I’ve bought myself a road bike after many years of using an ancient super heavy mountain bike – which is a tad too big for me, although I still think I’ll use it in the Winter.
I found a Btwin Triban 3 (2012) entry level road bike on ebay for £100. Again it’s a tad large at 60cm frame, but that’s not giving me much of a problem as I’m using it to train and get fit.
My first couple of rides were noisy and I thought the crank was maybe at fault. On further investigation the chain and cassette were very worn. Tyres were pretty worn too, and I soon had a broken rear spoke.
I’ve since updated it a little so specs are now:
- Btwin Triban 3 Red 60cm Frame – eBay
- SRAM PC850 8 Speed Chain Grey 8 Speed 114 Links – Wiggle £6.99
- Shimano WH-R501 Clincher Wheelset Black/Red Shimano/Sram 8/9/10 – Wiggle sale £62 (no longer available)
- Schwalbe Durano Tyres 700 x 25mm – Chain Reaction £19.99
- Shimano HG50 8 Speed Cassette Road (12-25) – Wiggle £ 11.49
Now that’s all added the ride is much smoother. The move from 23 to 25 tyres makes a difference on the bumby North Yorkshire roads. The crank now makes no noise apart from a little rubbing against front derailleur – and that’s only because the triple chainset is a tiny bit bent. I’ll replace that in good time for total silence.
So now off to get fit!
