A 'gravel hybrid' please

[ncutler]

Too many holes in the road for comfort!
For the last 15 tears I have been happily riding round our Lancashire lanes on a Paul Hewitt 'Chiltern' (https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes ... rn-review/): a nice conventional steel 'audax' bike that has suited me very well. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it except that 25mm tyres are not coping too well with the dreadful state of our roads.
I'd be tempted by a 'gravel' bike except that I hate dropped bars and wonder if there might be something suitable hiding amongst the legions of hybrids ? It doesn't have to be a complete bike: I'm quite happy to build up a frame and wheelset. I don't want anything too sedate and stodgy, I do want mudguards and a small saddlebag for my lunch.
Any thoughts ?

[Richard Fairhurst]

Genesis do a flat-bar Croix de Fer. The Croix is less full on gravelly than some but rides very nicely on rough roads and tracks, just not the full on MTBy stuff.

[Nearholmer]

The Pinnacle Lithium that I’m forever recommending works as a light gravel bike if you change the tyres and pedals (both are plasticky junk as supplied), and it’s incredibly hood value for money. It has a 3x gearing, so the range to cope with very varying conditions. Personally, I wouldn’t put it through lots of really rough, stony ground, or very bumpy bridleways in dry weather for long periods, because the aluminium fork on the latest model doesn’t look the toughest a to me. Try for size before buying, because it is a surprisingly long-fronted bike - I let mine go quite quickly because I always felt over-stretched on it, but my OH’s older one fits her to a tee and seems as good today as it was when new a decade ago.

The trouble with quite a few hybrids is that they are ‘town geared’ and/or don’t have clearance for wider tyres, but if you look carefully you might find others that have a wide range and low bottom gear.

A ‘real’ flat bar gravel bike, one that can probably take a serious beating, is the one I’ve got now: the Genesis Croix de Fer FB20, all steel and a really beautifully put together bike. I got the FB20 in a sale (it’s quite pricey at list price compared with most hybrids) and there still seem to be a lot at sale price, so I think it’s a model that hasn’t done well because flat bar gravel bikes aren’t very fashionable (see my other thread about trying to get comfortable on them if you’re used to drops!). Definitely not a stodgy ride, but being steel not a super-light bike.

A lot depends on how much of a bashing the bike will get, and how much you are able to spend, but for your own sanity I’d advocate hydraulic disc brakes if you intend anything but really flat and gentle off road, because it’s kinder to your hands; both of the above recommendations have good ones.

Pinnacle Lithium (tyres up to 50mm) and CdF FB20 (tyres up to 45mm):

[slowster]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with it except that 25mm tyres are not coping too well with the dreadful state of our roads.

If, rather than a modern style disc braked and possibly carbon forked bike, you would prefer a bike that is largely like your Hewitt but with clearance for wider tyres for poor roads, the Soma Pescadero might fit the bill. £808 from the UK importer, although currently on back order.

https://www.somafab.com/archives/produc ... frame-set#

https://southerndistributors.co.uk/prod ... -frameset/

According to Soma it will take 35mm with mudguards and 38mm without. I would like to know what the clearance between tyre and mudguard would be with 35mm, but I suspect it is no worse than the current clearance on your Hewitt.

I think you would probably be able to transfer many of the parts from your Hewitt, possibly including the wheels if the rims are wide enough for the tyres you want.

[TrevA]

My wife swapped her touring bike for a Trek FX2. Acera groupset mostly but with hydraulic disc brakes. She’s had it 4-5 years and it’s been a great all-rounder for slower road rides and canal towpaths. She paid £400 but they are about £550 now. She’s currently got 38mm Marathons on it, you could possibly go a bit wider.

[gcogger]

I guess it depends on how much you want to spend, what max tyre size you need, and many other things. One that springs to mind for me (because I own the older version) is the Trek FX3:
https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bike ... d/p/35107/
Max 35mm tyres with mudguards or 38mm without, which may be too narrow?

[Pinhead]

I have two bikes, a Saracen and a Reynolds 853 steel frame Sanderson life

The Sanderson (NOW E converted) , framed one is much more comfortable than the alloy off road, gragfvel etc.

https://activesport.co/Sanderson-Life-2 ... tail-frame

[MartinC]

.....According to Soma it will take 35mm with mudguards and 38mm without. I would like to know what the clearance between tyre and mudguard would be with 35mm, but I suspect it is no worse than the current clearance on your Hewitt.......

I have a Pescadero. 32's have plenty of clearance, 35's are OK but you'd be in the area where the rim width and the actual tyre dimensions might edge you into wanting a bit more clearance to be totally happy, depends on your view of enough.

You'd also need some deep drop brakes. The tektro 73mm drop ones are good 'cos the shoes are high in the slots and have lots of MA.

I bought mine a couple of years ago when they were £500. £808 would make me wince a bit now.

[Nearholmer]

Surly Preamble; I don’t think they make the Crosscheck any longer.

