New bike recommendations please

[cheshirerob]

What about something like this.......

https://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk/product/17093/2021-sirrus-x-2-0/

 

[vickster]

If you can't find anything locally, something like this would fit the bill as an example
https://www.wiggle.com/vitus-mach-3-vr-urban-bike-claris-2021

 

[HobbesOnTour]

All good advice and valid points :-)

The bike I have currently is a Raleigh 300 Max Ogre with Alesa wheels and Shimano gears. I have no idea what the tech spec is but for a bike that's 30 years+ it still goes well (with new road tyres) but breaks and gears are starting to show their age with a few squeaks and rattles. Pedals are now rusting but other than that it seems to be sound.

Like you mentioned, the market could be awash with second hand bikes in the next 4 to 6 months with all those people who bought them but never used them. This might even put pressure on the price of new bikes if the market is flooded with high quality, low usage second hand bikes. Maybe, maybe not, I don't know :-)

I had thought about having my old bike stripped back to the frame and forks and re-build with modern tech but if that's going to cost £200, £300 or more then I thought it just best to go for new but it's a good point and may still work out a cheaper option. Any ideas on the cost for a project like this, being undertaken by a bike shop / expert? With some higher end kit?

Apparently there's a few versions of that bike from no to front to full suspension.
I did come across this....
https://www.bikeforums.net/general-cycling-discussion/104079-raleigh-max-ogre.html

Squeaky bits and even rusty pedals can be easily solved, usually, or replaced for little cost.

As regards upgrading I have no idea what it would cost, sorry. Remember, some things may not be easy to upgrade (I'm thinking the quantity of gears) but the question becomes if you need to upgrade or just renew? A 30 year old bike and new tech are not usually compatible.
There's a danger that bringing it to a bike shop will result in a hard sell for a new bike.
The beauty about older bikes and older tech is that they are very amenable to an amatuer mechanic having a go. (I say that as someone who doesn't have a mechanical bone in my body). Again, a large part of the cost in a bike shop is the cost of labour.
You can save a lot of money doing it yourself, although you may have to buy specific tools (unless you have access to a co-op etc.). Even if it works out close to the same you've acquired a whole lot of new skills, confidence and you'll really know your bike. You'd be amazed what you can learn on YouTube!

I wouldn't expect a flood of second hand bikes in 4-6 months. I can see a steady stream of bikes becoming available later in the year and next year from those bitten by the bug and wanting to upgrade. The people who gave up will take longer to sell.
Having the £s in your back pocket, research under your belt and a wishlist could well lead to a saving and a "better" bike.

I spent a few years leisure cycling and touring on an old hybrid. That time gave me the chance to think about what was important for me. I was able to build up a go-anywhere touring bike for far less than what a dedicated touring bike would cost.

Good luck!

 

[Jonjay]

I’ve just got my first road bike having not really ridden anything at all for years. I went for the Decathlon RC120. It got really good reviews and Decathlon had stock in my size. So far I’ve been really impressed with it. They do it in flat bar or drops and rim brake or discs. Or for a slightly higher spec the rc500 is supposed to be good too.

 

[ngoldsa]

Thank you all for your insights and recommendations, certainly some great points to consider. Hopefully it will help me to make a more informed choice. Thanks again, much appreciated :-)

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

There doesn't sound to be too much wrong with the Raleigh, TBH, that a good maintenance purge wouldn't put right at very minimal expense. Pretty much everything I ride is getting on for 30 years old if not older, and I do not consider such bikes as being outdated or in need of replacing by something new. In fact, I regard the old stuff as better engineered and more easily maintainable.
Most of the last generation of high quality lugged steel bikes will still be running long after the following generation of aluminium and carbon machinery has been scrapped.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Thank you all for your insights and recommendations, certainly some great points to consider. Hopefully it will help me to make a more informed choice. Thanks again, much appreciated :-)

Don't forget to come back with an update!

 

[biggs682]

I'd suggest getting a bike shop to give your current bike a good service and then get out and cycle. Then by May you are likely to have more options and may even decide you don't need a new bike.

My thoughts as well.
Why spend extra if not needed

 

[Midsrider]

Good post from the OP.

Around this time last year I came on here several times looking for a hybrid and I left my purchase too late as covid kicked in and the lack of bikes was awful and still no better today!

I was looking for a hybrid bike too. I am a casual rider, who goes out with my 2 boys (13 & 7) on their bikes. As well as with them I do some small off road tracks, gravel paths and some fields (when its dry!). I do not want to be restricted. I did look at another mountain bike - I had a Btwin at the time and it was great, but being a medium frame I felt like I was hugging the bike and it was too small.

I then tried the Riverside bikes at decathlon - and they were brilliant ! I decided to go for the Riverside 900, but the ones I went to get in store were scratched and they could not get others in till these were sold. They offered money off - but I do not like damaged goods.

The info and advice here is very valuable. One thing which still throws me is the negativity of suspension on the forks. The weight is mentioned a lot and use of energy on using them etc. This is my personal view and please do not have a go at me for them !!
They have their place. 100% they have a place on mountain bikes and good air suspension is 100% recommend for that. The cheaper forks are very very poor, and I get that - but they still do a job. I understand coiled forks are not the best, but good brands such as Trek, Boardman etc will still decent models - just not the top, but all this is 100% reflected in the price.
Through the whole of 2020 I ended up riding my wife's Btwin Orginal 5, which has a very very basic fork! with no lock off, and you know what - it was perfect for what I wanted in a fork.

