Which type of bike to buy?

[lottiednbh]

I bought myself a road bike about 6 months ago and I absolutely love it. I didn't really know much about cycling so I worked out pretty quickly that the bike I bought is a bit rubbish!-The brakes have broken, its quite a bit too small for me etc but I still find it so fun to ride it that I've still been taking it out at least a a few times a week. However I'm moving cities in a few months and think that its the right time to sell my bike and upgrade now I know a bit more.

I plan to use my new bike for several things-long road cycles, downhill trails, quite a few rides through parks and areas like the peak district but not for commuting. I've had a few suggestions to get a hybrid but I'm wondering if it wouldn't make more sense to get a road bike and a mountain bike. That way I could keep enjoying my long road cycles-which I might miss a bit on a hybrid, but also be able to go on downhill trails and through more rural areas like nature reserves etc on the mountain bike.

Does that sound logical or would it make more sense to buy a hybrid or some other bike? My budget is the same whether its for one bike or two-at £400/$650.

Any advice? Thanks!

[Drew]

[lottiednbh]

Thats what I was thinking! I have been looking into taking part in a few cyclocross events, but they are much more expensive and also very rigid so not sure how comfortable that would be for long rides. Realistically if the bikes I was buying were long term investments I could probably stretch my budget to £700/$1150. Any advice if thats the case? Thanks!

[stinkwheel]

I'd suggest a hardtail 29"er mountain bike with a set of lockable, lightweight suspension forks, a very large top chainring (go maybe 50+ teeth) and a spare set of 700c road wheels to go in it.

So essentially a big-wheeled mountain bike with a much higher than normal top gear and which will take proper road wheels. Maybe add a set of aero bars you can bolt on and off.

But my oppinion on these kind of things is not necessarily to be trusted and my bicycles tend to be abominations.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[ninja_butler]

Hybrid if you want to take the bike for some light off-road riding. If you only really use paths and roads there's no point paying extra for a suspension.

£400 will buy you a decent-ish brand new bicycle, or a superb secondhand one. If you know how to grease wheel bearings and replace brake pads and cables, buy a top-quality secondhand bicycle.

With some bikes like expensive ATB/MTB bikes and road bikes you have to carefully check for near-invisible cracks in the frame and forks, but for more normal-budget ordinary bikes it's not an issue. My bicycle was about 15 years old when I bought it and it needed a good clean, but there was no sign of rust on the components, just cosmetic scrapes on the frame. It cost me £70 plus another £15 for new brake pads and a couple of bits and pieces. I did have to spend a good four or five hours cleaning and fettling it but for a total of £90 and a bit of elbow-grease I got a decent bike.

btw, on bicycles the teeth of the cogs are meant to be of irregular sizes to allow the chain to jump up and down more easily, it doesn't mean the cogs are worn out!

[drbaig]

Best thing to do is keep the two aspects of riding separately. A good road bike and a good mountain bike will cost you money. But you also have to decide which type of riding you will be doing constantly. I sold my mountain bike because I mainly did road riding and long sportives every now and then.

A mountain bike on the road is alright, but doing long rides can be a pain as it is not very fast and very heavy. Unless you buy carbon and spend shed loads.

A road bike cannot be used on trails as they will most probably break and crumble under tough terrain. Unless you are martyn ashton.

Again a hybrid is alright on the road, but very shit at doing everything else. Come to think of it, i dont even know why they make those bloody things.

So if you do trails, xc and etc. get a mountain bike.
If you do road riding, endurance and long sportives, get a road bike.

If you do both, then be prepared to spend money. however you can get a half decent road bike for around £400 second hand. Something like an older alu boardman with sram rival. They were fantastic value for money when they were introduced.

I dont know much about mountain bikes as I have not touched one since 09. There is also a considerable price different between dual suspension and hard tails.

So you decided which type of riding you will do and go from there.
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yzf 600r

[Fladdem]

Stinkwheel is right. When my pocket recovers from fixing the 250, that is exactly my next project.

My bikes just do everything. My old Phillips Phaser road bike comes green laning with me, when I fancy a challenge, I can still get anywhere I want to, just slower and harder than on my MTB. Equally my MTB comes on road rides too.

The only bike that never sees any serious offroad is my fixie, took it once and I was forced to pedal into a rock, a more skilful rider than me would make it work, and in time I would become a fantastic MTBer, picking lines and hopping things and pedalling constantly, but the challenge was too much.

I have even fitted drop handlebars to my old 90's Diamondback Topanga in the shed somewhere,crashed and bent the originals, straightening snapped them, looks like a funky cyclocross bike, I'll have to dig it out.

Anyway, the point of all that was just pick a bike you like, not the answer you wanted, but any bike can do anything if you try hard enough.
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Current:1991 Honda MT50 (Soon to be a H100/MTX/MT5 hybrid), 1976 Honda Cub C70, 2005 Honda Varadero 125, 1993 Yamaha TTR250 Open Enduro , 2010 Road Legal Stomp YX140, 1994 Honda CRM 250 MK III, 1999 Cagiva Mito 125, 1992 Honda CB400 Super Four, Stomp T4 230, 1984 Honda H100s, 2009 Sym XS125K
Past:2003 Aprilia RS125, 1982 Kawasaki GPZ550(FREE BIKE!)
I'm having more fun than a well-oiled midget.

[G]

[Drew]

[JonB]

I'm tempted with a cyclocross bike for road riding to be fair. Clearance for 28mm tyres and mudguards for our god forsaken roads and disc brakes. Perfect for day long rides i reckon.
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Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[G]

[stinkwheel]

With my finger ever on the pulse.

Gravel bikes are now where it's at.

Relaxed geometry road bike with chunky fittings and disc brakes designed for long distances on unfinished roads.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.