Er... Hello. Hello...????

[Re-Cycled]

Is this where I type?!

If you can read this - Hello! (yes, new!!)

Having ended up in a swamp in a forest in Northumberland as I fell off my mountain bike (specialised rock hopper pro) Ive realised that at 45 I need a new perspective.

So.... Off to Holland cycling with my partner in the summer.

Do I.... A) adapt the mountain bike somehow or B) trade it in for a tourer of some sort....?

If option B) what sort do I need....?

Thanks in advance (id be grateful - its took me over an hour to register, select a forum and then start a new thread thingy (at least I think thats what Ive done!)

 

[MrJamie]

Welcome

No idea about the bike, but riding your bike into a swamp in a forest sounds like fun

 

[Re-Cycled]

Yeah, I ended up laughing but the car did reek a bit on the drive home!!!
Can I ask what the graph thingy is under your typing!? Looks very serious!

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

and Re-Cycled.

You could do either - a change of tyres to slicks (Schwalbe CityJet are popular for this purpose) would make the bike much freer rolling on the road. Locking the front suspension would help (if available) and if you are a particularly strong rider you could change the front gears for something like a 28-38-48 tooth set for higher gearing. (Probably not necessary unless you expect to be cruising at over 20mph a lot).

If you go for the touring option there are traditional drop handle bar bikes from about £550 new or you could pick up a Trekking style bike for less if you prefer straight handlebars. Try going to the local bike shop and having a look at the options to see what you like the look of.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Re-Cycled!
You fell off the bike into a swamp in the forest? Sounds like great fun, the guys in commuting will be envious
Have fun in Holland: whatever kind of bike you will end up getting, as a cycle chatter I advise you to keep the two plus get one more as spare

 

[monkeylc]

 

[Re-Cycled]

and Re-Cycled.

You could do either - a change of tyres to slicks (Schwalbe CityJet are popular for this purpose) would make the bike much freer rolling on the road. Locking the front suspension would help (if available) and if you are a particularly strong rider you could change the front gears for something like a 28-38-48 tooth set for higher gearing. (Probably not necessary unless you expect to be cruising at over 20mph a lot).

If you go for the touring option there are traditional drop handle bar bikes from about £550 new or you could pick up a Trekking style bike for less if you prefer straight handlebars. Try going to the local bike shop and having a look at the options to see what you like the look of.

Hi Phil

having looked like a total donkey re the swamp incident Im keen to avoid looking like a wally - would the slicks on a mtb work/not break some biking taboo!!!? I could lock the suspension out and I have no idea what the 28-38-48 reference is (teeth on cogs ?)

Im liking the idea of a touring type bike - the horror of swamp thing still plays on my mind re the mtb!!! Perhaps I need a new start!

Thanks

 

[MrJamie]

Yeah, I ended up laughing but the car did reek a bit on the drive home!!!
Can I ask what the graph thingy is under your typing!? Looks very serious!

It's geeky ride statistics from www.strava.com You can record your rides and set up segments to compete with other people for best times on, its silly but can be fun. I hardly use it though, but I have nothing better to put there at the moment.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Hi Phil

having looked like a total donkey re the swamp incident Im keen to avoid looking like a wally - would the slicks on a mtb work/not break some biking taboo!!!? I could lock the suspension out and I have no idea what the 28-38-48 reference is (teeth on cogs ?)

Im liking the idea of a touring type bike - the horror of swamp thing still plays on my mind re the mtb!!! Perhaps I need a new start!

Thanks

Sorry if I sounded too technical. Slicks on a MTB won't break any taboo as they are quite popular for those who use them to commute.

Suspension lockout is a control on the forks, or sometimes on a remote lever, that does what it says: locks the forks so the bike acts like a rigid framed bike, making it more efficient and easier to ride on road. If it's not a very old one I'd have expected yours to have this on.

The 28-38-48 I mentioned is the number of teeth on the front gears. You probably have 22-32-42 or similar. If you have an 11 tooth smallest gear on the rear (very likely) your top gearing may be high enough without having to make any changes.

If you do fancy the touring bikes, you might like to have a look at these offerings from Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative, Dawes Cycles and Raleigh who all have models in the £500 to £600 range (I'm afraid proper touring bikes don't come cheaper than this unless second-hand).

I hope this helps a bit.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Hiya!

 

[Re-Cycled]

Sorry if I sounded too technical. Slicks on a MTB won't break any taboo as they are quite popular for those who use them to commute.

Suspension lockout is a control on the forks, or sometimes on a remote lever, that does what it says: locks the forks so the bike acts like a rigid framed bike, making it more efficient and easier to ride on road. If it's not a very old one I'd have expected yours to have this on.

The 28-38-48 I mentioned is the number of teeth on the front gears. You probably have 22-32-42 or similar. If you have an 11 tooth smallest gear on the rear (very likely) your top gearing may be high enough without having to make any changes.

If you do fancy the touring bikes, you might like to have a look at these offerings from Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative, Dawes Cycles and Raleigh who all have models in the £500 to £600 range (I'm afraid proper touring bikes don't come cheaper than this unless second-hand).

I hope this helps a bit.

Hey Phil

my rockhopper does have front suspension!!!!! (not used it much though!) Thanks for clarifying the number of teeth issue. Ill have a look at the touring bikes youve mentioned. Looking forward to a bit of virtual shopping tomorrow!

Thanks again4

 

[coffeejo]

swampy, erm, I mean re-cycled

 

[Re-Cycled]

Hiya!

Hi ya

looks like you're doing some serious cycling - and here's me worrying about a quick jolly to Holland! Enjoy!

 

[Re-Cycled]

swampy, erm, I mean re-cycled

Hey CoffeeJo

Im thinking Im going to regret mentioning the swamp incident!!!!

 

[coffeejo]

One of my friends did a tour of northern Europe last summer on an adapted MTB which used to belong to another friend who did thousands of miles on it all over the world.