What bike?

[QuickDraw]

Help me please.

My current commuter is starting to show it's age. It needs a few things done which would total £100 and I'm wondering whether I should just get a new bike rather than keep throwing money at the old one.

I'm looking for something which will do everything. It needs to be able to deal with winter commuting in Glasgow and canal towpaths at the weekends with the kids but also be fast enough to make it suitable for training for triathlons on.

At the moment these 2 are in the frame:

Focus Aventura

Revolution Country Traveller

Does anyone own either of these and could make a recommendation?

Can anyone recommend something else that I might have missed, prefreably cheaper than the ones above.



Thanks for your help.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

£599.00

for £50 more you could get a new daws galaxy

 

[QuickDraw]

for £50 more you could get a new daws galaxy

Where? I saw that on Evans reduced from £800 to £700. What would my extra £50 get me to make up for losing the Tiagra shifters and disc brakes?

 

[domtyler]

Focus Aventura - Horrible

Revolution Country Traveller - Nice

 

[Tim Bennet.]

I think your 'requirements' are a little wide to be easily met by just one bike.

Does the £100 needed by your current bike include labour, or is that just parts? If it's for someone else to fettle, then learning how to do it yourself will bring the cost of this down and on each subsequent occasion in the future!

Also remember that a new bike is only new until you wheel it out of the shop. Then the bits are going to start wearing out, especially commuting in a Glasgow winter! It's not as if bikes at your prospective price point are going to have a plethora of top end, highly durable bit on them. In a few months, how different is the new bike going to be from your old? Everything needs maintenance.

My thoughts would be to sort out the current bike and slowly evolve it into a dedicated commuter / towpath bike and then look for something to supplement it that will do for the training. Something like the Ribble Winter Training bike might be worth considering as it is versatile enough for year round use, including longer distance commuting. Then, with the guards off will be a perfectly capable triathlon bike.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

Where?

I bought mine new from Les's cycles in Canvey Island Essex for £650.

It has bar ends which work very well, it works well as a load carrier or without the touring loads. I have ridden it on and off road, on beaches and on forest tracks with a full load and all was well.

Not saying it's better ..just it's another option.

 

[betty swollocks]

I'd definitely go for the latter.
Because: a) it had rigid forks - you don't need sus and the disc brakes.

 

[QuickDraw]

I bought mine new from Les's cycles in Canvey Island Essex for £650.

It has bar ends which work very well, it works well as a load carrier or without the touring loads. I have ridden it on and off road, on beaches and on forest tracks with a full load and all was well.

Not saying it's better ..just it's another option.

Thanks. A personal recommendation always helps and it obvisouly has a reputation behind it but I think might be pushing it a bit at £600 so £650 might be a step too far but I'll definitely get down to Evans and see what I think of it up close.

 

[QuickDraw]

I think your 'requirements' are a little wide to be easily met by just one bike.

Does the £100 needed by your current bike include labour, or is that just parts? If it's for someone else to fettle, then learning how to do it yourself will bring the cost of this down and on each subsequent occasion in the future!

Also remember that a new bike is only new until you wheel it out of the shop. Then the bits are going to start wearing out, especially commuting in a Glasgow winter! It's not as if bikes at your prospective price point are going to have a plethora of top end, highly durable bit on them. In a few months, how different is the new bike going to be from your old? Everything needs maintenance.

My thoughts would be to sort out the current bike and slowly evolve it into a dedicated commuter / towpath bike and then look for something to supplement it that will do for the training. Something like the Ribble Winter Training bike might be worth considering as it is versatile enough for year round use, including longer distance commuting. Then, with the guards off will be a perfectly capable triathlon bike.

Thanks for this. Unfortunately the £100 is only the parts but it does include an upgrade to a front disc brake. I spent £120 on a new drivetrain last year, £100 on assorted bits this year so I'm just worried that I'd be pouring good money after bad. It's probably more just the lure of buying a new bike than actually needing one but it's very hard to resist once the thought has entered your head. I am still fighting it though.

 

[QuickDraw]

I'd definitely go for the latter.
Because: a) it had rigid forks - you don't need sus and the disc brakes.

Me too, that's definitely the favourite at the moment but £100 of a price difference counts for a lot with the she who controls the purse strings.