How do you choose?

[LabRatt]

When I was a kid bikes were easy. You had basically three choices - a "thing", usually with three sturmey hub gears, a mountain bike with as many gears as you could afford (the more the better) or a racer with a saddle like a razor blade. I know that's over simplifying things, but that's the way I remember it.

Nowadays you can decide as specific as you like, say "It's got to be a road bike with 18 gears, this kind of wheels, that kind of mech, and weigh less than so much" and still find you've hardly narrowed the selection at all. It looks like whatever I'm after there's a £100 option and a £5000 option.

Popped into my LBS yesterday, mainly to get a chain tool for sorting out the old mtb, but also to lay the ground for my upcoming search for a new, more appropriate bike. He took my budget (up to £1000, probably) and showed me two - one £899 the other £999. Once he got past talking about the carbon forks I was completely left behind though.

I feel bad opening up yet another "what bike should I get" thread, but this is one of those things that's very personal. Comes down to taste, style, budget, and use, and you can't really follow what suits someone else. So, here we go: What bike?

• My daily commute will be Anerley to Dulwich, about 4.5 miles each way if I take Anerley Hill (about 10% gradient) and Fountain Drive (not sure) - I'll start out on a longer trip with shallower hills, but it'll need to be reasonably light with gearing that'll help me cope. It won't just be a commuter though - I'll use it for leisure rides and, if I can get away with it, a bit of light off-road riding. Actual paths, but not necessary road smooth. I'm not planning to take a racer over a mountain or anything.
• I've always been on mtbs or what would probably nowadays be hybrids until now, and I like the more robust look. I'm sure modern racers are plenty tough, but a lot of them do look very fragile.
• I do like the modern drop bars and brake/shifter combination. Never used them, but I think they match my style.
• Being able to put a rack/panniers on it is a must.

Probably other requirements that'll come up too, but that's the basics. Looking at that and the online bike shops (I manage brief glances before I get too scared) makes me think I'm probably after a bit custom build but I'm completely clueless. My budget goes up to about a grand, but the £999 model I saw yesterday really looked far to, well, proper for me. And I worry that maintenance on that kind of bike is going to be really expensive.

Any thoughts?

 

[Norm]

Nowadays you can decide as specific as you like, say "It's got to be a road bike with 18 gears, this kind of wheels, that kind of mech, and weigh less than so much" and still find you've hardly narrowed the selection at all. It looks like whatever I'm after there's a £100 option and a £5000 option.

This is where most people seem to go wrong, they define what bike they want rather than what they want to use it for. I think it's why so many ride MTBs on the road, they have decided what bike they want without thinking what they want to do with it.

It's a mistake that I know you haven't made, as you go on to post your requirements.

IMO, the shortish commute, off-road, drop bars and rack / panniers combo shouts "cyclo-cross" to me. Something like the Specialized Tricross (I have to put that first, I've got one and love it), Genesis Croix de Fer, Giant TCX, Boardman CX, Kona Jake etc. would tick all of your boxes and many more.

With regards to the maintenance, a cx-style bike will (in general) run MTB gears which are more durable as well as going lower for the steep hills and have sturdier wheels than a road bike, and they have a more relaxing geometry than a dedicated road bike.

A good tourer will also do most everything as well as a cx-style bike but they do (generalising again) seem to be more expensive.

As another aside, I've also got a road bike and an MTB but the Tricross gets much more use than either.

 

[smokeysmoo]

IMO, the shortish commute, off-road, drop bars and rack / panniers combo shouts "cyclo-cross" to me. Something like the Specialized Tricross (I have to put that first, I've got one and love it), Genesis Croix de Fer, Giant TCX, Boardman CX, Kona Jake etc. would tick all of your boxes and many more.

or a Focus Mares. I've got the AX1.0 and I love it, and in terms of £ for £ value for money I don't think they can be beat. Check the Mares range out here; 2011 Focus Mares

 

[LabRatt]

OK, just pulled up the Specialized (seen that mentioned quite a lot here) on the Evans website and it does look like my kind of thing. Slightly bothered by the fact that the pictures shows a 5-speed cassette but the specs say 8, but the rest of the picture matches so I think it's probably OK.

I'll look around at other CX options, get a feel for the variations, but it does (so far) look the way to go for me. I should note - the commute is short, but the leisure rides might be longer. That said, London-Brighton is the longest I'm thinking of at the moment.

 

[MacB]

You may be lucky but I think you'll struggle to hit on the allrounder ideal first time, mainly becuase you can't know how your cycling will develop. You may get the bug for road riding or for offroad, either of which would dictate different future purchases. Personally I'd start off with making a list, I note you've already begun this process:-

1. pricepoint - deicide how much you're prepared to spend
2. frame material - if you have a preference then make it now
3. wheel size and tyre clearance - you can always run skinner tyres in a bigger clearance frame but not vice versa
4. brake type - ties in with tyre clearance and can influence the sort of handlebars and controls you can use
5. frame fittings - what do you want on there, racks, guards, bottle cages?
6. gearing - if it's a year round commuter then hub gears are worth a look
7. security - where and how do you want to use it and, most importantly, do you have secure storage at home/work, expect to spend £100 to get effective locking and then it's no guarantee.

