pgjackson

Unless you come across a smoking hot deal....then upgrade.

prj71

Lol. Have you not seen how people are "covid pricing" their bikes?!. I just saw Trek Marlin 5 this morning on Facebook (About $700 retail) that someone is trying to sell for $1850.

VinceInSeattle

"The beatings will continue until morale improves." Gosh, there are a lot of punishment advocates here! Yes, everyone can be stronger, fitter, and thinner. But in the meantime, I really don't think there's anything wrong with replacing a standard crankset with a compact. Recreational riding is supposed to be for enjoyment, not just to see how much pain you can withstand. And so, original poster, change your gearing - cassette or crankset - for some easier gears that match the places you want to ride.

Steeler_fanatic

I had a choice three years back when I decided to get back to cycling after about a 40 year break. I went with a basic 20+ lb bike as I wasn't sure how much I was going to use it. After putting about 42,000 km on the bike, I've decided to upgrade in a big way. I would push through and see how much you take to it. Too many reach for a more expensive bike at the outset and then end up putting it on Craigslist at a huge loss. If after six months or so you find you're riding a fair bit, reward yourself with an upgrade.

dkatz1

If that was literally your VERY FIRST ride, you can't evaluate anyhthing on that. Ride regularly, even for just a few weeks, and then see how hard it is.
If you're not used to going up big hills, it will be hard no matter what bike you get.

dkatz1

That's what I wanted to say, but this guy said it way better than i did.

dkatz1

Says here you joined this site in May 2014, and you only took your first ride now**********???

joonyoung82

I was mostly fixing bikes.
Now I want to actually ride

johnd01

You have not stated the drive train gearing or the hills you want to climb. Gearing is probably the only place you could change on the bike if it is geared too high.
Rear cassettes will take you from 11 to 50+ in 12 speeds if you want to go that way. A smaller front chainring may be a less drastic change. On the other hand, you can gear the bike so low that your cadence becomes a limiting factor on going fast enough to balance the bike. A lot of people start walking if they cannot bike faster than 2 MPH. The slower you can ride, the steeper your cardio system can climb. If your legs are the limiting factor, you need a lower gear or better legs.

Training is probably your best bet. I ask my friend who does a lot of long climbing rides. He told me that it does not take long to get in shape if you ride 30 or 40 miles before breakfast and work 3 days a week. After about 3 days, you start to lose what you have gained. You may want to get your legs and cardio in shape on relatively flat rides before you go back to climbing. To get good at climbing, you have to do it. I am a flatlander with my highest climb, just under 1000 feet. Riding 10 to 30 miles at a constant speed multiple times a week is long slow training. It is surprising how fast the speed can build if you do it a few times a week.

MilesBZE

[QUOTE=joonyoung82;22180260]Just started cycling and went on my first ride with my 2010 Scott Speedster s30.
It's a 20 lb bike with Shimano 105 components so it's decent bike but I struggled to get up the hills.
It's only valued at $200 so I guess it's not a great bike.
Should I keep my bike and push through to get stronger or get an upgrade for better experience? Or upgrade parts?

If I were to upgrade, my budget is $1000 and I'm open to pre-owned bikes.
All suggestions are welcomed


i have an 1984 Bianchi with 52/42 12/23 freewheel. And a 1990s Cannondale 53/39 11/28 cassette. Did I also mention I live in the Blue ridge mountains of Virginia and I climb the mountains on both bikes and both are heavier than your. Honestly when I started out road cycling I had an 42 front and an 11/34 rear. I slowly progressed to a smaller or more compact cassette and gotten better. Just keep trying soon you’ll be able to climb like a goat.

mstateglfr 

Cool. Spending half a decade fixing bikes, you certainly have an idea of if a drivetrain and component system is working properly or not. And your bike is presumably in good working order.
You have seen for years that a lower level drivetrain works the same as a higher level drivetrain when fixing them.

So its not the equipment.

