Advice for novice please, Hybrid or full on mountain bike.

[MarkJ]

Hello, I'm 52 and very recently got into cycling. Only been riding for 6 weeks. I tried my hand and got a second-hand boardman 8.6 HYB. I'm semi retired, so I have had time to put the effort in and I am focused on enjoyment and health. I have lost 20 lbs doing 2 or 3 50km rides a week on quiet country lanes, and paths. I love it. My legs ache in between rides but are feeling strong and I feel so much physically better being out and about, just lightens my mood. So I'm hooked and intend to be out all summer and beyond. The bike is a hybrid, though I think leans towards road with no suspension folks. I average about 18kmph when out for nearly 3 hours. Road bikes go past me, but I really like the off roads trials in the woods the most. Just paths with a few bumps on. Now I am thinking of getting a second bike. One a little bit more rugged so I can go on more light trials and explore cross country away form urban areas.

So my question is, do I get another hybrid but with front with suspension like the Boardman MTX or Trek Dual Sport?

or

Go for a entry level mountain bike such as a Trek Marlin or Boardman MHT.

I wonder if the first ones are too similar to what I already have and ask would the mountain bikes stand cross country touring better.
I don't want to be doing extreme trails or jumps. But do want to be able to handle bumpy paths across country. Do long mixed surface rides. I'm not too bothered about sacrificing a bit of speed for comfort. With two bikes, I can have a choice depending on the ride.

Appreciate people's thoughts before I decide.

 

[Cycleops]

You can do all that on your current bike. If you want a bit more comfort buy some fatter tyres and/ or drop the pressures. A suspension fork is just going to ad unnecessary weight and not much comfort . The extra weight will make climbing hills more difficult and as you say you’ll be significantly slower on a mountain bike.
Don’t let me stop you getting another bike though . A gravel bike would do what you want but wouldn’t give you any real advantage in terms of comfort over your current mount. Then you’ve got drop bars which you may not like.
I have a gravel and a Trek mountain bike here and the Trek doesn’t give any advantage in comfort over gravel on the bumpy roads and tracks.

 

[Vantage]

To be honest I'd stick with the bike you have for a bit longer. See what it can handle. Hybrids generally can handle a lot of abuse before anything breaks. Bigger tyres (if there's room for them) can make a world of difference to how comfortable the bike is. You could also fit a suspension seat post to take the sting out of bumps.
Suspension isn't really there for comfort. It helps to control the bike around bigger rocks, tree roots etc.
If you're really set on having bouncy forks, it may be cheaper to just buy a new set of suspension forks. That way you have the same bike you're already used to. If you wanted to go back to rigid forks for a while, most suspension forks now have a lock out switch.
But for now, your best bet is bigger, nobblier tyres.
I say all this having ridden a drop bar touring bike on trails that I used to ride on a mountain bike.
If at the end of all this you're still set on a new bike, go for a mountain bike. I can't comment on the two you've mentioned but having killed my said touring bike (it's death was on a road) I bought myself a Decathlon branded Rockrider ST540 for £400. It's an entry level mountain bike. Very comfort orientated. I ended up fitting a longer stem as it was too comfort orientated and I have to say, I love it

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Hello, @MarkJ and welcome.

You've posted in the Touring and Adventure forum and while both terms are very difficult to pin down, we generally talk about multi-day rides, carrying our gear.
Only a small section of our post mentions a cross country tour (where are you? Crossing the US is a very different thing to crossing the Netherlands )

My advice is to do absolutely nothing! (At least on the bike buying front).

Only been riding for 6 weeks.

Slow down, enjoy the rides.

The bike is a hybrid, though I think leans towards.......

You think? Based on what? What you have tried or what you have read somewhere?

You're back on the bike six weeks and enjoying it. That's great. You're online and you'll see lots of discussions on new bikes - that's what we do. It's very easy to get our heads turned.

If I was in your shoes (and I was) I'd try tiding my bike to places I wanted to go. I'd learn then about what myself and my bike can do and what we can't. Armed with that information I would be (and I was) in a better position to choose the next bike.

Yes, it's very boring and dull. No, it's not very exciting. Sorry.

I'm a firm believer in spending money on experiences, not things. If you have money burning a hole in your pocket, then I'd suggest opening your "Touring & Adventure" account and making a regular deposit to fund these adventures. I'd head over to CGOAB or our own Travelogue section to seek inspiration on where my bike (new or old) could take me and I'd shake my head up and see where everything settles. You may be surprised!
Something that is always worth spending a bit of time on is understanding how your bike works. There's a lot of comfort to be had far from home knowing that you understand your bike.