I have an allrounder, it's the 4th now since I bought my first 'alleged' allrounder, though my second choice was good it was only altered by a desire to move to disc brakes. After a lot of research I settled on:-

Salsa Vaya frameset - steel frame & forks for disc brakes, rear caliper mounts on chainstay so doesn't interfere with rack, mounts front and rear for racks and mudguards. Compact geometry giving plenty of standover clearance and the ability to run up to a 700x42 tyre with mudguards.

Components - I already had a 9 speed hub gear though I plan to upgrade this to an Alfine 11, I added in an Alfine dynamo front wheel with front and rear dynamo lighting. I sorted chain tension via a mini EBB that fits in a standard BB shell but a chain tensioner is a cheaper option for this. The rims are suitable for tyres from 700x28 up to the bikes clearance limits and it's shod with 700x35 M+ tyres most of the time, very puncture resistant. I have full mudguards and a rear rack on all the time and two bottle cages. In the winter it can take my studded tyres for use when there's icy conditions. I use drop bars with mechanical road disc brakes.


I reckon this bike is good for a fair range, from full on touring(the 9 gears may be a bit limited there but the 11 won't be), through all weather commuting to cyclocross style offroad and stripped down weekend rides. It won't be as good, in any of these areas(bar maybe all weather commuting), as a bike designed specifically for one area, but it's a far better jack of all trades.

There are quite a few models out there that fall into this jack of all trades category, one of the better know being the surly Crosscheck(I did have one but can't take disc brakes). But there're plenty of others, you just need to get your checklist sorted so that you can whittle down the field.

 

[brockers]

To echo Norm, I'd take a look at one of these. Not an out an out cross machine - more of a do anything/commuter - but the frame is a good quality steel (Reynolds 725). Vin Cox sat on one when he recently broke the 'cycling round the world in a stupidly fast time' record. Definately worth considering if you ask me. (And it makes a change from bleedin' Specialized - which everyone has! )

It's always worth keeping an eye on Planet-Xs (and On-One, their mountain bike division) website too. It's a company beloved of those who race on a budget, and they often have amazing offers on bikes and bits. These two crossers would be good for general purpose/do anything duties.

 

[PaulSecteur]

(And it makes a change from bleedin' Specialized - which everyone has! )

There might be a good reason for that!

Any-hoo... Another vote for a cyclocross bike. I have a 2010 tricross that I use as my daily ride.

Just done a nice little 25 miler from Walsall to Birmingham and back along the towpath....



There...


http://connect.garmi...tivity/88671864

And Back...

http://connect.garmi...tivity/88671856


And I also use it as a weekday commuter to and from the gym, as it has mudguards and a rack. I also have a Sectuer elite which I think is an excellent road bike, but if I could only have the one bike it would be the tricross, its just so useable.

 

[Nebulous]

I must have been a kid before you - because I landed with a huge steel monstrosity with an enclosed chain that probably hadn't changed much since before the war.

Decisions on bikes are always a compromise.

I would just about bet that within a few months of getting a cross bike you'll want to try a road bike.

I would try as many bikes as you can, get a secondhand cross bike even if that is what you think you want, for less than a third of your budget, and plan your next bike from there.

My route was pretty convoluted. I had a mtb for limited leisure use. I built up my miles as part of a change to a healthier lifestyle, and bought a roadbike. Then 4 months later we decided to get rid of a car and I kitted out the mtb as a commuter (only 2 miles each way) The commute works ok - but the roadbike is amazing. The way it can chew up the miles constantly invigorates me.

 

[Norm]

It's true, there are a lot of Spesh bikes around so don't get one if you want to stand out but you can also be assured that they are (with a very few exceptions) good, safe choices.

I hoped that I'd listed most of the cx-choices, sorry that I missed the Focus Mares, Surly Crosscheck and I'm sure a few more besides.

On the subject of road bikes, I find the cx as fast across the tarmac as the road bike. If you want, a second set of 25mm tyres or a spare set of wheels & tyres will make it as good / bad as a road bike.

A critical point which I think I missed, but which was written above, is to get test rides on as many as you can. Each one is slightly different, one will suit / fit you perfectly. Make sure the test ride is at least an hour, any shop which won't let you take a grand's worth of bike out for a test ride doesn't deserve your money, IMO.

