Help Selecting a Bike

Matutu

Matutu

Matutu

Associate
Joined
21 Aug 2008
Posts
956
Hey Guys,

Currently im using a GtZum which isnt a bad bike but im currently clocking 100-180miles a week, and im just not confident in it gears are constantly going wrong brakes i dont trust and just generally theres a lot of sounds of metal on metal and just doesnt seem smooth and quiet at all.

So im after a new bike and hoping someone can help me out :D.

Im after something thats a hybrid, as i mainly do road riding but dont like the full out racers, and also do a bit of light off road. Something thats going to be very very durable. Something that can take the beating of 20+ miles aday.

Also it would be nice maybe to have something that can soften the ride slightly as im getting annoyed as the vibrations from roads in Torquay suck lol.

Thanks a lot guys for any recommendations.

Matthew
 
Well not really to concerned as long as its something really nice i spent £400 previously and mainly learnt you get what you pay for lol. So im looking at anywhere from 900-1400?

Thanks
 
What would you recommend for a good road bike then?, Im just not keen on that very arched back like some road bikes have as i already suffer with some back issues
 
maybe a hardtail with a lockout on the fork with hardpack/road kinda tyres, continental town and country (police use these) or specialized crossroads armadillos (very puncture resistant). sure you'd be no-where near as fast as a fast roadie but you'll be able to go off road whenever you feel like it.
 
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBPXNARED/nanolight-sram-red is an incredible price but over the top for what sounds like commuting? They also have a £999 bike with Ultegra SL (which was 2nd to Dura Ace 7800 pre Ultegra 6700/Dura Ace 79xx). I have Ultegra SL on my commuter, it is ace.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Focus_Cayo_105_2010_Ltd_Edition/5360045298/

Asprilla will be able to chip in with some more....I am biased to road bikes though, but at that price range, I'd either get a good road bike (it's carbon/105+ territory) or a decent MTB...
 
If you want to do some light offroad then don't get a road bike. You'd be mad to take a £1000+ carbon machine into the mud!

I'd think about a good hardtail mountain bike with a short travel or lockout fork with some slick road tyres fitted to it. That way you'll have a "do it all" bike with much more relaxed (easier on your back) geometry than a roadie as well as helping to smooth out most of the road bumps.
 
Can you be a bit more specific about your back problem?

An upright position, like a hybrid or MTB can cause issues since any and all vibration travels down your spine. On road / cyclocross bikes you bend from the hip (or should on a well fitted one) and so your hips and elbows absorb any problems.

There are also different types of road bike from the very aggressive race bred bikes to though relaxed sportive bikes and long distance touring bikes. The differences are major when you know what to look for, but the upshot is that I wouldn't dismiss road bikes out of hand.

For the best of both, if most of your miles are on the road, then I'd look at Cyclocross. Much, much quicker on tarmac than an MTB and very capable on off road trails.
 
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What about a cyclocross bike?
Has drop handlebars like a road bike so you can go quite fast on the road but has more relaxed geometry than a full-on road bike. You'll also get fatter tyres and it will be fine for some light offroad (because thats what they are designed for) grass, gravel tracks canal toepaths etc.

For your budget you'll probably also be able to get a good spec maybe even with disc brakes.
(disc brakes have only recently been legalised for cyclocross racing so they are not as common)
 
ah it mainly that a curved position over a long period of time can cause issues, i normally try and keep it quite flat at the moment on my bike. When you say Sportive bikes they sound a very good option. Im mainly after something that be used easily over a long distance and good as well just to hop on for the shops and back
 
[DOD]Asprilla;16820153 said:
For the best of both, if most of your miles are on the road, then I'd look at Cyclocross. Much, much quicker on tarmac than an MTB and very capable on off road trails.
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Agreed
 
OK im likeing the idea of these Cyclocross Bikes, can anyone recommend a good model? seems to be quite a few. Disk brakes would be a good plus for me.
 
In your price range, the ones I know that others on BikeRadar recommend are:

Kona Jake The Snake
Kona Major Jake
Specialized Tricross
Focus Mares

The Mares Pro is probably the best one there, but it's only available though Wiggle in the UK. There was a disc brake version available in 2009, but not sure about 2010. As was mentioned before, the UCI have sanctioned disc brakes for cyclocross so they may reappear on the 2011 bikes.

Sportive and Cyclocross bikes have similar geometry. Compared to out and out road racing bikes the seat tube is shorter and the head tube is longer leading to a sloping rather than horizontal top tube. The top tube also tends to be a little shorter. In all, it means that the handle bars are nearer and higher, so less stretching.
 
None of those have disc brakes though? No disrespect to the other posters but it really sounds like the OP needs a mountain bike or maybe a flat bar roadie. CX bikes are really for a specific purpose rather than just general use.

Something like the Giant FCR/Rapid might suit you, although it wont be any use on anything more offroad than gravel. Also no discs either.
283971zoom.jpg


Or a hardtail with slick tyres.
855928430full3.jpg
 
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Clum said:
No disrespect to the other posters but it really sounds like the OP needs a mountain bike or maybe a flat bar roadie. CX bikes are really for a specific purpose rather than just general use.
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Whereas mountain bikes are for everything. When riding around 150 miles a week on roads (which is quite a lot) they last thing you want is a bike that's designed for the complete opposite.

I also fail to see what a hybrid offers over CX bike especially since a lot of hybrids use road bike frames (saves on the R&D costs). The Giant FCR you've listed is a prime example of that.

Discs weren't a requirements.
 
Clum said:
CX bikes are really for a specific purpose rather than just general use.
Click to expand...
?
Mountain bikes are also designed for a specific purpose.

My dad uses a cyclocross bike to commute to work. I used to use it a lot at weekends before i got my road bike and it's very comfortable with relaxed geometry, shallow drop bars and the fork gives a little bit of flex to help absorb bumps in the road.

He has it set up with skinny road tyres and panniers+rack. It flies and can also carry a load of stuff.

Also: disc brakes dont make as much a difference on cross bikes as they do on mtbs. The main benefit of them is that they wont clog up with mud like rim brakes can. They are still an advantage, but not a 'must have' like on mountain bikes.
 
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i think the OP should go into a bike shop and try a fair few bikes out, road, hybrid, cx and even a hardtail heh

recumbent? look very comfy :)
 
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