# New Road Bike



## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

Well it has arrived  It is a Viking Giro D'italia so only very entry level but it looks good and is not extremely heavy . I will put A520 pedals on it ASAP and also different tyres.


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## HLaB (13 Jul 2011)

Enjoy


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## fossyant (13 Jul 2011)

Looks fine !

Don't go putting any bigger pedals on a road bike you know. MTB SPD's are just about acceptable (like fitted), but not any with a platform.
Ideally it should be a proper road pedal.  

PS - Pictures should be taken from the side, valves to floor, cranks either straight parallel to floor or seat tube, biggest ring, smallest sprocket etc. etc. Now go get a better pic !


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

fossyant said:


> Looks fine !
> 
> Don't go putting any bigger pedals on a road bike you know. MTB SPD's are just about acceptable (like fitted), but not any with a platform.
> Ideally it should be a proper road pedal.
> ...



I hate the picture but I wanted to get something up to show it. The pedals are straight off my MTB. I want to put A520's on it. That way I don;t need to fork out for new shoes as well (assuming you mean SPD SL's when you say road pedals)


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

HLaB said:


> Enjoy



I will. Just going to ride to shops to get milk  Or should I be in full Lycra for my first road ride ?


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

OK. First little trip. Initial reactions. My gods the bars are narrow. The brakes are not as good as disk brakes. Rolls wonderfully and gear changing is smooth. Saddle is as good as the one on my MTB  Riding on the hoods seems optimal if I am not worried about changing gear, the flats are the easiest position for me at the moment. Will take some getting used to but I am very happy with it


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## markharry66 (13 Jul 2011)

Had a viking bike a few years ago when I used it to ride in to work ultra reliable and excellent bikes fast as well.


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

markharry66 said:


> Had a viking bike a few years ago when I used it to ride in to work ultra reliable and excellent bikes fast as well.



It seems a great bike. Just need to get used to the swap between my MTB and it. So very different to ride!


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## apollo179 (13 Jul 2011)

Looks nice. Definately not a bso. Enjoy. Those tyres do look thin though dont they - carefull in the wet !!


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

apollo179 said:


> Looks nice. Definately not a bso. Enjoy. Those tyres do look thin though dont they - carefull in the wet !!



The tyres are thin 700 23's. Have no desire to try the bike in the wet yet. Need to get comfortable on it first. Thanks for not classing it as a BSO. It only cost £200 new


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## potsy (13 Jul 2011)

I went from a hybrid to my Secteur and it did take some getting used to, I find I'm on the hoods 90% of the time.

It does look good and I'm sure you'll get used to riding it pretty quickly, you might find you get to like it and don't want to go back to flatbars


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

potsy said:


> I went from a hybrid to my Secteur and it did take some getting used to, I find I'm on the hoods 90% of the time.
> 
> It does look good and I'm sure you'll get used to riding it pretty quickly, you might find you get to like it and don't want to go back to flatbars



This is why I bough cheap. I won;t feel so bad if I don;t like it but will have lots of fun making it a better bike if I do


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## billy1561 (13 Jul 2011)

Congrats on the new bike mate, i'm sure you will cover many a happy mile.


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

billy1561 said:


> Congrats on the new bike mate, i'm sure you will cover many a happy mile.



Cheers fella - I'm sure I will love it once i get used to it


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## cyberknight (13 Jul 2011)

Enjoy!!

Rather than upgrade i would keep it as a back up bike, to upgrade the bike will cost a fair bit if you want to change to STI shifters as you are are going to need a new rear mech,shifters, maybe a new wheel as it might be screw on rather than cassette gears? etc etc, 

The STI shifters alone are going to set you back the best part of £100 ish

It would probably work out cheaper to go to decathlon and get their entry level bike with all this for £300


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

cyberknight said:


> Enjoy!!
> 
> Rather than upgrade i would keep it as a back up bike, to upgrade the bike will cost a fair bit if you want to change to STI shifters as you are are going to need a new rear mech,shifters, maybe a new wheel as it might be screw on rather than cassette gears? etc etc,
> 
> ...



