A Giant upgrade

My Giant Defy 3 needed some upgrades. It’s a fairly light road bike. But the brakes were very poor so the Shimano Tiagra’s improved safety.

It now has new wheels, Vision 35’s. They are lighter than the originals, more aerodynamic and should improve the braking.

I thought aero wasn't going to be a big factor for me; I don't travel very fast. At just 10 mph though, aerodynamic drag uses half the power you produce. To double that speed, you need to produce eight time more power. My average speed is around 14 - 16 mph, maybe I can improve that a little. The biggest generator of air resistance is me, but the bike contributes about 30 percent. These new wheels will help to reduce it a little. There are plenty of hills where I live, being lighter will help with climbing.

I want to do more longer rides this year, like Caterham to Canterbury, and better my Waller Hill climb time.

I think I might be starting to take this cycling lark a bit seriously?

It's becoming a bit more than just a way to keep fit and socialise. Almost any bike will allow me to do both. Crucially though, going faster will mean I can go further in the same time; part of the motivation is getting to new places. Hopefully this will help me increase the number of rides I do in a year.

My bike has much upgrade potential; how far will I go? I don't think much further; increased performance costs money. Colin Chapman of Lotus said to go faster, add lightness. I could lose a few pounds now that Christmas is over. There are still chocolates and cake in the house though, I can't throw them away can I? Once they are gone, I'll try to slim down.

As I wrote this, it occurred to me; I might have a summer/good weather bike.
I never bought into the winter bike, one that you didn't mind being assaulted by the dirt and harsh weather. My bikes have to survive anything I throw at them.
But now it looks too nice to ride at this time of year. The mountain bike will have to cope.

When I got the bike back from Ross Cycles, it had been cleaned; which was nice. I really will have to keep it that way.

Take a look at the Ross Cycles website, I took the photos for it.

I'll need better weather to explore the improvements, which is a shame. I have started planning the rides. Ditchling Beacon and Leith Hill are on my to-do list.

Please add your address to my mailing list, or click the follow button to be kept informed about future posts.

Follow me on twitter. 

Leave a comment about this post. I would really appreciate your thoughts on this or any blog post.

For more of my work, go to my Facebook page.

and  
website