quality - price - what would you notice.....

[Amac]

Slightly separate question.
My Marin hybrid has front “suspension “ (I got up sold when I bought it😳)

I don’t think it adds much other than weight, is it possible to get a carbon fork fitted?
Or Is the fork only really for the design of that frame......
It was just a thought.

 

[Blue Hills]

mm - agh the dreaded unnecessary feature-sold "upgrade" - looking on the bright side, at least you have discovered this (for yourself) quite early in your cycling career and can embrace simple quality.

Personally I avoid carbon as well

To be honest I'd be inclined to ride as is and in time replace the bike with a quality steel hybrid - keeping a lookout for a good second hand buy once the current bike panic has subsided - many second hand bikes have hardly been ridden - even if they are quite old.

there's a lot of complications in replacing a suspension fork with a solid one of any material which are beyond my simple mind. For of course you have to ensure that you maintain the riding profile of the bike.

 

[Amac]

Yes that would make sense, as I guess the fork and frame are designed work together.

 

[snorri]

A little story about cycle components and their costs.
During a tour far from home I realised that my chainring was worn and called in to a bikeshop to see what they could do. They said come back in an hour. I duly returned and was met by a glum faced cycle mechanic who told that they could not fit a direct replacement immediately. However, they could fit a replacement that would last longer and would cost less. It turned out that unknowingly to me my bike had been fitted with this more expensive component in order to save a few grammes, possibly important to those seeking high performance but rather irrelevant on a touring bike carrying all but the kitchen sink.
The moral of my story being, more expensive components may not last as long as a cheaper version made of more robust materials.

 

[MrGrumpy]

or maybe your maintenance was crap . To the OP , spend your money, you have earned it !

 

[Vantage]

Carbon fibre. If ever there was a more stupid and inappropriate material to make bike frames and forks from its that.
Avoid like the plague. Look up all the countless posts on any bike forum where someone has asked the question, "My carbon fibre fork/frame has a scratch. Is it terminal?" What then follows is a billion posts from other carbon fibre users telling you how safe it is, that it's used on F1 cars and planes (despite the fact that frames and forks are far thinner and subject to different risks) (when's the last time anyone heard of an F1 driver/pilot saying their car/plane was scratched after leaning it on a post/falling off?) If there's any doubt someone will say to get it checked at a bike shop by an expert or have it x-rayed (indeed) and that the broken fibres can be replaced by a specialist at huge cost.
Then you'll see a bunch of posts by miserable old grumpy farts like me who are opposed to anything modern after the spinning wheel who know better. Steel. Simple stuff. Lasts forever if cared for and will take a hammering without so much as a flinch.

 

[Vantage]

or maybe your maintenance was crap . To the OP , spend your money, you have earned it !

Maintenance stops wear and tear?
That I wasn't aware of.

 

[Pikey]

I’m not saying that this is right, but I’ve always bought my bikes based on their frame and forks, I felt that these are the bits that are with you for the life of the bike.
Often the big names will sell the same frame set just with a lower end groupset and wheels for quite a lot less. Then I can wear those components out whilst saving a bit for the exact parts that I want later on down the line.

 

[Blue Hills]

or maybe your maintenance was crap . To the OP , spend your money, you have earned it !

No evidence for the bad maintenance. Do 12 speed chains have shorter lives because of bad maintenance? No one is telling the OP not to spend their money, just advice on how to best spend it. Advice they nicely asked for. And advice has been nicely given.

 

[Amac]

Hi guys,
Thanks for all the different views, helps me get a wider view of things, it was more about can you change to regular forks from suspension forks for lightness.
I had only read about carbon forks being good for absorbing some of the bumps.

No surprise to you guys I guess, but giving the rear gears and super good clean, made a big improvement to the hybrid.
Thenhad the lock shop fit a new bottom bracket bearing and service the wheel hubs.
I still have one “clank” from the bottom bracket area every so often when I pedal, but over all it feels better..

 

[JPBoothy]

For my two'pennarth, when I got back into cycling a few years back, I started on a cheap mountain bike, then upgraded to a better one, then to a hybrid, then back onto a proper road bike. The difference between each step was unreal, to the point where I now hate riding the hybrid. It's heavy, clunky, uncomfortable, slow (or is that me?). One thing I would say if you go for a roadie, you sound a little like me, distance over speed, so try and go for an endurance model as I did. It's a little more relaxed, you're at more upright than with a full slammed stem road bike, but the gears and weight difference should make you feel better IMO. Re the gears, I started with 105 then moved up to Ultegra (got a bargain in a sales), the higher up the hierarchy you go, the better the shifting I feel. Whatever you decide, enjoy it, it's what it's all about.

