£800 bike

[newtotouring]

Hi

I have £800 to spend on a new bike. It'll be used mostly for commuting and weekend rides and for a few days touring each year.

I have been thinking of a Croix de Fer 10 or something similar. Any helpful views/reviews of other folk's similar bikes would be most welcome to help me decide.

Thanks

[Brucey]

I'm sure it is a nice bike but there are lots of alternatives. It struck me that the ridgeback touring bikes seemed like good value recently; pretty competent as they come and with specs that are worth upgrading over time. BTW Madison own both Ridgeback and Genesis brands.

Ridgeback voyage here

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m1b0s21p3200/RIDGEBACK-Voyage

cracking value at £750 IMHO,

and from the same place if you spring for another couple of hundred quid you can get spa cycles own touring bike which is a really nice machine, that comes with a proper (Tubus cargo) rear rack. Worth a day out if only because you are likely to come away better informed and with a very good idea of what size bike will really fit you.

cheers

[Si]

Hi,

CdF10s are generally reckoned to be a good no-nonsense bike capable of several different roles. Not the fastest bike on the planet thanks to steel frame and disc brakes, but comfortable, reliable, and robust. I'd certainly have one if I was looking.

There's the marin 4 corners...very similar to the CdF but a bit more upright and robust.

You might also consider something like the Evans Pinacle Arkrose (or however you spell it, and if they still do one at this price). Again, a good jack of many trades at a reasonable price. Although this one is Alu so lighter but some will say that steel is stronger/more comfortable (that's an argument for a different thread!).

If you want something a bit cheaper than look at the touring bikes that people like dawes do without disc brakes, e.g. low end dawes galaxy, or ridgeback Tour ; for what you describe you don't really need disc brakes, although good disc brakes do make me feel more assured in the really bad weather.

Whatever you go for make sure that you can have a proper test ride and that you get one that you feel comfortable on!

[Bonefishblues]

The Kona Rove is a slightly cheaper alternative to the CdF 10. (Or a significantly more expensive one, depending on model, of course...)

ETA
And if you found a pound or several more, then Evans have just launched a new en vogue gravel/road bike:

https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-py ... e-EV306269

But of course someone (amongst many) got there first, arguably:

https://www.alpkit.com/sonder/sonder-camino-alloy

[whoof]

If you are small you can get one from £630
https://www.biketart.com/bikes-c1/cyclo ... gJDnfD_BwE

You might also want to consider a Verenti Substance from Wiggle it has the possibility of a slightly lower gearing as it has a 32 t inner chain-ring rather than the Genesis's 34t which might be useful if touring. I know the Genesis has a 34 t cassette and the Verenti a 32 t but the cassette is easier to change at a later date.
£490 with Sora
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/verenti-substan ... -navy-52c/
and
£545 with Tiagra
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/verenti-substan ... ike-green/
Wiggle also do the Ride to Work schem on sale bikes.

[newtotouring]

Brilliant. Thanks for the suggestions and if anyone has anymore to contribute please keep the ideas coming. Looks like I have plenty of research to do!

[newtotouring]

Has anyone got a Verenti Substance? I've read varying reports on them so wasn't sure what to make of them.

[Username]

I'm sure it is a nice bike but there are lots of alternatives. It struck me that the ridgeback touring bikes seemed like good value recently; pretty competent as they come and with specs that are worth upgrading over time. BTW Madison own both Ridgeback and Genesis brands.

Ridgeback voyage here

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m1b0s21p3200/RIDGEBACK-Voyage

cracking value at £750 IMHO,

and from the same place if you spring for another couple of hundred quid you can get spa cycles own touring bike which is a really nice machine, that comes with a proper (Tubus cargo) rear rack. Worth a day out if only because you are likely to come away better informed and with a very good idea of what size bike will really fit you.

cheers

In other words "a bit rubbish". If it was good then there'd be nowt to upgrade.

[Brucey]

In other words "a bit rubbish". If it was good then there'd be nowt to upgrade.

