Advice on buy, upgrade, stick with what I have!

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Nkuschel

Member
I’m new to forums but I want advice from people who know what they are taking about but no vested interest.

I’m 45, 84kgs. I cycle 99% on my own for fun and fitness. I do 30kms at lunch in an hour and do 50-75km rides at the weekend at about 28kph.

i have a 2006 Trek Discovery Channel bike (aluminium) with ultegra 10speed groupset and original bontrager select wheels.

If a different bike would make a significant difference then I’d like to upgrade but I’m unsure whether to upgrade components (like wheels) On my existing bike, or if I should buy a second hand bike for 700-900; or if I should use my cycle to work scheme to buy a new 1800-2000 bike.

im not going to enter races etc so would rather not put loads of cash into it unless it makes a huge difference to my enjoyment and or safety.

really interested you hear people’s views!
 
OP
OP
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Nkuschel

Member
I’m new to forums but I want advice from people who know what they are taking about but no vested interest.

I’m 45, 84kgs. I cycle 99% on my own for fun and fitness. I do 30kms at lunch in an hour and do 50-75km rides at the weekend at about 28kph.

i have a 2006 Trek Discovery Channel bike (aluminium) with ultegra 10speed groupset and original bontrager select wheels.

If a different bike would make a significant difference then I’d like to upgrade but I’m unsure whether to upgrade components (like wheels) On my existing bike, or if I should buy a second hand bike for 700-900; or if I should use my cycle to work scheme to buy a new 1800-2000 bike.

im not going to enter races etc so would rather not put loads of cash into it unless it makes a huge difference to my enjoyment and or safety.

really interested you hear people’s views!

found this as an example of something that seems good.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313155836280
 
FWIW....

I started cycling in May, with the intention of trying to do the commute to school by bike. My old bike, a Saracen Vice, was purchased from Halfords about 20 years ago, for a lot of money (£180, I seem to recall....). I had been a very sporadic cyclist before the, usually doing a couple of rides a year if I was lucky. But I stuck with it and gradually increased the distances. Getting the bike serviced, the guy told me that it wasn’t worth spending much money on it, other than basics.

Cycling friends advised me that a new bike would make all the difference - I was sceptical, as I would have thought that the presence of an overweight rider would have more effect than a lighter bike.

How wrong I was. My new bike has made a huge difference, with rides now being far more enjoyable. The hills I did before are much more manageable, and I’ve got the confidence to push things more now.

Best to get an opinion from an independent cycle repair place on whether you should upgrade components or replace, but I’ve found a huge difference in m y replacement.
 
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