Buying a new MTB

Auz said:

I'm shopping for a new MTB. I will be putting road tyres on it and
using it to commute the 7 miles each way to work each day. Then
swapping the tyres over and getting muddy at the weekends.

That will get /very/ boring very quickly, I suspect. I'd suggest
budgeting for a replacement wheel set rather than just tyres (you could
put a closer spaced block on the road wheel too).

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

--
rec.bicycles.off-road is moderated by volunteers. To find help solving
posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see http://rbor.org/
Please read the charter before posting: http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt

Peter Clinch said:

That will get /very/ boring very quickly, I suspect. I'd suggest
budgeting for a replacement wheel set rather than just tyres (you could
put a closer spaced block on the road wheel too).

Bloody good thinking. Cheers pete. I already have the tyres, a new
cassette - £35? wheels? what should I get for road use?

--
rec.bicycles.off-road is moderated by volunteers. To find help solving
posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see http://rbor.org/
Please read the charter before posting: http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt

Peter Clinch said:

Auz said:

I'm shopping for a new MTB. I will be putting road tyres on it and
using it to commute the 7 miles each way to work each day. Then
swapping the tyres over and getting muddy at the weekends.

That will get /very/ boring very quickly, I suspect. I'd suggest
budgeting for a replacement wheel set rather than just tyres (you could
put a closer spaced block on the road wheel too).

Very much agreed. You'll want to run V-brakes or cantis if you do this,
as swapping wheels with disc rotors that will invariably not line up is
just as annoying as a tire swap. If you look around, a spare set isn't
expensive. Over here stateside, I've seen several nearly new 26"
wheelsets with street rubber being flogged for $50 on Craigslist
recently.

Alternately, and probably smarter, if you're locking outside, piece
together something more appropriate for commuting, that's also
hellaciously ugly and theft resistant.

--
rec.bicycles.off-road is moderated by volunteers. To find help solving
posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see http://rbor.org/
Please read the charter before posting: http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt

In article <[email hidden]>,

Auz said:

Hi,

I'm shopping for a new MTB. I will be putting road tyres on it and
using it to commute the 7 miles each way to work each day. Then
swapping the tyres over and getting muddy at the weekends. I'm looking
to spend in the region of £400.

I'm just waiting on Evans to get me a Q800 in at the moment, so I can
have a look at the weekend.

http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=60947

Any good / bad points anyone knows. Would I be better off with
something else?

If you are going to do commuting and switching tires, you might consider
a bike with 29" wheels. They're awesome on trails, too.

--
Vegan Reich!
http://www.meetyourmeat.com/

--
rec.bicycles.off-road is moderated by volunteers. To find help solving
posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see http://rbor.org/
Please read the charter before posting: http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt

Quoted message said:

Very much agreed. You'll want to run V-brakes or cantis if you do this,
as swapping wheels with disc rotors that will invariably not line up is
just as annoying as a tire swap.

Don't forget...if you do decide to buy an extra set of wheels (and you
have V-brakes), make sure both sets of rims have the same (or similar)
width.

If the width is identical on all your rims, then you shouldn't require
any adjustment of the V-brakes. If the widths are slightly different,
you should be able to use the barrel adjuster on the brake lever to
compensate without messing with your brake setup.

I am in the unfortunate situation where my rim widths are not equal.
In addition to the barrel adjuster on the brake lever, I have installed
in-line adjusters at the V-brake noodle. The extra adjustment allows
me to set a quick brake response (i.e. pads as close to rim as
possible) without having to tool around with the brakes.

HTH,
Dave

--
rec.bicycles.off-road is moderated by volunteers. To find help solving
posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see http://rbor.org/
Please read the charter before posting: http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt

You really need to get two bikes. Changing tires or wheelsets for
different riding conditions will get to be such a pain in the ass that
you will find it convenient to choose not to ride.

A cheap road bike in today's world will be reiliable and fast, better
than the best racing bike of 20 years ago. Then you can justify buying
the off-road bike you really want.

--
rec.bicycles.off-road is moderated by volunteers. To find help solving
posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see http://rbor.org/
Please read the charter before posting: http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt

Paul said:

You really need to get two bikes. Changing tires or wheelsets for
different riding conditions will get to be such a pain in the ass that
you will find it convenient to choose not to ride.

