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Calibre, any good?

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thx1138
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PostPosted: 23:17 - 25 Jan 2018    Post subject: Calibre, any good? Reply with quote

https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/calibre-dark-peak-adventure-bike-p347153

Thinking about new bicycle, this much cop do you think?
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 01:16 - 26 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

What are you going to be doing on it?

Interesting in that they've effectively re-invented the original mountain bike there. That's the kind of thing people were hustling along footpaths and forestry tracks in the late 80's before "real" mountain bikes became popular. Then people used to call them an "approach bike" before they realised they'd still need to get their proper offroader to the trailhead somehow...

Do you really want mechanical disc brakes?

Reasonable spread of gears.

I'd say it would be a slightly disappointing offroad bike and an unecessarily heavy, numb, over-tyred road bike.

Perfect for bombing along unmetalled roads and you would probably give many people a fright on some of the calmer blue MTB routes (I love riding road bikes on MTB routes. Fucks with peoples heads).

On clunkier stuff the carbon forks will punish your forearms into oblivion right before you get a pinch flat.

On the road you'll wonder why you have twice as many gears as you ever use, what that buzzing noise is coming from the tyres, why it's such hard work and why you have all water splashing in your face and up your back.

You might be better with something that's more one thing or the other unless you have a very specific task in mind? It would make a halfway decent touring bike if it had pannier lugs and room for mudguards, which it doesn't.
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thx1138
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PostPosted: 22:43 - 26 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

stinkwheel wrote:
What are you going to be doing on it?



cycle about a fair bit, partly for fun and mostly for exercise , never for transport - I got other bicycles for that


Quote:
Do you really want mechanical disc brakes?


I don't know much about proper bicycles, I just assumed they'd be better than those clamp to the rim ones, I like having drum brakes, but I suppose they are too heavy.


Quote:
You might be better with something that's more one thing or the other unless you have a very specific task in mind?


I don't, other than I won't be touring or taking luggage. I might reconsider and get a road bicycle, and throw my old hybrid about on trails.
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 04:15 - 27 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

thx1138 wrote:
stinkwheel wrote:
What are you going to be doing on it?



cycle about a fair bit, partly for fun and mostly for exercise , never for transport - I got other bicycles for that


To me (and remember, I'm a 40 year old , lazy, fat bastard who likes motorcycles and preferrs building push bikes to riding them), this is the most pertinant answer.

Find a bike that a) Fits you well and b) You find interesting. Buy that.

I bum about on an early 70's puch racer with oddball bars, one gear, and a homemade, coaster-braked rear wheel. It's the right size for me to ride comfortably and it gets me where I want to go locally with minimal effort (yay, faster than walking home from the pub!). Looking at my GPS log, I average 19.5km/h on it on the road.

So. Given you are riding for fun and exercise. Where's the fun in a slightly overweight, alloy framed not-quite road bike? Maybe it's exactly what you want but to me it's a Honda varadero.

Modern, double acting rim brakes are sufficient to stand a bike on its nose on road. Discs are for off road IMO and should be hydraulic or go home. Motorcycles worked this out years ago. Hub/roller brakes are worth looking into if only from pure contrariness. A brake you oil?. Hell yeah.

Buy something weird that you like because of what it is. Make it your own.

I built my brother a bright orange, steel, holdsworth framed bike with hub gears and straight bars. He's not a "cyclist" but he rides it to work most days because it's easy and he likes it. Not a cyclist?

https://cdn.bcf.44bytes.net/files/dscn0566a_198.jpg
____________________
“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.
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Paris2
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Joined: 10 Apr 2011
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PostPosted: 10:48 - 31 Jan 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

It doesn't look too bad. Never heard of Calibre personally, but I'm no expert.

Reasonable components in terms of the groupset, even though it is the older model Tiagra, but should still work well.
The brakes should be fine, though I wouldn't expect them to stop you much better than rim brakes other than in the wet when they should perform better for obvious reasons.

It would all depend on what you're after as Stinkwheel has said. I can see the appeal in a gravel/cross bike as a do it all but only if you intend to use it for everything. I personally never really mix my riding, so have a road bike for the commute and a hard tail for the trails.
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thx1138
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PostPosted: 15:14 - 19 Feb 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

actually I had to brake hard in the rain once today, and my rim brakes were fine - still new bike hunting
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thx1138
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PostPosted: 14:34 - 30 Jun 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

thx1138 wrote:
still new bike hunting


just sold my Honda, booked a test ride on a Trek Emonda SL on Monday

https://www.flammerouge.cc/emonda-sl
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