Spec a bike, hybrid I think

[juno_first]

Hi folks, I'm getting back into biking & need to update this old Raleigh which was an ex demo at Halfords in 2009 for only £120.
I've improved my diet with intermittent fasting & intend on getting fitter & enjoying the outside, I'm only 2lb overweight but want get rid of a little spare tyre.
Back in 1990 at 18 I actually did a lot of cycling on the road with a cobbled together large road frame & straight handlebars but with an amazing Solida 52/48 crankset with long cranks. It was a strange bike with a fixed lock that went through the back wheel.
Over the past 9 years I've enjoyed driving the Raleigh to a gravel path, canal toe path etc. for short bursts of fast cycling then stopping to take photographs of the countryside.
I do 70% light gravel, 20% road, 10% grassy/rough paths etc. mainly out of necessity as I don't like proper mountain biking. I work 11miles away along unsafe country roads & would never commute on the bike.
Likes about Raleigh below: handlebars, seat, 26x2.10 tyres, front suspension.
Dislikes about Raleigh below: 42t crankset too small as very often peddling too fast & use 42t 90% of time, 170mm crank arms too short as never feel I'm getting the full motion of my legs, rear cogs too limiting as spend more than half the time on the small 14t cog, its also heavy & cumbersome with only an inch clearance from the top bar (20" frame), the Tourney gears rarely struggle but not good in the rough.

2009 day 1

2018 need wider range of gears from 11 teeth

2018 this crank set has always been too small, need more teeth & longer arm than 170mm

My measurements are 6ft tall 6ft 3" arms span width, 32.5" inside leg.
I'm confused on the sizing of hybrid bikes & suspect I need a large or 19"?
I'm going my local bike shop Swinnertons next week so maybe if I sit on a bike I'll know if its the right size?

After doing a lot of online research as I'm really a noob when it comes to the tech terminology I've whittled the choice down to a Giant Roam 1 or Trek DS3. The Giant seems to have a better groupset so I'm wondering what the advantage of the Trek is, apart from tubeless tyres?
My main concern about a hybrid is the width of the tyres on rough ground. Can tyres wider than x38 be used?

Giant Roam 1

Trek DS3

Any advice would be much appreciated though not a drop bar, thanks

 

[FishFluff]

Have you considered something like the Genesis Skyline 10? If you're mostly riding on gravel and roads, is there really much need for a suspension fork?

 

[juno_first]

Actually yeah its only very rarely front suspension is needed if at all, hmm.
Mudguards yes, I thought as an afterthought though perhaps full mudguards maybe too rattily or not the feel I want.

 

[UTmaniac]

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/boardman-hybrid-bike-pro-45-49-54cm-frames if you have a store still with stock of the 54cm, especially if you have British Cycling membership card.

 

[Glaucus]

hi jacking thread, looking for a similar bike on cycle2work scheme, mainly canal paths, gravel paths and road, was looking at the Pinnacle lithium 4 or 5 and fitting mud guards and pannier. decent bikes or something else? ridged and hydraulic disk.

as for op the lithiums can take 2" tyres.

 

[juno_first]

Boardman Hybrid Bike Pro looks interesting. I like the idea of a single crankset up front but could it tackle a steep grassy path?
Actually considered the Boardman mtx 8.8 too.
Great, 2" tyres not much difference to current 2.10 I presume.

 

[juno_first]

Just bought my first ever cycle helmet
Looked at the Boardmans in Halfords & they looked a bit flimsy.
Checked out some on display at Swinnertons & the Roam 2 felt a bit short but strong with a razer like seat. A £650.88 DS3 felt better but it was a 22.5" frame which gave a more comfortable aggressive riding position but only an inch space over the top bar so not too big? The shop would fit the bike for you though, it was gloss black, prefer matt though its ok. May go back next weekend after a think

 

[juno_first]

Gone off the ds3 now. Thinking back it was suspicious the shop steered me away from the giant roam 2 medium saying the giant geometry is more suited to ppl with long legs as the dusty 22.5" ds3 fit better.
A try of other bikes elsewhere has shown I need a large size so settling on a roam 1 large but most places have sold out.
Although next to where I work theres a 2018 roam 0 large on display & can be made good to go in 30min. They want £790 which is only £90 over I roam 1 I'd have to wait a month for or drive 50miles to collect. Is a roam 0 woryh the extra?

