupid I am new and looking for advice on how or what I can do to upgrade my first road bike.

I wasn't sure if I was going to stick at it so I bought a cheapish bike, now I'm looking to upgrade parts firstly the wheels of possible.

After some digging I have found out (hope this is right) what is on there originally and hope to find some advice on what I can change to.

Factory wheels fitted with 7 speed freewheel, Shimano tourney rear derailleur.

What if anything can I change these wheels to? As it seems every wheel I look at is not compatible I don't mind buying new cassette etc but if I need to start looking at group sets etc I may slump for a better bike and start from there.

Again hope all this makes sense and really appreciate any help you can give.

I say save your money and then upgrade to a whole new bike later once you've saved enough. Because are you ride more hopefully you know what kind of bikes that suits you more and you can go get the one that it really fits you.