Scotty_Iscariot

Hello all.

I'm a fairly recent returner to the road bike and have been riding a stock Scott Speedster S50(2007) with Carbon forks and seatpost for the last year or so. I've only changed the front mech for a Shimano 105 Dura Ace(cos i somehow managed to snap the return spring on the original Sora one) and replaced the pedals with clip-ins. After wandering around this here forum I've begun to see the light and want to prettify/improve my bike with the appropriate gear. The bike is a spot on fit and is incredibly responsive to the type of riding I do in the main-which is London commuting(roughly 20miles+ per day), as well as rides on my day's off.

I've got the feeling that i'll need to change the wheels soon as the riding here is pretty tough on the braking and the rims may well be wearing down quite fast. I'm always having to re-centre the brakes also(they are bog standard Scott Pro)-they just seem to like to twist no matter how fully I tighten the bolts. These I think are the priority. The rest of the components are Shimano Sora

I don't know anyone else who rides and don't belong to any groups so I'm all at a loss to be honest. So much shiny stuff and so little knowledge. Obviously as it's in the main a commuter bike (for the moment) i'm not gonna be spending oodles of cash on it-but I really do see the benefits on improving the components and and may swap the current lot onto a vintage 70's steel Raleigh frame my mate has in his shed in the future. Or vice-versa.

So the question-any advice on components I should be looking out for?

jrockway

If your bike meets all your needs, why upgrade it? A 105 drivetrain may shift a bit better, but that's about all you'll notice... other than the hole in your wallet.

If I were you, I would resist the urge to upgrade and save up for a better frame. Once you have a nice frame, then go for the nice components.

Landgolier

Kool Stop brake pads will be a lot easier on your rims, stock pads tend to pick up grit, which galls up bits of metal from the rim. If you take your brake pads off you'll likely see some metal in them, you can pick this out with a small screwdriver or something but it will keep happening. Other than that, run your rims till they're shot, why abuse a nicer wheel if the performance of the current one is ok?

Scotty_Iscariot

Thanks guys. The stuff about the Brake blocks is very true-i'm forever seeing shiny stuff on em.

On the frame front i'm sorta liking this bike at the moment.Lots.But lookin through this here forum does make me think about getting an older frame and working on it. A cheap doer upper is the way i'm thinking.