A fully equipped hybrid with balloon tyres?

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chr4

Regular
Hi
I am looking for an equipped hybrid but due to lower back issues I need to supress vibrations from the road and have balloon tyres like Big Apple. Looking for something like Bergamont Vitess but ... at half the cost. Budget up to £550. Any ideas?
 
Why not fit a suspension seatpost? Cheaper than a new bike. I just happen to know where there is an excellent quality, little used Thudbuster LT looking for a good home.
 
OP
OP
C

chr4

Regular
Why not fit a suspension seatpost? Cheaper than a new bike. I just happen to know where there is an excellent quality, little used Thudbuster LT looking for a good home.
Thank you for your comment. I do have a suspension seat post on my other bike but I think for my specific issue low psi of balloon tyres helps more - presumably because it tackles a different frequency or types of vibrations.
I prefer to find a bike already equipped with balloon tyres as my attempts to install them on existing bikes ended with mixed results. There is either not enough room or I had to remove mudguards etc.
Also, looking for a relaxed riding position.
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
I would use an old school rigid MTB, fit the specific tyres you want to that, plus mudguards and rack. All the old MTB's, like the ones I ride, have already got the mounting points for guards and racks, so there's no need to bodge things to frames not designed for them. They lend themselves very well to conversion to touring or general utility bikes and the frame geometry is inherently relaxed and stable.
Hybrids are not generally designed around low pressure balloon tyres. If you want something 2" wide then you really need to start out with an MTB frame, because it will have been designed around wide section tyres. The gearing and transmissions on hybrids were all originally MTB-derived anyway.
 

Pale Rider

Legendary Member
An MTB with bosses is one of the most versatile bikes you can buy, but you would have to do all the equipping yourself.

You mention pannier 'racks'.

I take it you mean only a rear one, because a front rack would be another challenge, albeit not insurmountable.

If you fit a basic rear platform/pannier rack you may find you don't need a rear mudguard.

A Flinger deflector on the front may be sufficient, and is much easier to fit and less likely to rattle, foul the tyre, or fall off.

Clip on LED lights are likely to be superior to the cheapo ones you would get on a new £500 bike.
 
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OP
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chr4

Regular
Thanks all. I might have to go down mtb route if I want to stick to my budget. I was drawn to more upright bikes like Bergamont or Scott Sub Sport 40 as their more upright position seems good for my back. Maybe I can find something suitable in mtb world. I will see if I can find locally a Cube Aim Allroad equipped version or similar.
 

Randomnerd

Bimbleur
Location
North Yorkshire
You may not need balloon tyres. Compass, now Rene Herse, make tyres with very compliant sidewalls. I ride 650b x 42mm with extralight casings at 50psi. Like clouds.
 

si_c

Guru
Location
Wirral
I'd avoid a new MTB in your price range for road use - even swapping the tyres for slicks it will still come with front suspension which will be heavy and terrible on a paved surface. @SkipdiverJohn rightly notes that an older rigid forked MTB would be ideal but finding one might be a struggle with a the current second hand market.
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
I'd avoid a new MTB in your price range for road use - even swapping the tyres for slicks it will still come with front suspension which will be heavy and terrible on a paved surface. @SkipdiverJohn rightly notes that an older rigid forked MTB would be ideal but finding one might be a struggle with a the current second hand market.

There's still two brand new 26" rigid models I'm aware of, albeit both low end and would probably need a bit of tinkering after collection to get the set up right.
Argos are doing the Challenge Conquer for £100, which is only a single chainring job with fairly narrow gearing, and the dreaded Sports Direct have got the Muddy Fox Energy 26 for £139, which is a conventional Shumano 18 speed triple chainring. Both cheap bikes, but they have the mounts for mudguards and racks and will take a 26" x 2" low pressure tyre. Could be a cheap and perfectly viable option, so long as you're willing to spend a couple of hours post-purchase tweaking and checking it over. There's nothing inherently bad about such bikes, apart from the fact the low price means there's no fettling budget built into the retail chain. You buy one of these, you need to do the fine tuning yourself. Don't expect it to work perfectly out of the shop door, it probably won't be 100%.
I would buy one though, if I was sized for a 21" frame and I wanted brand new not secondhand - but I'm not under any illusion I'm going to get perfection out of the box.
 
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cyclintom

Active Member
Thank you for your comment. I do have a suspension seat post on my other bike but I think for my specific issue low psi of balloon tyres helps more - presumably because it tackles a different frequency or types of vibrations.
I prefer to find a bike already equipped with balloon tyres as my attempts to install them on existing bikes ended with mixed results. There is either not enough room or I had to remove mudguards etc.
Also, looking for a relaxed riding position.
Think gravel bike. These have the clearance to install very wide tires though 35 mm at 60 psi would soften just about anything short of the San Andreas Fault. You can get knobby, semi knobby (which role suprisingly easy on pavement) and smooth tread. With a bad back make no effort to keep up with the rabbits.
 
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