The fact of the matter is that people have been having adventures on bikes for over a century and all kinds of bikes have gone around the world. With every decision we make on what bike, there is a cost. It may be performance related (lighter (may be) faster), it may be flexibility (a road bike can't go the places a MTB can go) or it may be psychological (I can't leave my 4k bike in the rain when I camp!). I think it's foolish to buy without understanding what that cost is.

I did a lot of touring on a no-name hybrid with Suspension forks (locked out). I didn't come across too many places where I couldn't cycle. Then I upgraded to a 20 odd year old runt of the Trek MTB litter. We've had a few adventures and still together.

It's all ahead of you and there is no need to rush.


Good luck!

 

[MarkJ]

You can do all that on your current bike. If you want a bit more comfort buy some fatter tyres and/ or drop the pressures. A suspension fork is just going to ad unnecessary weight and not much comfort . The extra weight will make climbing hills more difficult and as you say you’ll be significantly slower on a mountain bike.
Don’t let me stop you getting another bike though . A gravel bike would do what you want but wouldn’t give you any real advantage in terms of comfort over your current mount. Then you’ve got drop bars which you may not like.
I have a gravel and a Trek mountain bike here and the Trek doesn’t give any advantage in comfort over gravel on the bumpy roads and tracks.

Thanks for the advice, being new to it, I am prone to all the hype on YouTube and maybe jumping in too soon, as is my excitable character. Perhaps I'm over thinking the suspension folks and comfort. I see gravel bikes everywhere online and to be honest, dropped bars don't appeal to me when looking at spending all day touring, I think my back would ache, but I guess I don't know without trying. You say the Trek doesn't give you anymore comfort makes me pause to consider, which I will. Thanks for your advice, I appreciate you tking the time. Best Wishes and happy riding.

 

[Sharky]

Six weeks isn't a very long time. Stick with what you've got until you know what sort of roads/trails take your fancy.

 

[Grant Fondo]

dropped bars don't appeal to me when looking at spending all day touring, I think my back would ache

Totally the opposite for me, I always get back ache with flat bars, never with drops.
Suspect a few others will agree.
Anyhow, glad you are enjoying it!

 

[Spiderweb]

Maybe stick with the bike you have for now. Buy a set of larger volume more off road tyres, run them with lower pressure and off you go. See how you get on.

 

[Kingfisher101]

I think waiting is good advice, then after another few months evaluate then what you want?
I've had absolutely loads of bikes and I've never regretted having a hardtail mountain bike.

 

[Sharky]

At the moment, we are going into the summer months and cycling is great. But autumn and winter are only a few months away. The real challenge for a cyclist is to keep going through the cold, damp days until the good weather arrives in the spring. If you can do this, would will be amazingly fit next summer.

With this in mind, consider what you need for the weather. Better clothing, lights, mudguards etc. Get through the winter and then decide what you need in the way of bikes in the spring.

 

[MarkJ]

Hello, @MarkJ and welcome.

You've posted in the Touring and Adventure forum and while both terms are very difficult to pin down, we generally talk about multi-day rides, carrying our gear.
Only a small section of our post mentions a cross country tour (where are you? Crossing the US is a very different thing to crossing the Netherlands )

My advice is to do absolutely nothing! (At least on the bike buying front).


Slow down, enjoy the rides.


You think? Based on what? What you have tried or what you have read somewhere?

You're back on the bike six weeks and enjoying it. That's great. You're online and you'll see lots of discussions on new bikes - that's what we do. It's very easy to get our heads turned.

If I was in your shoes (and I was) I'd try tiding my bike to places I wanted to go. I'd learn then about what myself and my bike can do and what we can't. Armed with that information I would be (and I was) in a better position to choose the next bike.

Yes, it's very boring and dull. No, it's not very exciting. Sorry.

I'm a firm believer in spending money on experiences, not things. If you have money burning a hole in your pocket, then I'd suggest opening your "Touring & Adventure" account and making a regular deposit to fund these adventures. I'd head over to CGOAB or our own Travelogue section to seek inspiration on where my bike (new or old) could take me and I'd shake my head up and see where everything settles. You may be surprised!
Something that is always worth spending a bit of time on is understanding how your bike works. There's a lot of comfort to be had far from home knowing that you understand your bike.

