looking for advice ??

[sprog65]

HI
Im after some advice , im buying a new bike on the cycle to work scheme so budget is restricted to a grand .
Having had a look round the local shops ( im in Sheffield ) I have narrowed to down to a choice of three although im open to recommendations on one s that are not on the list

BMC Sportlite SLX

Whyte 605

Cube Acid 29er

Not sure of the benefits of the 29er over 650b wheels but again open to advice .

I am in my early 50s reasonably fit after heart trouble as in I can manage 20 to 25 miles in Derbyshire .
Currently I have a roadbike and a GT mtb so I am looking to up grade .

Cheers all help greatly accepted

Dave

 

[Slick]

HI
Im after some advice , im buying a new bike on the cycle to work scheme so budget is restricted to a grand .
Having had a look round the local shops ( im in Sheffield ) I have narrowed to down to a choice of three although im open to recommendations on one s that are not on the list

BMC Sportlite SLX

Whyte 605

Cube Acid 29er

Not sure of the benefits of the 29er over 650b wheels but again open to advice .

I am in my early 50s reasonably fit after heart trouble as in I can manage 20 to 25 miles in Derbyshire .
Currently I have a roadbike and a GT mtb so I am looking to up grade .

Cheers all help greatly accepted

Dave

One or two good posters in this section who post loads of great links, so I'll leave that to them. A bag of sand is a not too shabby amount for getting a good bike but you should be able to add to it if you wish. The 29 inch wheels allow you to cover greater distance with less effort especially with road tyres but it depends on exactly what type of riding and which surfaces you are riding on.

I just picked up my letter for my new bike as well. Great feeling.

 

[vickster]

Which would suit you best for commuting given the terrain?

How tall are you as I think 29ers can feel big and unwieldy got shorter riders.

Other than that, go try them out, that'll tell you what wheel size/bike to go for

 

[Cycleops]

First off hello and welcome to the forum. I’d question the wisdom of getting a MTB unless you want to use it exclusively on very rough trails. Why not consider a cyclocross or adventure/ gravel bike as they’re now called so you can cover a few more options?

 

[vickster]

He's upgrading his MTB?

 

[derrick]

My daughter bought a whyte a year ago, i was quite impressed with it.. That would be my choice, but best if you can ride them yourself and get the one that feels good to you. personally i would not go for the 29er. but your choice it may suit you.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

I have a Cube Acid. It is very high spec for the price and it’s a great bike which I have done some great off road touring and mucking about on single track and forest trails.

It wouldn’t be my choice to commute to work though.

 

[sprog65]

One or two good posters in this section who post loads of great links, so I'll leave that to them. A bag of sand is a not too shabby amount for getting a good bike but you should be able to add to it if you wish. The 29 inch wheels allow you to cover greater distance with less effort especially with road tyres but it depends on exactly what type of riding and which surfaces you are riding on.

I just picked up my letter for my new bike as well. Great feeling.

Thanks for the reply , im waiting for my letter to arrive , im told that a 29er is good once your rolling but a little harder to get it moving

 

[sprog65]

I have a Cube Acid. It is very high spec for the price and it’s a great bike which I have done some great off road touring and mucking about on single track and forest trails.

It wouldn’t be my choice to commute to work though.

Thanks for info , I don't do that much commuting < its more of a messing about in the countryside and maybe once a week when im a short shift commute , sort of leaning towards the BMC as its the lightest at just under 12kg with a spec equal ( I think ) to the cube

 

[buzzy-beans]

Personally speaking, if your commute to work is all or mostly on roads then I wouldn't go for any kind of mountain bike as because of their tyres, they will always have a higher rolling resistance. If it were me I would plump for a half decent hybrid fitted with low rolling resistance tyres, low maintenance equipment and as you live in Sheffield with all of those hills disc brakes as well,, such as this https://www.evanscycles.com/cube-travel-sl-2018-hybrid-bike-EV319284.

 

[sprog65]

My daughter bought a whyte a year ago, i was quite impressed with it.. That would be my choice, but best if you can ride them yourself and get the one that feels good to you. personally i would not go for the 29er. but your choice it may suit you.

Thanks for the advice < ive never ridden a 29er , my current GT ison 27.5 and is ok , problem I have is that the BMC is not a stock item and would have to be ordered in at a cost and the local Whyte dealer doesn't have my size in stock so again would have to be ordered in , was just trying to get a feel for which bikes are the better ones to be looking at

 

[sprog65]

Which would suit you best for commuting given the terrain?

How tall are you as I think 29ers can feel big and unwieldy got shorter riders.

Other than that, go try them out, that'll tell you what wheel size/bike to go for

Im a tad under 6ft and id be tempted to put some reasonable smooth treaded tyres on with decent preasures to suit the varing options of routes in to work

 

[sprog65]

Personally speaking, if your commute to work is all or mostly on roads then I wouldn't go for any kind of mountain bike as because of their tyres, they will always have a higher rolling resistance. If it were me I would plump for a half decent hybrid fitted with low rolling resistance tyres, low maintenance equipment and as you live in Sheffield with all of those hills disc brakes as well,, such as this https://www.evanscycles.com/cube-travel-sl-2018-hybrid-bike-EV319284.

Hi ,All the bikes im looking at are disc braked and for general commuting I can always change the tyres which is what I do with my current bike , garage space is limited as motorbike my 2 cycles and the lad's cycle and wood store mean I cant have a cycle for every type of ride

 

[Milkfloat]

I don't think the OP actually wants to commute on it, just a cheap way to buy it.

 

[vickster]

Thanks for the advice < ive never ridden a 29er , my current GT ison 27.5 and is ok , problem I have is that the BMC is not a stock item and would have to be ordered in at a cost and the local Whyte dealer doesn't have my size in stock so again would have to be ordered in , was just trying to get a feel for which bikes are the better ones to be looking at

You could go to Evans and ride any 29er to see if one would work for you. At 6ft you should be ok