Hi All,
A tight pair of jeans prompted me to think about taking up a bit of exercise, done some running and now keen to get into cycling. I've been doing some reading, and can't decide if I should get hybrid or road bike. I have got a mountain bike, but it over 15 years old and I fancy something a bit lighter and more upto date. I like the lightweight feel of the road bikes, but just a bit concerned about the "ducked/low" riding position and gears/brake positions after beening used to a mountain bike...also I am also concerned about how rugged the road bike will be. I will probably use it on my local cycle track, which is a mostly tarmac, but do have some gravel bits. The hybrid seems like an ideal bike, but just concerned I might be too similar to my mountain bike.
I;ve took a look at a Giant Defy 3, which felt good to sit on but did not test ride it. Any advice, recommendations would be great...I have a budget of around £500.
Cheers,
If the purpose of your exercise is to lose a bit of weight just use your mountain bike. A heavier bike will make you work harder and provide a better work out. Yes you could spend your money on a light hybrid or road bike but you won't benefit as much. Spent some money getting your MTB serviced and go out and have some fun.
Cheers,
Gary
^^^^ I was about to say what he said
Pete
I've recently gone back to cycling after a break of nearly 15 years (similar problem with the tight jeans). Started off by digging my '92 Kona mountain bike out of the shed and exploring the local forest tracks and canal paths. The mountain bike is ideal for that type of terrain but the gearing is slow and even on commuter tyres I was struggling to mantain a good average speed on the road.
Like you I looked at some hybrid and road bikes but ended up getting a nice second hand steel framed road bike (Reynolds 531 and Shimano 105 groupset) from the early 90's. Good points are that it zips along at a fair old rate on the road, bad points are that even with a steel frame and decent saddle the roads surfaces around here don't make for a confortable ride. Current tyres are 23mm tubulars and with tight clearances on the frame I don't think I can go much wider therefore its as comfortable as its going to get.
Coming back to the exercise side of things, yes a slow heavy bike will help burn up some calories but if its not fun you're less likely to put in some miles.
Based on my experience a good compromised might be to look at some of the cyclocross bikes which have fairly rugged wheels and clearances for wider tyres with a decent tread that will certainly suit canal tracks and forest tracks.
However on a decent surface with the sun shining you can't beat a good road bike for covering the miles and bringing a smile to your face :) .
Check out http://www.bikeradar.com there are some good forums there with plenty of advice on various types of bike.
happy cycling
Grant
This is a tricky one. Bit like asking 'What watch should I buy?'! £500 will get you an entry level road bike, but quite a decent hybrid. If you don't plan on commuting by bike (have you considered this option?) I'd say go with the road bike. There are also flat bar road bikes worth considering. Hybrids can be great bikes, but like anything else, it's horses for courses.
We could recommend bikes all day long - but t'would be to no avail. What suits me may not suit you. Get yourself down to your LBS (local bike shop), discuss your requirements, and, most importantly, try some out. There is no subsitute for getting the feel of the bike - or for supporting your LBS.
My best advice is to head over to Cyclechat or Bikeradar. A few hours perusing will give you a much better idea than a dozen posts on here (with respect to fellow TZ-ers).
Best of luck with the cycling whatever bike you decide on. I started commuting 14 miles a day round trip by bike in June and could never go back to the car or public transport!
I'd suggest you do what i did many years ago when i got into cycling - try it out on the existing mountain bike and see how you get on - once i was regularly doing my 25 mile round trip daily commute and saw i was going to stick with it i then invested in a decent road bike. i've seen so many almost new unused bikes for sale where guys start out with the best intentions but wont/don't/cant follow through - its a sad waste of money.
Thanks for the cool advice all, I think keeping my mountain bike for the moment might be the most sensible approach. I would loved to be able to commute to work, but unfortunately my job takes me all over the UK and beyond :(. I used to love it, but now with family i would prefer to have a local job where I could do a local bike commute, and shed a few pounds :D.
Any one know a good bike shop to get a service in Bristol ?
Cheers,
Depends whereabouts you are in Bristol but I use these guys for anything I can't do myself.
http://www.pemburycycles.co.uk/servicing.htm
I'm guessing you already know this but there's loads of excellent places to ride in Bristol, especially off-road, enjoy.
http://www.bristolmountainbikeclub.co.uk/
Cheers,
Gary
I had a similar dilemma a short while back. I mountain bike regularly but wanted something more road orientated. I tried a few bikes out but found them too twitchy for my liking. I then tried a Specialized Tricross cyclocross bike which was spot on. It suits me well as it's strong enough to withstand pot-holes and is also suitable for getting the miles in. I did a 100 miler last year and finished reasonably comfortably whereas my colleague on his road bike was in pain!
