Should I get a mtb

[Leemi1982]

Hi I currently have couple of bikes a road bike, and a hybrid bike, I like cycling down backroads in the countryside usually hitting pot holes and floods, but do cycle a distance. My road bike doesn’t do so well on backroads and my hybrid is ok just has no suspension, so just worried if I got a mtb it might be to heavy for longer rides

 

[Hacienda71]

Depends what type of MTB you look at and how far you intend to ride. A downhill MTB would be completely impractical for a bit of light off roading, but an xc hardtail would be appropriate. You could also look at gravel bikes.

 

[Leemi1982]

Depends what type of MTB you look at and how far you intend to ride. A downhill MTB would be completely impractical for a bit of light off roading, but an xc hardtail would be appropriate. You could also look at gravel bikes.

Yeah was thinking hardtail

 

[Aristotle Kristatos]

Get a full suspension cross country bike.
A hard tail is a compromise these days and you have other options.
I'll bet that it becomes your only used bike Very quickly.😁

 

[Kingfisher101]

I'd get a hardtail, perfect for todays roads where there are constant potholes. I prefer riding on my hardtail, its safer.

 

[Aristotle Kristatos]

I'd get a hardtail, perfect for todays roads where there are constant potholes. I prefer riding on my hardtail, its safer.

They have a hybrid and a road bike .
No point getting a hardtail.

 

[Kingfisher101]

That's a matter of opinion. The tyres are wider on a hardtail and they have front suspension.

 

[Reynard]

You don't say what kind of hybrid you have - some are designed for fast riding on roads, while others are geared more towards multi-purpose cycling, where their geometry is much closer to the old steel MTBs of twenty or thirty years ago. If your hybrid is essentially a flat bar road bike, then yes, maybe you probably do need an alternative, but if it's of the multipurpose type, then really, it should be more than capable to deal with the kind of terrain you mention.

The cheapest (and easiest) solution would be to stick some wider tyres on your hybrid if the rims (and forks) will take them - something like Schwalbe Land Cruisers, that are slick in the middle and a little knobbly at the edges. Those will give you good rolling on tarmac, grip off road, and the extra internal volume in the wider tyre will provide you with a bit of "boing" for the rougher stuff.

TBH, you really don't need any suspension other than that provided by the right tyres for countryside riding. I ride a lot of farm trails and gravel tracks out here in the fens, so plenty of ruts, pot holes, mud etc, though admittedly the roads aren't actually that much better! Anyways, for that, my bike-of-choice is a late 1990s steel Raleigh MTB, no suspension at all and with a short wheelbase, but fitted with modern components and the sort of tyres I've just mentioned. I did think about a hardtail, but really, it's just extra weight to drag around unnecessarily.

I do also have a hybrid btw, but that's set up for commuting / utility / bicycle away days.

Unless you're riding really gnarly stuff on a very regular basis, I'd keep your money in your pocket.

 

[ColinJ]

my hybrid is ok just has no suspension

What size tyres does it have and what are the biggest ones that could be fitted? BIG tyres make a lot of difference.

 

[vickster]

Looking at past posts, a Trek FX2. Perhaps takes up to a 35/38mm tyre assuming it’s a disc brake model? So not super fat but should be fine for roughish surfaces if so. I’d maybe add a knobbly gravel type tyre if it’s on slicks.
Or N+1 just get a hard tail…depends on budget/space to store etc

 

[Jody]

Get a full suspension cross country bike.
A hard tail is a compromise these days and you have other options.
I'll bet that it becomes your only used bike Very quickly.😁

My XC FS is the go to bike. Hardtail is OK for gravel tracks but I prefer the comfort for the little extra effort it takes