upgrading my carrera tdf

[glenjarvis]

Hi all
new member I started cycling again 4 months ago im 50 now never was a regular rider when I was young
bought a Carrera tdf from Halfords as a starter I cycle at least 4 times a week sometimes everyday varying from 7-30 miles I m looking to upgrade now to something smoother and more comfortable ive read reviews of my bike its hilly where I live and most say the50/38 chainset isn't great(don't really understand the jargon im afraid)
I found my backside was sore a lot so went to cycles uk to get my sit-bones measured my saddle was to small but the guy said bring your bike in and he d check the set up it was all wrong he altered it free of charge and said it try it for few weeks he could have offered me a new saddle for 60 quid and I would have taken it.what im getting at is I now trust the guy I said I was looking to upgrade to something better he said to get something noticeably better your looking at 1000 quid he didn t try and sell me anything.
Do you guys agree? its a big investment for me want a roadie not a tourer really
any suggestions would be appreciated
ps sorry to be so longwinded wont be in future
Gen

 

[vickster]

You can improve your bike for far under £1000, £100-150 for better wheels and tyres for starters

You could also look at changing the cassette or cranks to make the gearing a little easier

 

[Torvi]

id say. keep up with your carrera, got same one 4 months ago too and im faster than a guy on his 800quid bike it's very hilly where i live too just keep working out, stamina will come in time, also ur 50 so it's normal for having sore back at your age especially if you ride a road bike Go definitely go for a better saddle tough, the stock one from halfrauds is shoot, get some padded shorts they do help nicely and dont worry if you struggle, everything comes with training the 50/38 is about teeth number of your front cogs inner is 38 outer is 50. id suggest getting new compact ones 50.34 there is one on chainreactions
for around 40 quids
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-claris-2450-octalink-compact-crankset/rp-prod109701
for abit more altho id rather take this one:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/fsa-vero-square-taper-compact-10sp-chainset/rp-prod78792

The less teeth are on cog the easier to spin them, switching down to 50.34 will make you a significant difference, id say it will feel like you got one gear lower = easier to ride and you still will get your 50 outer for a fast downhills

7 speed is engouh for a newbie like you and like me, go for 9+speeds next year, because to be honest, lowest gears stay the same size, the major difference between 7 and more is the middle gears, the more you got the more you can choose from but over all wont make this much out of them, at least not on our level. hope i helped

edit
you could go even further and get yourself one 30-32teeth inner cog on front and ask your lbs if they could switch them

 

[Dogtrousers]

also ur 50 so it's normal for having sore back at your age especially if you ride a road bike

Ahem

Not that normal. Or maybe I'm abnormal.

 

[Torvi]

What is the definition of madness? if you have no bum pains you shall consider your ass a sacred one haha me after 20+ trips my ass hurts even with padded shorts, guess ill have to get a new saddle too


edit
To op you could get this saddle:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/charge-spoon-saddle-with-cromo-rails/reviews/#tabReviews
its low budget one but got hundreds of good reviews praising for comfort and stuff, if you can spray some coins get a brooks saddle, comfort guaranteed

 

[Justinslow]

There's loads of bikes around for less than £1000 that I would have thought would be better (not criticising a TDF, it is what it is) than a TDF, it is "sale" time after all, the only issue maybe finding one in the correct size! Just scroll back all the "I need a new bike" posts in this section to get a few ideas, Felts F95 seems to come up again and again. Me, I went for the Ventura CP50 from Argos, as @Torvi said it's more than a match for bikes costing three times as much IMO.

 

[cyberknight]

Ahem

Not that normal. Or maybe I'm abnormal.

+1 , if the bike is set up right you should not be getting back ache .
I have my chainrings on both road bikes set up as 50/36 as i find the drop from 50 to 34 to big and i end up spinning away so i find 50/36 is a sweet spot .The commuter combines this with a 12-25 8 speed cassette which i find gives me enough gearing at the top and bottom for most situations , the other bike has the same chainrings but with a 10 speed 11-28 as the bike is used for club runs where i might need a granny gear to get home or a few places we can be hitting 40 + mph .
The tdf is a good entry level bike and you have to decide if spending £1k on a bike will make you faster and make you ride further ? The difference between the two bikes above is maybe 1-1.5 kg and over the same route of 30 miles i might be 1 mph quicker at most .

