Dan Ferris
Über Member
- Location
- Leigh-On-Sea, Essex
Hi,
I'm looking for some advice and probably guidance on what bike i actually need. That may sound strange but I cannot get my head around whether as a second bike i need a hybrid or a mountain bike. I've laid out some requirements below which hopefully will help with some suggestions.
I currently have a road bike that I've used all year round but ideally will be trying to keep that for the summer months / the odd dry day in the winter.
Requirements for second bike:
I'm lucky enough to live near some local wood trails so on days where i fancy something different to the road i'd like something that i can use on these. They're a mixture of farmers tracks / bridleways, gravel paths and so on, not advanced downhill!
During the winter months when its not nice enough to be out on the road bike something that I don't mind getting wet out on the roads and not have a fear of coming off it
During the summer months i'd like to attach either a child seat for one child or a trailer to carry both children on for a ride around
Anytime of the year (when we get back into the office) use as a commuter, no more than 10 miles each way on a mixture of roads and pavements and maybe some very light gravel tracks
Something that i can get on and ride across a multitude of surfaces as explained above
I started off by looking at a hardtail mountain bike. I'm borrowing one from a friend and whilst its great fun i'm not sure if it will meet all of my requirements above, especially the commute. So i've started looking at maybe a hybrid but its a bit of a minefield with so many different options. I've heard good things about the B-Twin Discovery range and also the Boardman range
I appreciate this a bit of a ramble and ultimately its down to my own personal choice (and no the CFO will not sign off 2 new bikes :-) ) but having never owned a hybrid I’m not sure how well it would handle the wooded areas of what I’m looking for.
I’m not adverse to buying second hand and have a budget of about £500.
Any help greatly received!
I'm looking for some advice and probably guidance on what bike i actually need. That may sound strange but I cannot get my head around whether as a second bike i need a hybrid or a mountain bike. I've laid out some requirements below which hopefully will help with some suggestions.
I currently have a road bike that I've used all year round but ideally will be trying to keep that for the summer months / the odd dry day in the winter.
Requirements for second bike:
I'm lucky enough to live near some local wood trails so on days where i fancy something different to the road i'd like something that i can use on these. They're a mixture of farmers tracks / bridleways, gravel paths and so on, not advanced downhill!
During the winter months when its not nice enough to be out on the road bike something that I don't mind getting wet out on the roads and not have a fear of coming off it
During the summer months i'd like to attach either a child seat for one child or a trailer to carry both children on for a ride around
Anytime of the year (when we get back into the office) use as a commuter, no more than 10 miles each way on a mixture of roads and pavements and maybe some very light gravel tracks
Something that i can get on and ride across a multitude of surfaces as explained above
I started off by looking at a hardtail mountain bike. I'm borrowing one from a friend and whilst its great fun i'm not sure if it will meet all of my requirements above, especially the commute. So i've started looking at maybe a hybrid but its a bit of a minefield with so many different options. I've heard good things about the B-Twin Discovery range and also the Boardman range
I appreciate this a bit of a ramble and ultimately its down to my own personal choice (and no the CFO will not sign off 2 new bikes :-) ) but having never owned a hybrid I’m not sure how well it would handle the wooded areas of what I’m looking for.
I’m not adverse to buying second hand and have a budget of about £500.
Any help greatly received!
