Bruce_M said:
The down tube shifters are so annoying, and the derailer doesn't even get the chain into the lower gear.
For those who have taken a look at the specs, what do you recommend I change/upgrade?
Thanks in advance.
Sounds like it just needs the derailleurs set up properly. If you are handy enough with mechanical things then take a look at
Park Tools which will give you step by step instructions on setting them up properly. You can ignore the 'recommended tools part' the most you'll need is a set of allen keys and a couple of screwdrivers. It's fairly easy if you follow the instructions, or if you're not confident enough take it to your LBS who won't charge much for doing it for you.
Generally the best value for money upgrade would be the tyres. A lot of bikes save money here, especially budget bikes, so £20-30 would see improvements in handling, comfort, grip and puncture protection. You'd be surprised how much difference decent tyres can make. I mostly use skinny race tyres so not the best person to make suggestions on something for commuting purposes but I'm sure someone will be along shortly to recommend something. Start a new thread asking for opinions if you have to. It'll be worth it.
Another good, yet cheap upgrade would be a set of decent brake pads. In fact an upgrade here is almost a must. Those as standard are likely to be pretty rubbish and cheap pads can damage the rims especially in the wet. Spending £10-£15 or so here will make a big difference. For what it's worth I use Aztecs on my bikes, but keep in mind that the ones on the
Decathlon are likely to be cheap all in one moulded units so your first purchase might need to include the cartridge holders. You can get all 4 for about £14 from
Parker International, but after the inital outlay replacement pads are only about £7 for the four and you'll have a much wider choice.
I guess since you don't get on with the downtube shifters you could get some integrated Sora brake/gear levers, but that's going to set you back maybe £80 or so and I'm not certain they would work with the 7spd Sunrace groupset. Maybe someone more knowledgable than me could fill you in on this respect. Again, start a new thread asking for advice about this if you think you might like to go down this route. There's plenty people here much more knowledgable than me and asking specific questions often gets more answers.
Other than that I'd be tempted not to bother upgrading anything else unless it breaks. While there's nothing at all fancy about it, it seems to be all fairly functional stuff and anything else worth upgrading is going to cost you almost as much as you paid for the bike. Decent wheels for instance could be in the region of £100-£150, Sora front and rear derailleurs with chainset another £70-£80. If you are enjoying riding a road bike then start saving for something a bit higher up the ladder while running the Decathlon. You'll see better improvements for less money in the long run.