I have been informed by a few friends over the years of how the gear changes are silky smooth and almost silent the higher up the range/spec you go but personally, I have never found the need to pay out money on anything higher up the Shimano range than Tiagra. I have been using the various versions of it now for the past 20yrs and have never had a problem at all. The thing that I like most about Tiagra is that 2yrs earlier it would actually have been branded as 105 so it can't be that bad can it? I like to keep my chains/cassettes cleaned and lubed but, another plus point for me is that when I do need a new cassette it is so cheap compared to those considered to be superior. A Tiagra cassette is currently around £20, a 105 cassette is around £35, Ultegra around £55, and DuraAce is a whopping £160.. Yes, it is nice to treat yourself to nice things occasionally but, why not spend that extra on the parts that will make you the most comfortable instead such as the frame/fork and wheels.

 

[Blue Hills]

I have been informed by a few friends over the years of how the gear changes are silky smooth and almost silent the higher up the range/spec you go but personally, I have never found the need to pay out money on anything higher up the Shimano range than Tiagra. I have been using the various versions of it now for the past 20yrs and have never had a problem at all. The thing that I like most about Tiagra is that 2yrs earlier it would actually have been branded as 105 so it can't be that bad can it? I like to keep my chains/cassettes cleaned and lubed but, another plus point for me is that when I do need a new cassette it is so cheap compared to those considered to be superior. A Tiagra cassette is currently around £20, a 105 cassette is around £35, Ultegra around £55, and DuraAce is a whopping £160.. Yes, it is nice to treat yourself to nice things occasionally but, why not spend that extra on the parts that will make you the most comfortable instead such as the frame/fork and wheels.

excellent points - for us non racers, the wondrous trickle down means I think that much current Alivio stuff is well nigh indistinguishable from Deore stuff of not too long ago. Mind you the older Alivio (my alivio crankset on my self-built tourer was slagged off as "for shopping bikes" by a riding mate) was pretty good as well.

 

[DRM]

I have been informed by a few friends over the years of how the gear changes are silky smooth and almost silent the higher up the range/spec you go but personally, I have never found the need to pay out money on anything higher up the Shimano range than Tiagra. I have been using the various versions of it now for the past 20yrs and have never had a problem at all. The thing that I like most about Tiagra is that 2yrs earlier it would actually have been branded as 105 so it can't be that bad can it? I like to keep my chains/cassettes cleaned and lubed but, another plus point for me is that when I do need a new cassette it is so cheap compared to those considered to be superior. A Tiagra cassette is currently around £20, a 105 cassette is around £35, Ultegra around £55, and DuraAce is a whopping £160.. Yes, it is nice to treat yourself to nice things occasionally but, why not spend that extra on the parts that will make you the most comfortable instead such as the frame/fork and wheels.

This is quite right, my newest bike has the latest Tiagra, or previous 105, the gear changes are silky smooth, and even smaller pro race teams may have Dura-Ace shifters and cranks on their bikes, but use Ultegra cassettes & chains to keep maintenance costs down a bit

 

[Amac]

I have been informed by a few friends over the years of how the gear changes are silky smooth and almost silent the higher up the range/spec you go but personally, I have never found the need to pay out money on anything higher up the Shimano range than Tiagra. I have been using the various versions of it now for the past 20yrs and have never had a problem at all. The thing that I like most about Tiagra is that 2yrs earlier it would actually have been branded as 105 so it can't be that bad can it? I like to keep my chains/cassettes cleaned and lubed but, another plus point for me is that when I do need a new cassette it is so cheap compared to those considered to be superior. A Tiagra cassette is currently around £20, a 105 cassette is around £35, Ultegra around £55, and DuraAce is a whopping £160.. Yes, it is nice to treat yourself to nice things occasionally but, why not spend that extra on the parts that will make you the most comfortable instead such as the frame/fork and wheels.

Hi there,
It might be a difficult question to answer, but how do you know if your rear cassette needs changing?

 

[Vantage]

Hi there,
It might be a difficult question to answer, but how do you know if your rear cassette needs changing?

If you have a ruler to hand, measure the pins on the chain. They should measure exactly 12 inches pin to pin. If much more than 1/8th out then the chain is worn. It's common in that case for the cassette to be worn too. That's most noticeable if you put a new chain on and it slips as you ride.
Typically, we like to think a chain is good for 2500 - 3000 miles before it needs changing and you'll probably go through 2 or 3 chains before the cassette needs changing.