Few queries

mills2510

I am still relatively new to cycling Ive had my bike around 7/8 months now and do roughly 50/60 mile runs on a weekend. Im doing my first organised run in a few weeks time. The next step is to try a triathlon- gulp.

I have a Whyte Dorset atm- Can I upgrade it any way shape or form to increase performance? Start with cheap first as I know its not the best bike out there but it does me for what I do. I would like to know about how to perhaps increase performance such as gears etc?
Bike is currently standard in every form.
So any hints on how to improve performance would be greatly appreciated!

Secondly is bike kit!
I have some shorts that are OK and do the job and a jersey that was my Dad's but it does not fit him anymore but I am looking to get some newer things. However I am staggered by the cost of the jerseys and shorts. Does price mean better quality?
Also whats the benefit of the 'bib shorts' vs shorts? I can't really see any but if someone has input it would be great.

jlloyd

Hi there,

Not familiar with your bike, but usually the most noticable (and cost effective) upgrade would be tyres.

In terms of kit - Decathlon are good value/quality, or there's the DHB range at Wiggle. Or you could look at second hand kit on ebay.

HTH

davesnothere

For kit try http://www.aliexpress.com

Jerseys typically 10-15 quid. If you go for those sellers with a decent review then in my experience they are usually pretty good. I've bought half a dozen jerseys from various sellers, 4 really excellent quality, 1 good and 1 a little disappointing but still perfectly wearable.

Mad_Malx

Tyres then wheels are best bang for buck, and you can always keep them if you upgrade the whole bike or use the old wheels for winter. No idea about your bike, you can easily save 0.5kg or more, and improve feel of the ride. Mavic Aksiums or Fulcrum quattros are common wheel recommendations at about £150-200, lots of opinions for and against, and other recommendations. Spending much less you won't see too much difference from basic original kit, unless you spot a bargain. Sometimes possible to pick up almost unused good wheels on Gum-bay, but only go for very lightly used ones from a source that looks ok. Other easy improvement is decent brake blocks - search threads for merits of Koolstop and Swisstop. Again, divided opinions.
Most other upgrades might be nice but not going to make too much difference until you start spending bigly, unless you have specific niggles - seat comfort, gear change quality. Even bottom end gear works pretty well when adjusted properly.

Bibs are more comfy but not essential. I held out for several years but now only use standard shorts for commuting. Main advantage is no tightness around the midriff, and avoids drafts down the lower back. Disadvantage is that you look like a wrestler and your spouse/friends/children may disown you. Also not recommended if you have need to visit the bathroom urgently (Tom Dumoulin Giro 2017). Prices can be alarming, I find some cheapos work fine, but all a bit hit and miss until you spend more.

meursault

Shop around the non trendy shops for better prices on kit.

https://www.polaris-bikewear.co.uk/

http://www.planetx.co.uk/

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-10828-cycling

I have had kit from all these places, just as good as more expensive stuff. Go for classic style to look good.

Mad_Malx

Also, gearing changes would be very dependent on how you are getting on with your current setup and the type of riding you are aiming for. Are you running out of low or high gears, or do you never use some cogs? If so it may be easy and fairly cheap to swap cassette to something that suits better.
As I say above, most groupset quality is actually ok (Tiagra and 105 are probably best Shimano bang for buck, but Sora works ok), as you spend more the returns diminish. The problem is usually the engine.

Mad_Malx

Have you sorted your footwear? Clipless make the experience so much nicer. My recommendation to noobs is SPD (not SPD-SL) and a road touring shoe, so you don't have to skate off the bike. Easy to use and not expensive.
Other opinions and brands available, but they work for me.

thomasmorris

The biggest performance improvement is to yourself, more power and less weight. But you're asking about kit upgrades so we'll look there and presume you're doing all you can to improve yourself.

Performance of bike = speed over a course.

Performance limiters are:
Aerodynamic drag of rider (position and clothes)
Rolling resistance
Aerodynamic drag of bike
Weight of bike
Drive train losses

Is you want to perform, start by improving your position, lower and tucked is faster. Playing around with this is mostly free, but you may have to buy new bars and stem to get the fit dialled. Get yourself on a trainer in front of a mirror and work on getting a decent tucked position. Then get some tighter fitting jerseys, this will probably make the biggest difference in terms of 'kit upgrades'. For value for money decathlon and DHB (wiggle / chain reaction) do some great stuff. Could also look at aero road helmets...

