New cyclist - AXIS A70 - some tips and affordable upgrades welcome 😊

[JaysonR]

Hi bikehub community. I've checked a few articles here and been impressed with the attitude of the members who are clearly very experienced cyclists. Something that can quickly put a noob (like me) off is some condescending chatter.

So onto my queries. I have an AXIS A70 (2017 model) and just bought my wife the AXIS A70 (latest model). Mine is actually a 27.5", which I was quite surprised to find out later, since it was sold to me as a 29er -- lack of experience and know-how was on my part, but I made sure that I got a 29er for my wife. Mine is an XL frame (I'm 6.2") and my wife's is a medium frame. We've had bike fit done and setup and everything. I must say my bike feels better than it ever has. BUT...

I've realised than even after riding a lot of bicycles in my schooling years, I'm actually a complete noob on cycling and know-how. I've heard that the A70 is a good entry, to intermediate bike. What are worthwhile upgrades that I could do to both bikes that could help us get to being able to ride 20km+ (I'd say 80% road). As I understand, you'd definitely need to look at the gears?

Please any guidance and tips are welcome. I've always loved cycling, but I must say I've never really got into it and now that I want to get into it, the "upgrade" bug is starting to bite but I don't want to waste money etc. the goal is to get to 10km, then 20km and be able to do a 90min - 2hr ride without a problem.

That's all from me for now! Thanks for the assistance 😊

[dave303e]

nothing...
Don't spend more money, rather spend the time on the bike and it will tell you what needs upgrading. But for up to 20km non technical rides those bikes are perfect.

[RobynE 🚵‍♀️]

Welcome! 

Assuming that your gears are functioning as they should, the only way you’ll get to your ride goals is to ride and build fitness. 

If the gears are not functioning as they should and or are inconsistent, that will need to be remedied by your bike shop. 

In terms of upgrades, there are none that will make economic sense on the bikes. They are both very entry-level and unfortunately don’t hold their value very well as a brand so you’re already in the red. Hope this doesn’t sound condescending because it’s not meant to be - just the truth (from someone who spent money where she shouldn’t on my first “getting back on a bike” bikes). 

[BrendanA]

45 minutes ago, JaysonR said:

Hi bikehub community. I've checked a few articles here and been impressed with the attitude of the members who are clearly very experienced cyclists. Something that can quickly put a noob (like me) off is some condescending chatter.

So onto my queries. I have an AXIS A70 (2017 model) and just bought my wife the AXIS A70 (latest model). Mine is actually a 27.5", which I was quite surprised to find out later, since it was sold to me as a 29er -- lack of experience and know-how was on my part, but I made sure that I got a 29er for my wife. Mine is an XL frame (I'm 6.2") and my wife's is a medium frame. We've had bike fit done and setup and everything. I must say my bike feels better than it ever has. BUT...

I've realised than even after riding a lot of bicycles in my schooling years, I'm actually a complete noob on cycling and know-how. I've heard that the A70 is a good entry, to intermediate bike. What are worthwhile upgrades that I could do to both bikes that could help us get to being able to ride 20km+ (I'd say 80% road). As I understand, you'd definitely need to look at the gears?

Please any guidance and tips are welcome. I've always loved cycling, but I must say I've never really got into it and now that I want to get into it, the "upgrade" bug is starting to bite but I don't want to waste money etc. the goal is to get to 10km, then 20km and be able to do a 90min - 2hr ride without a problem.

That's all from me for now! Thanks for the assistance 😊

id say just make it a 1x setup, generally not expensive as you can use most of your old setup, then ill say get some bib shorts and a decent saddle 

[BuffsVintageBikes]

The first 2 comments here make logical sense. Make sure the bikes are mechanically sound and just ride them.
I watched a documentary last week on some young SA laaities that rode their old skedonks all the way from Jbg to CT so your bikes are more than capable of riding 100's of kilometers  👍

Have fun 🤙

[BuffsVintageBikes]

Just in case you need some motivation 😉

 

 

[Eugene]

As others have said, don't spend anymore on "upgrades". 

If 80% of your riding is on the road, rather spend the upgrade money on a road bike and keep the 2 Axis'. You will be surprised at the massive difference a road bike makes on the road. Even the entry level ones make a huge difference. 

This way, you'll have a great experience on the road and a mtb for that 20% off road

[JaysonR]

1 hour ago, BrendanA said:

id say just make it a 1x setup, generally not expensive as you can use most of your old setup, then ill say get some bib shorts and a decent saddle 

Shot thanks 👊 by a decent saddle, could you explain a bit or offer some examples? Just want to see what the difference is or what I'm looking for. Got the shorts yes ✅ 1x setup, will investigate thanks

[Mike Dewing]

30 minutes ago, JaysonR said:

Shot thanks 👊 by a decent saddle, could you explain a bit or offer some examples? Just want to see what the difference is or what I'm looking for. Got the shorts yes ✅ 1x setup, will investigate thanks

Your bikes are cool, just a full service with new cables will have them running as good as new🤷🏼‍♂️.. assuming no other parts are worn but spend the money replacing them if they are.👍🏻

look up how to measure your sit bone and do that to know which saddle to look at.. that’s a good upgrade for comfort.. 

throw some cash at a goood bib short.. comfort is fun and fast.. could upgrade your shoes and pedal system to spd one day if you get serious enough.. pedals are something that’s lifespan can carry a few bikes you will upgrade to one day.. 

the day will come, and on that day, you will upgrade to a whole new fancier bike as upgrading little bits to these bikes makes no sense if it’s not transferable to the new bike, that you will buy.. saddle, pedals, etc

 

enjoy the ride.! It’s traumatic to say the least but we love it.. 😳🤣🤣🤣

Edited June 2 by Mike Dewing

[Jensie]

I don't think you need to upgrade the bikes but what could make a difference in your cycling is clip in shoes and clip-less pedals. That will help alot with pedal efficiency.
A GPS cycle computer wont make you faster but is lekker to see your riding info and upload to Strava to see your progress and can add Heart Rate monitor to that as well to see how you suffer and get fitter. Remember it doesn't get any easier you just go faster... 

