What type of bike

[In4Pain]

Hi there, I need some advice on bike selection. I am a relative new comer to cycling and apart from a 6 mile round trip commute to work I have never done any long distance cycling. My current bike is a Trek 7200 with front shocks. My quandry is this - i have signed up to do a 112 mile cycle. I started training over the last few weeks and did a 50 mile trip on Sunday (any by the way my arse is no longer on speaking terms with me!) I went into my local bike shop today to get the bike serviced and when i told the guys there what i was doing they basicially collapsed laughing and said I was crazy to be attempting it on my bike. They were saying that shocks are a disaster, my bike has a riding position like someting desigened by Orange County Choppers (apparently this is not good) and basicially for what I am attempting I might as well be on a Penny Farthing. They then proceeded to show me more expensive bikes Trek 9.5 and another brand that is like the Trek but with drop down handle bars and a granny gear for mountains??
Basicially my question is this- do i need to upgrade? I only bought my current bike last year and I only want to have one bike that I can cycle to work and do this long cycle in July...
Thanks in advance for advice.

 

[RedBike]

Do i need to upgrade?- 112 miles on the trek is possible but I'm afraid a good drop bar 'road bike' would make it conciderably easier.

Suspension forks not only add extra weight they also rob your power, so i'm afraid they are right, you wouldl be better off without them. - Although I think their comments are a little harsh.

I would look at hiring/borrowing a bike for a week or two.

btw your bum will get used to it- honestly. In the mean time padded shorts are a god send!

 

[Bob_betty]

LOL! I went into a bike shop last friday and suggested doing the same thing only doing 86 miles on the Oxford to Cambridge route.
and was told exactly the what you where.
They ended up selling me this
http://www.awcycles.co.uk/category/Bikes/Straight_Handlebar_Bikes_77/Flight_T3,_Hybrid~Fitness_Bike,_2008/13015/index.aspx
And recommending I keep my current mountain bike for training and off road use.

Or if you dont want to buy a new bike, why not look at some road style tryes?

 

[wlc1]

There is no way you need to spend 2.5k for one ride of 122 miles.

You can spend a quarter fo that for a decent bike that will do the job.

You could get a Focus Summit, A specy allez elite, trek 1.5 tripple etc - there are loads in that range, loads or for double that you could go for PEARSON NUOVO PRO CARBON ROAD BIKE 2008 - that'd be my choice.

Shop about - get into Pearsons and ask the lads what to go for and they won't sell you an expensive bike just to make some money.

 

[Nick1979]

In4Pain, I am in a similar position: I now wish I haven't bought this Trek 7200 as well, the front susp is a real pain when you ride on roads.

I stuck 28mm road tires on it and it's a bit better, I was thinking of swapping the fork for a rigid (carbon?) one, do you guys think it's worth it?

Ideally I'd get a proper road bike in addition like everyone else on this forum :-) But there is no way I can store 2 bikes in my tiny London flat!

 

[HJ]

Swapping the Suspension fork for a rigid fork would be a good idea if you are intending to ride on the road for prolonged periods (or at least getting a suspension fork which you can lock). If a carbon fork is within your budget, then yes it probably is a good idea.

As for a hybrid type bike not being suitable for long rides, try telling that to Mark Beaumont, but then what would he know about it? He only cycled round the world in 195 days, a mere 18000 miles. Ok it wasn’t a Trek but it wasn’t a drop barred road bike either.

 

[Maz]

Basicially my question is this- do i need to upgrade? I only bought my current bike last year and I only want to have one bike that I can cycle to work and do this long cycle in July...

Unless you were planning on changing your Trek in any case, I wouldn't buy another bike, just because you've got this 100mile ride coming up...I would try my best to borrow a road bike (or maybe a sporty hybrid) off someone, to make the ride much more manageable.

 

[Andy in Sig]

Unless you want to do very specific off roading or go very fast i.e. racing, get yourself a steel framed touring bike. They are the best allrounders there are: fast enough for all but seriously sporty types and rugged enough to go along woodland tracks etc.

Take a look at e.g. the Thorn Raven.

 

[frog]

Though I love my Raven to bits there must be a much cheaper solution to the problem. This hits the bank balance to the tune of £1300 or thereabouts. You can get two very good steel tourers for that. Dawes Galaxy, same as Plax recently bought, always gets a good mention. I'd start there.

The reason I went for the Raven is because I spent two years, and 11,000 miles, on a Saracen Panorama. I reached the point where I was contemplating putting £300 worth of upgrades and replacements on a £400 bike which is bloody stupid.

 

[domtyler]

Have you thought about getting a fixie?

 

[swee'pea99]

A 'completed listings' search suggests you'd get something over £120 for your Trek on ebay. Take that and buy this or something like it, spending the change on SPD pedals and shoes, and a track pump to take your tyre pressure north of the ton. You'll be amazed how much more enjoyable your riding will be, and those 122 miles will just fly by.