UKH

Hi All,

I'm looking for advice on bikes I know very little about, and amn't sure what to look out for, and advice from the three local bike shops has been poor. I've read a road.cc article on adventure bikes, and it looks like this is the kind of bike I'm looking for, but it seems to include such a diversity of bike styles, that I'm not sure how to hone down which kind of bike is for me, which is exacerbated by the LBSs not having many of these kinds of bike in stock.

http://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/217893-16-best-2017-gravel-adventure-bi...

I'm looking for a bike that can do pretty coarse off-road tracks and paths, sufficient to carry camping gear into more remote spots in Scotland for wild camping. So fatter lower pressure tyres, attachment points for panniers, mudguards etc, gears that can cope with steepness when burdened. However, a bike that would also be okay on the roads, such as for commuting to work, and for some touring in areas where we are likely to be doing roads and tracks.

I've been saving for a while and my budget is up to £1500, and that can include the 20% one LBS has offered off RRP.

The bike wheels in this article vary from 28mm to 35mm with clearence topping out at 35mm in some frames, to 50mm in others. LBS have also recommended Giant Toughroad SLR1, which comes with 50mm tyres and the Trek 920 which comes with 2" wheels, and both featured in "Cycling's" recommended adventure bikes. Some only have single front chain rings and big rear cassettes... ...what's this like? I have a well used Giant OCR2 from 2005 which I've upgraded over the years, and am used to the drop handlebars, but while I've frequently used it for commuting, the lack of pannier rack eyelets and lack of mudguards is a real pain! Some of these bikes have flat bars, some have dropped. Some are full steel, some are Alu Alloy with Carbon forks. Brakes vary too. Some are using MTB type groupsets, others are using road type. Some bikes come with higher end groupsets, some with entry-level. Almost every area is variable.

I live in Dundee, how far am I going to have to travel to actually be able to try any of these bikes out? What are your experiences and recommendations? I currently only commute a couple of miles, but we're renting, and have previously commuted 15miles, and this is likely again. How much does this affect choice? How much are tyres swappable? Trail wise, I've hired heavy MTBikes to do some extreme trails, e.g. from Braemar to Grantown, via Feshie, but also used bikes to follow good trails into say the bottom of Ben Avon, or the good paths around Loch Muick etc.

Any advice really appreciated, especially accounts of your experience, as well as recommendations.

Many thanks.

In reply to Jimbo W:

Surly Cross Check.

In reply to Jimbo W:

You'll get a very good bike for that money - you don't necessarily need to spend that much to get out on adventures. I have a now rather well used Boardman cyclocross bike that I have used for all the things you say (and even to do some CX races - I generally came near the back buts that's me not the bike). I don't think there is a huge difference between cheaper CX bikes (which are used far more for commuting and gravel riding than for CX racing it seems) and the new specific gravel bikes. On cheaper bikes the brakes might feel a bit disappointing if you are used to hydraulic disks on an MTB, for my next CX/gravel/commuter bike I will definitely want hydraulics - but you should be able to get a bike with that for your price range. I've got BB5s on mine and they are good when set up perfectly but need lots of adjustment to stay like that. BB7s are said to be much better but still not as good as hydraulics.

Consider going down the bikepacking route for carrying gear, then you don't need pannier racks: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UBYmWMa5yj8/UqRQpCGYebI/AAAAAAAAG5A/Z0G9GO-UwQM/s... Alpkit does all the bags you need for a reasonable price (they aren't super cheap but they are individually made in their factory in Nottinghamshire and not mass produced in the far east). If you do any backpacking already, you may well have lots of lightweight gear that works well for bikepacking too.

Lots of pics on my blog under bikepacking: http://lightfromthenorth.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/bikepacking It might give you some ideas on how you can tour with light gear without needing panniers.

In reply to Jimbo W:

If you're planning to commute, then consider whether you can fit mid guards. Bigger tyres need bigger guards.
There is a fashion for bigger tyres. I probably wouldn't vary the size much from what is fitted to the wheels, but you can swap between nobbly soft road tyres and puncture-proof commuter / road tyres.
I've got a hybrid which I was using on a 30 mile round-trip commute. It coped ok with rough paths, although I did crash last last week on soft sand.
I'm not convinced the front suspension adds anything other than weight.
Gravel bikes look like a great option. A few at work have them from Planet-X (London road?).
Great bike for the price but the warranty situation isn't great.
I've got a Boardman hybrid. It's heavy but I love it.
Good spec and build, but Halfords are useless.

In reply to Jimbo W:

Ah I feel for you living in Dundee. Thinking about a new bike myself and the LBSs here are limited. You could try a trip down to Edinburgh?

Something that might fit your bill is the Ribble CGR?
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-cgr/

Though not sure if you want the ability to fit >35mm tyres

David

In reply to Jimbo W:

Some of their stores are pretty woeful, but if you can get to an Evans Cycles there might be a few options for you to try. Their own-brand Pinnacle Arkose is very well regarded and you will not get a better spec for your money.

In reply to Jimbo W:
I've just (as in on Friday) got a Whyte Friston. Alu frame, SRAM 1x11 gearing (38T up front, 11-42 back, so v low gears), hydro discs, internal cabling etc. Tubeless 40mm tyres, full rack/guard mounts. I don't know much about geometry but it handled ok on a short off-road ride yesterday.

£1599, but I got it on bike to work so will cost me less than that.

In reply to Jimbo W:


Get a moutainbike off ebay for £500, then spend the other thousand on tweaking handlebars and seat so it fits, buying a pair of slicks for the commuting and touring you plan on doing and on petrol to get you to more biking!

In reply to Jimbo W:

For fear of beginning to sound like a stuck record, Cotic Escapade. I've had one for a year now. Is it the lightest? No, it's steel. But is it a fun bike - hell yes. I was out again this weekend and simply put I feel confident enough with it to put it down most of what I used to ride on MTB's. I have mine set up with a pair of their wheels, Velo Orange Dajia Sweep bars, Shimano XT Shadow 1x10 speed, Microshift BS-M10 bar end shifter, Sun Race 11-42 cassette, 30mm Michelin Mud Pros, although want to swap these to a 40 of 45 tyre this summer to go tubless with either a WTB Nano or Riddler 45. It's a really chuckable frame, with nice steel flex for comfort and will take abuse.

I've ridden in the alps on high alpine trails, done nice road rides, scooted around the forests playing on fire tracks and single track - honestly the most fun bike I've owned. To get 1x you'd have to self build but hey... or buy the Sora equipped version and you'll have money to tweak it...