Which one

[Martman]

Can any one help us decide?
We have been searching for some weeks now and have narrowed it down to two bikes, the Claud Buttler Legend or the Ridgeback Rapide Meteor one closed and one open frame. The only difference that we can see is that the CB has front suspension with lockout and the Ridge is fixed, they both have 24 Shimano gears but the CB is 11 - 30 and the Ridge is 11 - 32. The weight of the Published weight of the Ridge is 30.1 lbs, unable to find the weight for the CB.

There are other bikes out there that we could have added bits to ie rack and mudguards but you never seem to get matching colours and they never seem to fit as well.

We will be using them on both road and cycle track ie route 61

Thanks for any advise

MartMan

 

[Kelvin_C-J]

That is certainly a very difficult decision to make!

Without knowing the prices of the bikes, it is a bit harder to make any sort of argument for or against - but, generally speaking and from a little bit of internet and shop research, I will say this:

Generally - not having the weight listed is a very bad sign - as it either means - they did not want it listed (i.e very heavy or built for quantity not quality), or that they could not be bothered to weigh and list it, or that they simply forgot to add that information. Either way, it seems likely that it may be somewhat heavier, especially as it has suspension. To me, personally, weight is perhaps the biggest factor in my decision - a frame is generally the most expensive part of the bike (budget bike!) to replace - so I would advise getting the lightest frame for the money.

As they are both 'hybrid' bikes - they should both easily fulfil the riding purposes for which you seek them, personally, I would actually say I prefer the look of the Claud Butler versus the Ridgeback - but that is just my opinion and do not base your decision on my flawed personal opinion!

I suppose the simple question to ask yourself - if you are set on obtaining one of these two bikes is:
Does suspension, perceived extra weight and a lower 11-30 number set make the difference between known weight, no suspension and 11-32 number set?

Without prices - it is difficult to advise further - but from a quick search it seems CB is around £350 and RR around £340 - so pretty close prices realy - unless where-ever you are planning to purchase from there is a big difference?

 

[Martman]

Kelvin
Thanks for your reply

As you say the price difference is not an issue but its still a lot of money to spend on two bikes.
Another difference the Ridge has a Alloy Suspension seat post.
What is the weight difference between the fixed forks and suspension forks?
Is it worth carrying the extra weight around so that its there when you need it?
What is the difference/advantage between the CB is 11 - 30 and the Ridge is 11 - 32 8 speed gears will we notice the extra 2 teeth?
By the time we have added kick stands and luggage is the wait an issue?

MartMan

 

[Kelvin_C-J]

MartMan,

Thus far - in my experience (3 bikes) - a suspension seat post does give a nicer ride. Presently on my Triban 3 (fixed seat post), the bumps et al do hurt so much more - but, if you get a decent enough seat - that would cancel some of that 'suspension' difference, by absorbing the vibrations in the seat material. If you think you will be riding around on some bumpy roads / paths - then it is something to think about. Having no suspension is bearable - though sometimes painful - but you do again save some weight.

Speaking of weight - if you start lighter, you end up lighter. For example, if you add 10kg of weight to the bike, obviously, if your bike is 10kg then you end up with 20kg total - but if your bike is 15kg, and you add the same weight you end up a further 5kg heavier than the lighter bike. You will notice this, especially on hills!

Regarding your question about 'will you notice this' you will indeed, in these situations:
acceleration and deceleration and perhaps to an extent - your top attainable speed.

Whether you want to be able to get moving quicker or cycle faster, depends upon the total weight.

Regarding the forks - personally I would argue that (unless carbon based) suspension forks may actually be lighter - but the addition of suspension is reputed to make the overall bike heavier - hence why road bikes do not have any (and for the obvious reason of not being intended for off-road use!). Road bikes are akin to your Formula 1 cars - stripped down to the basics to save weight and get a top speed.

Suspension is really a personal preference: if you can live without it, you will perhaps be better off. If you would prefer it, then perhaps you are not so interested in going at 20mph, but would rather be able to take leisurely rides through parks / trails where you may be off the beaten track so to speak and riding through bumps etc.

Personally, I think you would notice the extra 2 teeth difference. In effect, this is making each pedal rotation longer - which simply means that: you can get a higher speed per pedal rotation but, on the other hand, hill climbing will be more effort per rotation.

I would advise you, however, to check the kind of bike you are interested in before buying. If you have a bike shop locally - ask if you can try fixed / suspension hybrid bikes and see which you prefer.

Just a word of warning - when in Halfords recently I saw a nice 'town and trail' bike for £200 - bear in mind, this had a weight of 18kg! You would certainly notice the difference between 11kg and 18kg when cycling up a hill!

Also - not sure how to phrase this correctly - but if you have a larger mass, you will perhaps not notice the difference in bike weight as much as someone who is less massive. However, regardless of your mass - fighting gravity with a greater total weight is still a harder task than fighting gravity with a lighter weight.

 

[Martman]

Kelvin

We have spent hours in shops looking and trying out bikes.
The main reason for changing is that I find at 20 mph (acording to the computer) my heavy 3 speed dutch bike hasnt got any more to offer plust the frame is too big pre haps I should start again. Which is the higest end/which is faster, is it 11 or 32 teeth.?

MartMan

 

[Kelvin_C-J]

MartMan,

In general: more teeth means more chain moved per rotation (and more force applied to do so). This means that: a rotation takes longer, but offers a greater attainable speed.

It simply means less cycle rotations are required to attain the same speed. So, in effect, should offer a higher attainable speed when compared against a lessor teeth example.

You are effectively increasing the amount of chain griping to the teeth - which means that more power output is required per pedal rotation, leading to a longer pedal rotation time. But, having the benefit of enabling greater power output per rotation - meaning that for the same rotation you can attain the same speed rather than increasing your pedal rotation speed on a lessor example to attain that same speed. (From my understanding).

However, the actual 'noticeable' difference between 2 extra teeth I cannot say, having not tried the difference personally. I am just trying to apply what I believe to be the case.

 

[MrJamie]

I think the weight issue of suspension forks is often exagerated, even the cheapy ones are like 1.5kg and thats a replacement rather than a straight addition to the bikes weight. A lockout removes issues of inefficiency for road riding too, which i think are much more prone to supermarket without preload/lockouts bikes. IMHO its very much personal taste, I much prefer my suspension forks over fixed forks as a road/trail bike but others wouldnt.

Im not sure id use mudguards/rack pre-fitted as criterior for which bike to buy though, id guess it would unnecessarily limit you.