GregU

Right. Don't buy upgrades; ride up grades.

sean.hwy

Everyone I know has about 20lb road bike with pedals on them etc.. and that's carbon frame wheels. I think the 15lbs you read about probably cost over 10k.

If your hills are over 10% and several miles long I think you should upgrade or switch to hills closer to 5 to 7% until you can afford to upgrade. I can't imagine doing 12% grade hill with 36 front and 28 rear gears. Especially if you are just starting out.

I switched to a gravel bike with two wheel sets. The gravel bike has lower gears which makes the hills less painful. 32 front 32 rear.

Maelochs

According to this (https://www.rei.com/product/797349/s...-s30-bike-2010) the Original poster has an Al-frame, carbon-forked 9-speed with 50-34 chain rings and a 12-26 cassette. His rear derailleur (2010-vinatge 105) can certainly handle 30 teeth, but if he wanted he could go long-cage Sora and 11-34 or whatever .... Much cheaper than buying a new bike, and much smarter.

No reason for him (her, if applicable) to drop a grand on a bike which isn't as good as what he has. For a grand he would probably be getting Claris and heavy everything. he is way ahead of the game right now, with a 20-lb bike.

I am old, fat, and slow, with asthma and a bad heart, and I hardly ride lately, I can get up almost an 4-5% hill with 34x26 ..... I am sure the OP just needs legs, lungs, better cardio, and some technique and he will be fine. if he really cannot handle the hills .... i have no idea how long, tall, or frequent they are---he will still be way ahead just swapping the cassette and maybe RD.

If he repairs bikes though .... he can always be on the lookout for a garage queen. If he fixes bikes he will know one if he sees it. So he has the best of all possible worlds, a decent bike to ride and the cash to buy a very good used bike, and the capacity to recognize a very good used bike .... he wins on all fronts.

Iride01 

Remember that the easy gears on the rear are the big cogs with more teeth. And the smaller ring with the fewest teeth in the front is also an easier gear.

If you are having trouble going up a hill and you have easier gears remaining to use, then use them. I see way to many people struggling to get up a hill and they still have lower ratio gears available to them on the rear.

But just beginning to cycle you should probably wait and ride more. Save your pennies while doing so and maybe you can increase your bike budget.

Seattle Forrest

You can ride around hills, too. You're just getting started, your fitness will build quickly.

Carbonfiberboy 

I rode my first double on a ~'85 7-speed. Yeah, if hills are really hard, you should go to an 11-34 in back if the bike doesn't already have a cassette that size. Which might mean a new rear derailleur and a new chain. As you get stronger, you can go back to a smaller cassette. Being able to sit and pedal uphill without a lot of drama is key. Oddly enough, cycling is all about riding uphill. Bizarre, but that's how it is. Talk to your bike shop, see what's available. The weight of your current bike is not an issue.

Lazyass

guachi

If you're good at fixing bikes then swapping a new rear cassette should be fairly easy. It's possible that your gearing and/or hills are are such that you'll see an immediate benefit from that upgrade.

Otherwise, just ride more. Hills get everybody. Especially if you're new and your power output is low or you are overweight since gravity will have more effect on you. (Well, the same effect but there's more of you to have an effect on)

If you put out 100 Watts and have a combined rider/bike weight of 100kg then your speed will drop about 25% just from a 1 degree incline and 50% from a 2 degree slope. And that's not even very steep! It's a 60% and 68% drop at 3 and 4 degrees.

At the other end you might have a rider putting out 250 Watts and a cyclist/bike weight of 80kg. The speed drop here is only 12% for 1 degree and 23% for 2 degrees. It's about 30% and 40% for 3 and 4 degrees.

The 250 Watt/80kg rider is going about 50% faster than the 100 Watt/100kg rider on flat terrain but 110% faster at 2 degrees.

Tl;dr: hills hurt new cyclists more because their power/weight ratios are so much lower.