Next, rolling resistance. Some race tyres (GP4000s) and light tubes will make big difference. Pay some attention to pressure as well. Higher pressure isn't always faster, especially on rougher UK roads, there's free speed there.

Aerodynamic drag of the bike and weight of the bike are lower concerns and depends on the type of course and speeds your likely to see. On most courses aerodynamics will be a bigger gain than weight saving. Deeper section wheels + aero profile bars.

You could save some bike weight, but unless the course is seriously hilly, it's probably not worth it. Having said that, there can be some big chunks of weight 'hidden' in stock equipment on lower spec'd bikes like seat posts and handlebars. But I'd still be getting the stuff about sorted first.

drive train... more expensive is unlikely to be measurably quicker, but you can spend some money on decent cleaning products and lubes which will a difference (if you use them!).

Many of the speed 'upgrades' do have some drawbacks, however. Getting an aero position is great, until you fail to finish because your back hurts. Aero wheels are great until you struggle to get the power out because your concentrating so hard on holding you line. Race tyres roll quickly, but you'll never make back the time lost if you puncture multiple times. For shorter courses it's easier to live with these compromises, but as the distance get longer you may start to class performance not only as speed, but as comfort and reliability too.

Bobbinogs

DavesNotHere wrote:

For kit try aliexpress.

Jerseys typically 10-15 quid. If you go for those sellers with a decent review then in my experience they are usually pretty good. I've bought half a dozen jerseys from various sellers, 4 really excellent quality, 1 good and 1 a little disappointing but still perfectly wearable.

Nope. I think most of us would say that knock off kit produced without any of the quality controls in place is something to be shunned. I like some big name brands (like Castelli), I like some big value brands (like DHB), I don't like folks fraudulently ripping them and consumers off! Get some morals.

cougie

Not all of those jerseys are ripoffs. There's plenty of designs that look original to me.

A jersey is a jersey. Not much technology in it. Cheap is fine.
Probably not a good idea to buy cheapo shorts though.

mills2510

So in short I need to get better tyres and some better kit!
Cheers for the replies.
I saw decathlon did cycling stuff, its probably going to be there stuff I get until I can afford some better clobber.

Tyres well I will have to look around for these!

chippyk

cougie wrote:

Not all of those jerseys are ripoffs. There's plenty of designs that look original to me.

A jersey is a jersey. Not much technology in it. Cheap is fine.
Probably not a good idea to buy cheapo shorts though.

If you're the same Cougie off say RW Tri forum I've a lot of time for what you say, but in this case you're talking like someone who doesn't have a clue about technical textiles. I've jerseys I've paid £2.99 for in the sale in Decathlon and ones I've bought in the Rapha sale for £45, both do the same job, but I know which ones I'd rather wear.

cougie

Could be me ;-)

I did a 100 in a £10 planet X jersey the other week. An Ironman a week later in my Club jersey. I genuinely can't tell any difference between that and my pricier kit. It's not like I could tell what top I was in without looking.

Maybe I'm just oblivious ?

chippyk

Depends Cougie, you can't compare a Rapha Merino jersey or a Castelli Gabba to a Planet X jersey, but I'll freely admit that a Rapha core jersey apart from extra pockets is largely the same as, and is not worth 3x the cost of, say a higher end Decathlon one. Where the premium brands are IMO worth it is extreme weather gear where the different technologies become apparent. But then again I'm a technology geek with a materials science background so maybe I read more into it than I should.

cougie

That's interesting. I don't understand the technical points of the Jersey.

I bought a gabba and wasn't impressed at all. Not great fit and left me shivering in a summer downpour. Had a rapha smartwool top and didn't get on with that at all. Just felt heavy and sweaty. But all of the other polyester (?) Jerseys I have feel fine. So long as the fit and the pockets are good I genuinely can't tell them apart. Even an eBay ripoff Jersey felt good.

And all of them so much better than the wool jerseys we had back in the 80s !