Hi! I'll briefly cover the points in the sidebar before asking my questions:
Your level of experience with cycling:
I have cycled more or less all my life, but never for exercise or for getting to/from work. In other words, I feel comfortable on a bike, but I am a beginner when it comes to road cycling and recreational cycling.
What's your price range, and have you considered second hand?
I have bought a second hand Giant CRS 1.0. As far as I am able to gather it is about 10-12 years old. It is in good condition but has some issues. My budget for sorting them out is around 350 Euro/ 375 USD. Picture: https://imgur.com/E2cV1hy
What's your intention with the bike?
Commuting to work, fitness, and eventually getting into touring/amateur level competitions.
How far will you be riding, and how often?
Around 8 kilometers a day for work, but aspiring to go for longer rides during the weekend/afternoon for recreation/workout. Would like to go for day long/overnight rides eventually.
Riding conditions
Roads and pavement which is mostly decent. I live in the north of Norway, so road conditions vary. Norway is a hilly country with long, often wet winters, and short summers. During the winter I will still commute by bike with spiked tires. Traffic is mostly manageable, but I'm quite new to cycling in it.
A bit about yourself: height, weight, and level of fitness
32 yo male. 171 cm/5.6 ft tall. A bit front heavy right now at 80 kilos/167 lbs henche the cycling. Decent physical condition – workout at gym and okay conditioning. Not used to long, intense rides.
My current situation
I am completely infatuated with riding, and find myself wishing to ride my bike a lot, althought it is far from optimal for me. The butterly handlebars feel uneccesary, and no matter how I adjust them (they are currently setup differently from the picture) I cannot find a comfortable position for my arms. Flipping the stem has made it better reach wise, but the ergonomics are terrible for my arms/hands. The saddle has an agressive tilt I cannot explain, and I am unable to correct it, so I'll probably have to switch it out. My arms/lower back are my weakest points, so ergonomics are extremely important for the logevity of my bike riding project.
The drivetrain is working fine – I set it up correctly the other day, so shifting is not a problem. I did – however – during the setup do something wierd to my brakes, so my front brake is now spongy – no clue why. Hydraulic disk brakes.
Wheels look a bit wobbly – unsure if it's old tires or the rims.
Long story slightly shorter: I'm going in for a bike setup soon, looking to ask for their advice on fitting/modifying my bike. I'm looking to improve ergonomics and speed/riding joy as soon as possible, and willing to pay an okay amount for modifying this bike. I am planning on getting a road bike/racing bike down the line once I've saved up, at which point this one will be my year round commuter (which I'll then fit with more robust tires). In other words, any improvements on this bike will not be a waste in the future.
Any general advice is appreciated, but I'll list some concrete questions as well:
*What should I prioritize when modifying the bike? Drop bars with shifters allowing for a more neutral wrist position is high on my wishlist, but seems to be quite expensive.
*Anything I should watch out for in terms of the bike shop trying to sell me unneccesary stuff? What's important, and what's not?
*Should I just sell the damned thing and buy something brand new and fitted for me? Outside of my price range right now, and will reduce the joy of riding for quite some time, since I'll have to save up. Besides, I've yet to find decent road bikes for sale in shops around town.
*How to use this bike to get into road cycling? Possible at all?
I apologize for the essay, and thank you very much for your time!
Regards
by Signals91