upgrades

Why exactly do you want to upgrade? If just for the "cool" factor, it doesn't really matter what you upgrade. Or do you want, say, a lighter bike, or a smoother drivetrain, or more responsive brakes, or more comfort etc etc? Give some more details and the forum will be in a much better position to advise you.

mainly for comfort smoother riding etc....

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by daler
mainly for comfort smoother riding etc....

A cushy saddle,suspension setpost, or another bike, that rides like you want it to.

As well as the stuff that boudreaux mentioned, fatter, lower pressure tyres will add comfort, but at the expense of speed. And padded shorts are good for comfort too. What bike do you have? Tell us a bit about it and it'll be much easier to advise.

Hmmm... yeah, smoother ride is a tough one. For most component categories, the baseline cheap stuff is about as vibration-controling as the mid-range and pricier stuff. Until you start spending on truly extravagent technologies, the premium you're paying for as you go upwards in price is generally lower weight. A $100 Ritchey WCS seatpost isn't going to ride smoother than a $35 Ritchey Comp seatpost -- but it will weigh half as much (and have a more refined clamp).

Bourdreaux suggested some of the exceptions -- component categories that are focused explicitly on soft riding. A suspension seatpost is the obvious one, if that's the sort of bike you're looking to build...

...which brings us back to Byrne's question. What's the goal for this bike? What do you want it to be? Is this baby built for distance? Speed? Casual rides around town? Light fitness riding? Heavy fitness riding, and training? Touring? Climbing? Rides by the beach? Shooting down long roads? Tearing up the trails?

its a raleigh aveo an entry level road bike with 700 23c tyres and i use it daily for work (16 miles) and often ride at the weekend in the country lanes wide tyres would be ok but the rolling resistance might prove a problem iv thought about a suspension seatpost and didnt like that and thought a new sadlle would be a better option. any more ideas?
i want to mainly use this bike for training (for nothing in particular) and as transport to and from work. but my budfet isnt huge im only 16 and an aprentice!

Hmmm hmm hmmm... well, it's hard to say, daler. I don't think there are many minor changes you can make to it that will make it comfier, without spending enough cash to constitute a replacement bike.

To be honest, actually, I'd wager that you might find many sexier mid-level race bikes just as rough, if not more rough-riding. That base-level Raleigh is probably a bit squishy (if you don't mind me saying so); road bikes aim for rigidity and stiffness, which takes getting used to.

In the upper echelons of the market, the best designs utilize carbon fiber, titanium, steel, exotic materials like kevlar and magnesium, and other clever tricks to subtly cut down on road chatter without sacrificing weight or stiffness... the thing is, with the stiffness and rigidity that race-oriented bikes offer, those sorts of comfort-improving exploits are a necessary pursuit for engineers.

A bike like yours, on the downside, might be about as comfy as you can make it without adding a suspension post or a big puffy saddle. On the upside, it's probably trusty as hell. With a little tender care, it'll haul you around for a long time. Good luck!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by daler
its a raleigh aveo an entry level road bike with 700 23c tyres and i use it daily for work (16 miles) and often ride at the weekend in the country lanes wide tyres would be ok but the rolling resistance might prove a problem iv thought about a suspension seatpost and didnt like that and thought a new sadlle would be a better option. any more ideas?
i want to mainly use this bike for training (for nothing in particular) and as transport to and from work. but my budfet isnt huge im only 16 and an aprentice!

Piece-by-piece upgrades are expensive. You can easily spend more than your bike cost just on an upgraded wheelset. I'd suggest not upgrading anything on this bike.

Better to save up your money for a year or two, and move on to a new bike when you can afford it. You could take your time and find a high quality used bike; that may be a fine way to go on a budget.

Many of us started out on low-dollar bikes. My first real bike as a kid was an "english racer" with a 3-sp internal hub. When I moved up to a Raleigh Gran Sport with 531 frame, Brooks saddle, alloy crankset and rims, I thought it was the ultimate ride.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by daler
its a raleigh aveo an entry level road bike with 700 23c tyres and i use it daily for work (16 miles) and often ride at the weekend in the country lanes wide tyres would be ok but the rolling resistance might prove a problem iv thought about a suspension seatpost and didnt like that and thought a new sadlle would be a better option. any more ideas?
i want to mainly use this bike for training (for nothing in particular) and as transport to and from work. but my budfet isnt huge im only 16 and an aprentice!

Sounds like you might be a bit stuck here - a Raleigh Aveo is perfectly fine to commute/train on, but as someone else has said here, spending any significant amount of money upgrading it is probably a waste.

If increased rolling resistance would be a problem for you, and you don't want a suspension seatpost...your options to make the ride comfier are rather limited. It sounds like your best bet is probably just to get used to the fact that a road bike is designed to have a non-squishy, responsive, twitchy ride - that's the price you pay for lightness and speed.

Your idea of a new saddle might be a good one - I've recently replaced the saddle on a bike, which made it several orders of magnitude more fun to ride. The current saddle in vogue for being extremely comfortable is the Fizik Arione - there's a whole thread about it around here somewhere. Unfortunately, it costs around GB£70. However, this is a less inappropriate upgrade than it seems, because if/when you get a better road bike, you can transfer the saddle to it.

Finally, although it seems obvious - wearing the right stuff on the bike makes a difference. Padded shorts/undershorts can really help, and wear shorts/trousers which don't have a dirty great seam down the middle - anyone who has done over about 5 miles wearing jeans will know what I'm talking about.

thanks for all your help! i think i will probably buy a new saddle and save for a new bike in a few years and transfer the saddle if its worth it. any suggestions on anything about improving riding efficiancy are also welcome as im not sure i use my bike to its full potential.and 1 more question...... In the winter do you suggest changing tyres to cope with the wet and icy conditions of an english winter?

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by daler
thanks for all your help! i think i will probably buy a new saddle and save for a new bike in a few years and transfer the saddle if its worth it. any suggestions on anything about improving riding efficiancy are also welcome as im not sure i use my bike to its full potential.and 1 more question...... In the winter do you suggest changing tyres to cope with the wet and icy conditions of an english winter?

To improve riding efficiency, go to a bike shop and get them to set your stem, bar and saddle position correctly - having the saddle too high or too low will make your power transfer less than optimum. Also make sure the tyres are pumped up to their upper limit, this keeps rolling resistance as low as possible.

In winter, it's MUCH easier to puncture a tyre (glass cuts rubber a lot more easily in the wet), so I would advise putting on some really tough tyres. It'll make the rolling restance higher....but a bike with high rolling resistance is still better than one with flat tyres 🙂 Also, don't use knobblies - they're not as good as old-fashioned slicks on tarmac.

thanks for all the help its been really usefull! any particular tyre for winter use?

Specialized Armadilloes are about as tough as it gets, I think. They're widely used by bicycle couriers.

right thanks i thought of somthing else aswell..... wot (in your opinion) is the best clothing for rainny days bearing in mind ive got to work after i ride because today i got soaked ! and my shoes do slip overs keep =out the rain?

Well, you can get breatheable waterproof jackets, but they are pricey. Non-breathable ones are only so good because while they keep the rain out, they'll keep sweat in. You'll also want a pair of waterproof trousers to wear over your normal ones.

The other alternative is to just wear any old stuff on the way in and then try to have a shower and change at work. It's pretty tricky either way, I'm afraid.

well ive bought some cheap but light semi-flexible waterproofs because the shower wasnt really an option. and a pair of neoprene overshoes but thats not the problem i think my bottom braket is shagged already (after 5 weeks) cos it makes a strange creakin noise and has a slight wobble any ideas suggestions? i think i may take it back?!?!?