Enjoy your ride

 

[JaysonR]

Thanks guys! Yes @Jensie I was actually keen on getting the clip-in shoes and clip-less pedals at some point and that works inline also with what @Mike Dewing said about doing upgrades that can be carried to the new bike. Consensus is not to upgrade the bikes unless they can be carried to a new one and add the stuff that's nice and helpful on tracking the sufferage 🤣

[RobynE 🚵‍♀️]

Main comfort things for me:

Tubeless tyres. They run at way, waaaay lower pressure than tubed and that makes a massive difference to comfort. Not all tyres can be run tubeless and some tyres have the same name (model name) but if there isn’t something saying TR or TLR or 2Bliss or something like that on the sidewall, you can’t run them tubeless. 

Tyre choice: knobbly MTB tyres may offer some butt and hand comfort but rolling resistance is a thing. Pedalling chonky tyres on tar is crap. Maxxis Rekon Race and Forekaster are fast rolling MTB tyres that give plenty of confidence on the dirt as well. There are semi-slicks in all the brands. 

The right pad in the shorts. They are not all created equal. 

Bib shorts ie suspender shorts. While not great for toilet business if you’re a lady, needing to basically strip every time you need to wee still wins over bunching pads and pads hooking on saddles and the associated chafing from your shorts moving around. Temu has decent bibs for small money - check out the last few pages of the Temu thread on here. 

On the subject of chafing: chamois cream aka anti-friction cream. Apply liberally to your shorts or your bits. There are a few different brands. I use FIT and carry the Ass Magic travel sachets which literally save my ass on long rides. 

More about chafing: find the right saddle and shorts for your wife and then ditch that seat cover. That is probably the singular worst thing for riding efficiency and chafing. 

Saddles: squishy does not equal comfort, actually. Eventually a lot of that squish is where your power is going. You want a firm saddle that supports your hips. It doesn’t help if you’re rocking or squishing on every pedal stroke. You want a saddle that transfers everything you’re doing into forward motion. No-one can tell you what saddle that is. And whatever saddle you buy, it will take some getting used to before you see the benefits. 

Whether you use a bottle or a backpack, one sip every ten minutes goes a long, long way to keeping you feeling fresh. Try not to die and then stop to hydrate. Rather stay hydrated. 

And don’t ride on an empty stomach. Also not on a full stomach. But you’ll bonk really quickly if you haven’t eaten anything.

And bananas are your friend. 

Edited June 2 by RobynE 🚵‍♀️

[BrendanA]

21 hours ago, JaysonR said:

Shot thanks 👊 by a decent saddle, could you explain a bit or offer some examples? Just want to see what the difference is or what I'm looking for. Got the shorts yes ✅ 1x setup, will investigate thanks

i guess the  easiest way to check that is to get a piece of cardboard and go sit on it butt naked 🤣 look for your 2 sitbones and take that measurement + 10% and you should be golden, once you have that you can go look for a saddle that fits your budget. Only reason im saying get a decent saddle is because you can run the risk of getting saddle sores🙃 had to go and get one removed not to long ago

[BrendanA]

13 hours ago, RobynE 🚵‍♀️ said:

Main comfort things for me:

Tubeless tyres. They run at way, waaaay lower pressure than tubed and that makes a massive difference to comfort. Not all tyres can be run tubeless and some tyres have the same name (model name) but if there isn’t something saying TR or TLR or 2Bliss or something like that on the sidewall, you can’t run them tubeless. 

Tyre choice: knobbly MTB tyres may offer some butt and hand comfort but rolling resistance is a thing. Pedalling chonky tyres on tar is crap. Maxxis Rekon Race and Forekaster are fast rolling MTB tyres that give plenty of confidence on the dirt as well. There are semi-slicks in all the brands. 

The right pad in the shorts. They are not all created equal. 

Bib shorts ie suspender shorts. While not great for toilet business if you’re a lady, needing to basically strip every time you need to wee still wins over bunching pads and pads hooking on saddles and the associated chafing from your shorts moving around. Temu has decent bibs for small money - check out the last few pages of the Temu thread on here. 

On the subject of chafing: chamois cream aka anti-friction cream. Apply liberally to your shorts or your bits. There are a few different brands. I use FIT and carry the Ass Magic travel sachets which literally save my ass on long rides. 

More about chafing: find the right saddle and shorts for your wife and then ditch that seat cover. That is probably the singular worst thing for riding efficiency and chafing. 

Saddles: squishy does not equal comfort, actually. Eventually a lot of that squish is where your power is going. You want a firm saddle that supports your hips. It doesn’t help if you’re rocking or squishing on every pedal stroke. You want a saddle that transfers everything you’re doing into forward motion. No-one can tell you what saddle that is. And whatever saddle you buy, it will take some getting used to before you see the benefits. 

Whether you use a bottle or a backpack, one sip every ten minutes goes a long, long way to keeping you feeling fresh. Try not to die and then stop to hydrate. Rather stay hydrated. 

And don’t ride on an empty stomach. Also not on a full stomach. But you’ll bonk really quickly if you haven’t eaten anything.

And bananas are your friend. 

spot on!