[PH]

Too many holes in the road for comfort!
For the last 15 tears I have been happily riding round our Lancashire lanes on a Paul Hewitt 'Chiltern'
<SNIP>
I hate dropped bars and wonder if there might be something suitable hiding amongst the legions of hybrids ?

Have you been riding the Chiltern with straight bars? If so and you've been happy with that, there's no need for you to be looking for a dedicated straight bar frame. In which case, you're spoilt for choice, though you need to narrow it down for useful specific recommendations, wheel size, tyre width, gearing, brakes, budget would be a good start.

[willcee]

A good friend has recently done the same as the contributors here and on my advice looked at the Decathlon Triban, and jumped on board, he has had some issues health wise and after a beautiful Spa 753 Build and the poor road conditions in addition to his E conversion destroyed a lovely Mavic wheel and one tyre,he'd had enough, ... that said, he had issues with the new machine felt that the wheels and tyres left lots to be desired and bought a new pair of Mavic Aksiums or as i call em askiums and a pair of Michelin tyres as well as refitting wider 50mm Handlebars he'd been using for a couple of years, a Saddle, new Shimano Sti levers and a matching rear meck as the 10 speed Microshift Triban offering wouldn't talk nicely to his new Shimano levers.. and it seems he's happier now, I rode with him last week on a circular route one afternoon without issue except we were very soaked over the last 4 miles..And his E conversion is performing admirably.. when the roads become so dangerous using 23's and 25's wider stronger wheels and tyres are the only way to go, I have been ahead of that since my E conversions in 2017, I use 37's and up..we're still using drops but the wide ones ..will

[cycle tramp]

Too many holes in the road for comfort!
For the last 15 years I have been happily riding round our Lancashire lanes on a Paul Hewitt 'Chiltern' (https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes ... rn-review/): a nice conventional steel 'audax' bike that has suited me very well. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it except that 25mm tyres are not coping too well with the dreadful state of our roads.

Any thoughts ?

Yes - let's have a little celebration for the bike that has done you proud for 15 years - what an achievement. Especially when you consider the number of 'this bike makes my whatever sore', 'my bike doesn't fit me' 'I don't have the right gears' 'this bike is uncomfortable' posts which crop up on the forum, sometimes on a weekly basis.

..you've used the word 'happily' too. I suspect that if we had smoother roads, the thought of wider tyres would never have occurred to you and you would be still 'happily' riding you 'Chiltern' with only future trips and good memories in mind

So in all seriousness, given the fact that you're mentioned your happy building your next bike - what's to stop you from taking all the measurements from your existing frame and saying to a frame builder 'same again, only with clearance for much wider tyres and mudguards' ?

You could by another bike of the peg, but I suspect that whenever you ride it, that little annoying part of our brains that we can't turn off, will be comparing you next bike to the 'Chiltern' - if the next bike isn't as good, it's just going to annoy the hell out of you, and you may even defer riding it, and staying with the 'Chiltern".

[PH]

So in all seriousness, given the fact that you're mentioned your happy building your next bike - what's to stop you from taking all the measurements from your existing frame and saying to a frame builder 'same again, only with clearance for much wider tyres and mudguards' ?

Why do that when such bikes are available off the shelf? The differences between the Audax Chiltern and the touring Cheviot were the brakes and the chainstay length, they were otherwise identical. There's only minor differences between the Cheviot and Spa Tourer, according to CJ's review, so if that's what the OP wants, save a chunk of cash and get a Spa Tourer.
However, times have changed, there's no harm in casting the net wider and seeing what's available now. A wide tyred modern equivalent of steel Audax bike designed twenty years ago is a Carbon Gravel/Adventure bike. That might not be what the OP wants either, there needs may have changed as much as the roads.

[JohnR]

If considering the Spa Cycles options then also look at the Elan. It comes in a wide range of builds which you can customise or you can get the frameset and build your own. One of mine has 50mm tyres on 584 rims for greater comfort on poor roads.

[cycle tramp]

So in all seriousness, given the fact that you're mentioned your happy building your next bike - what's to stop you from saying to a frame builder 'same again, only with clearance for much wider tyres and mudguards' ?

Why do that when such bikes are available off the shelf? The differences between the Audax Chiltern and the touring Cheviot were the brakes and the chainstay length, they were otherwise identical. There's only minor differences between the Cheviot and Spa Tourer, according to CJ's review, so if that's what the OP wants, save a chunk of cash and get a Spa Tourer.

That's a very good point especially when you consider wider tyres will mean lengthening chainstay by a few centimetres for the clearance and probably either cantilever or v-brake for the reason..

..the whole idea about going to a frame builder is because (brake and chainstay length aside), they could build an exact replica of the existing fame - the same angles, the same dimensions, (top tube, seat tube) the same metals ... given that the original poster was 'happy' with their existing bike, I introduced the idea as an avenue of thought... Admittedly one with a higher than average entrance fee of other avenues, but perhaps one which would almost guarantee a natural successor to the existing bike....