New bike

isotonik

I have a new bike.
A Bianchi Via Nirone 7 from Merlin cycles (£550)

It has sora groupset, however

I want to upgrade the wheels, brakes and tyres.

I read in a review that the frame is exceptional and has been used in the paris roubaix but with super record.

I have just some questions, are water bottle cages universal size?
What would be good upgrades?
Are the brakes ok but good idea to go with cartridge pads and if so will any fit?
any input appreciated.
I am 17st

keef66

I've never understood why people buy a bike then immediately replace half of it. Wouldn't that money have bought you a better bike in the first place??

Why not just ride the thing as it is, and replace things as they wear out?

gt8374uh9jiodpo

I agree with the above, doesnt make a great deal of sense compared to buying a better one in the first place.

Now putting that aside, in general I can see some logic in replacing the brakes and tyres. But i cannot see any logic in replacing the wheels. What benefit do you expect to get from doing that?

How far have you ridden it to date?

daniel_b

The only bike in recent times I replaced nout on, was the one I built from parts, and even that I ended up changing the saddle, stem and seatpost in a year or two :-)

Tyres are quite often not the best on brand new bikes, so I can see the benefit in that.

My changes on bikes i buy tend to be bars and stem, which I am pretty fussy about, but that's a very personal thing.

If you are a relative newbie (?) I'd be inclined to get to know the bike first, and certain bits that could increase your enjoyment of riding, may just show themselves as the miles tick by.

If it's a bike you plan to hang onto for a while, then wheels would make a decent upgrade, and assuming you are not buying a winter bike, then the old wheels would have a ready usage, or for turbo use even.

Yes all cages are pretty much designed to fit any mounting points on bikes - they have a fair bit of adjustability.

joe_totale-2

Tyres can make a big difference on a bike, I imagine it's come with some cheap, heavy wirebead jobbies. A switch to something like GP 4000's which aren't too expensive would help performance.

I'd also recommend a switch to better brake blocks given the rider's weight. The Shimano cartridge ones are of a pretty good quality, aren't too expensive and would help the rider with building confidence in their braking.

Given the rider's weight they're going to struggle to find wheels that'll be suitable for them outside of ones from a wheelbuilder. I'd spend some good time riding the bike first, getting to know it. If they do that the weight will drop and maybe then they can look at wheels.

isotonik

Well, I bought this particular bike as it's the best I can afford atm.

On the review they say the tyres are naff when the sky opens up.
so that is one thing I will save towards.

Also I want learn and be able to fix/change/swap parts myself.
I have also bought the BBB 4th edition.

keef66

isotonik wrote:

Well, I bought this particular bike as it's the best I can afford atm.

On the review they say the tyres are naff when the sky opens up.
so that is one thing I will save towards.

Also I want learn and be able to fix/change/swap parts myself.
I have also bought the BBB 4th edition.

If it was the best you could afford, don't waste money on replacing functional stuff. When you've worn the (cheap, heavy wire bead) tyres out, then you can replace them with some lighter, grippier folding ones.

Wait and see how the wheels bear up; you may be pleasantly surprised. I have budget wheels over 10 years old and still going. Just keep them true and service / replace the bearings when needed. BBB is a good start but don't forget the internet / Youtube as a resource for learning spannering too.

chris_bass

Personally i'd upgrade things only when they need replacing - ride the wheels it currently has, new tyres will probably make a bit of a difference but again i'd wait until the ones it comes with need replacing.

step83

Ill only echo the above but ride it first an see, brake pads need a few miles to bed in. Wheels are likely fine if not someone like the CycleClinic is a good shout I know he does higher spoke count wheels for heavier riders and touring though I would imagine a 28 spoke front an rear would do the job.

Same with tyres, my first bike came with what I assumed were horrible wired tyres, they are wired but actually pretty solid. Same with the wheels now I think about it, will never set the world alight with speed but dependable.

Lastly cages, pretty much universal just fine some simple ones that look alright, they are all personal preference I prefer side loaders but I'm lazy.

daniel_b

If it's the best you an afford, then wheels is probably the last thing you can realistically upgrade, as anything worthwhile will likely be 80% or so of the cost of your entire bike.

As mentioned, GP4000's and even 5000's at Mantel are around £30 a pop.

Good shout on budget wheels Keef, I have some R500\WHR550 Shimano wheels which used to be specced on a lot of new bikes, and they refuse to die or even go out of true. The Terminator of wheels.

yiannism

Lower end Bianchis are coming with the awful reparto corsa brakes, its the 1st that i would change on that bike. Other than that, V7, is a lovely but heavy frame. I agree about the tires.

navrig2

I would agree with Yiannis. If the brakes are rubbish. Replace them as they may be needed to keep you safe otherwise let things wear out then replace. You'll be surprised how long the budget wheels last and you will be disappointed how much a new set of wheel offer in the way of benefit.

The most benefit is going to come from your cycle fitness improvement.

Remember some tosser said, "It's not about the bike".

shiznit76

Stick new set of tyres on it and replace parts as needed. The bianchi own brakes are fine. Wheels are worth using till need changed or at least with good few miles on them. There is no rush to change, saving a few grams isn't going to make the difference of night and day you may be thinking. Enjoy your bike, new tyres will make it a bit more reassuring on the rods. Just change the brake pads for extra stopping, that will suffice for now

isotonik

thanks all for the replies, I guess the main thing is to have a safe bike, that's my aim

haydenm

Navrig2 wrote:

you will be disappointed how much a new set of wheel offer in the way of benefit.

Personally I disagree but I can see why you wouldn't change them immediately. I swapped the stock wheels from my Supersix to Primes (plus some GP4000s) when they were cheap after about 8 months and changed the bike completely for me. Still run the primes on my nice bike now, the stock wheels will be going back on the supersix for the OH though, admittedly they are perfectly functional and I was running dreadful tyres on them.

Tyres and brakes sound sensible to change to start

OnTheRopes

Well, my view would be to replace the wheels if you want to and save the old wheels for winter riding when the salt is on the road

Alejandrosdog

Enjoy riding it, everyone has opinions on what’s good or bad and until you settle on what you like you have years of costly faffing in front of you.

I still remember my first race in Belgium, I got dropped very quickly and most riders were on “rubbish kit”. Much of it looked like it had been down the road a few times to.

Beware the marketing guff and fear of loss. If you must spend money spend it on making yourself better first.

crescent

I can only echo the general spirit of the above comments - find what you like and don't like about the bike and change it as required, that way you will get a better feel and appreciation of each upgrade rather than just changing things for the sake of it. For what it's worth, I have an aluminium Bianchi (Impulso) and the stock tyres were rubbish (Vredestein) - they both blew out after a few hundred miles so changing them was a no-brainer and the decision was made for me. It has a Veloce groupset but the brakes are Reparto Corse and I have had no issues with them. The blocks (Shimano fit, not Campagnolo) have been changed when they wear out but the stopping abilities have been absolutely fine throughout. The bike is about five years old and apart from normal consumables (brakes, cables, tyres etc) the only thing I have changed are the wheels after a couple of years - upgraded the standard Reparto Corse to Campagnolo Scirrocco 35s.
Apologies for the presumption, but you mentioned your weight is 17stone, are you cyling to lose weight? If so, then that will be more benefit to your overall performance than shedding a few grammes from components. If that is your goal then why not set a target and reward yourself with an upgrade when you meet it. Enjoy it, whatever you decide 8)