Cycling UK Forum

Hi everyone,

This is my first post here and I am seeking some advice about getting a bike that will suit my needs. Please forgive me as my technical knowledge isn't very good at all!

In a nutshell, I used to do a fair bit of cycling (mainly on the road or footpaths etc). I am looking at getting back into cycling as a means of exercise and pleasure. I will mainly be cycling on the road but also on footpaths/dirt tracks occasionally.....

I used to ride a mountain bike with the typical thick mountain tyre but a store assistant I spoke to recommended that I use (what is apparently now known as) "gravel" tyres, so I am thinking that these might be most suitable for me..... I guess it's a toss up between gravel or road tyres.

My budget is £600, so I am wondering if anyone could recommend a suitable bike for me? Any additional tips would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks.

Decathlon and their own brand B'Twin do good value bikes and have a good repuattion. If you want something that has the flat bars of a mountain bike but faster tyres, maybe a hybrid such as this would suit you.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/hybrid-bi ... R-p-300795

Bikes sold as "gravel bikes" tend to be of a drop bar configuration similar bikes with straight bars would usually be classified as "hybrid".

You can get more bang for your buck if you shop second hand but, depends how comfortable you feel without a warrantee and whats available in your area.

Bikes in Britain are often sold without mudguards, lights, a luggage rack and a stand. You'll want to decide which of those you want to add or buy already fitted on the bike. Not all frames make it easy to fit mudguards and racks later.

Welcome

plancashire wrote: ↑5 Jul 2024, 11:53am Bikes in Britain are often sold without mudguards, lights, a luggage rack and a stand. You'll want to decide which of those you want to add or buy already fitted on the bike. Not all frames make it easy to fit mudguards and racks later.

This is very good advice.

Jonathan

Zoso111 wrote: ↑5 Jul 2024, 6:24am I used to ride a mountain bike with the typical thick mountain tyre but a store assistant I spoke to recommended that I use (what is apparently now known as) "gravel" tyres, so I am thinking that these might be most suitable for me..... I guess it's a toss up between gravel or road tyres.

I think your store assistant is seeing you more or less right. Since you were last riding much mountain bikes (and their tyres with them) have got quite a bit more rugged in order to take on more rugged terrain and the "gravel bike" (and associated tyres) has taken up the space that the original mountain bike existed in, just riding on tracks.
As well as "gravel tyres" there are touring tyres, which tend to be a bit wider than a road-racer's tyres and have a bit more (that is, some) tread, and these are fine as general purpose tyres that will do benign off-road as well tarmac. By "benign off road" I mean stuff that isn't designed specifically to test your skill, so an access track rather than a graded mountain bike trail with rock gardens, drop-offs etc.

Given £600 I'd look on Gumtree and see what's available second hand locally. You're not looking to do anything radical and there's bargains to be had. Old-school mountain bikes or hybrids are good general purpose bikes and you can change tyres, add racks/mudguards etc. and stay well within budget.

Pete.

Zoso111 wrote: ↑5 Jul 2024, 6:24am I will mainly be cycling on the road but also on footpaths/dirt tracks occasionally

Will you be riding off-road when those tracks are wet/muddy? If so, then you will need tyres with sufficient tread/knobs to provide grip in those conditions. If not, then a tyre with little tread/semi-slick will be adequate, and will also be faster on tarmac.

To state the obvious, the type of tyres supplied on a bike can be changed as required. What cannot be changed is the maximum tyre width.

The original poster of this thread - viewtopic.php?p=1855410#p1855410 ended up choosing a Pinnacle
Lithium 3 Hybrid, which might also be suitable for you. Extras like mudguards etc. should still keep it within your budget.

slowster wrote: ↑5 Jul 2024, 1:26pm

Zoso111 wrote: ↑5 Jul 2024, 6:24am I will mainly be cycling on the road but also on footpaths/dirt tracks occasionally

Will you be riding off-road when those tracks are wet/muddy? If so, then you will need tyres with sufficient tread/knobs to provide grip in those conditions. If not, then a tyre with little tread/semi-slick will be adequate, and will also be faster on tarmac.

To state the obvious, the type of tyres supplied on a bike can be changed as required. What cannot be changed is the maximum tyre width.

