How to go about buying a bike for hilly country lanes and sensible off-road?

[jay clock]

.....Thorn look attractive.......

In looks terms I find it hard to find any Thorn bikes attractive

 

[Pale Rider]

The vast majority of gravel bikes are nowhere near the sporty end of the spectrum, they have tall head tubes, a more relaxed geometry, with a slacker steer angle, combined with a longer wheelbase make them very comfy and suitable for long go anywhere rides

But nothing like as tall as the 'lolly on a stick' handlebars of most Thorn bikes.

In looks terms I find it hard to find any Thorn bikes attractive

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but ugliness is always simpler to spot.

Those high bars do come with a looks penalty.

Sample low res image ripped from the SJS site:

The drop bar one looks even odder:

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Given your long list of preferences, might be worth a look at Thorn bikes as associated with St John Street Cycles. Download their mega brochure and you will find something suitable for rough stuff type riding, with less ‘sporty’ options than some of the gravel bikes available. As someone with a dodgy back, the higher front end, more relaxed options from Thorn look attractive. Myself, I repurposed my old 1990’s steel Orange MTB for gravelly and rough lane type riding. Doesn’t have discs but V brakes plenty powerful. Swapped out the suspension forks for original springy steel forks, added a riser stem and voila! Use it to combine rides with rough lanes, hills and less technical MTB rides. Worth looking beyond current bike fashions if you are fussy about your requirements.

Will they meet the OP's weight criterion? (serious Q, to which I don't immediately know the answer, but my perception is that they favour sturdiness)

 

[Grant Fondo]

Me too, it's been the go to bike since I got it, if I see somewhere that's a bit dodgy on the road bike, I've ridden it, it's been great for exploring and I've found paths and lanes I had no idea existed, Marin Gestalt 2 in my case

Oooh, very nearly went for the Marin! Couldn't find one to test ride, hence the Spesh, but v cool bike

 

[Foghat]

moved to Stroud January 2020.

Gears. Currently use 2x5 but I still hate double clangers. Wondering about 1x11 25" to 100"

If I lived in Stroud, where most roads in the vicinity are either massively slow or massively fast, there's no way I'd consider restricting myself to just one chainring, except at gunpoint.

 

[Pale Rider]

Will they meet the OP's weight criterion? (serious Q, to which I don't immediately know the answer, but my perception is that they favour sturdiness)

Yep, I think they are in the 'bike for life' category, not least because they are all (?) steel.

 

[bitsandbobs]

Do you really need a gravel bike?

Some audax bikes these days have pretty good clearance. The latest thru axle iteration of Condor's Fratello has clearance for 32 tires and mudguards. Looks reasonable sporty for road riding and you can ride a lot of off-road with 32s.

Others is a similar vein are the Mason Resolution and Fairlight Strael.

 

[DRM]

But nothing like as tall as the 'lolly on a stick' handlebars of most Thorn bikes.



Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but ugliness is always simpler to spot.

Those high bars do come with a looks penalty.

Sample low res image ripped from the SJS site:

View attachment 550433

The drop bar one looks even odder:

View attachment 550434

Ye gods, they look awful, I don’t like the look of those at all, they also look to be very heavy

 

[Pale Rider]

Ye gods, they look awful, I don’t like the look of those at all, they also look to be very heavy

Yes, to mangle an old phrase 'only their designer could love them'.

I suppose a buyer is at least getting something distinctive in the sea of identikit ally bikes from the Far East.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Do you really need a gravel bike?

Some audax bikes these days have pretty good clearance. The latest thru axle iteration of Condor's Fratello has clearance for 32 tires and mudguards. Looks reasonable sporty for road riding and you can ride a lot of off-road with 32s.

Others is a similar vein are the Mason Resolution and Fairlight Strael.

I think that depends on the OP's mix of riding. A more road-bias would bring the Spa Elan into the mix, for instance.

 

[Kajjal]

I would look at 2x if you plan to ride on and off road. This gives a good range of gears when off or on road without big gaps between gears. When off road on my diverge comp I am normally in the lower chain ring especially for hill climbing. The hydraulic disc brakes work very well with little effort and plenty of power / control. No longer being interested in being fast on road the wider tyres only really make a difference up hill and smooth out rougher road fine. I was surprised how well the future shock works.

 

[bitsandbobs]

I think that depends on the OP's mix of riding. A more road-bias would bring the Spa Elan into the mix, for instance.

Completely agree. I just mentioned the ones I would like to own!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Low gearing, wider tyre clearances, and no suspension is what you are looking for. Something that’ll take 35-40mm or more will do the job

 

[Deleted User]

Merlin do good value Gravel bikes, I was looking at one myself but dropped on a Specialized Diverge which seems would fit your needs.

 

[tribanjules]

I love my pinnacle pyrolite running 650x47 rubber. Not fast but smoooth and can take me anywhere . £750 from evans last year