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Bike parts upgrade

BlinkybazBlinkybaz Posts: 1,144
Hey all assembled triathletes,



I am thinking of pimping up the old Viking tourino. Stop laughing all with better bikes!



I am thinking new seat but am unsure of the difference! Recommenfations would be good.(mine at the mo is like razor)



Forks and carbon. I would like to put some carbon fgorks on but again dont know about the cost vs quality issues!



Tyres are also on my list! God I wish I had more of an idea! Should I spend lots on them or just any old resonable priced ones will do???? If I have them in my habds I could tell by the feel but am unsure where to start and my LBS is not a helpful place!!!





All ideas thoughts and recommendations greatly accepted.

Comments

  • risris Posts: 1,002
    tyres sounds like a good starting point, unless you can afford to pimp that viking with some new wheels. i'm rubbish with bike specs, spesh armadillo's seem to have a reasonable rep but it depends what you are after - minimal rolling resistance or pnucture protection or to have fast red bits on them.



    i'm sure a brooks saddle would look a treat on the tri-bike. [:D]
  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    I had a brookes leather jobby on an old racer I had...kept sliding off as my butt had polished the leather. I had to ride with my elbows locked for fear of doing a mischief on the crossbar.
  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    Sorry. none of that helps does it? saddles you have to try to find what suits..comfort rules.

    Tyres & wheels confuse me.
  • ZacniciZacnici Posts: 1,385
    Tyres - Schwalbe Ultremos, I have them on my Tria, seem to be well rated.



    Saddle - Fizik Arione, again have one on my bike: http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/reviews/arione.shtml



    Carbon Forks - Planet X seem to be v popular - Ask Bopomofo as I think he had them as an upgrade on his last bike.
  • GHarvGHarv Posts: 456
    What budget do you have for your pimpage?



    G
  • BlinkybazBlinkybaz Posts: 1,144
    Budget is a difficult one. I have no idea how much thinfs cost thatv are worth it! I have seem cheap stuff on the net but dont want rubbish!



    I reckon I have £70 quid for saddle and tyres!

    Forks are another matter. What sort of price is worth it?
  • GHarvGHarv Posts: 456
    A decent tyre will probably kill your budget but should make a difference, schwalbe, conti, michelin pro will probably cost £60 for a pair.



    I've just gone on to Schwalbe Durano's £60. Others will obviously have some other preferences.



    Re saddle i use a specialised tri tip again £60 ish.



    Do you have tri bars?



    Profile century would set you back £35 get you more aero and could save you 5 mins over 25 miles.



    G
  • BlinkybazBlinkybaz Posts: 1,144
    Gharv - Thanks for the input its great. I have those very tri bars and love them. The tyre issues are getting my head in a muddle! I know the tyre you mentioned are great but a bit steep for me. Is there any thing around £40 for a pair that are better than my standard Kenda's?

    I am will to spend on a saddle and have looked at the one you mention. I will do some internet browsing to find it as cheap as I can!



    Any ideas on forks dude? My steel blades are killing me. They bring the bike in at 13KGS. I think I can get that down to around 10 KGS with some carbon enlightenment.
  • treefrogtreefrog Posts: 1,242
    How old is the frame? If its an original Viking most modern kit will be incompatible with it try camyoldie.com
  • BlinkybazBlinkybaz Posts: 1,144
    Its a 2007 bike! I am not sure how long they have been using that frame for! Its 6169 alu so should be too old me thinks.
  • Without going OTT on the budget I went for a Charge Spoon saddle for £30 - great reveiws and having done a 70mile bike event last weekend I can say it was comfortable.



    For tyres, I still have my Conti Gatorskins on, maybe not as fast as the other tyres recommended but very good pucture protection and roll pretty well....and £17 a tyre for beaded or £25 for folded if you wish.



    Good luck.



    Simon
  • gherkingherkin Posts: 8
    For me, the tyres i've just brought are the Conti GP4000 liking them quite alot at the moment, however for my training rides i swap to gatorskins.



    Wheel wise i've upgraded to Mavic Askium - while not being racing snake wheels they have made a difference to the original wheels I had. My bike is a Carrera Virtuso pretty much running stock equipment on it. Looking at forks for my next upgrade but thats a minefield in itself
  • MGMG Posts: 470
    Zacnici wrote:


    Tyres - Schwalbe Ultremos, I have them on my Tria, seem to be well rated.







    I would give these tyres a VERY wide berth if I were you.



    I've read on more than one occasion the side walls on these tyres splitting.



    And to prove the point I've just returned from Switzerland 70.3 where guess what.....................my Schwalbe Ultremos side wall split at 74km in to bike leg so I had to ride the rest of bike (16km) on the rim, not good!! I will NEVER fit these tyres again!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • BlinkybazBlinkybaz Posts: 1,144
    Dude thats shit luck. Point taken and will never darken my door with those!
  • ZacniciZacnici Posts: 1,385
    Ah yes, re Ultremos, I did a quick search and see that the problems are with the Ultremo R's which appear to be the replacement for the Ultremos that I have. Pity as everyone rated the Ultremos (not the R's)
  • TommiTriTommiTri Posts: 879
    Here you go mate -

    get yourself a set of continental supersonics or GP4000s(if you want a bit more grip and puncture protection) personally I would go with the supersonics as they are a very very fast and light tyre.



    Get them for 20 each if you spend over 50,



    http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/productdetail.asp?productcatalogue=CONTTYRF350



    you will want the 23s



    Then to make your basket over £50 to make the tyres cheaper you get 2 of these



    http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/productdetail.asp?productcatalogue=MICHTUBE350



    latex innertubes have better puncture protection and lower rolling resitance, they will make you faster.



    Overall about £55 and definitely an increase in performance.



    Oh and treefrog will probably say not to deal with wiggle, but I have gotten quite a lot of stuff from them in the past and have found their customer service to be good.
  • JulesJules Posts: 987
    How much faster will light fast tyres be (say over a OD 40KM ride) than heavier more pucture proof ones? This info would be useful to determine if the extra risk of puctures is worth taking.
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