Good bike on and off road?

[Korup7ion]

hi, i'm looking to buy my first bike but unsure what to get
i plan on riding a good mix of on and off road and will also be doing plenty of longer 50+ mile rides

i would like front suspension for the off road stuff with a lockout for the roads and i don't like drop bars
so far my best option based on my limited knowledge seems to be the trek dual sport series of hybrid bikes

i don't really know much about bikes so any suggestions/advice would be highly appreciated
thanks

 

[NorthernDave]

Hello!

Are you really sure that you'll need front suspension for the rides you're doing?

I ask as my first bike when I started cycling again was a Boardman MX Sport hybrid and I bought that model for exactly the reasons and types of rides you describe. The need for front suspension is marginal at best, as are any benefits, and it just adds weight on road where it's locked out.

Within 6 months I'd bought a "proper" road bike and the MX now just gets used on the odd off road ride.

The Boardman range at Halfords / Cycle Republic score consistently well in reviews and give good VFM, so is worth a look.

 

[Korup7ion]

Hello!

Are you really sure that you'll need front suspension for the rides you're doing?

I ask as my first bike when I started cycling again was a Boardman MX Sport hybrid and I bought that model for exactly the reasons and types of rides you describe. The need for front suspension is marginal at best, as are any benefits, and it just adds weight on road where it's locked out.

Within 6 months I'd bought a "proper" road bike and the MX now just gets used on the odd off road ride.

The Boardman range at Halfords / Cycle Republic score consistently well in reviews and give good VFM, so is worth a look.

the trek dual sport 2 comes in at 13.26KG and a boardman HYB 8.8 comes in at 10.4KG, does that really make much difference?
i did used to ride a rigid mountain bike when i was a kid and honestly i never really liked it all that much for off roading but i suppose i could do without it if it would get me a better bike overall

 

[Racing roadkill]

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/riverside-920-hybrid-bike-id_8405267.html

This is pretty much unbeatable value for money for a new bike, with front suspension, that locks out, and can do on or off road, it also comes with a lifetime warranty on the frame. I’m quite a fan of this type of bike, especially at this time of the year. This is a lot of bike for the money. I have a Boardman MX comp that I bought back in 2014, it’s still getting a lot of use, especially at the moment, on and off road.

I quite enjoy tanking past people on skinny tyred ‘road bikes’ who are teetering around like Bambi on roller skates at the moment. It’s also perfectly capable of longer distance rides, which is a bonus.

 

[Milkfloat]

@Korup7ion Can you define offroad, do you mean nailing it through some singletrack with 4ft drops, or a cruise along a canal path or fire road?

 

[Cycleops]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

The Trek bikes you mentioned look good but you'll pay a premium for that name. You don't state your budget but at the £500 mark suspension forks are fairly crude affairs which won't give you much damping and you need to bear in mind that money spent on these won't go elsewhere on the bike. I'd say you really don't need them unless tackling hard rutted terrain. You can adjust tyre pressure for added comfort. As for weight 3+ kg extra will be felt when you're climbing. You'll also find bigger tyres will suck a fair bit of energy on the road, for mixed use the best compromise will be found in the 28-35mm range.
You'll find better value from some retailers own brands like Pinnacle from Evans and Boardman. Arguably the best vfm is from Decathlon as linked above.
You won't get a bad bike with any of suggestions including your own but you may get better value by shopping around.
Good luck.

 

[Korup7ion]

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/riverside-920-hybrid-bike-id_8405267.html

This is pretty much unbeatable value for money for a new bike, with front suspension, that locks out, and can do on or off road, it also comes with a lifetime warranty on the frame. I’m quite a fan of this type of bike, especially at this time of the year. This is a lot of bike for the money. I have a Boardman MX comp that I bought back in 2014, it’s still getting a lot of use, especially at the moment, on and off road.

View attachment 451010

View attachment 451011

I quite enjoy tanking past people on skinny tyred ‘road bikes’ who are teetering around like Bambi on roller skates at the moment. It’s also perfectly capable of longer distance rides, which is a bonus.

thanks for the suggestion, do decathlon allow test rides?