Just fit it with road tyres. That will cope with all but the worst
mud/gravel/wet grass.

Then you'll only be bothered to change wheels if you are going off
somewhere special anyhow.

Quoted message said:

A cheap road bike in today's world will be reiliable and fast, better
than the best racing bike of 20 years ago. Then you can justify buying
the off-road bike you really want.

Absolutely. For 300 quid you can get something that is very reasonable
indeed.

..d

--
rec.bicycles.off-road is moderated by volunteers. To find help solving
posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see http://rbor.org/
Please read the charter before posting: http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt

quote='David Martin'Paul said:

You really need to get two bikes. Changing tires or wheelsets for
different riding conditions will get to be such a pain in the ass that
you will find it convenient to choose not to ride.

Just fit it with road tyres. That will cope with all but the worst
mud/gravel/wet grass.

Then you'll only be bothered to change wheels if you are going off
somewhere special anyhow.

Quoted message said:

A cheap road bike in today's world will be reiliable and fast, better
than the best racing bike of 20 years ago. Then you can justify buying
the off-road bike you really want.

Absolutely. For 300 quid you can get something that is very reasonable
indeed.

..d

--
rec.bicycles.off-road is moderated by volunteers. To find help solving
posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see http://rbor.org/
Please read the charter before posting: http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt[/QUOTE]

On the bike recommendations, the Claud Butler Cape Wrath gets some rave reviews and comes with some good quality kit.

On the subject of changeing tyres, it really depends on the tyres you have. If they are easy to change (some tyre/rim combinations can be a real pig) then it really isn't that much of a hassle. I regulalrly change tyres on my mtb depending on whether it has slicks on or not, and also on what the conditions have been like and where I'm going. I reckon I can change both tyres in < 10 minutes. Having a spare set of whees is of course better, but if you want the cheaper oprion then swapping tyres IMHO is perfectly accesptable.

Bryan

Thanks for all your input Guys.

I bought the Felt Q800 (very pleased!) yesterday, and will deal with
swapping the tyres over for the time being while I decide whether to
a)buy a second set of wheels or b)buy a road bike in a couple of months
(funds permitting).

I think it's going to be the road bike. Probably a tourer, so I can
carry change of clothes / lunch etc. to work. Looked at a Dawes while I
was standing around for nearly an hour in Evans (they forgot to build
my bike!!!) The Galaxy - twice the price of a suggested road bike. I'll
investigate further.

Thanks again

--
rec.bicycles.off-road is moderated by volunteers. To find help solving
posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see http://rbor.org/
Please read the charter before posting: http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt

In article <[email hidden]>

Auz said:

Thanks for all your input Guys.

I bought the Felt Q800 (very pleased!) yesterday, and will deal with
swapping the tyres over for the time being while I decide whether to
a)buy a second set of wheels or b)buy a road bike in a couple of months
(funds permitting).

I think it's going to be the road bike. Probably a tourer, so I can
carry change of clothes / lunch etc. to work.

You don't need a tourer to do that - any sports bike can be fitted with
a beam rack to carry a large rack pack or small panniers, or you can get
quite a lot in a good old-fashioned saddlebag (the Carradice sort, not a
wedge pack).

--
rec.bicycles.off-road is moderated by volunteers. To find help solving
posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see http://rbor.org/
Please read the charter before posting: http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt

Rob Morley said:

You don't need a tourer to do that - any sports bike can be fitted with
a beam rack to carry a large rack pack or small panniers, or you can get
quite a lot in a good old-fashioned saddlebag (the Carradice sort, not a
wedge pack).

What do mean by sports bike? A road bike? With the amount of holes in
the road? I thought tourers were built a bit stronger with wider
wheels? Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know much...

--
rec.bicycles.off-road is moderated by volunteers. To find help solving
posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see http://rbor.org/
Please read the charter before posting: http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt

In article <[email hidden]>

Auz said:

Rob Morley said:

You don't need a tourer to do that - any sports bike can be fitted with
a beam rack to carry a large rack pack or small panniers, or you can get
quite a lot in a good old-fashioned saddlebag (the Carradice sort, not a
wedge pack).

What do mean by sports bike? A road bike?

