What Bike for Nighrider?

[Kevin Airey]

Hi, new to the forum so be kind to me as I explain the situation as I know this question may have been asked many times before but not necessarily the same situation.

I live in Spain, been here for nearly 15 years and rode bikes seriously in TTs up and down the A1 over 25 years ago. Work see's me sat on my backside and last month I decided enough is enough and I got back on a bike again. Hard work to start with but I am out 5 days a week doing up to 30KMs a time and getting some fitness back.

As a goal and to raise money for a charity close to our hearts (BLISS) I have entered the Nightrider event in London next June and my dilemma is this.....

What bike to use? Here I have a reasonable specification Berg 26" MTB as 90% of our riding is gravel track and mountain paths, but I need to get some leg miles in on the road/tarmac to be ready for London roads, don't really want to as we live on the deadly N340 coast road in Marbella but I will find a way!

I am considering purchasing another bike but what should I get, you read so may different opinions on the web you don't know what to do, so I thought it may be worth starting I thread that puts my situation across....

Top of my thoughts at the moment would be a 29er but kitted out with a good road tyre, hybrids seem to be average at everything and good at nothing :-) The main criteria is that it has to be a bike that is useable after the event, so back to tracks and trails (nothing major). A road bike, head down/arse up is definitely not what I want, however I don't want to plod round the 100KM route I will hopefully be fit enough to give it a serious attempt although it is not a race, which I will respect. Hopefully I will enter more charity type events (not races) in the future.

Your thoughts? Feel free to ask me any other questions if it helps, the bike world has moved on a lot since I was last around!

Thanks

KEVIN

 

[HovR]

Cyclocross bike? It'll fit in perfectly on gravel roads and light trails, but will also give you a bit of a speed advantage over a MTB when you get on the roads for the event, and will keep up with the road bikes when fitted with road tires - A few people in my club use them as a winter bike and they do fine!

 

[Kevin Airey]

Not even thought of that but do they come with flat bars, at the moment (might change) I feel at home and comfortable on my MTB geometry and riding position. Not sure a Cyclocross would cope with our tracks and trails, I think ours might be harder on a bike than yours, due to the long hot Summers and lack of rain they are hard packed, sharp stone/slate type tracks. Not a particularly rough ride, but hard on tyres....

KEVIN

 

[HovR]

I haven't seen one come with flat bars, no. You could do the conversion yourself, but it would fairly easily add £100 to the price like this as you'll need new bars, new brake levers and shifters, grips, and most likely a new front derailleur.

The other option is you could get cross-top bar levers which would allow you to be able to brake from the tops of the bars, but you wouldn't have as much control from this hand position when cornering.

I think you'd be suprised at what a cross bike can cope with. Stick on a quality pair of wide knobbly tires (generally 35 to 42c width) and you'll be able to do some quite technical/rough routes, albeit slower than on a mountain bike with suspension. Maybe some other cross owners can give some relevant info/accounts here.


If you aren't convinced and are still looking at 29'ers, get one with no suspension. It will be lighter and more efficient on the roads.

 

[Kevin Airey]

Tx HovR, the only difficulty I will have is not finding this type of bike in the few stores we have here, buying online has been great for parts and accessories my only worry is I order one from a UK supplier it turns up and its uncomfortable, wrong geometry etc. Local retailers are scarce here and with the crisis few shops stock very much at all, but that's my problem :-)

I take your point about weight on a hardtail 29er, but me at over 90Kg the extra weight of a suspension fork is negligible, I'm the heavyweight and not any bike :-)

If long term, more charity bike rides are on the cards then a proper comfortable road bike is probably the best option, its just that it won't get much use riding round here....

...not going to be an easy decision, what are London roads like? :-)

KEVIN

 

[HovR]

It's not just about weight, but the fact that suspension forks soak up energy you output that could otherwise be transformed into forward momentum, so it makes the ride harder and more inefficient. A rigid 29'er would still be more than usable off-road, or you could buy it rigid and put sus forks on it back home after the event if you're not happy.

I've only cycled on London's roads once in the past few months, so I'm not the person to ask - But many people on here cycle in London on 23mm tires so they can't be too bad!

I'm obviously not completely aware of your situation, but would you be able train on your current bike, and head over to London a few days early to buy your new bike and still have time for a few test rides to get it all set up to suit? Not ideal, but it may work.

 

[mcshroom]

Isn't a CX with flat bars a sort of hybrid bike?

If you are sure you want flat bars, have a look at the lighter end of the hybrid spectrum, something like the Giant Rapid or the Specialized Sirrus

 

[dellzeqq]

any bike you like. Take your time and the event is do-able on anything from a Brompton to a road bike.

