Author Topic: Looking for a bike, would love to hear some opinions.  (Read 2178 times)

Morat

  • I tried to HTFU but something went ping :(
Looking for a bike, would love to hear some opinions.
« on: 17 August, 2018, 01:11:51 pm »
Well, I'm hoping to help my wife find a bike. She did ask, so I need to find some options!
After doing some Breeze rides she's keen to get a road bike. Sadly, she has quite a bad back (slipped disk in her youth which never fully healed) and seems very prone to Schirmer's neck type symptoms after quite a short time. So she got a bike fit and has a "prescription" which basically boils down to an endurance style bike with a high-ish front end.
 
She's tall and has been advised that a 56cm Men's frame is about right, subject to making all the other measurements work with narrow bars, stem adjustment etc. The shop that did the fit mainly stocks Trek and unsurprisingly that's what they recommended but it came on 700c 25mm tyres with rim brakes and a 34/28 lowest gear. I don't have the full fit details here, but what I'm really asking for is whether anyone could think of a bike that takes wide tyres for comfort and ideally some nice low gears* for a novice on the hills. Disk brakes would help as the neck problem also affects her arms and squeezing hard on brake levers can trigger discomfort. Frame material is immaterial, as long as the overall effect is a comfy yet efficient bike.

Fast handling TdF lookalikey bikes are definitely out, but something a bit more stable and confidence building would be good.
As for price, cheaper is better :) The magic £1k is probably realistic. However, if 0% finance comes into the picture we could go higher to get hydro disks.

Would anyone care to share some ideas? It would be very much appreciated.
To start the ball rolling, I did look at the Kona Rove NRB (link to Tredz https://tinyurl.com/ycugudv7) but it seems a bit steep for Tiagra and I already have a lime green Kona. I don't think the "His N Hers" look would be appreciated!

Thanks!

*I'm thinking subcompact/triple here. We have some nasty hills nearby and being more of a sprinter** she hates hills.
** Not a euphemism this time! She was a 12s 100m runner as a girl.
Everyone's favourite windbreak

Re: Looking for a bike, would love to hear some opinions.
« Reply #1 on: 17 August, 2018, 02:27:06 pm »
The key numbers you need from the "fit" are stack and reach. This is why: https://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/your-top-tube-length-is-irrelevant-50174/
Once you have those numbers, you can hunt around online for bikes that take your (wife's) fancy and see if you they will fit (spacers/stem can probably deal with a cm or 2 either way).

There are loads of "endurance" geometry bikes out there, while the geo might be the same, some are more racey in attitude than others. Mine (Cube Attain GTC disc - see here https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes/road-bikes/cube-attain-gtc-pro-disc-2017-carbon-road-bike-grey_373882?origin=pla&kwd=&currency=GBP&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5NnbBRDaARIsAJP-YR_yw7nL7lMZHb4f2qW9WDiZTG2DSttwb-GlWkKdG7icdZ0FBF2peBEaAlnuEALw_wcB ) is on the more racey end of the spectrum and has no eyelets and a limit of 28mm tyres. The other end is probably a full on tourer with eyelets and mudguards and big tyres. In between there tend to be a load of "gravel" bikes, though that also encompasses more racey type bikes as well. The Rove you picked is interesting because it's got 650B wheels - was that intentional? :)


T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Looking for a bike, would love to hear some opinions.
« Reply #2 on: 18 August, 2018, 07:09:29 am »
I'd put more money into frame & transmission than disks.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Looking for a bike, would love to hear some opinions.
« Reply #3 on: 18 August, 2018, 07:47:37 am »
Well, I'm hoping to help my wife find a bike. She did ask, so I need to find some options!
After doing some Breeze rides she's keen to get a road bike. Sadly, she has quite a bad back (slipped disk in her youth which never fully healed) and seems very prone to Schirmer's neck type symptoms after quite a short time.

Have you considered the Dark Side?

For the brake lever thing, the first thing to do to lighten the force would be not to use drop bar levers.  Having to apply all the force from the wrong end in the most commonly used hand position can't help.  Once you've done that (MTB levers, or bullhorns or something) hydraulic would seem to be the best way to reduce the force at the lever.  Usually that means discs, but don't discount Magura hydraulic rim brakes.  Consider whether unfashionable 4-finger levers are a benefit over the more common 2-finger kind.

bludger

  • Randonneur and bargain hunter
Re: Looking for a bike, would love to hear some opinions.
« Reply #4 on: 18 August, 2018, 09:45:31 am »
The cheapest Canyon women's endurance comes in at £800 and has Tiagra 50/34 + 11/32 as its stock gearing.

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/road/endurace/endurace-wmn-al-6-0.html

If you paid for a bike fit on top of that it could be perfect.

A year ago this bike was going new for a grand so £800 is much cheaper than its original retail price, and it reviews very well

https://www.bikeradar.com/women/gear/category/bikes/road/product/canyon-endurace-wmn-al-60-51182/

It's a shame there's not a version with discs though.

My guess is the frame will accommodate 28mm tyres but caveat emptor! I run 28s on my utility bike they're a really comfortable tyre. If you flogged the conti grand prix's on the internet unworn (they come with the bike) that'd probably leave you in profit if you swapped them out with some 28s off Planet X.
YACF touring/audax bargain basement:
https://bit.ly/2Xg8pRD



Ban cars.

Morat

  • I tried to HTFU but something went ping :(
Re: Looking for a bike, would love to hear some opinions.
« Reply #5 on: 18 August, 2018, 12:33:45 pm »
Thank you! There are some really useful posts here. I'm not sure she'd go for the Dark Side as all the other Breeze Riders are on Upwrongs. I can make the suggestion.

