mountain and cities advice on best bike?

[draeyk]

hi guys... phew, good to join here and away from facebook!

just a quickie, im massively in a dilemma. my beloved bike has finally given up the ghost and need new one. last was specialized sirrus. and thinking of going for elite 2010 model. thing is, one problem i had with old bike was hills. and this year i want to try for norway. i use same bike in town but i need a dependable long distance bike as well for touring holidays... im still trying to do north sea bike route. am i going for the right option? £650 is pricy even with my lcc discount. any advise much appreciated. for eg is 2010 model that much better than 2009 one? or should i go for ridgeback flight 04?? just ideas. im huessing im still being sensible with hybrids?

x d

 

[RedBike]

There's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't tour on a hybrid but if I was going to do a 6000km route (The North sea cycle route) I think I might want to go for a dedicated touring bike.

The simple answer is to go and beg, steel and borrow as many different bikes as you can.

I've no idea what any of the bikes are like but I would add the Revolution Tourers to your list as well as the offerings form Dawes and Ridgeback.

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebw...ID=18343&f_SortOrderID=1&f_bct=c003155c018343

 

[andym]

Are you sure you can't rebuild your current bike? If the wheels and frame are OK then it shouldn't cost that much.

If you want a bike for big hills then look for one with lower gears - a triple with a 22-tooth chainring and a cassette with a large cog of 34T.

No a 2010 model is very unlikely to be better than a 2009 model.

 

[Cathryn]

Don't forget these guys for reasonably priced tourers...

www.spacycles.co.uk

 

[Tedx]

The only piece of advice I can give you is go for a steel frame. The rest is up to you.

I did my last European tour (3,500miles) on a Dawes Galaxy which I picked up second hand for £400. I had done thousands of miles on it before hand and it has performed great. My next frame will be a steel framed On-One Inbred mountain bike which I will build myself. Many people into bike touring are now opting for a 26" wheel rather than the 700c as it can be taken both on and off road and the smaller wheels are stronger and more available world wide.

 

[skudupnorth]

This is my Sirrus Elite 2008 kitted out with panniers and it seems to cope pretty well with the load,i will know better after my first trip to Cornwall

Oh ,this site if full of good advice,you'll love it

 

[draeyk]

thanks guys, this is helping a lot. ill check the sites and call the shops and ask them for a bit of advise.

my bike frame is sound but the wheels both need replacing. hence a £200 + major parts bill. to be honest gears gone, pedal shaft, chain... there all on way out! it will prob be £300 to sort and then i may find in a year there is more to do, spent £100 8 months ago on it.

im not doing route in one go... usually do 800k stretch at a time, depending on terrain. wheel size is interesting as i want something that is as universal as possible if anything needs replacing. and gears are key if im loading on up hills.

in addition to the bike, ive toured with panniers and bobs trailer. anyone have an experiences and thoughts on this. bobs is great on the straight but any difficult negotiations and it risks breaking back axle.

ta, d

 

[andym]

my bike frame is sound but the wheels both need replacing. hence a £200 + major parts bill. to be honest gears gone, pedal shaft, chain... there all on way out! it will prob be £300 to sort and then i may find in a year there is more to do, spent £100 8 months ago on it.

Spending £300 to kit your bike out with new bits is still half the cost of a new bike. So if you like your current bike then why not refurbish it?

The problem is that although they are often brilliant value, cheap bikes are usually made with cheaper components which can mean they don't last as long (I'm not saying here more expensive necessarily means better). So if you get a new bike, a year or two down the line you'll probably find yourself in the same position.

You are always going to need to replace gears and chains - the more you use them the quicker they wear out. If you shop around and do the work yourself, you could get a new chainset, chain and cassette for under a £100 - and then would be with good-quality kit (eg a Deore chainset).

If you invest in a decent pair of wheels built by a specialist wheelbuilder, for example, they will last for years and you can take them from bike to bike. And if you go to someone like Harry Rowland you could get a very good pair of wheels for £200.

 

[willem]

To be honest any touring bike below the level of, say, a Surly Long Haul Trucker will be seriously compromised in one way or another (often in many ways). Get a LHT and you know you will have a bike for many many years to come, and worth maintaining properly. That is why many people suggest to buy second hand if the budget is tight.
The problem with even slightly cheaper bikes is indeed that the parts wear out much more quickly, and a serious overhaul may not be worth it after a while, since you pay so much more for the parts than bulk buying bike manufacturers. So long term cost of ownership is at least as much as with a competitively priced quality bike such as the LHT.
In your case my advise would be to save up for a bike such as the LHT. If you cannot save that much by next summer, I suggest you look long and hard at affordable ways to get your current bike into serviceable order again. So here are some suggestions:
Do you really need a new front wheel? It is usually only the rear wheel that fails. What do you mean that the gears are bad? The rear chainwheels, or also the derailleurs and the shifters? A rear cassete in Deore quality (the rear chainwheels) costs very little (30 pounds?, plus a new chain at 10-15 pounds), and you can easily change it yourself. Use the opportunity to get a cassette with a 32-34 t largest sprocket. It will solve your problem on the hills. Front chainwheels usually last a lot longer than the rear ones. If you can replace them individually, chances are only the middle one needs replacing. A basic steel one costs no more than few pounds, and will last for ages. Do get new brake cable inners. Again, easy to replace yourself, and they cost only a few quid. They may save your life.
My hunch is that 150 pounds will get you a pretty long way. If not, it is indeed time for a new bike. Go somewhere cheaper than Norway this year, and you will have saved the difference between a LHT and a disposable bike.
Willem

 

[andym]

The problem with even slightly cheaper bikes is indeed that the parts wear out much more quickly, and a serious overhaul may not be worth it after a while, since you pay so much more for the parts than bulk buying bike manufacturers. So long term cost of ownership is at least as much as with a competitively priced quality bike such as the LHT.

I agree that buying a complete bike is cheaper than buying components separately, and certainly the LHT is well worth considering if you can spring for it. However, that assumes you get the bike you want straight out of the box. My own approach has been an evolutionary one, as I've worked out what works and, what doesn't work, for me.

Spend as little as possible to keep the current bike on the road while you save up for a really good bike, is definitely one option. But equally, another option is to buy a decent set of wheels, and a decent set of kit for the transmission and then when the time comes, buy a new frameset (eg Surly LHT or On-One etc) and build a new bike cannibalising your existing bike.

 

[MarkF]

I tour on a hybrid and as I got more adventurous I thought I'd better buy a tourer, so I did. A 531 steel framed Dawes Horizon and TBH I didn't find it as comfy as my hybrid and after a summer it was sold. I'd take my Discovery anywhere, it'll be going to Barcelona soon, maybe not ideal for a RTW but, everything else, yeah!

 

[draeyk]

thats great. surly looks fab... how about parts when traveling? easy to find? also where can you see this bike?

btw the £200 quote for bare min work

 

[draeyk]

That s brilliant guys. I'm gonna see if I can see a surly LHT in the flesh ASAP as I need a bike now! Anyone got any ideas of cheapest/best deals. I'm guessing internet. If sso any recommendations? Cheers.