# Bike recommendation



## jonesyFX (May 11, 2011)

Hi guys, I'm after a new bike, as I've only got a MTB at the moment that looks very sorry for itself. 

I'm looking at going for rides a lot more often, which will mainly be country roads, and some gravel/off road tracks. 

I'm open for suggestion on what type of bike, I was thinking of a cyclocross? But unsure as I'm not very clued up.

I'm around 6ft 4 so need a bike around 60-62cm I believe?

Any help greatly appreciated.

Budget would be sub £1000 - cheaper the better but want something decent to get me started, with a view to upgrading once I get properly back into it. 

Cheers


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## bigalc (Aug 7, 2014)

I've been looking at the Boardman Hybrid bikes from Halfords.
They look good spec for the money especially the MX comp hybrid


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## Paul7189 (Nov 11, 2015)

For a hardtail MTB i would go for something like this https://www.alpkit.com/sonder/bikes/sonder-transmitter-nx1-1x11

For a full suspension mountain bike it for under £1000 it has to be the Giant Stance 27.5 https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/stance.27.5/25030/90565/

If you wanted to stick to roads as you already have a MTB for off road riding then get a Calibre from Go outdoors. Its the only fully carbon road bike i have seen for under £1000 (just) that actually has decent components on. There is a carbon framed boardman bike in halfords but the components are not worthy of a carbon frame. http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/calibre-nibiru-2-0-carbon-road-bike-p347151

Unfortunately i have never been a fan of hybrid bikes as a MTB is good enough on the road and great offroad whereas a hybrid is good on the road but poor off it. Does your workplace do the cycle to work scheme?


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## Sk8ir (Mar 23, 2016)

Cyclocross is a good idea if you'll be doing quite a lot of miles on the lanes, as the drop bars will be more comfortable for road miles (and it'll still cope nicely with tracks and trails). Much better than a hybrid for distances.

Something like the Genesis Croix de Fer is a tried and tested option:
http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/adventure/multisport/croix-de-fer-10
towards the top end of your budget, but a very good frame that will last, and with decent but no-frills components that you can upgrade over time if you want to take it to the next level.

But please, whichever bike you go for make sure you get it properly fitted. i.e. find a bike shop that'll put you on an adjustable jig and make sure you're sitting in the safest, most comfortable and most efficient position. It's not so important on an MTB, but on a road/cross bike it'll seriously transform how much you enjoy riding.

Honestly, a £500 bike that's been properly fitted for you will be far more comfortable/enjoyable than a £1000 bike that's just "off the peg". A decent bike shop will swap the bars/stem and possibly even saddle for the size that fits you perfectly (if you're 6ft 4 with proportionately broad shoulders then you may well benefit from 46cm wide bars, whilst most 60/62cm bikes will come with 44cm at the most).


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## SNAKEBITE (Feb 22, 2010)

Does your work have a "Cycle to work" scheme?

This allows you to get a bike, tax free and pay for it over 12 months, interest free.

Might allow you to get a more expensive bike for the same money you were going to spend.


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## SNAKEBITE (Feb 22, 2010)

Sorry Paul1789, you'd already covered the C2W bit!


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## jonesyFX (May 11, 2011)

bigalc said:


> I've been looking at the Boardman Hybrid bikes from Halfords.
> They look good spec for the money especially the MX comp hybrid





Paul7189 said:


> For a hardtail MTB i would go for something like this https://www.alpkit.com/sonder/bikes/sonder-transmitter-nx1-1x11
> 
> For a full suspension mountain bike it for under £1000 it has to be the Giant Stance 27.5 https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/stance.27.5/25030/90565/
> 
> ...





Sk8ir said:


> Cyclocross is a good idea if you'll be doing quite a lot of miles on the lanes, as the drop bars will be more comfortable for road miles (and it'll still cope nicely with tracks and trails). Much better than a hybrid for distances.
> 
> Something like the Genesis Croix de Fer is a tried and tested option:
> http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/adventure/multisport/croix-de-fer-10
> ...





SNAKEBITE said:


> Does your work have a "Cycle to work" scheme?
> 
> This allows you to get a bike, tax free and pay for it over 12 months, interest free.
> 
> Might allow you to get a more expensive bike for the same money you were going to spend.


Thanks for the replies guys. Yes at work we have the cycle to work scheme, is it worth doing this? Not really looked into it. What does it entail?

I'm leaning more towards the type of bike Sk8ir recommends as I won't be going proper off road, just some gravel trails etc when going around country lanes and some hard mud paths through forests near me.

Are there any bike shops that are particularly good? A guy at work got his bike with the cycle to work scheme at evans cycles and said they were decent.

Cheers


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## jonesyFX (May 11, 2011)

Also.. A few people I've asked mention a 105 groupset is probably best? I have no clue what that means can anyone clarify?


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## Sk8ir (Mar 23, 2016)

jonesyFX said:


> Thanks for the replies guys. Yes at work we have the cycle to work scheme, is it worth doing this? Not really looked into it. What does it entail?
> 
> I'm leaning more towards the type of bike Sk8ir recommends as I won't be going proper off road, just some gravel trails etc when going around country lanes and some hard mud paths through forests near me.
> 
> ...


