New bicycle

[cc1085]

Having suddenly arrived in my 70's I think I need a lighter (not E-bike) bicycle. I use it for most things like shopping, day trips to beach etc. It must have upright 'bars, hydraulic disc brakes and a decent saddle and room for bar bag and occasional panniers. Any advice??
Thanks
Thom

[Grandad]

What is the weight of your current setup?

[mattsccm]

Can't be very precise but I have just cycled past my local hire centre. Saw an ineresting looking Marin. Flat bars, discs etc . No idea what but I bet Google can help.

[mattsccm]

Can't be very precise but I have just cycled past my local hire centre. Saw an ineresting looking Marin. Flat bars, discs etc . No idea what but I bet Google can help.

[mattsccm]

several here. Can't be sure which I saw.
https://www.marinbikes.com/gb/bikes/frame/flat-bar

[MikeF]

Having suddenly arrived in my 70's I think I need a lighter (not E-bike) bicycle. I use it for most things like shopping, day trips to beach etc. It must have upright 'bars, hydraulic disc brakes and a decent saddle and room for bar bag and occasional panniers. Any advice??
Thanks
Thom

I find I need lower gears or least have them available on the bike. Maybe that is an option for you rather than a new bike. If you are carrying shopping etc the bike weight is not that important unless you have a really heavy bike. By upright bars do you mean flat bars? How far are your day trips to the beach - for me it would be around 60miles return journey. Is your bike set up for optimum ease of pedalling?

[JJF]

cc1085 might consider Islabikes Joni. It seems to fit the requirements he described. However, at a glance I wonder if the hydraulic brake actuation mechanism would impede a bar bag.

[cc1085]

Thank you all for taking the time and interest to reply.
I have a Giant Escape M1 since 2008 and it has been absolutely perfect. Covered thousands of miles and is totally reliable. The reason I have it so long is I could never find a better one. The weight is about 15-16 kilos. with everything for daily travel. I'll just have to keep looking and enjoy what I have in the meantime
Thom

[toontra]

Your Giant Escape M1 looks like a really nice bike! Personally I'm a fan of the smaller 26" wheels for urban/leisure use and with the right tyres are fairly bombproof.

As others have said, I'm not sure aiming for less weight will get you much of a bonus, and could be quite expensive. A lighter frameset would creep up in weight once you start adding on your extras. In any case, weight is only really a factor when climbing above certain gradients.

If you like your current setup then lower gearing (smaller chainrings) could be the way to go?

[cycle tramp]

Um... sorry to have to ask, but to what aims?

....I go shopping with my bike. If I add something like 10 or 15 kg of goods, then it is the same bicycle only heavier... there is little point in me shopping with a lightweight bicycle which when loaded fails to steer with any accuracy when loaded..

...the limitation of any performance obtainable by bicycle is due to aerodynamics and not weight. To cycle at 20mph demands I produce 8 times the power than if I was to cycle at 10 mph.
I cycle in an upright position and my performance tends to depend on the direction and speed of the wind...

Rather than go for weight may I suggest the focus is shifted to reducing rolling resistance, which is mostly dependent on tyres

[djnotts]

At a guess your current Giant is approx 11-12 kgs naked. Anything that is set up to carry luggage will be at least 9-10. Plus the racks, bags, etc. Not sure if the M1 came with mtb or road drive chain - if the latter changing to the former will help with gearing.
I agree with "lighter" rather than "electric" - I keep my carbon roadie for when I want to pretend I am going fast! I can only manage 40+ miles when I take that bike, so pretty much what a much more expensive electric would do.

[MikeF]

Tyre choice also makes a big difference to pedalling effort. Something else to consider.

[AndyK]

I quite like the Trek FX range - fairly light (for the money) hybrid bikes that handle well and are pleasant to ride. The current models include the "FX 3 Disc Equipped" which comes complete with mudguards and rear rack and a claimed weight of 13.2Kg including those add-ons, so perhaps a couple of Kg lighter than your current model. Worth a test ride if there's a Trek dealer near you.

[Jamesh]

Most manufacturers do a hybrid version of thier road bikes.

Ribble, boardman, planet X all do.

What you need to look for is double butted tubing.

Cheers James

[Bonzo Banana]

The Giant Escape M1 looks like a fully rigid mountain bike setup as a heavy duty urban bike. It's a class of bike that has almost been lost at lower pricing although Halfords still do the Carrera Subway which is very similar with 27.5" wheels. There is also a Carrera Subway ebike version which you can get a free trial of for up to 6 hours at Halfords.

You can get hybrid models that will be 2 or 3 kg lighter than the Giant but then they may not be as strong and might need more frequent maintenance and wear out components faster. Lightweight thinner tyres will wear faster and thinner 700c wheels especially if with a low spoke count will be easier to knock out of true.

I must admit in your situation I'd be tempted to fit the Giant with an ebike motor kit. It looks perfect for a conversion and you can ride it with as much or as little power assist as you want.