Going round in circles choosing bike! Also hi!

[djondjayvadas]

Hello there,

I've been getting a bit more into biking recently since I realised it wasn't beyond the realms of human accomplishment to do a 33 mile round trip to work.

I mean the first few times I nearly died but I've got the hang of it now.

I currently ride a 2008 raleigh airlite which was a bargain brand new from a friend at 150 when I bought it, but I was a bit worried by the bike radar review which said the gear ratio would be very hard for beginners on hills. And that was no lie.

My main goal at the moment is either something with better/wider gear ratio, or stepping up to three rings.

However! The path of choosing has took me through many bikes, I'm on the cycle to work scheme with NHS so I've got a budget of 50-1000 pounds - which is obviously quite a range.

I was set on a carbon bike until I read an article saying basically, I was going to save 6 seconds on a 20 minute steep hill all things being equal. So then I realised I'm not good enough for a carbon bike.

Then I thought, why don't I just get a carrera subway? But I don't think that will be -quite- fast enough.

I'm thinking at the moment of a midrange racer, something like a Giant defy 2/3, or a Scott S50.

But I'm wondering now whether even those are going to give me that greater gains over something like a subway.

My time for one way on the commute is about 1h 22 at the moment, with an average speed of 13 mph.

So in summary:

33 mile round trip
Averagely athletic
Hilly ride
Any price between 50-1000 fine, but concious that 1000 is a lot of money, so I want to see quite large gains over what a bike nearer the top end would give me compared to a lower end, given the above specs.

Help!

Thanks in advance and hello

 

[djondjayvadas]

To show how much of a newb I am, I don't have a track pump and getting my bike into be serviced with new tyres and getting my 2nd ring back in action I think is going to give me some real boosts on my next commute.

So go easy!

 

[HLaB]

Hiya,

What size of cassette are you using on the rear of the raleigh? putting on a bigger cassette is usually the best and cheapest thing to consider first.

Drops (giant defy) verses flat bar (subway) for a 33mile run; no question in my mind, drop bars every time not to mention the other benefits.

 

[djondjayvadas]

Yeah I think you're right on the drops.

Is this what we mean by cassette...?

'
The front centres’ distance (bottom bracket to front hub) is reasonable even on this middling-to-small frame, so you’re unlikely to get toe overlap unless you’ve got big feet for your height. Raleigh even include rack mounts – not that you’ll be carrying much, given the 52/42 chainset fitted.
Such racing doubles belong on dedicated racing bikes, where it’s an advantage to have plenty of high gears close together. For a do-it-all starter road bike, you want a spread of easier gears.
The only concession the Airlite makes in that direction is a cassette that goes up to 25 teeth. A better gearing option would be a 52/42/30 triple, which is also available as part of Shimano’s 2200 groupset, or for a compact double.'


I hadn't thought about just changing the cassette on the existing one actually. Because aside from the knackering on hills, I find it quite good fun to ride. Is that er, cheap and possible?



The new tyres I just had fitted seem awesome too.

Here's the full review:

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/road/product/airlite-200-09-12197

 

[Downward]

Why not just change the chainset to a compact 34t, 50t . Unless your up some serious hills then the triple but this depends if your bikes gear levers allow for a triple.

The Airlite is 11.46kgs but spending £750 on a new bike will get you a 10kg bike so maybe see how much for some new wheels and see if that saves you any weight.

1.5kg though is what 1 and a half bags of sugar which is nothing really.

 

[djondjayvadas]

I think replacing the chainset might be the way forwards here!

 

[HLaB]

Yeah I think you're right on the drops.

Is this what we mean by cassette...?

'
The only concession the Airlite makes in that direction is a cassette that goes up to 25 teeth.'


I hadn't thought about just changing the cassette on the existing one actually. Because aside from the knackering on hills, I find it quite good fun to ride. Is that er, cheap and possible?

Yip, its very cheap and easy, basically the bigger the cassette more teeth the lower the gearing is the better for hills.
From that it looks like the largest you could go at the moment is the 25 teeth. If you were to spend a little more money you could probably change the gage length and get an even bigger cassette.

Slightly more costly is what Downwards suggests, change it to a compact or you can do both, cheaper than a new bike, especially if you like the ride.

 

[djondjayvadas]

Oh my poor bikey. I gave him a clean today as bike shop boys gave me a hard time about the state of it.

I've scrubbed plenty of light rust of the chain and front ring, but I'm wondering but the front ring does look like its seen better days, wondering whether I should get that changed at the same time?

 

[marinyork]

Oh my poor bikey. I gave him a clean today as bike shop boys gave me a hard time about the state of it.

I've scrubbed plenty of light rust of the chain and front ring, but I'm wondering but the front ring does look like its seen better days, wondering whether I should get that changed at the same time?

Wouldn't worry too much. btw. A better bike would help but 33 miles is quite a long commute, you sound like you're doing perfectly all right.

If you want to judge the gears and what might suit you tell us a bit about which sort of gears you currently use and how many teeth at the front/rear they have.

 

[djondjayvadas]

52/42 at the front, 25 at the back.

I spend most of my time in 1st gear (60% - in fact, I spend most of my time desperately hitting my gear lever wishing it had another couple of steps down ;D), once I hit a slightly flatter A-road I tend to cost down to 3/4, then hi 10> just on steep down hills.

 

[marinyork]

Hmmm, bottom gear is a bit high at about 45 gear inches but not the end of the world. Depends how you're built really whether you're massacring yourself along on gears that don't suit you. I think you should probably cut yourself a bit of slack and think you're doing pretty well on a long commute. Your bike is nice and light really so I'd go and do what downward says. You really need a 39/36/34T on the front I guess. A 28 on the back would get you down to about 40 inches.

 

[marinyork]

What's your typical cruise speed when in 1st gear? I ask because 13.5mph in this gear is somewhere round 100rpm for it. So if you're doing something close to this this is very healthy which is why you might get away with a compact double 34 or 36. If it is some much lower speed you might need a rethink.

 

[djondjayvadas]

It's probably about 11/12 at the moment.

 

[marinyork]

Seems fairly healthy then . I'd say that means you need minor tweaks such as a 36T or 34T and not beat yourself up about doing well on a demanding commute. I couldn't do 13mph on a 16 mile commute whatever gears I had.

 

[Yellow Fang]

I agree about getting a compact chainset. A 50/36 or 50/34 would make a big difference. It's cheaper than getting a triple chainset too. That could require changing the rear derailleur and the bottom bracket. You wouldn't use the granny ring very often anyway.