Cheers for that. I think I will be able to live with the shifters as I plan to ride on the flats most of the time of hoods when I want to cover the brakes


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## Sonofpear (13 Jul 2011)

Looks like a canny little bike. How come your moving to the roads? Just fancy a bit of a change?
What kinda groupset does it have?


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

Sonofpear said:


> Looks like a canny little bike. How come your moving to the roads? Just fancy a bit of a change?
> What kinda groupset does it have?



Yes fancied a change. It has Shimano A050 mechs so very entry level . I must say I do like the look of her. Trying to think of a name now


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## Sonofpear (13 Jul 2011)

Seems pretty good for the price. Get a better pic up. 
Happy riding mate.


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

Sonofpear said:


> Seems pretty good for the price. Get a better pic up.
> Happy riding mate.



I will try and get a better pic tomorrow. Trouble is I have either my pone or my Canon DSLR and that is a bit big to carry on a cycle trip.


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## fossyant (13 Jul 2011)

Oh, welcome to the dark side. 23mm isn't thin - it's the correct size !


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

fossyant said:


> Oh, welcome to the dark side. 23mm isn't thin - it's the correct size !



Thank you. How do I know if I can fit wider tyres if I feel I need them?


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## Mark_Robson (13 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> OK. First little trip. Initial reactions. My gods the bars are narrow. The brakes are not as good as disk brakes. Rolls wonderfully and gear changing is smooth. Saddle is as good as the one on my MTB  Riding on the hoods seems optimal if I am not worried about changing gear, the flats are the easiest position for me at the moment. Will take some getting used to but I am very happy with it


Your initial impressions are totally normal. Give it a month and you'll be saying "christ the bars are wide on my MTB and it weighs a tonne" 

Enjoy your journey into the lycra clad dark side of cycling. 

BTW you wont need wider tyres. Trust me!


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## Hip Priest (13 Jul 2011)

Congratulations mate, it looks great.



Angelfishsolo said:


> This is why I bough cheap. I won;t feel so bad if I don;t like it but will have lots of fun making it a better bike if I do



I'm similar. I want a road bike, but want to make sure I like riding drops before I take the plunge. Was gonna buy cheap, but my father-in-law has told me I can borrow his old Peugeot racer for a while. Result!


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

Mark_Robson said:


> Your initial impressions are totally normal. Give it a month and you'll be saying "christ the bars are wide on my MTB and it weighs a tonne"
> 
> Enjoy your journey into the lycra clad dark side of cycling.



Cheers mate. I'm sure I will get used to it. I plan to go for a longish ride on quite roads tomorrow. Just realised I need to buy new spare inner tubes though. No pont carrying my MTB ones with me. I may let the darkside down a bit as I still plan to carry a CamelBak :whistle;


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

Hip Priest said:


> Congratulations mate, it looks great.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm similar. I want a road bike, but want to make sure I like riding drops before I take the plunge. Was gonna buy cheap, but my father-in-law has told me I can borrow his old Peugeot racer for a while. Result!



Lucky for you. Was looking at a few Pugs on Ebay - They look great.


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## uphillstruggler (13 Jul 2011)

I have to say that it looks great for that cost, at that price, you can rag it for a year and upgrade the whole thing if you really get into wearing tight cycling gear.


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

uphillstruggler said:


> I have to say that it looks great for that cost, at that price, you can rag it for a year and upgrade the whole thing if you really get into wearing tight cycling gear.


I already wear the tight lycra on my MTB 
Glad you like the look of it. Want to get yellow tyres for it soon


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## uphillstruggler (13 Jul 2011)

I reckon by the end of the year, that 200 quid bike will have cost you double in bling!


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

uphillstruggler said:


> I reckon by the end of the year, that 200 quid bike will have cost you double in bling!


Well just tyres and pedals so far


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## Mark_Robson (13 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> I already wear the tight lycra on my MTB
> Glad you like the look of it. Want to get yellow tyres for it soon



These are a steal click here


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

Mark_Robson said:


> These are a steal click here


Ooo I like those


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## chillyuk (13 Jul 2011)

I'm green with envy but then I am a sucker for yellow bikes. Work that one out 

Enjoy!


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## rodgy-dodge (13 Jul 2011)

Hey AFS nice looking bike I felt the same with the handle bars. bit narrow feel to them. Deffinately a different riding experience much flightier (if that could be a word) than the mtb.

