New C2W bike - £1k from Edinburgh Cycles - Bike ordered

[DCLane]

At the end of next month I'll have paid off the current cycle-2-work bike, which is a Spesh Globe Daily 2 Step-thru. All £500 of Dutch-style slowness!

It must be bought through Edinburgh Cycles in Leeds as well - my university's got an agreement with them.

I'll be using the full £1000 budget (for Child Benefit reasons) and am currently debating two routes; either an MTB or a cross bike. I've got 3 road bikes (Spesh Secteur, Raleigh Airlite 100 commuter and an old Raleigh Team) so don't want a road bike per se. My temporary cheap Felt Q200 MTB has been commandeered by my 13yo who's not bothered as long as it works ... and he's got "Dad's bike".

Also, I've a Specialized (or 2) already and would like something 'different'. So, my thoughts at the moment are:

MTB route:

Whyte 805 '14 - 650b wheel size

Cross route:

Giant Revolt 1 '14 - which I think looks revolting

Focus Mares AX Disc 5.0 '14

Marin Lombard '14

I'm aware others will be available shortly - and I'm open to suggestions ...

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

Personally I'd go for something radically different from what I had already, just to open up new possibilities. So go for the mountain bike and then look for some offroad trails to get the best out of it.

Mind you, I'd perhaps look at a 29er

 

[steve52]

i would and did go cx,on anything but extream stuff i stay with and pass the mtb,s and the roads to and from are easy

 

[Hacienda71]

MTB. Unless you intend riding mega distances on trails where the CX bike will be superior, the MTB will let you hit some really tough terrain. I know CX bikes are tough but I wouldn't want to ride one around the Marin Trail or Penmachno.

Of course as a C2W bike you will be riding it to work mostly though

 

[HLaB]

I would prefer a cross bike but its you choice DC.

 

[Nick Stone]

Go for the Whyte, looks great, bit of a change and take the trails on it. Not sure about 29inch MTB wheels still, 26 for me and don't think I want to change at the moment, there just something IMO that doesn't feel right with a wagon wheel

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

Am I right in thinking that a 29" wheel is the same size as a 700?

 

[procel]

Am I right in thinking that a 29" wheel is the same size as a 700?

Yes, both equal a BSD (bead seat diameter) of 622mm. 29in is used more often when talking about MTB wheels, 700c with road bikes.

The Whyte in the OP has 650b though, also known as a 27.5in or BSD of 584. (Std 26in have BSD of 559mm). Sounds an appealing size to me: always think Mtbs with the standard size look like kids' bikes, and Mtbs with 29ers look... wrong.

 

[Nick Stone]

The middle wheels look good, I prefer my 26 though and biggies on the road.

Still go with the mountain bike what ever wheel

 

[lesley_x]

Depends on what you want to use it for. I'm a total convert to cyclocross but wouldn't want to take it on anything too technical, really just for trails and cycle paths etc. I appreciate the versatility of it for where I'm living at the moment, lots of canals paths but then I want to use the road on the same ride, so it fits for my needs.

Consider what type of riding you're going to be doing and if it doesn't involve mountain biking, get a cyclocross. Just an opinion though

 

[SquareDaff]

Another +1 for the CX bike....I went that route about a year ago and absolutely love it. Almost as quick as my road bike on the daily commute but will let me ride through muddy fields/dirt tracks when I need to!

 

[Venod]

Get the CX and have some fun on the way to work.

http://www.mapmyride.com/gb/batley-eng/off-road-leeds-commute-route-25980998

 

[DCLane]

Thanks for the suggestions; I've got the date for a new C2W to start and will get things organised in the next week or so. My preference is the Whyte but I'll have a chat with them and see about test rides.

@Afnug - the route there is the 'quiet' option on the Leeds Cycling Map; I've done it on the Secteur but it can be a bit lumpy.

 

[DCLane]

@Mort - I've got a commuter; the Raleigh Airlite 100 does a great role as this since it's got an upgraded carbon fork and guards.

Instead I'm looking for something different from the road bikes I've got.

 

[DCLane]

An update: I phoned Edinburgh today and they will be getting in the Whyte 805 for me to have a look at.

However, Cannondale's just released a £999 CAADX Disc 6 Tiagra in their 2014 range;

Also, there's a new Giant TCX2 for £999 as well;

So I'm testing the Whyte plus a 'cross bike before making a decision.