Bike Geeking
One year ago, pushed by years of spectating friends and coworkers in their two-wheel outings, I decided to take up the trendy sport of road cycling. Although I had done plenty of city riding and went for the occasional 30km trip from Montreal to Chambly, I was a complete beginner when it came to choosing a proper road bike — the kind that requires wearing tight lycra.
As a fellow Decathlon employee, my choice naturally fell on the Van Rysel brand and its entry level carbon model: the NCR Tiagra. Because of my petite stature I had to go for a XXS frame size and to my dismay, the only color available for the women's version was pink/lilac. While the metallic painting is actually beautiful, I remain critical of brands that seem to know no other colorway for women. The bike comes equipped with a 380mm handlebar, a 60mm stem, a women’s specific seat and a Shimano Tiagra 10-speed groupset with 165mm cranks.
After a few rides, I realized how uncomfortable I was on the bike. Not only had I not ridden a road-style bike in more than two years but I found that the specs of the bike simply were not suited to my body. Mind you, I have back issues, wear custom insoles daily and am, overall, as crooked as a Victorian house floorboard.
I used to customize my Radrunner but that was more about accessorizing than truly customizing the bike for comfort and performance. Lacking a proper pet project since moving to Paris, I set out on a mission to find the perfect setup for my bike — after six months, I might have finally figured it out.
Here is a breakthrough of all the changes:
1) Bike seat
I initially replaced the original seat with a Fizik Tempo Argo R5 (150mm). After three months, however, I realized it was just too stiff for me and I tended to put too much weight on my hands to compensate. I switched to a Specialized Power Mimic Comp (155 mm) after reading multiple reviews on women’s cycling forums — and it got much better! Having a larger seat probably improved my stability and the soft Mimic technology provides good comfort.
2) Crankset
No, shorter cranks are not just trendy because of Pogi. After researching crank lengths thoroughly, I realized how important they were for your hip — a body part that had always hurt me while riding. Before investing in a whole crankset, I wanted to test the theory first by simply changing the Tiagra crank arms. Since Shimano does not offer cranks shorter than 160mm, it turned into quite the quest to find compatible parts. I managed to get a BCD110x4 Spider that would fit the 2x10 48/34T chainrings and paired it with a 150mm kids’ Cruz crank (yes, kid size 🙄) from AliExpress. After a few pedal strokes I realized I did not have to bend my hip and knees so much. Pedalling became smoother!
At this point, I got a proper bike fit which confirmed that 150mm was indeed the right crank length for me. Not without a bit of pride, I felt confident enough to invest a bit more on my endeavor. It was still quite difficult to find a complete crankset that would fit my bike but I was able to find what I needed directly from a Taiwanese manufacturer : the Zele-A12X-OS. Even better, they make adjustable cranks that allow you to swap between different lengths. The company was very responsive by email and both payment and shipment went smoothly. I did have to pay customs fees upon receiving the package but the grand total — product, shipping, and taxes included — came to only €100.
The crankset looks great and is fully compatible with the rest of the groupset but does require a spacer to fit the BB length.
3) Handlebar
The 380mm original handlebar was too wide for my shoulders and none of the local shops carried narrower options. Once again, it was quite difficult to find anything in stock, even online, without breaking the bank. I eventually found a PRO Vibe Aero Pursuit (360mm) for €90 and decided to give it a try.
I did not realize it at first but the Pursuit’s shape has a long reach which forced me to stretch my back too much to reach the hoods.
When it finally came back in stock, I swapped the handlebar for the Rose Race Attack GF Aero (360mm). At just €20, it does the job. I did enjoy the flat top of the Pursuit for resting though, and I wish the Rose bar had that feature.
I also added a Garmin stem-cap mount to keep my phone secure while riding, since I still dependent heavily on Google Maps for directions and dislike having my phone in a pocket.
4) Cassette
Never would I have thought I’d become so finicky about a bike that I’d get to the point of changing the original 11-32 cassette. I guess when you keep hitting the lever, hoping a secret gear will appear while you are living through an uphill nightmare, you start looking for help any way you can.
The Tiagra groupset can accommodate up to a 34T and it is worth trying before changing the whole groupset (at this point, it will practically be a whole different bike). Admittedly, I wish I had chosen at least the 105 groupset instead of the Tiagra — it would have been more efficient, versatile and held better resale value over time. As a beginner, I did not understand the benefit of investing an extra €400 for a higher-tier groupset. Yet here I am, buying a 11-34 sprocket and spending hours at my local bike cooperative mounting it on my bike.
After riding and climbing around, I want to believe the new cassette improved my performance (I am not slow, the bike is!) but what I appreciate most is how much more natural the gear spacing feels.
5) Wheelset
For this one, I did not actually decide to get a pair of Mavic SLR carbon wheels. I have them on loan from a friend, who I suspect trapped me into trying them so I would not be so slow on rides...
…
Yeah, that is definitely why he loaned them to me.
6) Quick Rack
Not exactly a positioning component but I also installed an Ortlieb Quick Rack so I can carry some belongings without wearing a backpack. It is a convenient product that mounts and unmounts easily — perfect for going from fast-girl mode to fast-commuter mode.
That said, installation was a bit confusing, and to this day I am unsure if I have used the right set of washers on my frame.
I did not add up the cost of all those changes — nor do want to actually know — but it surely is quite reasonable compared to all the money I have spent on cycling clothes and gear for the past year 🫠
I was able to customize the bike myself thanks to my local bike cooperative Le Petit Biclou where I can use all the tools available there and get advice from friendly volunteers. This place is a real blessing for any bike lovers living in a Parisian apartment.