Looking for thoughts, ideas and or inspiration!?

[TBaySimon]

I've had a Genesis Equilibrium 853 for around 9 years and I love it but probably just getting a bit bored/itching to spend a bit.

Prices seem to have gone mad on bikes but maybe it is just because I'm retired and watching the pennies a bit more than used too!

Do I treat myself to a new bike? Or do I put some new life in to my Equilibrium?

If I were buying new I'd probably have up to about £3.5k on a good day but would like to keep it less. Bikes that float my boat tend to be steel ones 853, 931 and titanium (Fairlight Strael, Genesis Volare 931, Ribble Endurance Ti, etc). I'm not desperate to go Di2 but hydraulic discs would be higher up the list. I'd like to go lighter if I'm spending money but accept that my preferred route make that more difficult. I'd probably like something leaning towards race (but not out and out). I also should probably consider carbon bikes but just the thought of dropping one would break my heart and it has happened with my Equilibrium on a few occasions but it has just got up and dusted itself down without any issues.

Or...

... do I spend some cash on what I've already got (the Equilibrium)? I.E upgrade the wheels and forks. I have a new cassette and chain rings which I bought years ago when they were on offer (and a few other necessary spares). Currently it is wearing some bog standard Alex Rims Race 18 (with ultra-reliable/heavy Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres) and the forks are 853 and probably weigh like a boat anchor (but I guess are comfortable).

I would struggle to sell it as the seat post is stuck, though I haven't had a really determined attempt to release it as it is at the prefect height for me (I put a squirt of GT85 around it every time I go out).

This is it today after a clean...

http://simonz.co.uk/images/Eq1.jpg

Or I could just keep riding and maintaining it as it is. There is an itch to be scratched though

Thanks

Simon

[mumbojumbo]

I would put my energies into deciding where to ride rather than worry about the bike itself.A good experience is about where you ride not what you ride.

[Nearholmer]

Lovely bike, but I’d say it deserves nicer tyres.

Keep it.

[keyboardmonkey]

Get a nice wheelset: 32h Mavic Open Pro C rims and Shimano 105 R7000 hubs, for instance. Put a pair of Continental GP5000 tyres on and plan somewhere nice to take your bike while you’re waiting for them to arrive. You will need rim tape.

You’re welcome. Enjoy.

Keep the other wheels for winter. Nice bike.

[Jupestar]

Nice bike, if you like it I would not replace it for something similar.

Your better of spending a bit on upgrading the wheels, or buying a second different style of bike.. such as a carbon race bike..

[TBaySimon]

Thanks for your replies and I agree about the riding, no real problem there we have lots of great roads on Anglesey and typically doing 40-50 miles 2 or 3 days a week and that will only go up as the weather settles down.

I agree about the wheels, they would be a good upgrade. The Schwalbe tyres are heavy but I've not had a puncture in 9 years and a lot of miles. I know I need to start looking elsewhere for tyres (and start carrying a puncture kit).

I like your idea @Jupestar of having something completely different as I suppose at the back of my mind I'm thinking will I really notice a real change if I go the Fairlight Strael, Genesis Volare 931, Ribble Endurance Ti route and heart of hearts I know probably not. A carbon race bike would definitely be different! Even an carbon endurance would be different.

Thanks again for the replies, it helps with different perspectives.

[pwa]

I've had a Genesis Equilibrium 853 for around 9 years and I love it but probably just getting a bit bored/itching to spend a bit.

Prices seem to have gone mad on bikes but maybe it is just because I'm retired and watching the pennies a bit more than used too!

Do I treat myself to a new bike? Or do I put some new life in to my Equilibrium?

If I were buying new I'd probably have up to about £3.5k on a good day but would like to keep it less. Bikes that float my boat tend to be steel ones 853, 931 and titanium (Fairlight Strael, Genesis Volare 931, Ribble Endurance Ti, etc). I'm not desperate to go Di2 but hydraulic discs would be higher up the list. I'd like to go lighter if I'm spending money but accept that my preferred route make that more difficult. I'd probably like something leaning towards race (but not out and out). I also should probably consider carbon bikes but just the thought of dropping one would break my heart and it has happened with my Equilibrium on a few occasions but it has just got up and dusted itself down without any issues.

Or...

... do I spend some cash on what I've already got (the Equilibrium)? I.E upgrade the wheels and forks. I have a new cassette and chain rings which I bought years ago when they were on offer (and a few other necessary spares). Currently it is wearing some bog standard Alex Rims Race 18 (with ultra-reliable/heavy Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres) and the forks are 853 and probably weigh like a boat anchor (but I guess are comfortable).

I would struggle to sell it as the seat post is stuck, though I haven't had a really determined attempt to release it as it is at the prefect height for me (I put a squirt of GT85 around it every time I go out).

This is it today after a clean...

http://simonz.co.uk/images/Eq1.jpg

Or I could just keep riding and maintaining it as it is. There is an itch to be scratched though

Thanks

Simon

Ditch the stodgy tyres and put some fast rubber on instead. For less than £100 you will have your new bike. You will kill any bike you put Marathon Plus on, be it steel, titanium, carbon or ally.