The original poster of this thread - viewtopic.php?p=1855410#p1855410 ended up choosing a Pinnacle
Lithium 3 Hybrid, which might also be suitable for you. Extras like mudguards etc. should still keep it within your budget.

+1 -- pinnacle is Evans cycles own brand and offers great value for money in terms of better group sets ( the drive train like gears wheel hubs etc ) while giving a good robust frame for the job. I have an Arkose R2 road bike ( touring bike ) which is a lovely thing to ride.

I would first assess where can can cycle legally and if the opportunities for riding have changed in your area since you last cycled.

In the last 10 years quite a lot has changed for the better with cycling infrastructure and this might influence your choice bicycle.

Certainly looking at it this way you might make better choices and then consider whether your use of the word footpath is correct.

Remember it is illegal to cycle on public footpaths.

Halla wrote: ↑6 Jul 2024, 10:42am In the last 10 years quite a lot has changed...

Even more aggressive drivers on the road. Be aware and stay safe.

For mixed road and (legal) path riding, you can choose flat or drop bars, and (excuse this being in bold) you don’t need suspension, just the right tyres and gears, and for the most part you will find that choosing flat bars gives better value for money (better quality gears and brakes at a given price point). You can get drop-bar gravel bikes new for £600 (Calibre ‘Lost Lad’; Triban GRVL 120; things in end of season sales), but they are not as well specced as hybrid bikes at £600.

Personally, I find that wide, flat bars become tiring much sooner than drops, but you might find differently, and you might find that you take more naturally to flat bars having had an MTB.

I won’t repeat all my recommendations for the Pinnacle Lithium 3, or my highlighting of its (few) limitations, you can read them in the thread linked above.

Mudguards are a subject in themselves, and they divide opinion, but my personal take is that if you are going to ride in actual mud (even what at first appears to be an innocent little bit) you very definitely don’t want the sort of close-fitting ones used to keep water spray off the rider on the road, because they get clogged-up with mud, sticks, dead leaves, and whatever else is going, and become a serious problem. The most you want is the sort of large-clearance splatter guards used on MTBs, and I don’t even bother with those.

A bit more information about the nature of the paths you are looking to ride would allow better advice about tyres, suffice to say that I use 40mm small-knobble ones, which cover a wide range of conditions, and if your paths are very benign you may be able to get away with touring/utility tyres with tread, but no knobbles.

Nearholmer wrote: ↑6 Jul 2024, 7:26pm For mixed road and (legal) path riding, you can choose flat or drop bars... <snip>

Personally, I find that wide, flat bars become tiring much sooner than drops, but you might find differently, and you might find that you take more naturally to flat bars having had an MTB.

These are the most common options in the UK, but not the only games in town.
I use and prefer "Moustache bars" on my general hack, turned back towards the rider to allow a more upright riding position than you get with flats or drops.
More upright is a two-edged sword: more immediately comfortable and better view, but catches the wind a lot more, so as usual it's you choose, you lose.
Bars like these use the same controls as flats.
There's now a growing number of swept back bars that come to about 45 degrees popularised by gravel riders who don't want drops or flats. The Jones Loop is a good example.

Pete.

The ones in your photo look like oldskool North Road bars.

Yes, well, I didn’t want to take the OP deep into the myriad exotic, and at times expensive, ‘bar options, more to point them at the question that arises if you have <£600 to spend on a new bike, and walk into any of the big-name “high street” bike shops.

(I’ve got Jones H-bars on one bike at the moment, and only yesterday was riding with a set of North Roads, into a stiff headwind at times)

'gravel' bike sounds reasonable.... and agree with the advise that Decathlon offer value for money especially for a new / restart.

Nearholmer wrote: ↑6 Jul 2024, 9:27pm Yes, well, I didn’t want to take the OP deep into the myriad exotic, and at times expensive, ‘bar options, more to point them at the question that arises if you have <£600 to spend on a new bike, and walk into any of the big-name “high street” bike shops.

Yeahbutnobut...
My Moulton came with with flats as standard. The bars it has were a no-cost swapout from the shop. Different sort of shop to the usual, but does show you don't always have to have deep pockets to be different.

But mainly wanted to illustrate that rather than "your choices are A and B" it's "your typical choices are A and B". And if your £600 is spent on second hand then choices do potentially get wider.

Pete.