 

[Kevin Airey]

Tx for the replies, yes I know it can be completed on anything and as it is a charity/fun event there will be all kinds of bikes, but I am trying to use it as a goal to reach a decent level of fitness and complete it within a reasonable time with the right equipment.

Looks like for me it will be a very personal and maybe difficult decision, the right tool for the job will probably be something that doesn't get used very much at home, not what I really wanted.

I will be in a group of riders on race bikes and MTBs so if the fast guys want to speed off they can, maybe I just carry on with my 26" MTB for now and worry about it later. I know the negatives of using the MTB and they worry me that it could make life hard for me or is it not really that big a worry if you a fit enough?

Is there actually any point in looking at a 29er MTB would it give any advantage at all over a 26" with a set of Schwalbe Cit Jets on? I ask this also from the point of view that I may be able to borrow one for the event that would save a few pennies :-)

Tx KEVIN

 

[Kevin Airey]

Well I went out for a ride this morning on the MTB and had a serious think about this whole situation, the MTB geometry for me is not going to comfortable for a 5 hour ride, love it on the tracks and trails but 100Km of road I don't think so and I think a 29er would be pretty much the same....

mschroom mentioned above about the Giant Rapid and I looked into this a bit more, it is a hybrid but with a strong road bias, also Google threw up the Boardman Hybrid Comp as an option, so I think I will seriously take a look at this type of bike. At the end of the day I will have to get out and do some road training so it will get used....

Any advise on these types of bikes, preferences, experiences etc? The Giant seems to get good reviews, whilst the Boardman seems to be a love, hate thing. Jeez I wish we had decent LBS's here, but I guess its a small price to pay for cycling in the sun almost year round :-)

KEVIN

 

[Kevin Airey]

Done more thinking on this subject, and done it while out on the MTB on the road having run out of gears!. Think I have come to the conclusion now that a very much more road orientated bike will be better for not just training, but the event itself. It means I have to do some miles on the "Road of Death" but I can keep it to a minimum and find other routes.

Like the idea of keeping flat bars, with ends as I am not racing just getting fit, and the Giant Rapid seems to be a well received bike but hard to get in Spain....

KEVIN

 

[uphillstruggler]

Done more thinking on this subject, and done it while out on the MTB on the road having run out of gears!. Think I have come to the conclusion now that a very much more road orientated bike will be better for not just training, but the event itself. It means I have to do some miles on the "Road of Death" but I can keep it to a minimum and find other routes.

Like the idea of keeping flat bars, with ends as I am not racing just getting fit, and the Giant Rapid seems to be a well received bike but hard to get in Spain....

KEVIN

Hello Kevin

i may have a rapid for sale, i have put drops on but can easily change them back to the flats.

mine is a M/L frame, i am 5'10 and it fits well. it is a couple of years old.

in all honesty, i find it a great bike, probably suit your needs to a T.

there are images in my photo albums for a better idea.

pm me if you would like further details

 

[Kevin Airey]

That would be a good idea if I didn't live in Spain!

Also found 2011 and 2012 models on Paul's Cycles, but they also don't deliver to Spain! A lot of the high profile names like Wiggle, Chain Reaction, Evans that all ship abroad for free and still have competitive prices don't seem to stock this model.....

KEVIN

 

[uphillstruggler]

shipping would likely cost £50 ish with a carrier we use at work

best of luck whatever you decide.

 

[Cyclist33]

I haven't seen one come with flat bars, no. You could do the conversion yourself, but it would fairly easily add £100 to the price like this as you'll need new bars, new brake levers and shifters, grips, and most likely a new front derailleur.

The other option is you could get cross-top bar levers which would allow you to be able to brake from the tops of the bars, but you wouldn't have as much control from this hand position when cornering.

I think you'd be suprised at what a cross bike can cope with. Stick on a quality pair of wide knobbly tires (generally 35 to 42c width) and you'll be able to do some quite technical/rough routes, albeit slower than on a mountain bike with suspension. Maybe some other cross owners can give some relevant info/accounts here.


If you aren't convinced and are still looking at 29'ers, get one with no suspension. It will be lighter and more efficient on the roads.

Another option which is not dissimilar to cyclocross is to get a fast hybrid (don't knock it till you've tried it!) eg a Specialized Sirrus or Giant Escape or Boardman Hybrid near the top of the range and put cyclocross tyres on it. Just as quick and capable as a cyclocross bike but with flat bars, essentially.

Stu