vickster
Legendary Member
Sounds like a plan 👍 presumably you can still use the existing bike on really bad days
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If you want a mountain bike for under a grand but you're not doing ant extreme riding, I would personally buy a 27.5 wheel hard tail.
Something like this
https://www.leisurewheels.co.uk/m1b0s2p23219/BMC-Blast-27-2021
Cycleops
Legendary Member
- Location
- Accra, Ghana
An MTB is going to feel like a bit of a donkey compared to CX or gravel bike.
They're brilliant, you can't beat a proper MTB. I wouldn't have one as my only bike, but for a bit of fun in the muddy stuff, they're great!
Mine is 13 years old now, but still love it!
Hacienda71
Mancunian in self imposed exile in leafy Cheshire
- Location
- Wilmslow, Cheshire
Planet X have quite a few well speccd 29er hardtail options at the moment. Best of both worlds, big wheels roll well and are pretty quick, but can tackle proper rough stuff if you ever go a bit more off road. Choose appropriate tyres for your commute conditions and you are good to go.
SkipdiverJohn
Deplorable Brexiteer
- Location
- London
26" rigid, forget about poncey suspension. Steel frame. 18 gears. Schwalbe Land Cruiser tyres. Job done.
OP
OP
Lovacott
Über Member
I used to commute in London on an old Raleigh racer which got bent in a crash with a bread van. My commute was 17 miles and I used to do it in about an hour.
I switched to a hard tail mountain bike and my commute stretched out to an hour and twenty minutes.
I'd love to do my current commute on a road bike, but the second half of the route is quite feral with about a two miles of it peppered with potholes and grass growing through the tarmac. To avoid the shortcut, I'd have to add seven miles each way and ride a fair distance on a fast A road.
The route is very hilly with some steep climbs (Devon) so I need a decent range of gears.
Basically, I am looking for something sturdy enough to do the route but with quality build so that I am not having to replace parts every five minutes. My employer is signed up to a cycle to work scheme so I can buy anything up to £1000 worth of bike and accessories.
I'm not lazy with maintenance. I go over the current bike once a week and I clean and oil the drivetrain every Saturday morning. If I hear an odd noise, I fix it.
vickster
Legendary Member
Go to a few local bike shops (That take your employers C2W scheme, which is it?) and see what’s available (right now much less than in normal times). Presumably you'd want a compact double or triple rather than a single chainring But you’d need to confirm the ratios.
Why are you changing parts on the Apollo every 5 minutes? What’s breaking /wearing out?
Why are you changing parts on the Apollo every 5 minutes? What’s breaking /wearing out?
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
A 32/10 top gear driving 650b tyres might be too low for a (muddy) road commute.
I would look for something with a mountain triple up front - the OP appears capable of keeping such gears maintained.
Happily, that might mean a cheaper bike in a given range.
A 29er will tend to roll faster on road than 650b.
Kingfisher101
Veteran
I think hardtail MTBs are good for the winter especially when the roads get really icy and muddy towards the sides. The tyres are generally wider than a road bike or hybrid so theres more contact with the road.
I'd check out Planet X and Halfords, Planet X usually has a big sale on Xmas Day so I'd wait out for that.
I'd check out Planet X and Halfords, Planet X usually has a big sale on Xmas Day so I'd wait out for that.
OP
OP
Lovacott
Über Member
The Apollo began to give up with less than 500 miles under its belt.
Cheap drivetrain, shoddy bearings, rubbish cables. It was only £120 new five or six years ago so you will know what that equates to.
It's pretty reliable now that I've upgraded everything and it's runs fairly smoothly, but as with everything, components are expensive when you buy them individually rather than as part of a package (a whole bike).
My other option is to go for a £1000 road bike for weekend use and get a £350 Carrera hard tail mountain bike from Halfords for the commute.
vickster
Legendary Member
Why will a cheap £350 Carrera be better than what you have? It’ll still have cheap components
OP
OP
Lovacott
Über Member
Looking at the specs on the Halfords site, it would be a marginal improvement on what I have. I haven't exactly gone all out on expensive parts for my Apollo. I've just moved up a notch by installing (say) the third cheapest parts instead of the very cheapest that were on the bike when I bought it.
I'm now thinking maybe a Boardman MTX 8.8 Hybrid would be a good option for both commuting and weekend use?
The problem I have is that I've only owned two types of bike in my life. Raleigh racers and budget brand hard tail mountain bikes.
I've never ridden a road bike or a hybrid so I have no idea how they would feel or perform. I'm going in a bit blind.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
The Hybrids would be fine for the intended purpose, a MTB is overkill. As have said, with the muddly lanes, a hybrid with a bit of grp will be fine as will a cross/gravel bike. I have a Boardman MTB and it was oustanding value for money.
You could look at the HYB 8.6 8.8 Boardmans for ditching the suspension.
You could look at the HYB 8.6 8.8 Boardmans for ditching the suspension.
