Road Cycling
- Thread starter FrenchTart
- Start date
Did you put carbon paste on the bars where the stem face plate clamps on?
Only other cause could be your clamps on the hoods, worth putting a little bit of carbon paste on those as well and make sure everything torqued properly.
Soldato
Hi all,
Long time no see, but im still out riding my Specialised Allez Elite now and then, alongside my friend who has just gotten into road biking on a VERY heavy Sora spec Carrera.
Wanted a bit of advice current spec of my bike is below:
Specialized Allez Elite 2013
Tiagra groupset (I think its 45/600 -cant be sure)
Prime Baroudeur's Wheelset (Upgraded last year and love them)
My Friend wants to sidegrade/Upgrade his bike, and Mine would be a nice step up for him - its well looked after, much lighter and all round just a bit better for him. Trouble is I kinda like my old workhorse too and dont have super money in the bank to upgrade so ive put off thinking about it.
However recently (as of today) a friend of a friend has offered me up the following:
Ribble Gran Fondo (I think its a 2016 Frame)
From what i can tell in the pics, its a 105 groupset (5700 groupset with hollowtech front chainrings, i think FC-5750?)
Wheels are the trusty Campag Zondas
Above for £600
Any advice on what you think is worthwhile? Also what a good second hand price to my friend would be for my current bike?
We have a second trip to Elan Valley in the calendar for this year, so my friend is really keen to get something lighter as his bike is SUPER heavy, and now he knows he enjoys it he is keen to get something a bit more suitable.
Long time no see, but im still out riding my Specialised Allez Elite now and then, alongside my friend who has just gotten into road biking on a VERY heavy Sora spec Carrera.
Wanted a bit of advice current spec of my bike is below:
Specialized Allez Elite 2013
Tiagra groupset (I think its 45/600 -cant be sure)
Prime Baroudeur's Wheelset (Upgraded last year and love them)
My Friend wants to sidegrade/Upgrade his bike, and Mine would be a nice step up for him - its well looked after, much lighter and all round just a bit better for him. Trouble is I kinda like my old workhorse too and dont have super money in the bank to upgrade so ive put off thinking about it.
However recently (as of today) a friend of a friend has offered me up the following:
Ribble Gran Fondo (I think its a 2016 Frame)
From what i can tell in the pics, its a 105 groupset (5700 groupset with hollowtech front chainrings, i think FC-5750?)
Wheels are the trusty Campag Zondas
Above for £600
Any advice on what you think is worthwhile? Also what a good second hand price to my friend would be for my current bike?
We have a second trip to Elan Valley in the calendar for this year, so my friend is really keen to get something lighter as his bike is SUPER heavy, and now he knows he enjoys it he is keen to get something a bit more suitable.
I'll pay a bit more attention for the source next time I'm out, it is a integrated cockpit so I presume the only place would be on the clamp to the frame? I'm not usually as aggressive as I was in my climbs as I was yesterday (got 8th fastest average over a railway bridge!). Is copaslip OK for a carbon paste?
Keep your bike.
Have friend A buy bike from friend B?
Personally I think it’s a bit overpriced for the age, the 5700 is an old group set now.
Soldato
So is the Tiagra groupset I'm currently using!
Friend doesn't want to spend £600 so that's not really an option. Checking the second hand market (even with Covid inflation) it seems at least "reasonably" priced given the Zonda wheels, and it does look well looked after (as best as you can tell from the pics).
Doesn't seem a great deal given it's a 5-year-old non-premium frame which was probably circa £1200 brand new. Not really "mate rates". If you are desperate for an upgrade have you thought of upgrading to R7000 105? Even the new Tiagra would be an improvement. If I were you I'd keep saving and buy something new next year when there are more options.
Soldato
Its a friend of a friend selling it.
I don't really have £600 to spend just on a groupset, as much as I would love the R7000 105!
Most of the money for the Gran Fondo would come from selling my bike to my friend, and making up the difference. I understand its not much of an upgrade for me as such, more a sidestep, but for him its quite beneficial. His current "test to see if i like road riding bike" which is a Carrera Zelos Ltd Edition 2014.
Soldato
- Joined
- 23 Nov 2004
- Posts
- 10,646
Keep your bike as it's s good overall package and you know the history.
Get your mate to buy a set of wheels and tyres for the carrera? He may need to stick s 7 speed cassette on them but it'll make the bike feel better.
The Ribble wasn't that expensive new and the 5700 groupset was a low point for Shimano, add 6700 and 7900 in there too tbh. Spongy, soft and vague shifting compared to Tiagra which kept exposed cables for crisper shifting. It may be older as 105 would have been 11 speed by 2016,2014 I think 5800 came out? Zonda wheels potentially need a freehub body too.
Had a bike in today bought for £490 a year ago, was a 2012 synapse 105 which would have been £1k new. It needs chain,cassette,chainring, BB30,headset, cables,rear wheel and someone had fitted an 11 speed mech so that needs swapped out to 5700.
Get your mate to buy a set of wheels and tyres for the carrera? He may need to stick s 7 speed cassette on them but it'll make the bike feel better.
