Hi,
I am hoping someone can help me here i like cycling but i am certainly no expert!
I have a Dawes Discovery 601 Hybrid which is fine for my commute to work but I have used it in the last 2 Sprint Triathlons I have entered (I do it mainly for a bit of fun and to keep fit) . But i have found the Hybrid to be slow in comparison to the racing bikes that people are using.
Can i upgrade my hybrid to make it faster for this kind of use or should i bite the bullet and spend a few bob in buying a racer? I don't want to go out and spend a fortune - was hoping to spend upto £100 and get a decent second hand racer that would out perform the hybrid.
I would rather upgrade my hybrid if I am honest as I don't really have the space for two bikes
Can i upgrade the tyres and make them slimmer would that make it a lot faster?
Or anything else i can upgrade? I think putting on some drop down bars would help too - would i be able to fit them to the dawes 601?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Help- Upgrade a Dawes 601 hybrid to perform better?
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York Commuter
- Posts: 233
- Joined: 21 Oct 2008, 8:20pm
- Location: York
upgrade dawes 601
Dear swellybro
having looked at the spec of the current 601 on Dawes own website I think the simple answer is
it would be difficult
changing the tyres would be the easiest and make a lot of difference, probably for £40
but going the whole way and changing the handlebars would also mean new gear shifts and brake levers, and a new front mech and ... I can see the bills building up
even then all you'd be left with would be a highly modified hybrid, rather than a full-on "racing" bike, its geometry and ride would be all "wrong"
I think you'd be far better trying to get a dedicated road bike,
regards
Stephen
having looked at the spec of the current 601 on Dawes own website I think the simple answer is
it would be difficult
changing the tyres would be the easiest and make a lot of difference, probably for £40
but going the whole way and changing the handlebars would also mean new gear shifts and brake levers, and a new front mech and ... I can see the bills building up
even then all you'd be left with would be a highly modified hybrid, rather than a full-on "racing" bike, its geometry and ride would be all "wrong"
I think you'd be far better trying to get a dedicated road bike,
regards
Stephen
A commuter since 1991 when I moved to York.
A tourer since 1992
Now a married man who spends longer in the garage repairing and building than riding!
A tourer since 1992
Now a married man who spends longer in the garage repairing and building than riding!
i used to have a 601 as my only do it all bike. good spec and quite light. a good package but i know exactly where you're coming from with it. i would buy a good second hand set of lively wheels & tyres. also an adjustable handlebar stem to drop the front end down for when you want to get a wriggle on. you should already have ergo grips with mini bar-ends for control on it, i presume. i think you would find this money well spent & quite a transformation but then what do i know. i just love riding. good luck. let us know how you get on.
I think the wise idea is to buy a new bike, or even a secondhand one.
I always believe that everything in life is a compromise. You have to pick the best for what you want from all the alternatives.
I spent months and months changing this and changing that on a previous bike, and in the end I decided to start from the drawing board. I bought a frame, then scoured catalogues and magazines (this was before the internet!) for bargains and ideas for the components. Eventually I got what I wanted.
I always believe that everything in life is a compromise. You have to pick the best for what you want from all the alternatives.
I spent months and months changing this and changing that on a previous bike, and in the end I decided to start from the drawing board. I bought a frame, then scoured catalogues and magazines (this was before the internet!) for bargains and ideas for the components. Eventually I got what I wanted.
Mick F. Cornwall
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willem jongman
- Posts: 2750
- Joined: 7 Jan 2008, 4:16pm
The problem with your bike is that it is not a very slow bike. It is not very heavy, and the tyres are pretty fast. So there really are no easy fixes. The cheapest thing you could do is still to fit faster tyres. Since the frame is likely to be quite stiff, I would go for wider sizes in fast tyres. Flip the stem to a lower position, and make sure your clothing is a bit more aerodynamic. Everything else does not make sense, since you can buy a second hand racer for very little.
Thanks for all the replies, I am still a bit unsure of what to do changing the tyres would make it faster but then it is £40 I could spend towards a more aerodynamic racer. I hadn't really thought about it but i can see now that adding the drop down bars would mean near gear cables etc...
I think I'll head into a few bike shops and see what they have to say.
I could do with making myself more aerodynamic so i am guessing that having drop down bars would definitely help in this respect - i may have to get a dedicated racer and even buy some of those aero style bars that you can lean on - but they are about £80!