Thought of a name yet

.....they call him mello yellow......


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## Mr Crash (13 Jul 2011)

Don't crash it!!!


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## ismailzd (13 Jul 2011)

LOOKS COOOL , what Tyres you going to put on ?


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

chillyuk said:


> I'm green with envy but then I am a sucker for yellow bikes. Work that one out
> 
> Enjoy!


Cheers fella. Trouble is I need new Tops now


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

rodgy-dodge said:


> Hey AFS nice looking bike I felt the same with the handle bars. bit narrow feel to them. Deffinately a different riding experience much flightier (if that could be a word) than the mtb.
> 
> Thought of a name yet
> 
> .....they call him mello yellow......


Yes flighty is a good word . The name will come to me as I ride her


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

ismailzd said:


> LOOKS COOOL , what Tyres you going to put on ?


Take a look at the Mark Robson post. Something like those.


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

Mr Crash said:


> Don't crash it!!!


Will try my best


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## Alembicbassman (13 Jul 2011)

I'm guessing it's a 42/52 chainset, could be a struggle on hills, most road stuff runs a compact chainset now, mine's a 34/50 with 12-25 cassette, makes hills a lot easier.


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

Alembicbassman said:


> I'm guessing it's a 42/52 chainset, could be a struggle on hills, most road stuff runs a compact chainset now, mine's a 34/50 with 12-25 cassette, makes hills a lot easier.


Not sure about front but rear is a 14 28. Hills may be an issue but I guess I can swap the size of the cogs if need be. Easier than getting a triple any how


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## gregsid (13 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> Trouble is I need new Tops now


Some good clobber at Tenn Outdoors. I love their stuff.
http://www.tenn-outdoors.co.uk/sprint-short-sleeve-cycling-jersey-yellowblk-sml


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## The Jogger (13 Jul 2011)

I like the paint job, enjoy


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

gregsid said:


> Some good clobber at Tenn Outdoors. I love their stuff.
> http://www.tenn-outdoors.co.uk/sprint-short-sleeve-cycling-jersey-yellowblk-sml


Yes I recently discovered them. Love the bid shorts I got from them


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

The Jogger said:


> I like the paint job, enjoy


Ditto and thank you.


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## Bicycle (13 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> OK. First little trip. Initial reactions. My gods the bars are narrow. The brakes are not as good as disk brakes. Rolls wonderfully and gear changing is smooth. Saddle is as good as the one on my MTB  Riding on the hoods seems optimal if I am not worried about changing gear, the flats are the easiest position for me at the moment. Will take some getting used to but I am very happy with it




Excellent! Well done. 

I abandoned road bikes for years and my reactions on my return were not unlike yours.

Lovely bike; looks good for the money.

Get some good old road-bike pressure into those tyres and enjoy the thing. It will feel very directionally unstable after an MTB.... but very soon that will feel just right.

Congrats!


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

Bicycle said:


> Excellent! Well done.
> 
> I abandoned road bikes for years and my reactions on my return were not unlike yours.
> 
> ...


So glad you felt the same way. Also pleased you like its looks. I have 110Psi in both at the mo. Will tweak as I go along


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## Alembicbassman (13 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> Not sure about front but rear is a 14 28. Hills may be an issue but I guess I can swap the size of the cogs if need be. Easier than getting a triple any how




Yeah, looks like a 39/52 with 14-28 from the manufacturers specs so shouldn't be too bad.


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

Alembicbassman said:


> Yeah, looks like a 39/52 with 14-28 from the manufacturers specs so shouldn't be too bad.


Cheers for that


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## JonnyBlade (13 Jul 2011)

My first road bike was a Raleigh Pursuit...... upgraded the shifters to flightdeck, wheels, derailleurs to 105's, brakes upgraded, handlebars to 40s, crank set etc ............... all Ebay purchases at a good price and I had great fun building a bike that suited me perfectly.