Indeed, but isn't a tourer also a road bike? I didn't use the term
"road racer" because I don't think that's really what you want in terms
of cost or performance - I suppose "training bike" might have been a
better label, but I've not seen many production bikes so described. So I
used "sports bike" as a description of a race-style machine with the
edge taken off - mudguard clearance, slightly gentler steering geometry,
cheaper than a competition machine ...

Quoted message said:

With the amount of holes in the road? I thought tourers were built a bit
stronger with wider wheels? Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know much...

Touring bikes are built for a relaxed ride with a substantial load, so
they're slower and less nimble than sports bikes. Unless you're riding
over wheel-swallowing potholes a narrow high-pressure wheel should
survive as long as you keep the tyres at a suitable pressure, and a
lighter quicker-handling bike should make it easier to avoid potholes in
the first place. It really depends how energetic your commuting will be
whether you'll prefer the quick or comfy approach, but both styles of
bike should be up to the job. I was really just pointing out that you
needn't restrict your choice to a Galaxy type machine.

--
rec.bicycles.off-road is moderated by volunteers. To find help solving
posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see http://rbor.org/
Please read the charter before posting: http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt

Rob Morley said:

.
<snip>..
Touring bikes are built for a relaxed ride with a substantial load, so
they're slower and less nimble than sports bikes. Unless you're riding
over wheel-swallowing potholes a narrow high-pressure wheel should
survive as long as you keep the tyres at a suitable pressure, and a
lighter quicker-handling bike should make it easier to avoid potholes in
the first place. It really depends how energetic your commuting will be
whether you'll prefer the quick or comfy approach, but both styles of
bike should be up to the job. I was really just pointing out that you
needn't restrict your choice to a Galaxy type machine.

Rob's right. I commute (energetically) on a bike I bought off ebay for £60. It's a road racing style bike (geometry-wise) but the frame is plain chromoly and there's room for mudguards. It's got a nice wheelset and really skinny tyres but it handles the potholes fairly well (and I look where I'm going most of the time). The fact that it's not a superlightweight bike just means I have to work harder - and stay fitter - which means that on the weekend I feel happier (and easier) on the MTB.
To carry my stuff to work I use a Tumbuk2 bag - it's less fiddly than panniers and will handle most stuff I throw in it.

Steve

Thanks Rob. Can you suggest acouple of bikes / manufacturers to look
at? I didn't realise there were so many different styles of road bike.
I have much to learn.

Enjoying it though...

--
rec.bicycles.off-road is moderated by volunteers. To find help solving
posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see http://rbor.org/
Please read the charter before posting: http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt

In article <[email hidden]>

Auz said:

Thanks Rob. Can you suggest acouple of bikes / manufacturers to look
at? I didn't realise there were so many different styles of road bike.
I have much to learn.

I'm afraid I'm totally out of touch with most of the current ranges.
Here's one I do know about
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/brevetconical.html
They've got one on eBay ATM
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160017452310
could be a bargain for someone.

--
rec.bicycles.off-road is moderated by volunteers. To find help solving
posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see http://rbor.org/
Please read the charter before posting: http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt

Auz said:

Thanks for all your input Guys.

I bought the Felt Q800 (very pleased!) yesterday, and will deal with
swapping the tyres over for the time being while I decide whether to
a)buy a second set of wheels or b)buy a road bike in a couple of months
(funds permitting).

I think it's going to be the road bike. Probably a tourer, so I can
carry change of clothes / lunch etc. to work. Looked at a Dawes while I
was standing around for nearly an hour in Evans (they forgot to build
my bike!!!) The Galaxy - twice the price of a suggested road bike. I'll
investigate further.

Thanks again

One other option you might look at is a cyclocross bike. That's what I have and use it for a road bike. It is very versatile, you can use the standard wheels with wider tires and haul touring loads (mine has rack mounts) or put on narrower wheels and tires and ride like a sports tourer. They're also not bad on milder trails or doubletrack. Mine gets ridden a lot on the rails-to-trails we have here in the USA.

Smokey

Quoted message said:

--
rec.bicycles.off-road is moderated by volunteers. To find help solving
posting problems, or contact the moderators, please see http://rbor.org/
Please read the charter before posting: http://rbor.org/rbor_charter.txt