I just replaced my 31 year old Dawes Galaxy with another Dawes Galaxy.
It it out of your budget but if you are depreciating something over that length of time it is peanuts.
£500 will get you an excellent S/H one. Different in every way from a mountain bike except for its strength but nowhere near as twitchy as a thoroughbred road bike.
With the rack you can use it for shopping and knowing you have to pedal it home is a great way to save on weight and calories.
Don't be, unlike a mountain/hybrid you can can ride in 3 or 4 different hand positions which is very useful on long runs when bits start aching.Originally Posted by kandyman
Buy a frame and build your own bike up, its very satisfying and can work out a bit cheaper.
Although what Omegary says makes sense, I don't agree with this advice I'm afraid. A decent, light weight road bike is a joy to use, much more than a heavy, clunky MTB. The more you enjoy using the machine and a well sorted road bike with quality gears feels fantastic, the more often and further you are likely to cycle.
Invest in something decent, look cool, feel cool and get out there.
James
I would add that if the Mtb is a bit heavy you could try converting it to single-speed. Ditching all the gears and shifters will free up some weight and the lack of gears will definately get you fit. I do miss my single-speed, it made me fit in a relatively short period of time but since my knee op I decided to go back to gears.
If you are keeping the mountain bike then I suggest that you change the tyres to slicks and get a track pump. Get some decent air pressure in there - it will make all the difference. If you want to get a different hand position you should be able to do this by adding some bar-end grips.
Definitely get a road bike over a hybrid. Possibly look at CX bikes if you want something a little more versatile, or with a more relaxed riding style.
I'll go against the grain and say if you really want it for commuting, go hybrid with suspension forks on the front. I say this as the riding position it more upright which I find more comfortable, but that's just personal preference. Why I like upright better is that it makes the bike less twitch and you also have more chance of looking about which is needed.
I go from SW London to City and the roads are so shocking in places I am really glad for the sus forks as it only takes a few mm lift off the saddle and the front absorbs the potholes to keep the bike steady. I think all the stop starting and having to watch not getting mullered by a van suits a hybrid more?
I wanted a roan bike but I had a go on one yesterday after helping someone move, I can totally see the point for speed, but not if there are 50 traffic lights between home and office?
I guess its just a preference, so its prob been said but I guess go to a bike shop who will let you try a couple out for a few mins. Or better still try to borrow one of each type for an actual commute!
I was going to suggest the same thing. If the mountain bike is more comfortable for you, you'd be suprised how dumping the knobbly tyres for something more practicle like a Schwalbe Big Apple Tyre can make all the difference.
AND WEAR A HELMET!!!!!!!!
A few years ago I bought a Ridgeback Day Genisis flat bar road bike as a form on transport, I found it superb around London and cycling along lanes in the South of France alike. The more I rode the more I realised that I wanted drop bars, however, the thought of riding drop bars in London was a nightmare. If you are going to commute around a city then get flats, they are more comforable but if you think you are going to be covering decent distance on the roads then roll with the drops whch will mean a small compromise in comfort for performace.
my current commute is now 10 miles each way from NW London to the City. I do this on a De Rosa road bike and its very rare that I actually use the dropped part of the bars; for the most part my hands rest on the brake lever hoods.
A road bike remains the best tool for the job of road cycling but again, as I said earlier, get into it before investing money.
and budget for kit as well - helemt, decent lights, possibly some shoes, pedals and other kit.
+1
Why do people assume that when you ride a road bike its always on the drops. You can ride on the top, on the hoods & on the drop!
I see the Cyclocross card has already been played but can I just re-itterate what a fantastic choice of bike they are for general purpose riding. They are much lighter than a mountain bike yet will happily ride down the same mountains, albeit slightly slower. They will also eat up road miles with relative ease. a Hybrid is similar but generally not somewhere you want to spend hours in the saddle.
This last season I've been commuting between 5 and 40 miles each way depending on how much time I had.
Racing Closed circuit races and town centre criteriums (I'm the fatty, far right)
Out riding cross country here in the Camrbain mountains
Been out to recce the Dyfi Enduro 'World Cup Descent' the day before the event. What you can't see in this photo is I was wearing brown loafers, chinos shirt and no helmet with SPD pedals!
