After a new Bike, bewindlering choices.

[NextSlidePlease]

Ok let me set the scene. At the ripe old age of 41 I have got the bug for biking, mainly doing 20/30 mile runs up and down the canal at the minute to shift timber.

My first bike which has served me well is an easyjet orange carrera vengeance which I got from marketplace for 50 quid. Bit tatty in places but does the job admirably.

I am now getting the itch for something new now that I am enjoying riding, and trail biking is on the horizon too.

Where would your money be going for an upgrade? I like the trek marlin bikes but I was expecting them to be lighter but it's a tad heavier?

And also at a fairly lofty 6ft5 height, is a large frame/27.5 wheels sufficient or do I need to look at 29s? Bigger frame?

Finally difference between mountain bike and hard tail in usability? And are hydraulic brakes a worthwhile upgrade?

I am completely clueless about all this.

Thanks in advance

Edited by NextSlidePlease on Saturday 29th August 15:06

Edited by NextSlidePlease on Saturday 29th August 15:10

[Rough101]

Those Carreras are fine for what you are doing.

New saddle, faster tyres, new cables and brake friction will improve it.

Some of these £350 bikes are as good as the £1000 branded bikes which have a £500 brand tax.

By the time you go above £1000 list they start improving.

[dave123456]

Worth looking at gravel bikes. Nice selection and more of a do it all bike

[mattvanders]

NextSlidePlease said:

Ok let me set the scene. At the ripe old age of 41 I have got the bug for biking, mainly doing 20/30 mile runs up and down the canal at the minute to shift timber.

My first bike which has served me well is an easyjet orange carrera vengeance which I got from marketplace for 50 quid. Bit tatty in places but does the job admirably.

I am now getting the itch for something new now that I am enjoying riding, and trail biking is on the horizon too.

Where would your money be going for an upgrade? I like the trek marlin bikes but I was expecting them to be lighter but it's a tad heavier?

And also at a fairly lofty 6ft5 height, is a large frame/27.5 wheels sufficient or do I need to look at 29s? Bigger frame?

Finally difference between mountain bike and hard tail in usability? And are hydraulic brakes a worthwhile upgrade?

I am completely clueless about all this.

Thanks in advance

Edited by NextSlidePlease on Saturday 29th August 15:06

Edited by NextSlidePlease on Saturday 29th August 15:10

At 6.5ft I would be looking at XL or even XXL depending on the bike to be honest, I know fit is very personal but getting a bike to fit your size just makes it all more comfortable as well as confident.

If you are looking at the lower end (all relative to how much you can spend on the top end of things) I would say it’s still better to buy a better bike than try to upgrade one bit at a time. As for is it better to buy new or second hand it would depend on what type of bike you are after - mountain bike, adventure bike/gravel or road.

How much you looking to spend?

[Frimley111R]

dave123456 said:

Worth looking at gravel bikes. Nice selection and more of a do it all bike

Aren't they just big tyres and slightly beefier racing bike frame?

[Master Bean]

Voodoo Braag and Horde are on sale. You get a 29er and hydraulic brakes. 9 or 10 speed.

https://www.halfords.com/bikes/mountain-bikes/vood...

[oddball1313]

Buy a decent gravel bike would my advice, ignore sizes as they are meaningless unless you know your fit. Go to a decent reputable dealer and get a fit first before buying the bike. Don t skimp, buy a bike that looks cool as you ll ride it more

Edited by oddball1313 on Sunday 30th August 15:40

[NextSlidePlease]

Thanks for your thoughts so far.

One thing I'm struggling with, frame size appears to be the height from the pedal centres to the top of frame?

By increasing the height of the seat does that not achieve the same thing? Or does the wheelbase also increase with frame size too?

I might go down to my nearby Halfords and just test sit a few to get a feel.

I will probably buy a good used one rather than brand new.

[HenryV1415]

Don’t go to Halfords, they haven’t a clue. Go to a proper bikes shop. They will give you far better advice and you’ll get to see some proper bikes.

If you’re 6’5 then you are going to need the largest of frame sizes, but…they are all different and some will fit better than others. This is where a good shop is invaluable because they will show you that a bike which fits you is the MOST important ctiteria. You won’t know what fits you at this stage of your cycling career so take advice and try a few out.

I am 30 years in the cycle trade

[Phooey]

Look for the nearest Specialized Concept Store and go try some out. My nearest (Nottingham) was extremely helpful, relaxed and patient. Something like a Sirrus starts from £575 and on 12 months 0% interest free if you wanted to spread the cost.

eta - if it's not too far from you it looks like there is a large Concept store in Harrogate

Edited by Phooey on Sunday 30th August 07:28

[stargazer30]

NextSlidePlease said:

Thanks for your thoughts so far.

One thing I'm struggling with, frame size appears to be the height from the pedal centres to the top of frame?

By increasing the height of the seat does that not achieve the same thing? Or does the wheelbase also increase with frame size too?

I might go down to my nearby Halfords and just test sit a few to get a feel.

I will probably buy a good used one rather than brand new.

At your size, assuming you're near 50/50 torso to leg proportions you are looking at a 58cm frame (or XL), maybe slightly bigger. The numbers vary by brand but you will be in that ball park. Don't buy a frame that's too small and raise the saddle, the fit will be poor. You will likely find the bars are too low or close and you may get toe overlap (where your feet strike the wheel when turning).