@Korup7ion Can you define offroad, do you mean nailing it through some singletrack with 4ft drops, or a cruise along a canal path or fire road?

canal paths, forrest paths, dirt roads, gravel roads and maybe some light downhill trails nothing extreme

Hello and welcome to the forum.

The Trek bikes you mentioned look good but you'll pay a premium for that name. You don't state your budget but at the £500 mark suspension forks are fairly crude affairs which won't give you much damping and you need to bear in mind that money spent on these won't go elsewhere on the bike. I'd say you really don't need them unless tackling hard rutted terrain. You can adjust tyre pressure for added comfort. As for weight 3+ kg extra will be felt when you're climbing. You'll also find bigger tyres will suck a fair bit of energy on the road, for mixed use the best compromise will be found in the 28-35mm range.
You'll find better value from some retailers own brands like Pinnacle from Evans and Boardman. Arguably the best vfm is from Decathlon as linked above.
You won't get a bad bike with any of suggestions including your own but you may get better value by shopping around.
Good luck.

i have around £1000 to spend so the trek bike would be going for is a dual sport 4 which comes in at £950, i will certainly be shopping around for the best deal i was only focused on trek because it's a name i'm familiar with

 

[iandg]

Surly Cross-Check - Flat bar version available. It's heavy and doesn't have discs but it rides well both on and off-road. If I had to clear my stable out and keep just one bike it would be my cross-check.

 

[roadrash]

decathlon allow you to ride instore only , as daft as that seems, I would personally avoid suspension for the riding you describe, some good recommendations above

 

[Cycleops]

With that usage in mind you really don't need the suspension forks.
Another one to add to mix might be the Ridgeback range, this one springs to mind;
https://www.ridgeback.co.uk/bike/flight-03
This has an enclosed Shimano hub for low maintenance. Fast on the road but still able to handle the trails with slick 35c tyres.

 

[Korup7ion]

Surly Cross-Check - flat bar version available

i'll check that out, thanks

decathlon allow you to ride instore only , as daft as that seems, I would personally avoid suspension for the riding you describe, some good recommendations above

that does seem daft but i'm sure the bikes are fine, can you explain why you would avoid suspension?

 

[CXRAndy]

Get a 'Gravel/Adventure/CX' bike. There are plenty about.
Requirements for the type of riding

• Wide tyre upto 45mm
• Disc brakes-hydraulic
• Sub compact groupset(48/32, 46/30)
• mudguards

This will be an all-round perfect bike

Id recommend Schwalbe G One all-round -fast on road, good grip on trails. come in 40mm

 

[vickster]

Get a 'Gravel/Adventure/CX' bike. There are plenty about.
Requirements for the type of riding

• Wide tyre upto 45mm
• Disc brakes-hydraulic
• Sub compact groupset(48/32, 46/30)
• mudguards

This will be an all-round perfect bike

Id recommend Schwalbe G One all-round -fast on road, good grip on trails. come in 40mm

Except the OP doesn’t like drop bars

 

[Justinitus]

Another suggestion would be the Road Rat from Cotic. Basically a hybrid but without the front suspension. I have ridden one briefly and it was very nice - ideal for the type of rides you’ll be doing. Cotic are near to you - Sheffield - and have demo bikes. They’re very knowledgable too.
https://www.cotic.co.uk/product/roadrat

 

[Korup7ion]

Get a 'Gravel/Adventure/CX' bike. There are plenty about.
Requirements for the type of riding

• Wide tyre upto 45mm
• Disc brakes-hydraulic
• Sub compact groupset(48/32, 46/30)
• mudguards

This will be an all-round perfect bike

Id recommend Schwalbe G One all-round -fast on road, good grip on trails. come in 40mm

i have been looking at gravel bikes and they seem like a decent option but a little on the pricey side

Except the OP doesn’t like drop bars

i don't like drop bars but i think that has a lot to do with the fact i have ridden very drop bar bikes most of my cycling experience is on mountain bikes, i would probably get used to drop bars given time