Originally Posted by
Liveon2wheels
The cassette and chain ring have worn quite excessively and the chain is beginning to slip.
Unless you ride in very harsh conditions all the time and do no cleaning or lubrication, this may just be a cable adjustment issue. As I said, 1000 miles is nothing in the life of most components.
Originally Posted by
Liveon2wheels
I want to change everything that may need changing this year at the beginning rather than have a problem in the middle of a ride. I'm planning on riding from John O'Groats to Lands End over 10 days or so in May which, in my current condition, is going to require a lot of training and as I'm doing it on my own, I need to learn how to maintain the bike in case things go wrong while I'm out and about. I don't learn these things particularly easily as I'm not technically minded so having the time to find my way around and put things together from scratch is of enormous benefit to me.
Ahhha, the UK "Transcontinental" ride. Good! I certainly agree that knowing how to maintain and adjust your bike is a worthy effort but that doesn't mean replacing things wholesale.
Originally Posted by
Liveon2wheels
I had an impression that there was always something better, quicker and longer lasting than what comes on the bike when new and was looking to investigate this.
Yes, for enough money you can change anything for "better", lighter and with more snob appeal. However, the components you list are decent quality and should last a long time. As to "quicker", that's up to you.