The fact of the matter is that people have been having adventures on bikes for over a century and all kinds of bikes have gone around the world. With every decision we make on what bike, there is a cost. It may be performance related (lighter (may be) faster), it may be flexibility (a road bike can't go the places a MTB can go) or it may be psychological (I can't leave my 4k bike in the rain when I camp!). I think it's foolish to buy without understanding what that cost is.

I did a lot of touring on a no-name hybrid with Suspension forks (locked out). I didn't come across too many places where I couldn't cycle. Then I upgraded to a 20 odd year old runt of the Trek MTB litter. We've had a few adventures and still together.

It's all ahead of you and there is no need to rush.


Good luck!

Thanks for taking the time. Yes, no Rush indeed, I'm just eager. I have only today swapped out the tyres to Marathon Plus which are a little wider and offer better puncture protection. I live in the North West of England on the border with North Wales, so I have lots around me with hills and coast. Lots of paths and canals. I didn't mention the second bike will also be used by my son when home from uni, so I can get him out with me. He is similar height as me. I do like the idea of multi day rides and a wild camp. I am planning a visit to a friend across quiet roads and paths next month. It is 80 km, flat, on country lanes and tow paths. That will be my furthest ride to date. I think I will be OK with that as I have done a few 60K rides with no issues, but see how I get on from there. Your are right, though, it's not all distance and I would enjoy shorter off road trails. I also want to ride all year round, so maybe when it is wet and muddy, I will be more inclined to stick to hard surfaces, but who knows. Like you say get to know myself riding as well as the bikes.

 

[MarkJ]

At the moment, we are going into the summer months and cycling is great. But autumn and winter are only a few months away. The real challenge for a cyclist is to keep going through the cold, damp days until the good weather arrives in the spring. If you can do this, would will be amazingly fit next summer.

With this in mind, consider what you need for the weather. Better clothing, lights, mudguards etc. Get through the winter and then decide what you need in the way of bikes in the spring.

Thanks, Yes, I intend cycling all year around. I will invest in decent clothing. I have walked all year around, though I prefer the good weather, I don't let winter stop me, I just get wrapped up. I want to keep my fitness and health. I have found I have felt great in recent weeks. Lost weight and feel good. Feel a real buzz. I would barely be able to run a mile, I hate running and my knee hurts. Cycling however, I can go for hours, sure legs ache after, but it's a good ache, feels like a good work out. I average 138 heart rate which is great for fat burning and keeping the weight off. My thighs have strengthened after hours of use and my knee doesn't hurt. Building my legs up, have made it much better. Apart from walking, I couldn't do any other exercise for hours and burn 2500 calories. Gym is no fun and bores me. I force myself to go and 45 minutes cross trainer is hard work, not enjoyable and I only burn 500 cals. Walking distance is OK, but not a much as cycling and less fun. I do like the solitude of cycling and the fact I visit beauty spots away from the chaos. Winter, though harsh, still has those occasional magical days. Thanks.

 

[MarkJ]

To be honest I'd stick with the bike you have for a bit longer. See what it can handle. Hybrids generally can handle a lot of abuse before anything breaks. Bigger tyres (if there's room for them) can make a world of difference to how comfortable the bike is. You could also fit a suspension seat post to take the sting out of bumps.
Suspension isn't really there for comfort. It helps to control the bike around bigger rocks, tree roots etc.
If you're really set on having bouncy forks, it may be cheaper to just buy a new set of suspension forks. That way you have the same bike you're already used to. If you wanted to go back to rigid forks for a while, most suspension forks now have a lock out switch.
But for now, your best bet is bigger, nobblier tyres.
I say all this having ridden a drop bar touring bike on trails that I used to ride on a mountain bike.
If at the end of all this you're still set on a new bike, go for a mountain bike. I can't comment on the two you've mentioned but having killed my said touring bike (it's death was on a road) I bought myself a Decathlon branded Rockrider ST540 for £400. It's an entry level mountain bike. Very comfort orientated. I ended up fitting a longer stem as it was too comfort orientated and I have to say, I love it

View attachment 692955

Thanks, I like that photo of your setup. That is the exact terrain I had in mind. I would worry my current rise would not handle that effectively, but the general advice seems to be it might, give it a go. So, I will start to test it out. Thanks for the advice. Much appreciated. Best Wishes.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Needing a bike for your son aside....

Get through the winter and then decide what you need in the way of bikes in the spring.

is excellent advice.

Every ride has the potential to be a learning experience and you'll have learned so much by then.