upgrades?

[Bealz998]

hello i just brought a carrera tdf does anyone know any good upgreades i could do as this is my first bike,
or where i can buy the upgrades from thanks

 

[Kies]

The best one would be better wheels and tyres. They will give the best increase in performance and comfort

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Decent starter bike. Nothing wrong with it. Why even worry about upgrades?* If you outgrow it's capabilities then just buy a different 'better' bike. If you really wanted/needed a bike with a higher spec' from the outset maybe you should've bought a different bike?

Main thing is just to get out and ride regularly and see how you go.

*Apart from poss' brake blocks if the ones you have on it are naff.

 

[Kies]

^^ agree with that. A friend had one,kept it for a year whilst he got into cycling and got a lot fitter. Sold for £200 and bought a carbon Tiagra cube

 

[mynydd]

I bought one of these two years ago, and loved it. Still do!
Its well worth changing the tyres, the ones that come with it aren't great puncture wise.
Might be worth changing the seat also, unless the stock ones now are better than they were.
Otherwise I left mine alone and its been great, got me hooked anyway

 

[Biker Joe]

Generally speaking, the first upgrades for a budget bike are wheels and tires
.First upgrade your tires. A light weight quality tire and lightweight inner tubes will reduce the weight significantly at the rim and will make a significant difference even on budget wheels.
Four tires worth considering are:-
Continental 4000s (209.5g). Continental Ultragator (217g). Schwalbe Durano s (222g). finally my favourite, Schwalbe Ultremo R1 (187g) (some offers around on these at the moment)
As for inner tubes, Continental Race 28 Supersonic (50g) are very good.

As far as wheel upgrades go, good possibilities are:- Shimano R500 (2000g), Fulcram 5(1809g) and Shimano Ultegra 6700 (1652g). There are others but the prices begin to climb.
I would go for the tires and tubes first and see how you get on.

 

[Bealz998]

thanks joe this might sound stupid but what size etc will i need as i know nothing about bikes haha

 

[Biker Joe]

thanks joe this might sound stupid but what size etc will i need as i know nothing about bikes haha

Tyres wiil be 700c x 23 or 25 ( 700c x 25 will give you a little more comfortable ride) I ride 700c x 23 and find they're fine.
The tubes will all fit. (Look for 700c x 23 to 28 on the packet.)

By the way, there is no such thing as a stupid question on here. We were all in the same boat once.

 

[Biker Joe]

@Bealz998
I don't know if you have one but you could do with a track pump to get up to the high pressures tires have.
Also a decent mini pump to take with you.( 'Lezyne' mini pumps are very good)

 

[Born2die]

That was my first bike last year I outgrew it and bought its bigger lighter cousin the boardman race. Tbh enjoy riding it it's a fast capable machine I did 2000 ish miles on it last year bin the pedals and get some clipless ride it till you need new tyres then upgrade them then when you realise the bug has bitten sell the wife house car and soul and buy a lean mean racing machine

 

[Bealz998]

That was my first bike last year I outgrew it and bought its bigger lighter cousin the boardman race. Tbh enjoy riding it it's a fast capable machine I did 2000 ish miles on it last year bin the pedals and get some clipless ride it till you need new tyres then upgrade them then when you realise the bug has bitten sell the wife house car and soul and buy a lean mean racing machine

Thanks do U have a link for some pedals I should put on ?

 

[Born2die]

Aw no what have I done
Depends on budget requirement etc I use spd pedals and shoes so I can walk off the bike as the cleats are recessed so thing like shimano m520 at £20 then you need shoes they are around £30-60 depends on budget.

When you buy shoes make sure they come with cleats and wind off the pedal tension till you get used to clipping in and out. You may or may not fall just remember to unclip coming to lights junctions etc I went 30 miles no problem Sunday got home unclipped left lent to the right doh down I went with the neighbours kid piddling herself laughing.

More road orientated is spds but the cleats rant recessed an are a bugger to walk in but some people love them I can cover mega milage on spd shoes combo no problem

 

[Bealz998]

Ok thanks I'm new to this I was thinking like some lightweight standard pedals or are the now good

 

[paul04]

I have a very similar bike as you, had it just over a year and never had a problem with it.
I have only changed 2 things, put clipless pedals on and swapped the tyres over, nothing wrong with the original tyres, just had a couple of punctures which caused a couple on nicks in the tyre
I swapped the tyres, and got some continental ultra sports tyres.

And these are the clipless pedals I got
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/...+Road+Pedals&gclid=CJCyj72G3bkCFbMbtAodKVIAqg

 

[Biker Joe]

I use Shimano M520 pedals and Shimano MTB Shoes with recessed cleats. Shoes are very comfortable and are lasting me well.