Looking for advice on bike purchase

[bigGuyOnBike]

Hello, first time poster here!

I'm about to purchase my first bike in a very long time. I'm rather tall (6'5") and no stores in my neighborhood stock bikes large enough, which means I don't have the opportunity to try lots of bikes out, but have to order online.

My main use for the bike:
Commuting to work (about 6 miles, one third of it gravel)
Commuting also in winter time when possible (where I live there's snow about 4 months of the year)
Longer workout trips in the summer (2-3 hours on paved roads)
Occasional longer trips in the summer to visit friends in other cities (up to 150 mile rides)
Perhaps even some sportives, not to score a great time, just to challenge myself, have a great experience and get to the finish line, same reason I do marathons.

So basically an all around bike that can be used for lots of different purposes.

The last couple of years I've been riding a borrowed bike, a 7-geared hybrid a few sizes too small for me. It was fine for commuting, but when I did a couple of 100 mile rides on that one, I found it was not very comfortable (rather unsurprising, I suppose). Mainly I really missed drop handle bars as my hands were dying when I couldn't shift position. And of course I missed correct fitting.

Budget for new bike: max 800€ and I am at the moment not going to consider buying many different bikes for these different purposes.

Based on what I've read it seems a hybrid otherwise could be good, but they usually lack drop handlebars. A road bike is probably not the best for the commute with lots of gravel and if I understood correctly it's useless in the winter. Neither do they come very cheap. So my eyes turned to the Ridgeback Tour:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/ridgeback/tour-2013-touring-bike-ec043421

Is this a good bike to consider? It seems to at least somehow cater for all my needs, even though it's of course a compromise and not perfect for any of the uses. That shop claims the 60cm frame size is big enough for me, can I trust them on this one? Any other good bikes you could recommend that would suit my needs?

Thank you in advance for any helpful comments!

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Hi and welcome BGOB!
Can't advice you on the bike (somebody in the know will be along shortly), but if you have snow 4 months of the year budget for a pair of Marathon Ice Spikers as winter tyres, costly but worth every penny!
Check your bike's clearance first

 

[bigGuyOnBike]

Thank you Pat!

I will definitely look into winter tyres, makes a lot of sense to use those over here.

Heh, I should probably have made my sn "illiterateGuyOnBike"... Could a mod perhaps move this thread to Bikes & Accessories where it belongs?

 

[mynydd]

I just bought a specialised tricross, with the same ideas as you in mind. I've only had it a week but so far love it. Seems good on the rough ground ( and it can be very rough here) and pretty good on the road, well fast enough for me anyway

 

[Gravity Aided]

Pretty hard to find a narrow tire that will hold up to gravel, and a wide tire that will give you less friction on the road, so I might advise a touring bike with plenty of clearance for wider tires so you can use it for commuting , then you can change over to slightly narrower tires for audax/sportive. 2 wheelsets probably would be well advised here, though not absolutely necessary.

 

[Cycleops]

Hello big guy and welcome. The Tour would be an excellent choice in my opinion and could cope with pretty much everything you throw at it. The Tricross would also be good but lacks the touring add-ons of the Tour. Also consider the Ridgeback Voyage which has a steel frame instead of aluminum which some say gives a better more compliant ride. There is also the Galaxy which has been the benchmark touring bike since the beginning of time! Regarding size, when sitting on the saddle with your foot on the pedals at the lowest point your leg should be straight, some will say almost. Their is also a school of thought that says the distance should be 109% of your inside leg measurement. There is a current thread on the topic here http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/leg-straight-on-saddle-noob-question.138194/#post-2617451 It might put you a bit too high in relation to the bars, although there is some for adjustment there, so the only to find out is to try. You must keep at least 2" of seatpost inside the frame. I notice Evans say 60cm is suitable for someone up to 6'4". I am 6'1" with a 34" inseam and am comfortable on 59cm to 63cm frame. Good luck.

 

[bigGuyOnBike]

Thank you all for the replies!

Regarding the tires, are the supplied Continental Contact 700 × 32c somekind of compromise between narrow road tires and wide off-road tires? I was looking at winter tires but couldn't find any 700c with ice spikes, they only came in MB sizes. But I did find some non-spiked called "winter tyre". Can any 700 x Xc tyre be fitted on a bike like this (700x37c/700x40c)?

I've never even tried a bike with narrow road tires, so at least I won't know what I'm missing...

Regarding the size Evans actually says the 60cm frame is suitable for riders up to 6'6". This is the only 60cm frame I've seen them make that claim about, but I hope they know what they're talking about. Probably has something to do with this bikes specific geometry. But thanks for the tips on fitting the saddle. I've always been riding too small bikes, so it will be interesting to see how it feels with correct saddle height!

If my budget allowed I would probably consider the Voyage. Other than frame material, is there any noticable difference for a recreational rider like me between the different parts, for example the derailleurs (Voyage: Shimano Sora/Deore, Tour: Shimano 2303/Acera)?

 

[Cycleops]

Narrower tyres I am sure will be a revelation to you after bigger chunkier stuff. You will probably find that larger section tyres will fit, if you are not sure ask Evans or email Ridgeback. You might find problems with the mudguard clearance so check. Regarding the groupsets fitted to the different bikes I would say there is very little discernible different if any at all. Others may disagree.