Never underestimate the pleasure of building a bike


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## Willo (13 Jul 2011)

Looks like you got yourself a nice bike, looks good. As for the tyres, as someone has already said they are the right size - just keep 'em pumped up (not sure what tyres came on the back but stock tyres can be a bit flimsy). As for lycra, get yourself kitted out and pretend you're Tommy Voekler, that bike deserves a rider in all the clobber


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

JonnyBlade said:


> My first road bike was a Raleigh Pursuit...... upgraded the shifters to flightdeck, wheels, derailleurs to 105's, brakes upgraded, handlebars to 40s, crank set etc ............... all Ebay purchases at a good price and I had great fun building a bike that suited me perfectly.
> 
> Never underestimate the pleasure of building a bike


I pretty much rebuilt my old Apollo Kaos and yes it was a great experience


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## Angelfishsolo (13 Jul 2011)

Willo said:


> Looks like you got yourself a nice bike, looks good. As for the tyres, as someone has already said they are the right size - just keep 'em pumped up (not sure what tyres came on the back but stock tyres can be a bit flimsy). As for lycra, get yourself kitted out and pretend you're Tommy Voekler, that bike deserves a rider in all the clobber


It came with Kenda Koncepts I believe. Am running them at 110psi.
New pedals first A520's then a toss up between tyres or lycra


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## Cletus Van Damme (14 Jul 2011)

Nice bike mate, yellow is a cool colour for a road bike.


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

Cheesney Hawks said:


> Nice bike mate, yellow is a cool colour for a road bike.



Cheers fella - I though so too. Lets hope I can keep the paint job looking good


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## uphillstruggler (14 Jul 2011)

once all of the upgrades are done, and you have really got the bug, i can see this being a great SS/fixed project


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## gregsid (14 Jul 2011)

Nice yellow front safety light here (knog), spotted on this forum post. Thanks to wbmkk


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

uphillstruggler said:


> once all of the upgrades are done, and you have really got the bug, i can see this being a great SS/fixed project


I am not man enough for a ss or fixie


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

gregsid said:


> Nice yellow front safety light here (knog), spotted on this forum post. Thanks to wbmkk


Thought the rules didn't allow lights


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## gregsid (14 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> Thought the rules didn't allow lights


They're so small, I think it's merely _bending_ the rules


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

gregsid said:


> They're so small, I think it's merely _bending_ the rules


I've already bought a cycle computer, bottle cage and spare inner tubes. I'm not made of money


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## Seigi (14 Jul 2011)

Looks nice, do tell how you get on as I may be in the market for an entry level road bike in the near future. So far it sounds good.


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## crumpetman (14 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> OK. First little trip. Initial reactions. My gods the bars are narrow. The brakes are not as good as disk brakes. Rolls wonderfully and gear changing is smooth. Saddle is as good as the one on my MTB  Riding on the hoods seems optimal if I am not worried about changing gear, the flats are the easiest position for me at the moment. Will take some getting used to but I am very happy with it



How do you change gear? I cannot see downtube shifters, someone else mentions a lack of STI and I cannot see anything else on the handlebars for shifting gears!


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## Alembicbassman (14 Jul 2011)

It's got SIS A050 thumb shifters on the bars near the stem


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

Alembicbassman said:


> It's got SIS A050 thumb shifters on the bars near the stem



  What he said


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

Seigi said:


> Looks nice, do tell how you get on as I may be in the market for an entry level road bike in the near future. So far it sounds good.



Well I did a 55 mile loop. From Aberdare to Brecon and back. A mixture of hills and flat roads. Managed to average 15 mph and a max of 36mph. 

I now feel comfortable on the bike and the bars are not too alien. I did have one scary moment when I was riding on the flat approaching a roundabout and tried to pull the brake levers that of course were not there.

Gearing is great although I fancy a smaller bottom cog on the rear. An 11 instead of a 14? I may try and put a larger front cog on instead.

I have tweaked the brakes and whilst they do stop me I realise I have to pay much more attention to the road than I do on my MTB with hydraulic disks.

One question - How the hell do you see when on the drops. My neck was in pain after about 30 seconds and the alternative seems to be looking at the ground 

All in al I am very happy indeed 


The picture was taken by a kind chap who was also enjoying a brake in the Bikers Lay-by and Mobile Cafe near Storey Arms.


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

Seigi said:


> Looks nice, do tell how you get on as I may be in the market for an entry level road bike in the near future. So far it sounds good.



