Modify old bike or buy another?

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Ajax Bay

Guru
Location
East Devon
You (OP) do realise that your lowest (shortest) gear on this plastic bike will be significantly harder to pedal up your local scenery. Which is I think where this thread started off.
 
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sploo

Active Member
You (OP) do realise that your lowest (shortest) gear on this plastic bike will be significantly harder to pedal up your local scenery. Which is I think where this thread started off.

Not sure I understand. Plastic bike?
 
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sploo

Active Member
Ah right. I might have twigged with "epoxy and string" or something like that. Carbon != plastic so that threw me off.

The lowest gear on the 12 speed 105 with a 50:34 front and 11-36 rear is very close to the bodge job I've fitted to the current bike (34/36 = 0.94x, vs 28/30 = 0.93x). It would be great if I could get a 32T front chainring or 38T largest rear for the 105, but I'm not sure either of those are feasible).
 

Jameshow

Veteran
Ah right. I might have twigged with "epoxy and string" or something like that. Carbon != plastic so that threw me off.

The lowest gear on the 12 speed 105 with a 50:34 front and 11-36 rear is very close to the bodge job I've fitted to the current bike (34/36 = 0.94x, vs 28/30 = 0.93x). It would be great if I could get a 32T front chainring or 38T largest rear for the 105, but I'm not sure either of those are feasible).

I don't think a double will go that small I could be wrong....
 
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sploo

Active Member

Indeed. A bit more than £1000! Turns out I can make quite a saving through a cycle to work scheme; so whilst it's still more than I'd want to spend it would take it well under £2k.

I don't think a double will go that small I could be wrong....

I read somewhere than the bolt hole pattern is too large to allow anything under a 34T front chainring, so you may well be right.
 
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sploo

Active Member
It's finally here (and I've transferred all my "tatt" over to it - tri bars, pump, bag etc)...

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Compared to the 20 year old Allez Triple it's... different. It's actually only about 300g lighter. Geometry/setup is ergonomically better. Gears are obviously an improvement. Brakes are great (though the old bike was fine in that regard too).

Doesn't feel like it's a rocket ship compared to the old bike, but then I did rides yesterday and today (both very windy conditions) and got a bunch of PBs across two of my usual routes, so I guess it's doing something.

Not sure I can really feel any "suspension" due to the FutureShock in the headset, so maybe I'll try the softer spring at some point (it came with the medium spring installed).

I've also learned that a Look cleat is not the same as a Look cleat... if you have Look pedals from 20+ years ago that use the delta system. As I still plan to use the old bike (on a turbo trainer) I've had to order some new Look Keo pedals for it, as the new bike (and now my shoes) are using the Keo system.
 
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