The right bike for me?

[AckaDappa]

Hi there..

I have just purchased a Giant Toughroad SLR2 and am now wondering if it will do everything I need it to..

I didn't want an all out road bike as I will be going on some gravel tracks while out riding with the missus who us in a mountain bike.

But I also didn't want a mountain bike as I will be riding out on my own on roads a lot.

The bike looked liked the best of both worlds and I'm just wondering if people agree?
I'm a complete novice when it comes to cycling so looking for some reassurance lol.

Thanks.
Dan.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Nice bike. Riding it is the only way to find out if it's what you want in a bike, but it should be fun enough.... until you itch for a road bike. And then a full sus MTB. And then....

No bike is the best of both worlds by the way, something in between is always going to be a compromise. This bike is way more an MTB than it is anything else though, it'll do trails nicely but it'll likely be a pig on the road.

 

[growingvegetables]

Wot 'e said ^^^

And aye - it's at the MTB end of the spectrum. Think about changing the tyres maybe? Something less chunky?

 

[Saluki]

That looks a nice bike. I prefer a CX bike myself for trails and whatnot but then I'm not riding up and down hilly off road bits and bobs.

 

[Racing roadkill]

You have a very nice bike there. It's a flat bar Hybrid, which is really designed for semi rough stuff riding primarily, with the ability to be ridden comfortably on the roads in between the rough stuff. A lot of manufacturers now produce what are commonly referred to as "gravel bikes" These bikes are primarily Road focused, and are designed to take wider tyres, to cope with semi rough conditions as required. Until recently this type of bike was catered for with cyclocross ( CX ) bikes, the key differences in CX and gravel bikes are in the fact that true CX bikes are generally built with much more sport specific geometries ( how various bits of the frame / bits relate to each other in terms of size and shape) and the types of drive train they use. Gravel bikes are less sports specific generally speaking, and are a nice option if your riding is biased towards the road.

 

[AckaDappa]

Thanks for the replies.

Yes one as thinking about maybe having two sets or tyres, one for road journeys and one for going out with the other half which will involve grass, gravel and beaten paths etc...

Would this bike be suitable for the London to Brighton ride with suitable tyres fitted?
Or is it probably a no go on this?

Cheers again.

 

[Spiderweb]

It looks a fine do it all machine, jack of all trades master of non. It will be fine London to Brighton with some slick tyres.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Thanks for the replies.

Yes one as thinking about maybe having two sets or tyres, one for road journeys and one for going out with the other half which will involve grass, gravel and beaten paths etc...

Would this bike be suitable for the London to Brighton ride with suitable tyres fitted?
Or is it probably a no go on this?

Cheers again.

It'll be fine for the L2B with some non knobbly tyres on it.

 

[AckaDappa]

Ok thanks. Just need to get fit now

 

[jefmcg]

Would this bike be suitable for the London to Brighton ride with suitable tyres fitted?

Yes,

but you can get to Brighton on just about any bike. Here is me at the end of my first London-Brighton (solo ride, not BHF or whatever)

 

[I like Skol]

Just to give you some extra reassurance about your bike choice (great looking bike BTW ). I have a hybrid, an MTB, a road bike and a recently purchased all-road bike. The hybrid is my default go-to choice for 90% of my cycling due to it's fantastic suitability in almost any situation. It is great on countryside bimbles with the family, forum rides of any distance (plenty of 100 milers and I did 185 miles in a single day last summer!), commutes, shopping and almost anything except hardcore MTB stuff.
There does seem to be a general lack of love for the humble hybrid but in my opinion not every one likes a dropbar bike or wants something ruthlessly racy so a good, rigid hybrid can be just the thing and I certainly don't seem to be held back by mine either in terms of speed or distance.

 

[AckaDappa]

Glad the general consensus is that I have purchased a good bike.
Thanks for the replies everyone.

 

[Slick]

Still think you should buy a road bike as well though, just to be sure.

 

[AckaDappa]

Still think you should buy a road bike as well though, just to be sure.

If only I could afford to.....

 

[Slick]

If only I could afford to.....

Yeah, fair enough. As soon as you get a bit of extra cash then.