The Ribble wasn't that expensive new and the 5700 groupset was a low point for Shimano, add 6700 and 7900 in there too tbh. Spongy, soft and vague shifting compared to Tiagra which kept exposed cables for crisper shifting. It may be older as 105 would have been 11 speed by 2016,2014 I think 5800 came out? Zonda wheels potentially need a freehub body too.
Had a bike in today bought for £490 a year ago, was a 2012 synapse 105 which would have been £1k new. It needs chain,cassette,chainring, BB30,headset, cables,rear wheel and someone had fitted an 11 speed mech so that needs swapped out to 5700.
I’m still procrastinating on wheels!
Looking at FFWD this week, stock is good and they are discounting direct from manufacturer.
I’m sure they must weigh them with skewers and rim tape or something as they seem too heavy (imo) 1610g and 1660g for the 40 and 60mm rim brake clinchers with DT350 hubs.
I know with a DT240 hubset you’d take 50g off each hub (front and rear), but even that isn’t super competitive.
Reviews (be it not of this model year) have them some 150-200g lighter than this. I’d estimate average weight for this depth wheel across manufacturers to be 1450-1600g max so they do seem on the heavy side.
I could counter with they have a couple more spokes; 20/24 rather than the 16-18/21 of some lighter sets.
My pendulum has swung back this way for durability as DT do make good hubs and more spokes maybe better with a 3 year warranty.
My third option is just bank the money towards a new disc brake bike in 2-3 years time, but that might be the thick end of 5k to buy an equivalent spec bike to what I have and I don’t think I could bring myself to spend that much!
Looking at FFWD this week, stock is good and they are discounting direct from manufacturer.
I’m sure they must weigh them with skewers and rim tape or something as they seem too heavy (imo) 1610g and 1660g for the 40 and 60mm rim brake clinchers with DT350 hubs.
I know with a DT240 hubset you’d take 50g off each hub (front and rear), but even that isn’t super competitive.
Reviews (be it not of this model year) have them some 150-200g lighter than this. I’d estimate average weight for this depth wheel across manufacturers to be 1450-1600g max so they do seem on the heavy side.
I could counter with they have a couple more spokes; 20/24 rather than the 16-18/21 of some lighter sets.
My pendulum has swung back this way for durability as DT do make good hubs and more spokes maybe better with a 3 year warranty.
My third option is just bank the money towards a new disc brake bike in 2-3 years time, but that might be the thick end of 5k to buy an equivalent spec bike to what I have and I don’t think I could bring myself to spend that much!
Soldato
- Joined
- 23 Nov 2004
- Posts
- 10,646
Much are you spending?
My mate has F6R full carbon tubs on DT 240 hubs for sale trying to get me to buy them for mates rate but not sure what the doing rate would be for them?
Rear was rebuilt by FFWD not long ago through the shop and I had sold them.
My mate has F6R full carbon tubs on DT 240 hubs for sale trying to get me to buy them for mates rate but not sure what the doing rate would be for them?
Rear was rebuilt by FFWD not long ago through the shop and I had sold them.
Much are you spending?
My mate has F6R full carbon tubs on DT 240 hubs for sale trying to get me to buy them for mates rate but not sure what the doing rate would be for them?
Rear was rebuilt by FFWD not long ago through the shop and I had sold them.
Budget 800-1100.
Clincher only as I cba with the hassle of tubulars even if I very very rarely flat.
Soldato
- Joined
- 23 Nov 2004
- Posts
- 10,646
Fair enough.
That was my reason for not already having them. Recon I'd get them for £400 and pay him £100 a month but tubs are a PITA. Can get Miche rc38s for a good price through work.
That was my reason for not already having them. Recon I'd get them for £400 and pay him £100 a month but tubs are a PITA. Can get Miche rc38s for a good price through work.
Soldato
Yeah, had my 2nd jab on Tuesday evening. Fine Wednesday at work, off Thursday so cycled 50 miles... Friday I felt like death. Still feel crap now 
Soldato
Felt absolutely criminal not riding today, but I woke up late and felt wrecked all day. Knew my Strava "form" was stupidly negative after my first 100Km ride since early March on Thursday, but didn't realise until dinner time that this last week has been my biggest by time/distance/elevation in the last year and nothing close since last September.
Not terribly big numbers, but my fitness has never recovered since Covid ~14 months ago, my latest setback being a bad reaction to my first OxAZ jab in mid April that messed me up for ~2.5 weeks.
At least the sun and dry weather is here for at least this first week in June, might actually cancel the Zwift subscription for the first time in ~18 months.
Not terribly big numbers, but my fitness has never recovered since Covid ~14 months ago, my latest setback being a bad reaction to my first OxAZ jab in mid April that messed me up for ~2.5 weeks.
At least the sun and dry weather is here for at least this first week in June, might actually cancel the Zwift subscription for the first time in ~18 months.
The little grey gripper bit has come undone on the front of my Look Keo's today.....
They have been on there since November 2019 mind you
I thought this was just me, no they are crap now !!
According to Shimano that's when you should change them
Same.. I feel like even the cleats seem to wear a bit faster. I got some new ones after other day. They have a notch unlike previous two pairs but it's higher up cleat not directly touching the shoe sole.