Update posted


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## DiddlyDodds (14 Jul 2011)

Earlier this year my mate bought a new one to do the coast to coast ride, did the ride and sold it for a loss of only £10 such was the interest on ebay.


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

DiddlyDodds said:


> Earlier this year my mate bought a new one to do the coast to coast ride, did the ride and sold it for a loss of only £10 such was the interest on ebay.



Again part of my rational in buying cheap. I figure the depreciation will be less than a far more expensive machine. That said I have no plans to sell it. I have a list of things I want to upgrade on it though


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## uphillstruggler (14 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> I am not man enough for a ss or fixie




surely thats now a challenge


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

uphillstruggler said:


> surely thats now a challenge



Hummmm How did you know I don;t back down form challenges


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## Banjo (14 Jul 2011)

Have some fun Dave. looks great. It took me months to get used to the transition back to a road bike from a hybrid. Its worth the effort though .


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

Banjo said:


> Have some fun Dave. looks great. It took me months to get used to the transition back to a road bike from a hybrid. Its worth the effort though .



Well as I posted I did 55 mile today with a 15 mph average. I wasn't pushing it either  It is great fun I must admit.


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## Banjo (14 Jul 2011)

On the brakes thing a simple pads swap may make a difference. Fitting "Kool Stop" pads on my bike after the original Scott ones wore out improved braking a lot ,especially in the rain. Never going to be as good as hydraulic discs though.

Sorry to add to the ever growing list  If you arent trying to impress the fashion police I find karrimor cycling jerseys are good practical gear.


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

Banjo said:


> On the brakes thing a simple pads swap may make a difference. Fitting "Kool Stop" pads on my bike after the original Scott ones wore out improved braking a lot ,especially in the rain. Never going to be as good as hydraulic discs though.



Yep Koolstop Salmons (yes he pink ones ) are top of my list


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## Cris S (14 Jul 2011)

Hello


Very nice looking bike that.

I just purchased one of these


but starting to wish maybe I got the Viking.


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

Cris S said:


> Hello
> 
> 
> Very nice looking bike that.
> ...



That was one of the ones I looked at along with this one.


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## Cris S (14 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> That was one of the ones I looked at along with this one.



Hello

That one looks a bit time trialy to me but without the rest bars.

Can I ask who you bought your viking from ?


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

Cris S said:


> Hello
> 
> That one looks a bit time trialy to me but without the rest bars.
> 
> Can I ask who you bought your viking from ?


yframediscount on ebay.


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## cyberknight (14 Jul 2011)

Cris S said:


> Hello
> 
> 
> Very nice looking bike that.
> ...



The airlite is a better bike (sorry angel  ), it has better frame, shifters, gears set,wheels etc but you pay more for it .
Both bikes are good for the price range They sell at.


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## cyberknight (14 Jul 2011)

Cris S said:


> Hello
> 
> That one looks a bit time trialy to me but without the rest bars.
> 
> Can I ask who you bought your viking from ?



I think thats down to the fact the handlebars are set are a really odd angle, looking at the pic it seems to have the saddle all the way forward and a short stem to make the bike look smaller? the stem is also quite steep but you can stick a better one on for around £10


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

cyberknight said:


> The airlite is a better bike (sorry angel  ), it has better frame, shifters, gears set,wheels etc but you pay more for it .
> Both bikes are good for the price range They sell at.


No offence taken  My one regret is that the bike has a 14 28 rear c
og rather than an 11 32


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## cyberknight (14 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> No offence taken  My one regret is that the bike has a 14 28 rear c
> og rather than an 11 32



I have an 11-32 on my new baby that i got last week, its too big for me i am thinking of swapping for a 11-28 or even a 12-27 as i will never use much slower and if i am going fast enough to spin out on a 12 tooth i am going fast enough


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## cyberknight (14 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> No offence taken  My one regret is that the bike has a 14 28 rear c
> og rather than an 11 32



... would this do it ...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Zenith-7-spee...sure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item27bc95d055

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BANKRUPT-NEW-...sure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item27aaeda0c3


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

cyberknight said:


> ... would this do it ...
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Zenith-7-spee...sure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item27bc95d055
> 
> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BANKRUPT-NEW-...sure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item27aaeda0c3


The second one looks good. Cheers


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## lesley_x (14 Jul 2011)

Great looking bike!  Enjoy it!