I've dug the bikefit out of the depths of an inbox and there's loads of numbers. However, it looks like handlebar stack is 75.5cm (77cm saddle height - 1.5cm bar to saddle drop) and somewhat dissapointingly, all the numbers that would help me calculate reach are blank. I think I'll be asking them to supply the missing data.



Everyone's favourite windbreak

Re: Looking for a bike, would love to hear some opinions.
« Reply #6 on: 19 August, 2018, 03:09:30 pm »
re brakes, unless fitted with oversized discs (which not all machines will accept), mechanical disc brakes (in the dry) offer little improvement over V brakes in terms of effort vs retardation.  Importantly if you are set on having a bike with dropped bars but the drops/hoods won't be used all the time, any cable operated brake (rim or disc) can be fitted with interrupter levers on the tops. You can get V brake versions of these levers.

Having the choice of using fatter tyres is a good idea; why not choose a bike that will accept them?

Thus I'd choose a road/gravel bike with cable operated brakes and dropped bars, or I'd think about converting a hybrid (much cheaper to start with) with a suitably short top tube to accept revised handlebars (flats with bar ends/extensions, or drops).

 If you sidestep the tyranny of STIs then dropped bars can be equipped with separate brake levers and shifters. I find it just as handy (for the sort of riding I do these days) to have the shifters in reach of the tops as anywhere else. With a little cunning you can mount flat bar shifter pods on an accessory bracket near the tops if you like, which is handy for converting some hybrids. Or there are bar end shifters or even special brackets that mount levers such as Pauls or Kellys.

If there has been a break for a length of time, any new bike is liable to be an experiment. Bearing this in mind, it might make sense to build a 'mule' of some kind to use until the corretc riding position etc is found. That way you won't have painted yourself into a corner.

cheers

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Looking for a bike, would love to hear some opinions.
« Reply #7 on: 19 August, 2018, 06:38:02 pm »
Probably the easiest way to optimise hand positions on a hybrid is butterfly bars: They give you more positions than bar-ends, the existing mountain bike controls just swap over, and you avoid the potential reach issues of putting drops on a bike designed for flats.  The down side is that it can be tricky to find butterflies in a size other than Too Wide.  If width is an issue then a straight flat bar with posher Ergon bar-ends might be a better bet.

Re: Looking for a bike, would love to hear some opinions.
« Reply #8 on: 19 August, 2018, 06:41:18 pm »
The cheapest Canyon women's endurance comes in at £800 and has Tiagra 50/34 + 11/32 as its stock gearing.

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/road/endurace/endurace-wmn-al-6-0.html

If you paid for a bike fit on top of that it could be perfect.

A year ago this bike was going new for a grand so £800 is much cheaper than its original retail price, and it reviews very well

https://www.bikeradar.com/women/gear/category/bikes/road/product/canyon-endurace-wmn-al-60-51182/

It's a shame there's not a version with discs though.


There's this one, though it's >£1K and 105 rather than Tiagra:

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/road/endurace/endurace-wmn-al-disc-7-0.html


Morat

  • I tried to HTFU but something went ping :(
Re: Looking for a bike, would love to hear some opinions.
« Reply #9 on: 19 August, 2018, 08:56:07 pm »
Those Canyons look lovely.
I'll have to get hold of the the reach numbers on the bike fit and see how things compare.
Thanks for the tips, everyone. There's a lot to consider!
I think Brucey's idea of iterating is a very sensible option (and more bikes are better, of course!)
Ho hum. Time to get the full fitting info and ponder.
Thanks again!
Everyone's favourite windbreak

Re: Looking for a bike, would love to hear some opinions.
« Reply #10 on: 19 August, 2018, 09:05:16 pm »
I'm very pleased with my Giant ToughRoad, and I notice they're on offer - https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/take-the-toughroad

The clearances are fuckign huge - Ivan at the LBS reckons it'll take 2" tyres. I have the 2x9 Sora version, which has been fine over plenty of rough stuff and on-road stuff. The gearing is 48/32 at the front and goes down to a 34-tooth at the rear. All versions come with carbon forks and seatpost, and all that changes is the gearing and brakes - the brakes on mine are Giant's hybrid hydraulics (cables to the front of the stem, then hydraulic all the way down). No problems so far, though there are two potential failure points there.

It has pretty much all the braze-ons you could want. It's not light (especially as I've got a dynohub and mudguards with epic flaps fitted), but it's a good all-rounder.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Looking for a bike, would love to hear some opinions.
« Reply #11 on: 19 August, 2018, 10:42:11 pm »
<This is not a recommendation.>
I love what it says about weight in the specs of those Giant Toughroads.
Quote
The most accurate way to determine any bike’s weight is to have your local dealer weigh it for you.
<This has not been a recommendation.>
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Looking for a bike, would love to hear some opinions.
« Reply #12 on: 20 August, 2018, 09:58:59 am »
Fat tyred gravel bikes (not to be confused with fat bikes) with an appropriate tyre choice are the way to go for many people who have no interest in racing but want a combination of comfort and the ability to get to places reasonably quickly

Mrs trekker rides hers everywhere in considerable comfort.
Duct tape is magic and should be worshipped

Morat

  • I tried to HTFU but something went ping :(
Re: Looking for a bike, would love to hear some opinions.
« Reply #13 on: 24 August, 2018, 10:18:34 pm »
Everyone's favourite windbreak