 

[juno_first]

Just got a Giant Roam 2. Had to travel 33miles to find one in stock. Best bike I've ever had & a huge step up from the clunky Raleigh above.
After a grueling ride yesterday the 9 gears are plenty & it shifts very well.
I'm struggling when removing the front wheel atm for putting in my small car, using a spacer for the pads but have to screw both sides get it slot in/out the forks.
Thinking about a bike computer now, something simple that just shows speed & can link to a phone.
The guy at Sanders Cycles Burntwood said he'd been in the business 30 years but when I asked if I need remove the sticky new oil from the chain & re-oil he looked confused & said no. Now the chain is covered in lots of grit so am pondering whether clean it off & re-oil.
Still needs some tweaking, like the shifters are too close to the hand grips & the Giant D-lock rattles a lot.

 

[mattyfez]

The oil that comes on a new chain is fine to use until it needs cleaning, in which case you then just follow your normal cleaning /lubing routine.

With a new chain I generally just wipe it down and apply fresh lube on top. If its really bad ill run it through a chain cleaner device with meths or white spirit or something in it, then relube.

How quickly or often this needs doing depends entirely on what conditions you've been riding in.
I'd say mine needs a wipe down and relube about every hundred miles as a very rough average... If it's a muddy ride it generally needs doing after every ride.

If you ask a million people you'll get a million different chain cleaning opinions, and a million different recommendations for what lube is best, so you just need to do what works for you.
Do use a cycle specific chain lube though.

 

[mattyfez]

D locks on frames do tend to rattle over rough ground, my kryptonite d lock would, I couldn't really figure out a satisfactory way to stop it, so I just carry it in a small back pack.

Shifter and brake levers are just trial and error after riding for a bit.. Might be an idea to carry an Allen key to start with so you can tweek the angle /distance from grips as you go.

On the subject of bike computers, I've found seeing my speed in real time to not really be nessesary, I've found looking at my total time and average speed over a given route to be a better indicator of how I've done, and you can do that with just a free phone app like mapmyride or strava or similar.

 

[juno_first]

Oh thanks, didn't know could use new chain oil.
A mate suggested wax chain lube.
Normally do light trail/road. Actually treated my old mtb real bad & never cleaned it in over 10years, just put car oil on it every few years lol. Going treat this amazing machine a lot better.

Ah I already have mapmyride, a shame it don't sync with pebble 2 but googlfit does.

 

[mattyfez]

Car oil is designed to grab onto and suspend particulates so they can be caught in the cars oil filter.. It's probably the worst kind of oil to use on a bike chain.. there are many different types of oil, for specific applications.

Personally I use a dry lube on my chain, it resembles a cream more than an oil, and when it dries out, its more like a wax.

Bike lube tends to fall into 2 Broad catagories, "wet" and "dry".

Wet tends to resemble a thin oil, where as dry tends to be a cream that dries into a waxy lubricant.

Which is best is the subject of eternal debate and depends on your riding conditions.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

I have a 2016 Roam 2, great bike for all the Forrest trails around me.

The general rule for chain lube is that if there is a chance the bike will go anywhere near moisture (inc rain) then use wet lube. Dry lube will wash off but there is nothing wrong with switching between the two. I generally use wet on my hybrid but dry on my road bike but I don't ride in poor weather.

If you want to go down a cheap route for chain cleaning, just put two nail brushes together (top and bottom). It's just as effective as a proper chain cleaner.

 

[juno_first]

Probably go dry chain route as not commuting or looking for mud. Got a rear mudguard just in case.
Well impressed with the Roam 2, brakes are awesome. 9 speed is plenty for me.
Great tips here thanks everyone.