Opinions Please.....?

[Scott clarke]

I guess the moral to the story is to buy the best bike you can afford and up grade the parts a bit at a time as funds allow

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi Scott,

Another way to look at is if you buy the right bike within a budget of £1000 there is no need for upgrades.

 

[tapash]

Hi Scott,

Another way to look at is if you buy the right bike within a budget of £1000 there is no need for upgrades.

So, which one do you call THE RIGHT BIKE? within £1000 budget?

 

[trex]

that would depend where you live, how far you commute to, how much you weigh, how tall and how good a mechanic you are.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Most parts are adequate for the job they have to do, so you don't need to upgrade anything; however everything doesn't suit every user, so by all means upgrade anything that you don't like. Personally, I always upgrade brakes to hydraulic and cranks to Hollowtech type. A saddle is another common one. The main point is that the low grade parts you get on cheap bikes are not really any more likely to non-function than expensive parts.

 

[Cyclezee]

So, which one do you call THE RIGHT BIKE? within £1000 budget?

My slightly biased opinion would be any bike from Cyclezee.

 

[flecc]

I guess the moral to the story is to buy the best bike you can afford and up grade the parts a bit at a time as funds allow

Most of the time upgrading isn't necessary Scott, even the lower end components can do a good job. I remember doing a review of the first Kalkhoff model to arrive in the UK and finding the V brakes worked superbly, as good as anyone could expect.

But on inspection they were unbranded, basic generic components. In part the secret was that the all important front brake was mounted sensibly on the rear of the front fork so pressing against the fork under braking rather than pulling against the bolts in the fork pillars on the front of the fork. This made the brake and it's pads very stable, resulting in very smooth braking.

No matter how much one spent to upgrade them to a more expensive branded cable V brake, they would not have become any better due to good design in the first place.

The old saying, "If it works, don't fix it" often applies.
.

 

[Scott clarke]

Most parts are adequate for the job they have to do, so you don't need to upgrade anything; however everything doesn't suit every user, so by all means upgrade anything that you don't like. Personally, I always upgrade brakes to hydraulic and cranks to Hollowtech type. A saddle is another common one. The main point is that the low grade parts you get on cheap bikes are not really any more likely to non-function than expensive parts.

But surely if they are low grade then they will wear out quicker

 

[Scott clarke]

Most of the time upgrading isn't necessary Scott, even the lower end components can do a good job. I remember doing a review of the first Kalkhoff model to arrive in the UK and finding the V brakes worked superbly, as good as anyone could expect.

But on inspection they were unbranded, basic generic components. In part the secret was that the all important front brake was mounted sensibly on the rear of the front fork so pressing against the fork under braking rather than pulling against the bolts in the fork pillars on the front of the fork. This made the brake and it's pads very stable, resulting in very smooth braking.

No matter how much one spent to upgrade them to a more expensive branded cable V brake, they would not have become any better due to good design in the first place.

The old saying, "If it works, don't fix it" often applies.
.

Ah yes i see your point

 

[RobF]

An American maker of high end tandems did some tests and found V brakes applied more braking force than discs.

The proof was they could skid one of their tandems with a V brake, but not with a disc.

The V brake needed to be long drop, for good leverage, and rigid, so it didn't flex in use.

Common sense says braking a wheel at the rim will require less force than braking it from the hub.

 

[flecc]

Yes, they are all disc brakes since the wheel is just a bigger disc, able to exert more leverage at the greater rim radius

No braking strain on the spokes too with V brakes.
.

 

[JohnCade]

I guess the moral to the story is to buy the best bike you can afford and up grade the parts a bit at a time as funds allow

Except the frame is a part too. Before very long you would have a completely different bike.

 

[flecc]

But surely if they are low grade then they will wear out quicker

There's a lot of factors in play here Scott. First is that most parts are not wearing ones, for example with brakes only the pads are parts one would wear out with any frequency and most brake parts will never wear out. And pad wear rate is less related to price than the desired efficiency and pads are consumables and cheap anyway. Tyres are also consumables.

Chains come in standard and high wear resistance varieties from the specialist chain makers, but bike makers usually only fit standard ones. The difference in life between the two types is much smaller than the price premium.

It's the hidden stuff that can most often let one down, things like pedal, hub and bottom bracket bearings for example, but here the best safeguard is to buy from known brands having a good reputation. They are anxious to protect their good name so try hard to avoid fitting any sub standard components or buy in poor bikes.
.

 

[Scott clarke]

There's a lot of factors in play here Scott. First is that most parts are not wearing ones, for example with brakes only the pads are parts one would wear out with any frequency and most brake parts will never wear out. And pad wear rate is less related to price than the desired efficiency and pads are consumables and cheap anyway. Tyres are also consumables.

Chains come in standard and high wear resistance varieties from the specialist chain makers, but bike makers usually only fit standard ones. The difference in life between the two types is much smaller than the price premium.

It's the hidden stuff that can most often let one down, things like pedal, hub and bottom bracket bearings for example, but here the best safeguard is to buy from known brands having a good reputation. They are anxious to protect their good name so try hard to avoid fitting any sub standard components or buy in poor bikes.
.

And I would guess that making sure it gets a service regularly would also make a big difference as to stop problems before they start.

 

[Scott clarke]

Except the frame is a part too. Before very long you would have a completely different bike.

That reminded me of that episode of only fools and horses when trigger got an award for using the same brush for twenty years. I've only had 13 new stales and forty new heads but it's the same brush lol. That's actually a good point about the frame.

 

[flecc]

And I would guess that making sure it gets a service regularly would also make a big difference as to stop problems before they start.

Yes, lubrication in particular, plus keeping things in good adjustment.
.

 

[JohnCade]

The main difference in bike parts past a certain point is weight. Once you get up to that point you start paying about double for something to save a few grams. Not really so important with e bikes.

Very cheap parts are not so durable though. Particularly if you hammer them.

 

[flecc]

That's actually a good point about the frame.

Fortunately the good brands usually have very long frame warranties, five or six years is common and they are sometimes longer. When a warranty is that long it can be assumed the part will normally never fail.
.

 

[JohnCade]

Fortunately the good brands usually have very long frame warranties, five or six years is common and they are sometimes longer. When a warranty is that long it can be assumed the part will normally never fail.
.

I believe some of the cheaper ones have been known to crack though.

 

[Scott clarke]

I believe some of the cheaper ones have been known to crack though.

So I guess a good warrenty is also an important part of your e-bike purchase