[peetee]

Lovely bike, but I’d say it deserves nicer tyres.

Keep it.

Seconded. You seem to like the feel of a zingy lightweight steel frame. These attributes will be seriously dulled with Marathon Plus tyres.

[TBaySimon]

Thanks for the tyre advice. I've just become reliant on the puncture resistant nature of the Marathon Plus and in that way they definitely haven't let me down. Come autumn there can be a lot of hawthorn hedges being cut on the country lanes we use.

I really don't know what is out there not having used anything else in 9 years, what tyres can you suggest that will improve the ride feel while giving me some protection (albeit less than the Marathon Plus)?

Thanks

Simon

[Nearholmer]

I don’t know much, if anything, about what I’d think of as narrow tyres (<35mm), but I’ve certainly found tubeless to be a bit of a revelation in the slightly wider sizes that I use for 50:50 surfaced:not riding.

If you can find some very supple ones, they can be run at lower pressures without incurring lots of rolling resistance, so the comfort is way better than with stiff old puncture-resistant tyres, and they are very light, so spin up to speed very easily.

Tubeless deal with thorns in a completely different way: they puncture, but don’t deflate. I came home from a ride where I’d gone through a pile of farm hedge-clippings near the start during last autumn, with twelve thorns in the back tyre, and two really big ones in the front. I did have to put a couple of puffs from the pump in when I stopped mid-ride for a snack, but that was it. The ‘stiletto” thorns in the front would have beaten even marathon plus, where the blasted things sometimes sneak in through the water-clearance grooves in the tread.

The downside is that tubeless need a bit more maintenance: pumping up about one a fortnight, and sealant top-up about six-monthly, and if you have a “once in twenty years” incident where you damage the tyre bead while out on a ride you have to fit a tube to get home, which is messy because of the sealant.

I run tubeless on my “posh” bike and marathon plus on my “shopping” bike, maintenance of which tends to be “planned neglect”, both 40-622, and the ride quality on the tubeless is streets ahead. As a sort of BTW, two tubeless tyres with sealant weigh less than one marathon plus!

[TBaySimon]

Thanks @Nearholmer, good info and that reminds me about tyre size! My maximum would be 28.

[rareposter]

They're nice bikes - the original road.cc review is worth a read:
https://road.cc/content/review/95491-ge ... frame-fork

If you've got money to improve it, the first thing is to get it to a good workshop (or possibly a framebuilder) and get the seized seatpost removed. It'll come out, they always do, but some require specialist tolos/knowledge, not just spraying GT85 around, hauling on it with a big lever and hoping for the best. That'd be absolute number one on the list.

And if you're doing that, it's worth stripping the entire thing down to bare frame - then get the seatpost removed, clean/polish (maybe respray?), then build it up with whatever new parts you have/want and whatever current parts are still in working order.

And it's crying out for a set of decent wheels and tyres. Something like this would absolutely transform the ride:
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/p ... y-wheelset

You can run them as normal (with tubes) or tubeless so if it's something you're not sure about you can always come back to it later. Nice set of supple tyres on there and it'll fly!

Personally, what I'd do is give the Genesis a thorough makeover and rebuild it as a winter road bike while also buying a new bike.
Here's a few ideas for some new steel road bikes:
https://www.cyclist.co.uk/buying-guides ... -road-bike

[roubaixtuesday]

Thanks for the tyre advice. I've just become reliant on the puncture resistant nature of the Marathon Plus and in that way they definitely haven't let me down. Come autumn there can be a lot of hawthorn hedges being cut on the country lanes we use.

I really don't know what is out there not having used anything else in 9 years, what tyres can you suggest that will improve the ride feel while giving me some protection (albeit less than the Marathon Plus)?

Thanks

Simon

To echo other comments, spend even a tiny proportion of the money you're contemplating on posh tyres and you'll transform the ride for day bikes.

Repairing punctures isn't difficult, and you could always get a whole new wheelset and swap out for Autumn/winter.

I have Vittoria Corsa on my nice bike.

[Martyn B]

I also have a Genesis Equilibrium, also about 9 years old, which is equipped with Continental 4 Season 25mm tyres and the bike rides like a dream, so I would endorse what others have said and before shelling out a lot of money on a new bike, I would seriously consider trying some different tyres. Touch wood, I've had no problems with punctures to date, but that could just be a streak of good fortune, which inevitably will now run out!

[pwa]

Yes, fast tyres for the summer, possibly swapped for something bullet-proof for hedge cutting season. Most items on a nice bike like this are already pretty good, and "upgrades" won't make a huge difference. With the exception of wheels and tyres. In the past I have found GP 4 Seasons to be a great choice with loads of grip and a cushioned ride, and reasonable puncture resistance. But I am not really up to date on what is available today. I have tried ordinary Marathons (HS420, not the Plus) and found the ride so harsh and speed-killing that I took them off the bike within an hour of putting them on. They hang unused on the garage wall. Terrible tyres. Okay, they may be puncture resistant, but I ride bikes for pleasure, not just to avoid punctures. And I don't get many anyway.