I'd suggest a gravel bike as they are more efficient (aka you will get less knackered) on paved surfaces than a Mountain bike. Roads bikes can be uncomfortable for riders that are 40+ and are not used to them, and you will be limited to where you can go on it. As for makes, Boardman are at the budget end of the market but still make excellent bikes. The ADV 8.9 being one of them. Anything by Trek, Specialized or the other big brands you are paying for as much for the name as what's on the bike.

I only started riding during covid during my mid 40s and I really got the bug for it. Me and my trusty gravel bike have done multiple multi day tours now. From my own experience after buying several bikes and eventually building my own, bike fit and comfort comes first. Forget about the bike weight. You are 90% of the weight you are moving anyway. You will go further and faster on a bike you are comfy on vs one that is breaking your back, wrists and neck to save 1kg of weight.

[iguana]

I'm near your height. Well an inch shorter & I have a Giant Roam as my winter & gravel tracks bike. Good for height etc tho I modified it with a longer bar stem & bar ends to give me more room. Obvs largest frame size.

They don't do my specific model anyone as it's a couple of yrs old but they still do them just with different gear sets & it seems wider tyres, 42s which personally I wouldn't want as I like it for road use too. I'll check but I think I'm on 38s on a 700 obvs. I really like it tho tbh I'd rather it didn't have the front shock but a lighter regular fork.

Spec for spec I always found Giant were better priced than others like Specialised & Trek, on my road bike for example my Giant would have 105 gear set vs the Specialised at the same price point would be on Sora or something which is far more basic & have a less decent wheel set too.

But on looking now, it's perhaps not the case anymore.

Edited by iguana on Sunday 30th August 23:22

[helix403]

You may find a gravel bike uncomfortable as they have drop bars.

[gangzoom]

Phooey said:

Look for the nearest Specialized Concept Store and go try some out. My nearest (Nottingham) was extremely helpful, relaxed and patient. Something like a Sirrus starts from £575 and on 12 months 0% interest free if you wanted to spread the cost.

eta - if it's not too far from you it looks like there is a large Concept store in Harrogate

Edited by Phooey on Sunday 30th August 07:28

Just a word of warning, these Specialized stores are very dangerous for your bank account.....They know the bikes are good enough to sell themselves so they will let you ride pretty much anything even their £5k+ eBikes with zero hassle, the one in Leicester even has a mini 'Off road' circuit at the side which shows how effective full suspension bikes are versus rigid fork ones........I'm doing my very best to stay away from them as well as even thinking about trying the Levo

[gangzoom]

NextSlidePlease said:

Finally difference between mountain bike and hard tail in usability? And are hydraulic brakes a worthwhile upgrade?

I am completely clueless about all this.

Thanks in advance

The correct answer to what bike(s) you need is n+1, where n=the current number of bikes you own .

I've added 3 bikes to my collection since COVID and now that I've discovered salary sacrifice bikes schemes that rate will at least stay the same. I've got my main commuter, gravel, and hack bike sorted now. Still need a proper folding bike, full suspension MTB, and dedicated road bike (rather than gravel), so I've got plenty to bikes to add before the n+1 formula is completed .

[towser44]

helix403 said:

You may find a gravel bike uncomfortable as they have drop bars.

I ride on the 'hoods' on my road bike and gravel bike 99.9% of the time, can't remember the last time I actually used the drops lol

Got my gravel bike so I could do a little more off road stuff and it's been brilliant. Kona Rove Steel Frame, should have been £1,500, paid £850 with discount and a trade in offer and they didn't even ask for the trade in bike in the end.

[Still Mulling]

Jumping on this for interest in similar position to op: why gravel not hybrid? Are gravels not a “racier” frame geometry with drop bars? Would a hybrid with trail-biased tyres not be more comfortable for longer schleps?

[dontlookdown]

Still Mulling said:

Jumping on this for interest in similar position to op: why gravel not hybrid? Are gravels not a racier frame geometry with drop bars? Would a hybrid with trail-biased tyres not be more comfortable for longer schleps?

What is most comfortable will vary from person to person, but hybrids aren't typically all that comfortable for long rides. The position is too upright. All your weight is on your ar*e and you can't really pedal properly.

Something like a gravel (or old skool touring) bike with a less upright position spreads the weight between your backside and your upper body, and enables better pedalling.

Not as aggressively bent over as a full on road bike but generally more suited for longer rides than your typical hybrid.

[Still Mulling]

Useful insight, thank you.

[dreamer75]

towser44 said:

I ride on the 'hoods' on my road bike and gravel bike 99.9% of the time, can't remember the last time I actually used the drops lol

Got my gravel bike so I could do a little more off road stuff and it's been brilliant. Kona Rove Steel Frame, should have been £1,500, paid £850 with discount and a trade in offer and they didn't even ask for the trade in bike in the end.

I replaced the drops on my gravel bike with flat bars (thumb issue makes even the hoods painful to brake and ride) - the bike (Sonder) is even spec' able from new with flat bars, so it's not essential to have drops on it. I do feel a bit of a fraud though !

For the OP - gravel vs mtb, you mentioned you might want to do some trail riding. That might influence your decision - maybe a hard tail mountain bike is worth considering? If it's purely canal paths, and fire tracks etc., then a gravel bike would be good - I love mine for this. Like a rufty tufty road bike in a way - it's much lighter than my mountain bike and the tyres are surprising good, plus less hard and harsh on the road compared to a road bike with a more comfortable (for me) riding position. But personally when I get onto actual trails, it's bumpy as anything and I want more appropriate tyres. I ride with someone with the same bike on drops and they're much slower than me on the downhills on rough ground on it, I think due to the dropped bars (they'd usually be quicker than me). It does depend what you're thinking of riding on though (trail wise).