I do cycle on paths and roads, but I love going off route and exploring a little, down tracks and some very bumpy areas - I do not want to feel restricted.

2021 I am now back looking at bikes!!!!!! as over Christmas my wife and myself caught covid and was pretty bad, my breathing is still not good and coughing a lot - but i want to get my fitness back and enjoy getting back out there.

And I have narrowed it down to 2 bikes. Now one mode has contradicted my view on a fork! as it has none.....but when sitting on the bike, it feels just so right last year when I tried one, this is the Trek FX2.
The other is the Trek DS2, this will give me 100% what I need, lock the fork off for roads, paths etc - and when i want to go to something a little more bumpy - take off the lock to as much as I need to for the terrain. I did a demo of a DS2 last year and was really impressed on the build.

The DS2 will be the purchase that will tick all my boxes, if I did go for the FX2 instead then next year I might get a Trek Marlin 6.

I have a local bike shop where I live and they are Trek dealers (and Whyte - but prefer the Trek bikes)

But as others have said here - if you are unsure still, then use yours.....i used my wife's for a whole 8 months !!! But its time for my own bike!

Either way - enjoy and get on that bike!


Bikes I am looking at right now:

https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/...al-sport/dual-sport-2/p/32889/?colorCode=blue

https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/...ikes/fx/fx-2-disc/p/27991/?colorCode=bluedark

if i get the FX2 - I will go for this at a later date: https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/.../marlin/marlin-6/p/28787/?colorCode=red_black

 

[Dan77]

The FX2 disc was £450 when I bought mine in May. They're all bumping their prices up. It's a decent bike though (if a little heavy) and has served me well. Now fitted with mudguards and relegated to commuter bike when the weather isn't looking so good or when I just fancy hitting the tow path instead of the roads.

My Canyon road bike has gone up £400 since I bought it too (arrived in October). Supply and demand I guess.

 

[kingrollo]

I'd suggest getting a bike shop to give your current bike a good service and then get out and cycle. Then by May you are likely to have more options and may even decide you don't need a new bike.

I could be wrong - but one of your options there appears to leave cash in the OP's pocket and no new shiny bike ? - A bizarre suggestion if ever I heard one.

 

[Midsrider]

The FX2 disc was £450 when I bought mine in May. They're all bumping their prices up.

Hey Dan, you are not far from me - I am from Redditch.

Yeah, I noticed this on all the bike manufacturers, I guess with the demand of the bikes they are cashing in. I do believe a small increase of like £20-50 maybe, but some bikes on the higher ranges are £150-400 on the same spec bikes. This is not good and not fair.

Back to the FX2, yeah its a great bike - I do think though I will go for the Trek DS2 as my cycling is very much all over the place! and nothing too heavy, so the DS2 will cope well.

Thing with me is - my mind changes like the wind when I am in a store and actually sat on one and testing it!!

 

[ngoldsa]

Don't forget to come back with an update!

I certainly will :-) Lots to think about and some great options and I really appreciate everyone's help and suggestions.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

One thing which still throws me is the negativity of suspension on the forks. The weight is mentioned a lot and use of energy on using them etc. This is my personal view and please do not have a go at me for them !!
They have their place. 100% they have a place on mountain bikes and good air suspension is 100% recommend for that. The cheaper forks are very very poor, and I get that - but they still do a job.

I dislike suspension on bikes for several reasons, weight and energy absorption being just two of them. Having ridden some real horror story cheapo suspension bikes (prior to stripping them for mechanical spares) I have come to the conclusion they are best avoided if you value a quiet and refined ride over the long term rather than a lot of squeaking and creaking.
People will often buy a new machine with suspension then wax lyrical about how it takes all the sting out of bumps etc, which may well be the case, albeit the rider is providing the energy that is damped out as heat. What you won't find so much though, is someone riding on 10 or 20 year old suspension forks that have seen a lot of action, telling you how great they are. In many instances, the bikes don't even survive that many years, because the forks fail and that renders the whole bike an uneconomic wreck so it gets junked.
As my username suggests, I am not averse to salvaging and re-using someone's cast-offs, and the fact that I find far more suspension bikes skipped or abandoned than I find rigid frames, tells me all I need to know about the relative longevity of each.
If you only take a short term view and are willing to keep changing bikes often, suspension might be ok, but I look at lifespans in terms of decades not a handful of years. I see plenty of rigid frames from the 80's and 90's still in daily use, even if parts like wheels have been swapped out. So long as the frame holds up the bike can be kept on the road. I don't see very many first generation suspension MTB's from the mid/late 90's still in use these days though. At the cheaper end of the market they are essentially a disposable product, buy it new, use until it breaks, then throw it away and buy another new one.

 

[Midsrider]

I 100% get what you are saying.
I have ridden both over the years - and both have their place.

I was tied between the FX2 and DS2 for this very reason, but then looking at the cycling I do - I chose the DS2 - The fork on the DS2 is not as good as the higher end bikes - but I have read many people who have had the earlier Trek Hybrid bikes and use them every day for work commutes and said its still great.

This is my first Trek bike and i am a huge fan of their line and even though the DS2 is the lower end of their cost, the quality in the build is there to see. If i do find myself after a year or use that I am doing more road/path cycling then I will invest in the FX range, properly buy an FX3 with the carbon fork.

You are right though - even though I do not have knowledge on older bikes, i LOVE seeing older bikes and talking to their owners on the history and its part of their life.

I think the main thing is - getting out there, no matter what the bike is !