I think you are missing the point. Stuff wears out and gets replaced as time goes on. There are few well-used bikes that are ten or fifteen years old that have even half of their original parts remaining. You have a choice about what you buy as replacements for these parts that wear out.

If you start with a POS machine then it really doesn't make sense to add best quality parts; the bike will still be rubbish regardless. For example I saw an inexpensive Raleigh road bike the other day which had been fitted with a Dura-Ace chainset; this chainset was worth more than the rest of the bike put together and it would not have made the slightest difference to the way the bike worked, it would still have been rubbish. In fact you could have fitted an entire DA groupset and the bike would still have been junk because the frame and fork were just not particularly good. That is a good example of a bike that isn't worth upgrading as time goes on.

However if you have a bike that is of adequate quality to start with then as bits wear out you can spend a bit more and it isn't so horribly out of place. The ridgeback voyage is a good case in point; it is all very competent and there is nothing on it that I would turn my nose up at, with the possible exception of the rear rack; if I intended to carry a hefty load I'd probably want something better. However as bits wear out then I'd happily fit slightly better parts and it wouldn't be a waste of money; for example if the rear mech got trashed then I'd happily fit an XT one or something and it wouldn't be out of place.

cheers

[djnotts]

For that money you could with a little patience buy a really good used machine. Just an example from this very Forum

viewtopic.php?f=40&t=120024

Not mine!

[John_S]

Hi newtotouring,

In addition to all of the advice, tips and bike suggestions that have been posted above I'd also try to get along to as many local bikes shops as possible and try to get some test rides on as many different bikes as possible to see what works for you. There are limitations to this such as whether a test ride is long enough to give you an idea of what it'll be like to ride all day long or what a bike would be like from a handling perspective when loaded up with the commuting or touring gear that you plan to use. However getting test rides on as many different bikes as possible can't do any harm.

Following on from the recommendations from Brucey above if you're anywhere near Harrogate then getting along to Spa Cycles would be a great idea to see what they have, get some advice and take some test rides.

I wasn't sure where in the country you are but if you're not near Harrogate and were anywhere near Cambridge then perhaps Chris Bikes might be worth a visit because they do some bikes that are good for commuting and touring such as the vsf fahrradmanufaktur bikes. Or Townsends Light Blue Cycle Centre do Light Blue Bikes are well as having some other brands such as Surly and maybe something from their ranges might suit you.

If you get to some LBS you might find something from a 2017 range or an ex demo or ex display bike which might bring some bikes that you'd not previously considered within your budget.

Good luck searching for the right bike for you!

John

[JohnW]

I know that, at £985, the Spa steel tourer is out of budget, but for me - and for many reasons - that would be my choice. Workmanlike, dependable, robust, serviceable and whilst it does look good, no pointless fancy frippery. Several of my cycling colleagues have them without issues. Spa have made slight alterations of specification for some - to suit them.

Each to their own though.

[Cyril Haearn]

I'm sure it is a nice bike but there are lots of alternatives. It struck me that the ridgeback touring bikes seemed like good value recently; pretty competent as they come and with specs that are worth upgrading over time. BTW Madison own both Ridgeback and Genesis brands.

Ridgeback voyage here

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m1b0s21p3200/RIDGEBACK-Voyage

cracking value at £750 IMHO,

and from the same place if you spring for another couple of hundred quid you can get spa cycles own touring bike which is a really nice machine, that comes with a proper (Tubus cargo) rear rack. Worth a day out if only because you are likely to come away better informed and with a very good idea of what size bike will really fit you.

cheers

In other words "a bit rubbish". If it was good then there'd be nowt to upgrade.

Nothing is so good that it can not be made better
Nothing is so bad that it can not be made worse
Welsh saying

[newtotouring]

Thanks again to everyone for their contributions.

I like the look of that Ridgeback Voyage, nice low gearing.

Does anyone know what the biggest tyre you could get on there is?

Would 35mm fit?

Thanks again.

[Vorpal]

For that money you could with a little patience buy a really good used machine.

The last time I spent that kind of money on a bike, that's exactly what I did.