Going from entry level bike to a much better one - my views
Discussion
So, with some judicious use of man-maths (I want a road bike now, but left mine in England, and it's easier to buy a new one than go and fetch mine early) I decided I need a new road bike. My first bike is a Genesis Volant 00, an alu frame, carbon forks and basic Shimano bits (was 2300 but upgraded to Claris shifters and rear mech), Vittorio Rubinho Pro tyres and better brake blocks, looking mostly like this and with a pre upgrade price of £650:
My new bike is an Eastway RD 1.0, carbon frame and forks, SRAM Force groupset and Avid BB7 road disc brakes, RRP of £2k, although I paid less than half that for it. The bike is exactly as it arrived from Wiggle, and fitted with Shimano M520 pedals (same as I run on the Genesis). Ropey pic of the bike below:
First impressions are that it it feels a lot lighter than the Genesis, and is really nicely finished with internal cable routing , decent quality bar tape and smart looking colour scheme (even if it is suspiciously 'Team Sky'). I was a bit disappointed it ships with Kenda tyres as my only experience of them was the incredibly heavy rubbish you get on a Carrera TDF which deformed within 50km but a quick Google suggests the Kaliente tyres on my bike are pretty light and should be OK so I will give them a chance.
I went for my first ride on the bike earlier today, and it's a total revelation compared to the Genesis I'm used to. You read reviews which talk about how quickly a bike accelerates, I've always thought this is nonsense but you can really feel the difference when you put your foot down. The gears shift faster, although I'm not used to the double-tap upshift yet so keep finding myself in the wrong gear I'm sure this will come with practice. The brakes are incredible, consistent and with far more modulation than rim brakes but they do seem to feel a bit more dead at the levers I'll happily take that in return for the stopping power when descending.
The most amazing thing is the comfort though, riding across the cobbles in the city centre it was still comfortable with no nasty noises and chain slap, we don't really have UK style potholes here but across the slightly broken bits of road surface again there was no jarring or real discomfort. Again, reviews talk about the comfort and souplesse of carbon and I thought you'd have to be a pro to notice but again it's like night and day.
I thought I was already into diminishing returns on the scale of BSO > Carrera TDF > entry level proper bike > serious kit but as a relatively unfit recreational cyclist this upgrade has made a huge difference in all areas. The Genesis will now be fitted with some raceblades and replace my French supermarket singlespeed for commuter duties when I collect it in a few weeks, and all I can say is if you're wondering how much you'd notice the difference with an upgrade of your bike then just go for it!
My new bike is an Eastway RD 1.0, carbon frame and forks, SRAM Force groupset and Avid BB7 road disc brakes, RRP of £2k, although I paid less than half that for it. The bike is exactly as it arrived from Wiggle, and fitted with Shimano M520 pedals (same as I run on the Genesis). Ropey pic of the bike below:
First impressions are that it it feels a lot lighter than the Genesis, and is really nicely finished with internal cable routing , decent quality bar tape and smart looking colour scheme (even if it is suspiciously 'Team Sky'). I was a bit disappointed it ships with Kenda tyres as my only experience of them was the incredibly heavy rubbish you get on a Carrera TDF which deformed within 50km but a quick Google suggests the Kaliente tyres on my bike are pretty light and should be OK so I will give them a chance.
I went for my first ride on the bike earlier today, and it's a total revelation compared to the Genesis I'm used to. You read reviews which talk about how quickly a bike accelerates, I've always thought this is nonsense but you can really feel the difference when you put your foot down. The gears shift faster, although I'm not used to the double-tap upshift yet so keep finding myself in the wrong gear I'm sure this will come with practice. The brakes are incredible, consistent and with far more modulation than rim brakes but they do seem to feel a bit more dead at the levers I'll happily take that in return for the stopping power when descending.
The most amazing thing is the comfort though, riding across the cobbles in the city centre it was still comfortable with no nasty noises and chain slap, we don't really have UK style potholes here but across the slightly broken bits of road surface again there was no jarring or real discomfort. Again, reviews talk about the comfort and souplesse of carbon and I thought you'd have to be a pro to notice but again it's like night and day.
I thought I was already into diminishing returns on the scale of BSO > Carrera TDF > entry level proper bike > serious kit but as a relatively unfit recreational cyclist this upgrade has made a huge difference in all areas. The Genesis will now be fitted with some raceblades and replace my French supermarket singlespeed for commuter duties when I collect it in a few weeks, and all I can say is if you're wondering how much you'd notice the difference with an upgrade of your bike then just go for it!
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