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Hill chewing machine on a budget

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  • July 14, 2015 at 2:28 pm #24434
    bamilton wackademical

    I know these threads pop up quite regularly, but I’d appreciate the board’s advice.

    I’ve recently moved to the South West and I’m thinking about upgrading from my current road bike (Genesis Volant, which has been great) to something which is going to be better for chewing up the many hills down here and coping better with braking coming down the other side.

    A few questions which have no doubt been asked already, but I’d love to get everyone’s thoughts:

    – Is it worth switching to Carbon, or are the new breed of lightweight alloy frames just as good for the job? I’m 15 stone, so it has to be sturdy

    – How much of a difference do disc brakes make to descending? I feel like I’ve lost confidence on descents because I don’t trust my caliper brakes

    – Is there a real benefit in switching to a triple, or compact doubles every bit as good?

    Also, any recommendations for a bike that ticks all the boxes around the £1k mark much appreciated. The Cannondale Synapse 105 Disc looks like it ticks all the boxes right now.

    Cheers all

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  • July 15, 2015 at 1:03 pm #853769
    0
    bamilton wackademical

    allanj wrote:Of course a new

    allanj wrote:
    Of course a new bike (or wheels, or bar tape, or whatever) makes you go faster- it makes you want to ride more and harder!

    I always find I ride best when my bike is freshly cleaned and oiled 🙂

    July 15, 2015 at 1:01 pm #853767
    0
    bamilton wackademical

    Simon E wrote:
    It’s also the

    Simon E wrote:

    It’s also the most rewarding option. Hard work & perseverance are hugely underrated nowadays. I don’t know anyone that was overweight who lost some and was disappointed, whether a cyclist or not.

    Ah well, I’m already 5+ stone down on what I used to be so I’m doing alright. It’s the last couple of stone that are the hardest to lose!

    So while effort, technique and physical fitness are the biggest factors in making a difference, would you guys say that there’s no real positive effect on climbing from upgrading? On the flats I would expect to benefit from the stiffness of carbon and I would expect better gears to help i.e. speed of shifting. Do none of these benefits translate to the hills?

    July 15, 2015 at 11:38 am #853765
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    allanj

    Of course a new bike (or
    Of course a new bike (or wheels, or bar tape, or whatever) makes you go faster- it makes you want to ride more and harder!

    July 14, 2015 at 9:03 pm #853763
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    Simon E

    CXR94Di2 wrote:When you work

    CXR94Di2 wrote:
    When you work out the percentage difference of an ultra light bike and a normal aluminum bike with your weight added into the equation, the difference is minimal

    Yep.

    2 seconds saved per kg for 100 metres of vertical ascent is a reliable figure. It’s pretty much the same whether taken from the bike, the wheels or the rider.

    bamilton wackademical wrote:
    Fair point. In short, my best option is to work harder towards not being a lardarse!

    Yep.

    It’s also the most rewarding option. Hard work & perseverance are hugely underrated nowadays. I don’t know anyone that was overweight who lost some and was disappointed, whether a cyclist or not.

    July 14, 2015 at 5:36 pm #853761
    0
    Judge dreadful

    I actually prefer my alloy
    I actually prefer my alloy bikes with triples up front, for the big climbs. I’d say look for a 50 / 39 / 30 crankset, and an 11-28 or 12-27 cassette.

    July 14, 2015 at 5:18 pm #853759
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    bamilton wackademical

    Fair point. In short, my best
    Fair point. In short, my best option is to work harder towards not being a lardarse!

    July 14, 2015 at 4:49 pm #853757
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    CXR94Di2

    Maybe not downhill, but when
    Maybe not downhill, but when it comes to the uphill every little helps I’m sure!

    When you work out the percentage difference of an ultra light bike and a normal aluminum bike with your weight added into the equation, the difference is minimal

    July 14, 2015 at 4:33 pm #853755
    0
    bamilton wackademical

    Simon E wrote:
    Confidence

    Simon E wrote:

    Confidence when cornering or descending is invariably down to technique. A new bike, nice though it would be (and yes, I’d say the Cannondale probably ticks your boxes), won’t fix that by itself. A caliper & pad upgrade can make a significant difference but that might not be the answer you’re looking for.

    Agreed. I’ve worked pretty hard on my technique in the time I’ve been cycling and on the open roads I’m fine. However, when I leave the house I have a 16% downhill at one end of the road and 12% at the other to go down if I want to go anywhere. Even with decent pads fitted, when you throw parked cars and oncoming traffic into the equation I wouldn’t have the same confidence as I would a few miles out of town – especially in the wet.

    I’ve made the decision about upgrading my bike, so I’d rather factor in the best option for me with a new set up rather than go for a caliper upgrade. In saying that, recommendations are always welcome.

    Simon E wrote:

    Carbon, alu, steel and Ti, it doesn’t really matter. And neither does the weight.

    Maybe not downhill, but when it comes to the uphill every little helps I’m sure!

    July 14, 2015 at 4:18 pm #853753
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    CXR94Di2

    Nice bike the cannondale. I
    Nice bike the cannondale. I am 15st, a 50/34 with 11-32 cass will be very useful. Hills will never be easy being so heavy, so expect to be slow and develop pacing or monstrous sustainable 400+ watts whilst climbing 🙂

    Going downhill as mentioned that is confidence based mainly. There is no necessity to hit high speeds whilst decending. Disc brakes will be better in modulation so feathering braking is easier. When the weather turns wet then disc brakes will be invaluable.

    The model cannondale you’re looking at has cable disc setup. Hydraulic upgrade when you can afford will give you the best setup

    July 14, 2015 at 3:54 pm #853751
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    Simon E

    Triple and compact are just
    Triple and compact are just two different ways of achieving the same thing. Some prefer one, some the other (see this recent discussion for some opinions).

    Confidence when cornering or descending is invariably down to technique. A new bike, nice though it would be (and yes, I’d say the Cannondale probably ticks your boxes), won’t fix that by itself. A caliper & pad upgrade can make a significant difference but that might not be the answer you’re looking for.

    Carbon, alu, steel and Ti, it doesn’t really matter. And neither does the weight.

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