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

lesley_x said:


> Great looking bike!  Enjoy it!


Cheers


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## mcshroom (14 Jul 2011)

For the seeing where you are going - see if you can remove the visor on your helmet (often they're on press stud type things). It's amazing how much that blocks out when you're on drops


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

mcshroom said:


> For the seeing where you are going - see if you can remove the visor on your helmet (often they're on press stud type things). It's amazing how much that blocks out when you're on drops


Doh. So simple when I have the answer


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## mcshroom (14 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> Doh. So simple when I have the answer




I think you'll still have a stiff neck as it's a different head position to a mtb, but it does help.

Sounds like a good first ride and you enjoyed yourself. I wish i could average 15mph over 55 miles (obviously I'll have to get a road bike )


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## Alembicbassman (14 Jul 2011)

11-32 is usually MTB gearing

SRAM launched their Apex Road Groupset this year with 11-32 compatibility. 

Shimano do 11-28 road cassettes, but it can only be used with certain rear derailleurs. 

My 105 5600 groupset allows a max size of 27t. I currently run 12-25 down the back with 34/50 up front. 

I can easily climb 10% in second gear with my set-up, I've done 46mph spinning out in top downhill. 

The TDF guys are running 53 11 to get their speed.


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

mcshroom said:


> I think you'll still have a stiff neck as it's a different head position to a mtb, but it does help.
> 
> Sounds like a good first ride and you enjoyed yourself. I wish i could average 15mph over 55 miles (obviously I'll have to get a road bike )


I guess the neck pain will get less over time? Thanks for the ego boost. Such a shame that the weather is lousy for the rest of the week


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

Alembicbassman said:


> 11-32 is usually MTB gearing
> 
> SRAM launched their Apex Road Groupset this year with 11-32 compatibility.
> 
> ...


Cheers for that


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## Wankelschrauben (14 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> No offence taken  My one regret is that the bike has a 14 28 rear c
> og rather than an 11 32



For what it is worth my bike has a 10 speed 13/29 and 39/53 chain rings, I used to ride the smaller gears quite often and grind them at a reasonably low cadence. I've changed now and am starting to spin rather than grind.

Now I'm rarely using anything other than the 4 largest gears on the small chain ring, I managed to exceed 35mph using just these gears on a short straight and only slowed for traffic.

In honesty, originally I wanted a smaller cassette but I'm actually considering upping the granny ring an extra few teeth for the 3mile incline journey home. An annoying slog that many cyclists walk up.


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

Wankelschrauben said:


> For what it is worth my bike has a 10 speed 13/29 and 39/53 chain rings, I used to ride the smaller gears quite often and grind them at a reasonably low cadence. I've changed now and am starting to spin rather than grind.
> 
> Now I'm rarely using anything other than the 4 largest gears on the small chain ring, I managed to exceed 35mph using just these gears on a short straight and only slowed for traffic.
> 
> In honesty, originally I wanted a smaller cassette but I'm actually considering upping the granny ring an extra few teeth for the 3mile incline journey home. An annoying slog that many cyclists walk up.


I managed to spin out on a hill today. Maybe a larger front cog is the answer. A 58 instead of a 54?


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## joebingo (14 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> The name will come to me as I ride her



I thought that once, it never did though. That was an awkward goodbye. 

'grats on the new bike AFS, enjoy it. Road bikes can be skittish to begin with, I found mine scary at first. You'll soon gain confidence though!


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

joebingo said:


> I thought that once, it never did though. That was an awkward goodbye.
> 
> 'grats on the new bike AFS, enjoy it. Road bikes can be skittish to begin with, I found mine scary at first. You'll soon gain confidence though!


I was scared at first but by about 10 miles in I was starting to experiment with hand possitions and tweaking the bar angles et al. By the time I got home I was in love


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## mcshroom (14 Jul 2011)

You are doing my n+1 cravings no good whatsoever!


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

mcshroom said:


> You are doing my n+1 cravings no good whatsoever!