I am going to have to have a long hard think and see if i cna get any money form anywhere!
Thanks again for all the replies.
I think I'll head into a few bike shops and see what they have to say.
I could do with making myself more aerodynamic so i am guessing that having drop down bars would definitely help in this respect - i may have to get a dedicated racer and even buy some of those aero style bars that you can lean on - but they are about £80!
I am going to have to have a long hard think and see if i cna get any money form anywhere!
Thanks again for all the replies.
Sorry to be contraversial but I'd really question your approach here.....if your 601 fulfills every other need from cycling then I'd say keep it until finances allow a more major step. At the end of the day, legs and lungs make bikes go much facter than drop handlebars and I've seen people do stunning rides on MTBs with slick tyres in trialthlons!!
My suggestion is to invest in the tyres as discussed above and also look for a second-hand set of 'tri' bars. I doubt you'll find a £100 bike that will be anything like as good as your Dawes, and if you sell it (prob for peanuts...) you'll have another problem - how do you ride an out-and-out racing machine for the other cycling you do. I agree that there's no point updating the Dawes....bars, gears, wheels, shifters, cables would all need changing.
Neil
My suggestion is to invest in the tyres as discussed above and also look for a second-hand set of 'tri' bars. I doubt you'll find a £100 bike that will be anything like as good as your Dawes, and if you sell it (prob for peanuts...) you'll have another problem - how do you ride an out-and-out racing machine for the other cycling you do. I agree that there's no point updating the Dawes....bars, gears, wheels, shifters, cables would all need changing.
Neil
Using a car to take an adult on a three mile journey is the same as using an atomic bomb to kill a canary.
If your going to buy racing tyres get some conti gp 3000 or Michelin pro race 2, they have both been replaced by newer variants so now represent excellent value at well below £18 each. Either go for 700x23 or 25's. Are the the original tyres Stelvios? You can get some very slick Stelvio light's for £16 http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/108859.html or go really crazy light with a pair of these http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/productde ... REDTYRF400 for £19 each.
Most of what you have on the bike is fine for the level you want to ride at, one of the main problem with increasing/mantaining speed is wind resistance.
Drop your bar height slightly, you should be able to remove some of the headset spacers, this will automatically put your body in a lower position.
Ensure that you have your seatpost high enough so you have an almost full leg extension when your foot is at the bottom of the stroke.
For not a lot of money you could buy some tri bars like the old Cinelli spinachi that can be picked up for not much money.
http://cgi.ebay.com/CINELLI-SPINACI-HAN ... 1001r36961
this will help elongate your body(thus making you more aerodynamic) when on long stretches of road.
Most of what you have on the bike is fine for the level you want to ride at, one of the main problem with increasing/mantaining speed is wind resistance.
Drop your bar height slightly, you should be able to remove some of the headset spacers, this will automatically put your body in a lower position.
Ensure that you have your seatpost high enough so you have an almost full leg extension when your foot is at the bottom of the stroke.
For not a lot of money you could buy some tri bars like the old Cinelli spinachi that can be picked up for not much money.
http://cgi.ebay.com/CINELLI-SPINACI-HAN ... 1001r36961
this will help elongate your body(thus making you more aerodynamic) when on long stretches of road.
I would concur with a better streamline position.
If most of the course is on the flat then bike weight isn't much of a hindrance.
Drop the stem and fit some form of "tri-bar". You can get some that easily attach / detach.
Also inflate the tires well allowing for the safe maximum pressure.
If the courses are "lumpy" then weight does play a part. You might consider a spare set of lightweight wheels with racing tires on that you can swap to.
This wouldn't take up a lot of extra space. I have picked up 2 good pairs of second hand wheels, one of which I use for time trialing. If you do get spare wheels then make sure they match your system (Shimano) and you can fit the correct matching number of gears.
If most of the course is on the flat then bike weight isn't much of a hindrance.
Drop the stem and fit some form of "tri-bar". You can get some that easily attach / detach.
Also inflate the tires well allowing for the safe maximum pressure.
If the courses are "lumpy" then weight does play a part. You might consider a spare set of lightweight wheels with racing tires on that you can swap to.
This wouldn't take up a lot of extra space. I have picked up 2 good pairs of second hand wheels, one of which I use for time trialing. If you do get spare wheels then make sure they match your system (Shimano) and you can fit the correct matching number of gears.