Competed in a full season of club 10, 12 and hilly 22 mile time trials
An 88 mile and a 103 mile Sportive
I can not express enough what a great all-round bike this is. In my case it's a 2010 Kona Jake the Snake RRP 1025 quid, but the Kona Jake can be had new for closer to 500 and there's always the tricross and many other capable bikes in this variety.
Wow...lots of great pics and info...I'm really getting a buzz looking at those pics (men in tight shorts ;-) haha), the scenery is amazing. I popped into my local bike shop this morning, asked about a service and they wanted between £70 to £120 quid which was a bit alarming. So made some phone calls and agreed to book my old bike in for a service with a mobile guy, charging a much more reasonable £35, I think all it needs is gears aligning and some lub. Also picked up the 2010 specialized catalogue and saw the Tricross, which seems perfect should I need to buy a new bike...says it can handle all terrain. The Sirrus looks pretty cool too....but will get the bike services first, go on a few rides and then see how it goes from there.
Any one members of hte CTC who arrange local bike rides ? Might give them a call too :D
Finally, I noticed the cost of helmets range from £15 to £100....what I am paying for with the additional costs ???
Generally the extra money goes towards better protection with a lighter and stronger build. Plus you may get better venting so your head doesn't get as hot and also a more advanced strap system so it fits better.
Always try them on though, (in my opinion) you're better off with a £15 helmet that fits than a £100 one that falls off if you crash! :D
I have a Giro Hex which I use both on the mtb and road and it does the job admirably. You can pick these up for about £45.
with helmets (as with bikes for that matter) fit is all important - so get it fitted at the LBS. don't buy bargain basement rubbish (surely your head is worth a few extra quid?) but by the same token there's no reason to pay loads more to save a few grams (just have one less pie next weekend for same result). Generally a decent lid should be around the £50 point.
Yes, Cyclocross is what I would suggest too, you can do some long rides on a bike like that it if you want get rid of the tight jeans problem and you don't have to be too careful with the curbs in case you want to ride in the or on light gravel roads.
And you are very flexible with a Cyclocross bike. If you find out that you like road racing so much, you can just mount some slimmer tires and you have a road bike.
As for a helmet there is absolutely no need to spend much money on it. The higher priced ones generally do not offer more protection, they are just (a few grams) lighter and maybe a bit better ventilated. I have this helmet http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=16578 and I regularly do some >100 km rides and it doesn't bother me at all.
Another thing I have to recommend is to get click-pedals if you want to get serious about cycling, they make a huge difference. I was riding strap-on pedals with my first road bike for about half a year then mounted click-pedals and boy, that was a change. I can't even believe I rode without them for so long.
Firstly, get yourself a helmet that fits well and looks good - if you look like a dweeb you won't wear it! Hang the cost. Secondly, I don't think anybody has said it, but get yourself some decent shorts, especially if you go for the high pressure slicks/ mountain bike combo, they will save your backside.
The thing with changing your tyres on your mountain bike is that you're limiting your on road potential. The gearing is all wrong. It's designed to go up hills slowly, not on the road quickly. Even with a new bike with a compact chainseton a road bike you'll leave mountain bikers in your wake when climbing hills on the road, as their bikes are far heavier. Plus, giving yourself a headache every time you want to take your MTB offroad, because you have to change back to knobly tyres. You could buy an extra set of MTB wheels and swap them, but for the cost you might as well buy yourself a nice new (or used!) machine to give your new fitness regime a kick-start.
May I suggest the specialized secteur.....I own a full carbon specialized roubaix comp, which is full carbon, however the secteur has exactly the same frame geometry and is about half the price new. As long as the bike fits you, try one at your local specialized dealer, I promise you'll love it. It has a sloping top tube, similar to your mountain bike set-up, and if you fit it with some decent anti-puncture tyres (like continental gatorskins) then you'll be able to ride it in most conditions. I'll be buying one to use as a winter bike as soon as the market gets flooded with used examples, as is the case with the specialized Allez.
At the end of the day, enjoy your time on the bike, and if you really want to shed some pounds - buy a heart rate monitor and work your but off!!
Just new to cycling so read this with interest. If you are an employee have you considered the cycle to work scheme? You basically get bike and any safety equipment bought with it tax free (I think up to £1200 but could be wrong on that). Not all employers operate the scheme but I am informed by a friend who set it up for her work that it is easy to do, and not all shops allow use of the scheme, but well worth investigating.
If you like your tight pants you could get a fixie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn29DvMITu4
some nice pics there Surfr 8) and good advice re a cyclo cross bike...
what sportives did you do ? I have been doing them for 4 years or so and love em ! great way to see some of our fantastic countryside that we take for granted I reckon...
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