 I haven't started thinking about bike number 3 (yet). Might rebuild an old frame though


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## HLaB (14 Jul 2011)

Glad you are enjoying you bike 



Angelfishsolo said:


> I managed to spin out on a hill today. Maybe a larger front cog is the answer. A 58 instead of a 54?



I'd advocate changing the freewheel/cassette instead, my Kinesis came with a 12-25 cassette; when it wore out I replaced it with a 11-25. I used to spin out before but not now :-)


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## Angelfishsolo (14 Jul 2011)

HLaB said:


> Glad you are enjoying you bike
> 
> 
> 
> I'd advocate changing the freewheel/cassette instead, my Kinesis came with a 12-25 cassette; when it wore out I replaced it with a 11-25. I used to spin out before but not now :-)


Thank you 
When it needs changing I'll see what is around 
Need to make my legs move faster more of the time I think


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## Cyclox (15 Jul 2011)

Liked the pic albeit from a curious angle........glad you're enjoying it! Happy pootlin'!


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## Angelfishsolo (15 Jul 2011)

Cyclox said:


> Liked the pic albeit from a curious angle........glad you're enjoying it! Happy pootlin'!


There is a pic from today in the gallery under riders bikes. At what avg speed do I stop pootling


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## gregsid (15 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> There is a pic from today in the gallery under riders bikes.


Cracking bike, looks the business. I also like your back garden...


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## DuncanBeaumont (15 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> There is a pic from today in the gallery under riders bikes. At what avg speed do I stop pootling



Where do I find that?


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## JustT (15 Jul 2011)

Cris S said:


> Hello
> 
> 
> Very nice looking bike that.
> ...



Dont fret its a good bike, I have this raleigh bike, got it as my first road bike last year. have done 3 triathlons on it, over 4000 miles on 2 services, its only needed 1 new chain and 1 new set of brakes, has been out in just about all weather exept snow. I have hammered this bike over hill after hill after hill and its never let me down. 

And yes I am upgrading soon, but only for racing, my raleigh will still be my training bike....for a while yet I hope


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## Angelfishsolo (15 Jul 2011)

gregsid said:


> Cracking bike, looks the business. I also like your back garden...



Thanks very much. Am glad I choice it (in the main). Oh how I wish it was my garden lol. That said that spot is around 18 miles from me so pretty close indeed


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## Angelfishsolo (15 Jul 2011)

DuncanBeaumont said:


> Where do I find that?



http://www.cyclechat.net/gallery/image/1078-my-new-road-bike/


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## Alembicbassman (15 Jul 2011)

Angelfishsolo said:


> I haven't started thinking about bike number 3 (yet). Might rebuild an old frame though



There's some really nice old Raleigh bikes out there.

Recent ones I have seen go on ebay - 1990s Raleigh Elan 12 speed Reynolds 501 tubes one owner from new £60. 1980s Raleigh Clubman Reynolds 531 tubes 12 speed Campy groupset £60. Don't bother with auctions that end on a Sunday evening, people tend to bid silly at weekends. Stuff that ends on a weekday morning 8am-11am seems to go for a lot less. Avoid any Peugeot Carbolite 103 stuff, best go for a quality lightweight steel frame from Reynolds.

Steel frames ride completely differently, generally a lot more flexy, comfy too.


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## Angelfishsolo (15 Jul 2011)

Alembicbassman said:


> There's some really nice old Raleigh bikes out there.
> 
> Recent ones I have seen go on ebay - 1990s Raleigh Elan 12 speed Reynolds 501 tubes one owner from new £60. 1980s Raleigh Clubman Reynolds 531 tubes 12 speed Campy groupset £60. Don't bother with auctions that end on a Sunday evening, people tend to bid silly at weekends. Stuff that ends on a weekday morning 8am-11am seems to go for a lot less. Avoid any Peugeot Carbolite 103 stuff, best go for a quality lightweight steel frame from Reynolds.
> 
> Steel frames ride completely differently, generally a lot more flexy, comfy too.



Oh you would wouldn't you. Now I have started thinking about N=N+1 

I will need to get rid of furniture before long so I can store bikes!!!


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## Connor mc grath (30 Mar 2012)

Just Got this bike today! Absolutely loved my first ride out on it


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