 

[Noel]

A design that hardly seems to get a mention these days is the classic touring bike. A tourer would be able to keep up fairly well on road and cope easily with unsurfaced tracks, towpaths and gentle offroading. In addition it could lug home the week's shopping or carry your camping gear if you were so inclined. It ain't a road racer or a mountain bike, but it has a wide range of gears, mudguards to keep the muck off your clothes, will be comfortable to ride and do most things well. I'm not sure of your budget, but for around a grand you could look at the following:

Dawes Horizon Plus
Revolution Country Explorer from Edinburgh Bicycle
Surly Long Haul Trucker
Ridgeback Voyage
Byercycles Super Tourist

Best of luck, whatever you get,

Noel

 

[LabRatt]

OK, this is where my n00bness comes in - I'm afraid I can't see so much difference between the tourer ('cept maybe chunkier tyres) and the CX bikes, though I did only google the Dawes. I can think of forums where an admission like that would have me ridiculed and banished...

Anyway, I took the idea of second hand and went to Gumtree (I've seen the other thread on Gumtree, but that aside) and found this. I've commented that my budget is up to about a grand, so this is a bit over a third of that (Nebulous's suggestion), but how bad can a two year old bike be? Should also point out that at this stage, while I can stretch to a grand, less is better. So what could be wrong with a two year old Specialised?

One thing I haven't explained is quite what a giant I am. I'm a whole five foot seven and a bit. My understanding is that when sizing a bike you should *ahem* be just above the cross bar when standing astride it, and when sitting on the saddle your legs should be just at full stretch with the pedals at the bottom. Might be wrong, but that's what I've picked up. Anyway, this photo looks like the distance to the pedals is much bigger than the distance from the crossbar to the ground, so it should be OK, but the owner's four inches taller so maybe not? [edit: OK, the size guide on the Specialized website says I'd need a 54 rather than 56. Might get away with it, but I'd have to try it out to see]

Of course, this is actually premature as I wasn't planning on buying anything just yet, but I suppose if you see an unbeatable deal you've got to go for it haven't you?

 

[Norm]

Not n00b at all, as it's a good call on the cx vs tourer thing. Specialized don't have a tourer in their model range, they feel that the Tricross covers both bases. Far from ridicule and banishing, you've spotted something that many won't / don't.

That Tricross Sport looks like a good bike but they didn't do the Sport in that colour in 2009, it was a black and brown affair. The closest I can find to that colour is the 2008 Sport.

The good news, though, is that is not only a great looking bike (possibly better looking than the 2009 model anyway), the spec list is pretty much the same from 2008 to 2009 to 2010.

The bad news is, of course, you are 7 inches shorter than the rider of that bike, and I'm not sure the geometry will let you get away with that. It might be worth a test ride if you are close, though, and then tell him it's a 2008 model and offer £250 for it.

I do think that's over-priced. They were retailing at around £700 at the time, I think that £450 for a 3 year old bike is over priced.

 

[LabRatt]

Thanks for the reassurance. Assuming it's all standard kit then it looks good from where I'm standing. I know it's not eclusive to this bike (even remotely) but I like the flightdeck compatibility - recording data's fun.

I was thinking £450 might be a bit much, even for a two year old bike. Obviously my calculations on the metric/imperial conversion were off somehow, but if seven inches is right then he's got a bike that's a bit on the small size for him. Might be worth a go. You're right though. I suppose it might be worth going to £350, which is what I was originally thinking of spending, but only if it's right.

 

[brockers]

That bike's too small for him! And probably too large for you. But probably no harm in checking it out I s'pose. You'd be best on Spesh's 54. You tend not to size frames by deciding whether you can straddle them, as most frames these days have a sloping top-tube (a crossover from mountain-bikes, and a way for manufacturers to offer less sizes). As these slope at varying angles depending on the manufacturer, it's not a good guide anymore A starting point for frame size might be to multiply your inseam (crotch to floor - not trouser size) by .66 - in which case I'll take a stab and say that you'll be a 53 (which is the equivalent size if the bike had a horizontal top-tube).

People tend to fit bikes these days on equivalent (to horizontal) top-tube length, and things called 'reach', 'stack' and using terms like 'cockpit'. Google these to get an idea, but it might do your head in at this stage!

Just to confuse you, you might find out that Alberto Contador is 5'10'' and uses a 52, and ex-world champ Paolo Bettini at 5'6'' used a 49 (both Specializeds)! You'll see that pro racers tend to use very small frames with a lot of seat-pin showing, so they can get their head down for a more aero position. Don't try and copy this, as they're more flexible than you, and their needs are different.

 

[Norm]

Just to confuse you, you might find out that Alberto Contador is 5'10'' and uses a 52, and ex-world champ Paolo Bettini at 5'6'' used a 49 (both Specializeds)! You'll see that pro racers tend to use very small frames with a lot of seat-pin showing, so they can get their head down for a more aero position. Don't try and copy this, as they're more flexible than you, and their needs are different.

As important as the aeros is the hunched position means that they use their core muscles for power, not just their legs.