Yep, as Paul7189 and SNAKEBITE recommend, Cycle to work scheme is *definitely* worth it. It's a salary sacrifice scheme, so the payments for the bike are taken out of your gross salary before tax and NI, meaning you effectively save at least 32% off the price of the bike.

You don't actually "own" the bike during this time, you're basically leasing it from your employer.

You make 12 small monthly interest free payments, and at the end of the year can hand the bike back and walk away, or pay a one-off fee and keep it for another 36 months with no further payments, after which it becomes your property to keep.

It's less complicated to do it than to explain it! Unless you're planning to leave your employer in the next 12 months then it's definitely worth doing.

There's a calculator here: https://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/getting-a-bike#section-calculator

There are a few different "brands" of cycle-to-work available, so it'd be worth checking which one your employer uses, as this will dictate where you can get the bike.

Whereabouts in the country are you? I might be able to recommend some local shops. Evans Cycles can be good, or can be awful, it varies a lot from branch to branch, same with Halfords. Independents are often the way to go, but it depends whether your employer's scheme is tied to a particular chain or not...


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## Sk8ir (Mar 23, 2016)

jonesyFX said:


> Also.. A few people I've asked mention a 105 groupset is probably best? I have no clue what that means can anyone clarify?


The groupset is the blanket name for the gear shifter/brake levers, cranks, brakes, gears, etc (pretty much all the moving parts except the wheels!).

Shimano are the biggest manufacturer, and on their groupsets are by far the most common on bikes from £350 or so upwards. There are a few smaller far-eastern companies making decent stuff for cheaper bikes, and there's nothing wrong with them, although Shimano's dominance means they can offer good value for money and even their "bottom of the range" groupsets are reliable and work well.

105 is just a level within their range, which goes something like this for road bikes:


Claris - entry level, cheap and a bit plasticky but effective.
Sora - very common way to keep the overall cost of the bike down, works well, not as "plush" as dearer options, but a good entry level.
Tiagra - Now you're getting to the "nicer to handle" stuff. Works a tiny bit smoother, feels a bit nicer to the touch.
105 - "Enthusiast" level stuff, again a little bit smoother, a little bit lighter, gear shifters have a nicer action.
Ultegra - "Serious enthusiast" stuff, this is as good as any keen cyclist ever needs, true luxury, light weight, out of your price range!
Dura-Ace - top end super-deluxe, only marginal performance improvements, but lighter and the ultimate in plushness and precision.

I would recommend getting the best frame you can, and upgrading the rest later as things wear out (if you feel the need - you may find the stuff you start with is good enough).

Often bikes will come with a mix of different groupsets, e.g with gear shifters from a higher level group so they feel nice to use, but with cheaper bits elsewhere.

Honestly there's no such thing as a properly bad groupset, so I wouldn't get too hung up on that. Wheels have far more impact on the ride/comfort/handling of the bike overall, and they tend to be where manufacturers cut corners, knowing that people look more for groupset specs. So if you have the choice of two bikes with the same groupset spec, but one has better wheels, go for that one!


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## captaintomo (Nov 20, 2014)

> 105 is just a level within their range, which goes something like this for road bikes:
> Claris - entry level, cheap and a bit plasticky but effective.
> Sora - very common way to keep the overall cost of the bike down, works well, not as "plush" as dearer options, but a good entry level.
> Tiagra - Now you're getting to the "nicer to handle" stuff. Works a tiny bit smoother, feels a bit nicer to the touch.
> ...


Thats just for road bikes! If you chose to go down the mountain bike route you'd be looking at even more groupset options! Sram or Shimano are the main manufactures of drivetrains. Personal preference over the two really. I prefer the smooth shifting of shimano over the more direct but more clunky sram version. Prefer the shimano thumb shifters too.

Here is a good link to compare groupsets.
http://hub.chainreactioncycles.com/latest-news/mtb/our-guide-to-shimano-mountain-bike-groupsets-from-deore-to-xtr/


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## donnyboy (Oct 27, 2005)

Got a mail form Chainreaction the other day about this. Looks pretty good.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/...1&spJobID=781767774&spReportId=NzgxNzY3Nzc0S0


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## jonesyFX (May 11, 2011)

Quick question as I am stuck on whether a hybrid or cyclocross will better suit my needs.

Is it easier to put slick tyres on a cyclocross if I was going for a ride on mainly tarmac, than it would be to put cyclocross tyres on a hybrid bike?

Hope that makes sense, cheers.


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## jenks (Apr 20, 2009)

There is no need to swap the tyres over. I assume you are looking at a hybrid or cyclo-cross bike for commuting and leisure riding and therefore not looking for the outright speed a road bike on 23mm wide tyres will give. I have a Carrera cyclo-cross on 38mm tyres that is happy on muddy trails but will also easily allow me to sit at 20mph on roads.
Have you checked out Halfords, they have a Boardman clearance section at the minute with a couple of bikes you may be interested in


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