Dartmoorcf
Regular
Hi there
I've got a hybrid Marin bike (san rafael ds1) and I've been cycling round the hills of Dartmoor. The bike is pretty heavy at14.9kg but it does the job.
A friend has lent me a much lighter bike a Trek alpha 2.5) which has much thinner tyres 25mm rather than 40mm.
It is much faster on the straights and downhills and is a lovely bike. The pot holes and rubbish roads round here are not as forgiving ride-wise as the Marin due to the lack of suspension and thinner tyres.
On steep hills I find the hybrid is actually easier. It seems to have much lower gears meaning I can get up most of the really horrid hills whereas the Trek in its lowest gear is a struggle to keep moving.
Ideally I'd like a bike with wider tyres but retains the lightness of the Trek bike with the added feature of handling a few tracks and trails. I was looking at the Specialized Diverge E5 base which looks good. However would it have the same "higher" gearing as the Trek or does anyone know if the lowest gear is likely to be ok for steep climbs.
I asked in the bike shop and their answer was 'the road bike isn't as good on hills" but didn't really explain why. Maybe it is because the Marin has 3 cogs and 21 gears whereas the Trek only has 2 cogs of 9.
Thanks
I've got a hybrid Marin bike (san rafael ds1) and I've been cycling round the hills of Dartmoor. The bike is pretty heavy at14.9kg but it does the job.
A friend has lent me a much lighter bike a Trek alpha 2.5) which has much thinner tyres 25mm rather than 40mm.
It is much faster on the straights and downhills and is a lovely bike. The pot holes and rubbish roads round here are not as forgiving ride-wise as the Marin due to the lack of suspension and thinner tyres.
On steep hills I find the hybrid is actually easier. It seems to have much lower gears meaning I can get up most of the really horrid hills whereas the Trek in its lowest gear is a struggle to keep moving.
Ideally I'd like a bike with wider tyres but retains the lightness of the Trek bike with the added feature of handling a few tracks and trails. I was looking at the Specialized Diverge E5 base which looks good. However would it have the same "higher" gearing as the Trek or does anyone know if the lowest gear is likely to be ok for steep climbs.
I asked in the bike shop and their answer was 'the road bike isn't as good on hills" but didn't really explain why. Maybe it is because the Marin has 3 cogs and 21 gears whereas the Trek only has 2 cogs of 9.
Thanks