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new bicycle choices

Rockmeister

pfm Member
Long time biker, but these days, slower, in need of some comfort and light weight.
Current bike is a Giant Hybrid, which type of bike seems close to my needs, but it sits on 700X42 tyres, in a ali frame with suspension fork and seat post, all of which adds up to near 18 Kg.
I like the relaxed riding position. Drop bars are out, or anyway I'd not use the drops and they tend to come on a long stem, so always too bent for me now, and so a fairly short top bar seems sensible.

A touring frame would give me the pedal position I like (near straight leg at the bottom of the downstroke), and a long wheelbase is good, as are 700 x 32 tyres.
Should I buy a decent steel touring bike and add a higher, short stem and flat bars?

Or buy a light hybrid and fit thinner tyres.

What's it for? Everything except proper week long touring. Getting fitter, exploring the country here.

Budget is, as always as small as can be, but I am looking around £1000 ish if I must!

Previous bikes, a Raleigh Royal tourer (1981) (DB reynolds 531 front and rear) I loved, but that long top bar and dropped bars are out of reach now and it's replacement, a Ridgeback mountain bike(ish...more a tourer from 1988) was as heavy as a bag of sand.
The Giant is OK, but if it were 12/13K instead of 18?

Incidentally, new Conti city ride tyres recently have helped a tad, but come the hills, not enough!
All advice and ideas most welcome. Thanks

oh, forgot...mudgaurds essential...very wet here! :)
 
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You’ll not get a good ebike at a grand. I have one at 49 years old but I also have five other bikes!

Believe it or not my first decent bike was a Raleigh Royale Tourer, but some git nicked it - I was gutted!

The Boardmans offer great value for money but you do have to buy the normal ones
from Halfords which means varied customer experience depending on the store. Their hybrids are very good though.

I’d not discount dropped bars on a more
relaxed frame. Also perhaps consider cross bikes, I’ve a Boardman one and it’s great.

This is a bargain but you’d have to run clip on mudguards by the looks of it.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...goryId=165534&productId=1327862&storeId=10001
 
Halfords?
I'm much too much of a snob for halfords!

I was thinking more of some handmade artisan thingy with double butted lugs with twirly paint work and etc.

Joking.
Boardman? I'll have a look there too then, thanks.
 
Trek are a good company and build nice bikes. I've no experience with boardman - I'm sure the bikes are good but Halfords are pretty awful for bike assembly / service in my limited experience.
 
[QUOTE="

Previous bikes, a Raleigh Royale tourer (1981) (DB reynolds 531 front and rear) I loved, QUOTE]

I am still using my 1984 Raleigh Royal. Or to be more accurate still using the frame. Last year I replaced the mudguards which were the last remaining components supplied with the frame. While sold as a tourer the gearing was a bit too high for any kind of load carrying or climbing hills. It now has 3x7 gears instead of 2x5. Incidentally the wheels came from SPA Cycles and I am very happy with them having done 3,500 trouble free miles.

Before I decided to upgrade I tried a Specialized Tricross round the car park outside the bikeshop. The alloy frame felt so weird it was immediately struck off as an option for me and the upgrade started.
 
Maybe a better approach - give your rough location and ask for bike shop recommendations - then go into the shop, tell them what you're looking for and ride a few bikes. Bike geometry is very personal - the degree to which you want to be upright vs leaning forward etc.
 
18KG? Crikey thats heavy!!
Weight is everything. I have a ratty Specialized Secteur that i use in the winter that weighs 12kg and i hate that mainly because i have a lovely Trek Emonda that weighs 7kg. The difference is huge but it is very hilly where i live.
 
Maybe a better approach - give your rough location and ask for bike shop recommendations - then go into the shop, tell them what you're looking for and ride a few bikes. Bike geometry is very personal - the degree to which you want to be upright vs leaning forward etc.

Thanks all! Lots toconsider.
As to sean’s idea, I’m in Dumfries. Carlisle is close and I’m there thursday so all recs v welcome.
 
not yet...maybe my 8th decade solution :)

E-bikes rock, I put mine on the 1st and 2nd lowest of 4 settings and do 30 miles of steep single track stuff in the Black Forest and Les Vosges. I tend to do 2 big climbs on a day out, 5 miles or more. I still come home absolutely knackered, even with a bit of assist. It's about doing more miles as much as it is about doing easy miles.

I put it on the fastest setting to commute to work. Easy, fast riding without breaking into a sweat, but never for mountain biking.

And it only weighs 2kg more than your current steed.
 
Maybe a better approach - give your rough location and ask for bike shop recommendations - then go into the shop, tell them what you're looking for and ride a few bikes. Bike geometry is very personal - the degree to which you want to be upright vs leaning forward etc.

yep, this is why I liked my trek MTB's - as I tested various bikes like specialized and marin - they felt uncomfortable to me, but trek and orange felt lovely.. :)
 


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