Testing bike types

mark a. · Post by **mark a.** » 2 Apr 2008, 5:01pm

Hi all - I'm a fairly long-time lurker but I think this is my first post.

I only have one, cheap commuter bike but I'd like to buy something for evenings and weekends.

I've recently been able to try out mountain biking which has been great fun. It's been easy - hire a fairly decent bike and razz around some singletrack for a couple of hours. I'm tempted just to go and buy a decent mountain bike and keep on doing that.

However, I don't know whether I might prefer either touring or pure road cycling. However, it seems impossible to hire a road bike (or indeed hire a tourer for a few days!) so I've no idea whether I'd like it or not.

Basically, I have around £500 to spend on a bike and I'm not sure if I'd get the most enjoyment out of a mountain bike, tourer or racer!

How do people get to try out bikes long-term?

hubgearfreak · Post by **hubgearfreak** » 2 Apr 2008, 5:27pm

are you near lincoln?

reohn2 · Post by **reohn2** » 2 Apr 2008, 5:36pm

Thorn sell bikes on 14day approval no questions asked.

horizon · Post by **horizon** » 2 Apr 2008, 6:23pm

mark a. wrote:Basically, I have around £500 to spend on a bike and I'm not sure if I'd get the most enjoyment out of a mountain bike, tourer or racer!

How do people get to try out bikes long-term?

mark: you might well get enjoyment from all three, as many cyclists do and if you've got the space it's not a daft idea to have all three (car owners take up double that amount of space with just one car).

To stay within budget, why not get a couple of older but well branded bikes off ebay (or this message board) and see how you get on. Given that many people here would be loath to give up any one of their bikes even after years of cycling tells you that two weeks is not enough.

Another idea is to conflate two choices e.g. a fairly standard, hard tail MTB that could double as a tourer or a light audax tourer that could give you some of the fun of the racer. In time you will probably find out where your true love lies, but then again maybe not....

hubgearfreak · Post by **hubgearfreak** » 2 Apr 2008, 6:59pm

you can never have too many bikes.

i am currently trying to persuade SWMBO that i currently have one less than i need :lol:

Andy_M · Post by **Andy_M** » 2 Apr 2008, 7:19pm

hubgearfreak wrote:you can never have too many bikes.

i am currently trying to persuade SWMBO that i currently have one less than i need

Doesn't everyone always have one less bike than they need?

reohn2 · Post by **reohn2** » 2 Apr 2008, 7:25pm

Andy_M wrote:
hubgearfreak wrote:you can never have too many bikes.

i am currently trying to persuade SWMBO that i currently have one less than i need

Doesn't everyone always have one less bike than they need?

Of course!

hubgearfreak · Post by **hubgearfreak** » 2 Apr 2008, 8:08pm

not according to mrs HGF, 5 is quite enough

mark a. · Post by **mark a.** » 2 Apr 2008, 11:09pm

I'd love to be able to own 5 bikes, but I don't have the funds or shed space!

So, if I can only have one, what would be the best way of finding out the "best buy" for me? Obviously this will be with the view that I'll be buying more bikes in the future...!

essexman · Post by **essexman** » 2 Apr 2008, 11:18pm

You could try hiring bikes for a touring holiday and for a mountain biking holiday. Decide which you like the best and go from there.

Post by **Mick F** » 2 Apr 2008, 11:23pm

mark a. wrote:I'd love to be able to own 5 bikes, but I don't have the funds or shed space!

How many bikes can one ride at once?

Is having more than one bike a sort of bigamy?

Bodie · Post by **Bodie** » 2 Apr 2008, 11:53pm

Mick F wrote:
mark a. wrote:I'd love to be able to own 5 bikes, but I don't have the funds or shed space!

How many bikes can one ride at once?

Is having more than one bike a sort of bigamy?

Dunno, but only having one bike is a tragedy.....

aesmith · Post by **aesmith** » 3 Apr 2008, 8:51am

My view, unless you're planning to carry significant luggage, forget the full-blown tourer option. A light tourer or Audax type bike can still carry a bit of luggage and will be more fun to ride unladen. That would suit more riding for the fun of riding, rather than riding to travel.

One question for you .. do you need to ride on unmade tracks, like some rural cycle paths? Depends what exists round your way. My road bike on 25mm tyres isn't that happy on gravel tracks.

horizon · Post by **horizon** » 3 Apr 2008, 12:20pm

mark a. wrote:I'd love to be able to own 5 bikes, but I don't have the funds or shed space!

So, if I can only have one, what would be the best way of finding out the "best buy" for me? Obviously this will be with the view that I'll be buying more bikes in the future...!

mark, it really is horses for courses. You cannot do everything with just one bike and if space is at a premium you will have to choose. You can easily buy one bike at a time (new or secondhand) and sell it on. By the way you do have the funds for two bikes but not the best in their field. The easiest bike to hire, as you say, is an MTB but you could also borrow a bike from a friend. Personally I think the way things are going, you should get a good hybrid or a tri-cross bike which I think will satisfy most of your yearnings.

mark a. · Post by **mark a.** » 3 Apr 2008, 7:06pm

I like the idea of an intermediate tri-cross bike or similar. Then it would give me a good midpoint between full-blown racer and full-blown tourer. Then somewhere down the line I can specialise into whichever area I enjoy the most. I'd still have to get a MTB as well, though!

I'd be travelling on local roads but also canal towpaths and gravel tracks, but nothing major.

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Testing bike types

Testing bike types

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