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Another new bike.

stevec67

pfm Member
OK gents, here’s one to think through for the cyclists. For the last God-knows-how-many-years I’ve been going on touring trips with a beaten up Raleigh M-Trax rigid MTB, 26” wheels. It’s done all sorts – Ventoux, various Sustrans routes in the UK, and so on. I’ve loved it. However it’s pretty well worn out now, it’s 20 years old and I’ve been running it out of the bits box for nearly 10 of those years. The wheels are nearly shot, rear derailleur about the same, everything’s just worn. It’s time it lived out the rest of its days being used to toodle round the shops and coming with me for a bit of light exercise when I work away.

So what next? I recently missed out on a Felt FX75 (or similar model) hybrid which looked very good and was available 2 years old with little use for less than the price of 2 new wheels and a new rear mech.

Spec I need is:
Pannier racks, Ideally F&R but would settle for rear only
Triple up front for those long climbs with gear on
Can be 700c if it retains modest off road ability for canal paths etc
Disc brakes, can be cable if nec
Jury’s out on drops vs flat bars. I do like touring with flat bars and old-school bar ends.
Proper mudguarding obviously for the wet days.

I’d like a model that’s been around for a year or two so I can snag it SH for say £400. That might bring £1k bikes within range.
 
Looks like a cyclo cross or hard tail MTB style bike with that wish list. Probably not many options with drop bars yet with discs & mild off road capabilities, so I'd strike drops off your list.
So the usual big names along the lines of a Specialized Sirrus, or Hardrock. Trek, Cannondale, Boardman etc should all have bikes that will fit most /all your needs.
The Carrera range from Halfords may not appeal to the label snobs, but can provide good value 2nd hand.
Try to at least sit on a few before laying out the ££, as frame geometry will have a big affect on ride comfort & all the brands differ in this respect.
Matt.
 
Looks like a cyclo cross or hard tail MTB style bike with that wish list. Probably not many options with drop bars yet with discs & mild off road capabilities, so I'd strike drops off your list.
So the usual big names along the lines of a Specialized Sirrus, or Hardrock. Trek, Cannondale, Boardman etc should all have bikes that will fit most /all your needs.
The Carrera range from Halfords may not appeal to the label snobs, but can provide good value 2nd hand.
Try to at least sit on a few before laying out the ££, as frame geometry will have a big affect on ride comfort & all the brands differ in this respect.
Matt.

Some good advice there. 29er MTB may be the sensible choice if you want fatter tyre options.

FYI I bought these recently:

http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/..._country=190&gclid=CP-4z-vp3MYCFS3MtAodsVACSQ - astonishingly cheap direct from Germany, has a short top tube though. My Strava times have been faster than on my £3k titanium 26er!

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/road-bikes/boardman-cx-team-bike - take 10% off for British Cycling membership and I picked mine up in a flash sale. Even faster than a 29er, but not so comfy if you are hitting lumpy trails. More handlebar options though and they have pannier and mudguard mounts.

Personally I'd buy new as everything is new, you are unlikely to get a 2 year old £1k bike for £400 unless it's really undesirable.
 
Thanks gents, some food for thought there. I like the look of the CdF, and Surly did a LHT (Long Haul Traveller) that fitted the "adventure touring" brief. Kona too, forget the name. Was it Jake the Snake?

I do have a spare MTB, a Kona Cinder Cone, fitted with some mouthwatering bits from the bits box, that fits the bill pretty well. It has a susp fork though which I don't especially want, so I'd be wanting to fit some Project P2s with disc mounts. It needs the (hydraulic) discs bleeding. I'll dig it out and have a play, as with a rigid fork, pannier hangers (I can improvise P clips) and a bigger ring up front it would be very much what I want. It's free, too. :)
 
Steve, you know you won't be happy unless you put it together yourself out of the bits box and bits from singletrack and retrobike forums, it's gotta have the worked for charm you build into it, I've read many of your posts. :)
 
You might find a Kona Sutra S/H within your budget - a burly 700c expedition tourer with drops that ticks all those boxes.

If you're riding outside the US and Europe, it's worth considering staying 26, as 700c/29 stuff can be hard to find in the back of beyond.

Funnily enough my tourer sounds very similar to yours, Steve - an 26" Orange G4 with 3x9 SLX/LX & Raceface Deus XC mix, rigid carbon forks, hope & XT XC717 wheels with Marathon plus tyres, avid BB7's, race face deus XC cockpit and OMM front and rear racks. It's a fabulous parts-bin-special and will go, and has been, pretty much anywhere. Last trip was bivvying in the Pellopenese, for which I kitted it out with some Fox 100 RLC forks. Also the perfect winter commuter. I might edit this with a pic later.
 
That Kona Sutra does look very much the part.

I have no plans to go anywhere very wild but your trip bivvying in Greece is exactly the sort of thing I fancy. I've done it for years with mountaineering gear, the same thing on a bike is right up my street. I'll have another look at the Cinder Cone, the brake caliper position might foul the panniers, which would be a shame. Other than that it's a lovely spec - Hope hubs, hyd discs, 3 x 9 XT, nice wheels, Pace carbon forks, you name it.

Oh, and unlike the current tourer, it's not 9 parts knackered.
 
In that regard, yes. Other than that, no. These days though it's not a bike as much as a scruffy Mondeo, but it does a job. The bike's done thousands of miles though, and it's about done. Time for a replacement, I don't think it was ever intended to cover 15000 plus miles.certainly I didn't.
 
I would be going 700C and drops. I've ridden canal paths and bridleways (and still do) on my road bike with 25c tyres which granted, is not ideal but we get through it. With 32c or bigger, you can tackle a wide range of terrain.

A Surly LHT would be great, as would a Dawes Galaxy / Super Galaxy. I'm sure there are quite a few others in the same mould.

Planet X Kaffenbak also looks great value, currently on offer at £750; I'm considering one of those for my round town / shopping bike.
 


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