Hi I've recently just bought a Carrera bike, haven't had one before, my old bike is a Trek Hybrid, just wondered whats the general maintenance, (or is it just the same as any bike?) and any tips to get the best speed in the most efficient way?Thanks x (I've done the tyres, raised the seat, and I'm getting new brakes fitted as my short arms cant reach the brakes! ).
Carrera Zelos
- Thread starter bex
- Start date
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Saluki
World class procrastinator
- Location
- ...Norwich over the water.
HI Bex.
To gain speed, you need fitness. Ride, ride and ride some more.
At the moment, I am not that fit so riding slower, also it's winter and I'm always slower in winter.
Have you considered going clipless in the pedal department. I find that I am faster clipless than on flats. I didn't notice the difference until I had to do a ride on flats and it was hideous and really slow, especially up hills.
If you are changing your brakes, you might want to have a squint at your stem length and maybe put a shorter stem on. I have 80mm stems on both my bikes, whihc makes life a lot easier for me. I don't have particularly short arms but I do have a short back. That 2cm shorter makes a vast difference to me.
Happy riding.
To gain speed, you need fitness. Ride, ride and ride some more.
At the moment, I am not that fit so riding slower, also it's winter and I'm always slower in winter.Have you considered going clipless in the pedal department. I find that I am faster clipless than on flats. I didn't notice the difference until I had to do a ride on flats and it was hideous and really slow, especially up hills.
If you are changing your brakes, you might want to have a squint at your stem length and maybe put a shorter stem on. I have 80mm stems on both my bikes, whihc makes life a lot easier for me. I don't have particularly short arms but I do have a short back. That 2cm shorter makes a vast difference to me.
Happy riding.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
I don't know either bike but I doubt basic maintenance will be much different if they're both derailleur bikes. http://cyclingfortransport.com/plan/maintenance/
Supposedly the most efficient way- to get a spspeed is to pick the gear that will do it at ninety rpm and pedal at that, but it depends whether you want to favour muscles or cardiovascular.
Clipless or flat shouldn't make much difference as long as whatever pedals you use are decent, which a lot of free-with-bike pedals aren't.
Supposedly the most efficient way- to get a spspeed is to pick the gear that will do it at ninety rpm and pedal at that, but it depends whether you want to favour muscles or cardiovascular.
Clipless or flat shouldn't make much difference as long as whatever pedals you use are decent, which a lot of free-with-bike pedals aren't.
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
Plenty of stuff on you tube for bike maintenance, its pretty straightforward, and as @Saluki says have a look at your stem length as you should be able to reach the brakes etc ,assuming you bought the right size although a few tweaks for a perfect fit are often needed.I ride 3 bikes and they all have different stems to give me the same reach from the saddle tip and they all have the same saddle height and set back.
Have a look at Jim Langley bike fit as a start
http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bikefit.html
Most newer riders have their saddle to low and push a big gear slowly,the average best rpm is 90 .
Have a look at Jim Langley bike fit as a start
http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bikefit.html
Most newer riders have their saddle to low and push a big gear slowly,the average best rpm is 90 .
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
On the flat bike weight makes very little difference , i have a mtb i converted to drop bars and even though its a lot heavier i can still do the same speed on the flat, just takes a bit longer to get up to speed.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11958903
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11958903
Its a road carrera I find it crank heavy and frankly you cant resell it as noone wants carreras .. Parts are worth more than bike itself
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
Carreras sell well on ebay , if you have only just bought it and its too big why not take it back assuming its still in A1 condition and try to get a refund .
I ride a carrea vanquish for work and i can honestly say that although its heavy compared to my nice bike it rides just as nicely as my nicer bike which is a lot lighter , i only really notice the weight on hills but it is loaded down with lights,panniers etc .
What other road bike are you comparing it too BTW so we can have a comparison of what your comparing ?, its hard to quantify what you mean by heavy etc till we know what your comparing it too ?
Are there other issues with the bike that might be easy to fix like your seat height / reach etc ( bike fit ) as every bike i buy i expect to change stem length to get it perfect , we cant help if all we have to go on is "its heavy and crank "
The crank is steel and thats y its heavy and not aluminium or catbon n frame is 3cm smaller for my build and I only carry underseat bag light lights and light computer and two water bottles I've had steel road. That's been lighter than this one and when you pick it up you can feel the weight in crank
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cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
How much did this "steel road bike " cost ? in comparison when taking into account inflation ? the zelos currently is on sale at £220 , what do you expect for your money ?
Did you not get on the bike or try it for size when you bought it ? If you had a bike before then why did you let the salesperson sell you a bike you should have known was to small for you ?
smutchin
Cat 6 Racer
- Location
- The Red Enclave
For you info I was pressured by halfords into this bike as it was the only one they shown me they never did a bike fit they said it was the right size and that pic is offensiveHow much did this "steel road bike " cost ? in comparison when taking into account inflation ? the zelos currently is on sale at £220 , what do you expect for your money ?
Did you not get on the bike or try it for size when you bought it ? If you had a bike before then why did you let the salesperson sell you a bike you should have known was to small for you ?
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
So When you went into to buy the bike did you tell them what you were after and what you wanted to spend ?
It seems very odd that someone can mention carbon cranks in one breath and moan about the weight of those on a bike that costs the same as just the aforementioned crank.