In January I became the proud owner of a new bicycle. A road bike this time, to add to the bicycle family of two mountain bikes. The main reason being that last year I have tried commuting to work on my MTB, and although it felt good, it wasn’t quite right. Now, a year on and still wanting to improve my health and fitness by commuting to work by bike, I have finally made the decision and bought a road bike for the purpose of commuting.
The bike is a 2015 Carrera Virtuoso in white with blue details. It might not be a high end road bike, but as I won’t be racing, it doesn’t need to be one either. Made from a 6061 T6 aluminium alloy it sports an 8-speed Shimano Claris drive train/chainset and Tektro brakes and weighs in at just over 11 kg.
I have bought the bike from Halfords. Although I am very happy with the quality of the bike and the price paid, I am less happy with the quality of the build and attention to detail: On collection I was rushed through the build checks and when I came home I noticed that there were quite a few loose bolts and screws, mainly in areas which were supposedly checked by the Halfords technician who built the bike.
After doing my own extensive check and tightening all bolts and screws, and adding the necessary accessories, I took the bike for a test ride the next day. Following a few minor set-up tweaks, I am impressed by the ride and an looking forward to commuting on it. So there it is, commuting to work by bike will become the new norm.
niekyvanveggel.eu ARCHIVED 