Upgrading a Raleigh Strada II Hybrid/Crossbike

[Samicidal]

Hi All,

I was hoping to get some advice from some of you.

Last year in the first lockdown, I bought my first bike in about 20 years so that I could do some exercise as my knees couldn't handle running.

I bought a brand new Raleigh Strada II https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15909999/raleigh-strada-2-commuter-bike-15909999

I figured that this would be goof enough for me to do a few bike rides and at £380 was a reasonable price for what I needed it for.

Little did I know that I would fall in love with cycling and use it, basically, every day. It's because of this that I have been slowly upgrading it.

I started off with Crank Bros Stamp 1 pedals,
Then changed the wheels for some hand built Shimanos that were a larger and thinner wheel (more suitable for road than the ones that it came with)
Added some Sammy Slicks tires
The disc brakes are, as I type, being upgraded to Shimano MT501/520 Hydraulic Disc Brakes
Because of changing the disc brakes, it needed new shifters as well, so some Shimano Acera SL-M360 Triggers and a new 8 speed cassette as also currently being fitted sp that I will have 24 gears instead of 21

Because of all of this, I am in the mindset that I might as well continue custom building rather than purchasing a new bike in the future, so, with that in mind - what would be a good frame and fork set to purchase as an upgrade? - or maybe just upgrading the forks to Carbon forks? - or would I be better off getting a new crank set first? If so, what would you recommend?

I mainly use it for road cycling with a bit of off terrain but not serious mountain biking, more like forest trails or country cycling if you know what I mean...

 

[All uphill]

Good for you!

It's great that you enjoy cycling, and I understand the desire to upgrade. I'd suggest looking at Spa cycles chainset which will save you a bit of weight, and maybe get some carbon or aluminium handlebars, but mostly encourage you just to get out there and ride!

 

[Dag Hammar]

This is not a criticism of you or your bike. I have just had a look at the Raleigh Strada by following the link you provided and also an internet search to take me directly to the GoOutdoors website.
The photo shows the bike with fixed, non sprung forks but the worded description says the bike has sprung forks with 60mm of travel.
Could be very disappointing if someone made a purchase on line although they do state that the bike is out of stock.
Regardless of the misinformation on their website I’m pleased that you are enjoying your cycling.👍

 

[Samicidal]

The hand built wheels are Halo 700C Rims with Shimano Deore hubs...

 

[Samicidal]

Hey Dag - when you say sprung forks do you mean suspension? If so, then yes you are right, the Strada doesn't have a front suspension on the forks, I have no idea why that website put that in the description.

 

[Samicidal]

I'll take a look at Spa chainsets - any recommendations on the handlebars?

 

[raleighnut]

The 'standard' crank will be a 'boat anchor'you can fit an HT11 type crank easily, I fitted one on an 80's Raleigh Equipe

 

[DRM]

SPA CYCLES XD-2 Touring Triple Chainset | £38.00 | Drivetrain | Chainsets | Spa Cycles
I fitted one of these on a very old Raleigh MTB to replace the worn out, very heavy, originals, it's square taper, and you can get one with the same 48/38/28 170mm cranks, so as long as your Bottom Bracket is square taper it should fit, but they recommend a 110mm Bottom Bracket axle width, so you may have to replace that as well if yours is longer, also for £2.50 get the crank bolts too so you know you've got them.
They're a good bit of kit for the money

 

[Samicidal]

SPA CYCLES XD-2 Touring Triple Chainset | £38.00 | Drivetrain | Chainsets | Spa Cycles
I fitted one of these on a very old Raleigh MTB to replace the worn out, very heavy, originals, it's square taper, and you can get one with the same 48/38/28 170mm cranks, so as long as your Bottom Bracket is square taper it should fit, but they recommend a 110mm Bottom Bracket axle width, so you may have to replace that as well if yours is longer, also for £2.50 get the crank bolts too so you know you've got them.
They're a good bit of kit for the money

Thank you so much - that's a lot cheaper than I was expecting and it looks nice and light at 705g - how do I find out what my bottom bracket is? Also, are these things easy to fit/change by yourself with very limited tools?

Also, I was looking at carbon handlebars - any idea which ones I should look at and which ones will fit the bike? I definitely don't need them to be wider than 600mm

On top of that I was looking at carbon seatposts as well - however, the size of the tube is mine is 30.4mm which doesn't seem to be a standard size - any idea where I might find a decent carbon seat post at that size?

 

[DRM]

If you look between the crank arm and bottom bracket you will see a bit of the axle that goes into the crank arm, it’ll either be square, or splined, called octalink, or will be Hollowtech, with bearings/cups on the outside, there is another type called cup & cone but I doubt it’ll be one of those.

View: https://youtu.be/e-8G1G9QNX8


View: https://youtu.be/xUtOeFJJycg

These videos will help you identify which one you have, and how to remove/replace them, if you look on YouTube R J the bike guy does some good maintenance videos too,
as for carbon handlebars and seat posts, I don’t think they represent good value for money as really good light ones will be very, very expensive, the more affordable ones aren’t much lighter than a quality aluminium item.