 

[glenjarvis]

Thanks everyone for their input very helpful

 

[glenjarvis]

id say. keep up with your carrera, got same one 4 months ago too and im faster than a guy on his 800quid bike it's very hilly where i live too just keep working out, stamina will come in time, also ur 50 so it's normal for having sore back at your age especially if you ride a road bike Go definitely go for a better saddle tough, the stock one from halfrauds is ****, get some padded shorts they do help nicely and dont worry if you struggle, everything comes with training the 50/38 is about teeth number of your front cogs inner is 38 outer is 50. id suggest getting new compact ones 50.34 there is one on chainreactions
for around 40 quids
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-claris-2450-octalink-compact-crankset/rp-prod109701
for abit more altho id rather take this one:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/fsa-vero-square-taper-compact-10sp-chainset/rp-prod78792

The less teeth are on cog the easier to spin them, switching down to 50.34 will make you a significant difference, id say it will feel like you got one gear lower = easier to ride and you still will get your 50 outer for a fast downhills

7 speed is engouh for a newbie like you and like me, go for 9+speeds next year, because to be honest, lowest gears stay the same size, the major difference between 7 and more is the middle gears, the more you got the more you can choose from but over all wont make this much out of them, at least not on our level. hope i helped

edit
you could go even further and get yourself one 30-32teeth inner cog on front and ask your lbs if they could switch them

Thanks torvi
very helpful never guessed that 50/38 meant the number of teeth on front cogs then again im a proper newbie!!
I ll keep reading the posts and reviews of better bikes than mie in 4-500 quid range id like to keep tdf as spare but don't want to throw to much money at upgrading the tdf

 

[vickster]

Thanks torvi
very helpful never guessed that 50/38 meant the number of teeth on front cogs then again im a proper newbie!!
I ll keep reading the posts and reviews of better bikes than mie in 4-500 quid range id like to keep tdf as spare but don't want to throw to much money at upgrading the tdf

Why not stick some new tyres and perhaps some wheels on the bike - choose these well and it should have a noticeable effects

 

[Matt-g]

I changed the stock kenda tyres on my TDF to Vittoria zafiros which were dirt cheap and the difference it made was incredidible.....much comfier to ride, more compliant, more grip, more sure footed. That's a good start.

I also bought a specialised gel saddle(after a sit bones fitting) for about 40 quid and that's made a huge difference too. It means I don't have to buy expensive padded shorts.....sports direct ones at a fiver or so a piece. I've done 59 mile days with no complaints as a result.....

 

[Torvi]

Matt where did you get your saddle from? And i agree vittorias are damn good tyres for the price

 

[glenjarvis]

HI all thanks for the advice
Im guessing most of you will reel in horror when I tell you I had continental gatorskins put on soon after I bought it I also have liners
I just wanted peace of mind always carry spare tube and repair kit with me .
are these tyres no good ? like I say im not to interested in speed been out this morning for 19 miles just want to enjoy the fresh air and country roads
im going to put up another post matt-g about saddles shortly it s something I definitely want I had my sit bones measured at cycles uk my saddle was wrong but so was set up that's been altered im interested in a gel saddle

 

[Torvi]

nothing wrong with gators, they bit expensive to my liking but as long as you feel comfy riding on them it's no problem

I have to apology to you about giving you wrong info tough, about the crankset ive just counted the stock one i have and it's already the compact one not standard hehe

 

[KneesUp]

Hi all
new member I started cycling again 4 months ago im 50 now never was a regular rider when I was young
bought a Carrera tdf from Halfords as a starter I cycle at least 4 times a week sometimes everyday varying from 7-30 miles I m looking to upgrade now to something smoother and more comfortable ive read reviews of my bike its hilly where I live and most say the50/38 chainset isn't great(don't really understand the jargon im afraid)
I found my backside was sore a lot so went to cycles uk to get my sit-bones measured my saddle was to small but the guy said bring your bike in and he d check the set up it was all wrong he altered it free of charge and said it try it for few weeks he could have offered me a new saddle for 60 quid and I would have taken it.what im getting at is I now trust the guy I said I was looking to upgrade to something better he said to get something noticeably better your looking at 1000 quid he didn t try and sell me anything.
Do you guys agree? its a big investment for me want a roadie not a tourer really
any suggestions would be appreciated
ps sorry to be so longwinded wont be in future
Gen

I agree with bike-shop dude. Whilst others are correct in saying that you can spend much less than £1000 and make your bike better, to get a bike that would be noticeably better you'd be looking at spending a fair chunk.

What I mean by that is that your bike has 'entry level' components, but they still work - you can change gear and stop and when you turn the pedals it goes forward. A bike that's a bit more expensive might have 'better' components that are slightly lighter, and slightly smoother - but in all honesty you'd be hard pressed to notice. I suppose if you went to top-level components you might notice - I don't know, I've never ridden a bike like that - but given that you're just interested in getting out there and enjoying it, I doubt it would make much difference.

What will really make a difference is more suitable gearing - the basic principle there is that the bigger the cog on the back and/or the smaller the one on the front, the lower the gear. The 52 ring on your front is a bit 'old school' (i.e. it's what bikes always used to come with) and is quite high - you might find it easier to ride with a 'compact' chainset which has rings with 50 and 34 teeth (typically) giving you lower gears overall. Or you could change the cassette at the back for one with more teeth, although that may require also changing the deralliuer too (about £25 plus fitting if you don't do it yourself) Living in Yorkshire, it is my belief that there is no such thing as 'too low a gear'