Road Cycling · Public discussion

Buying a new MTB

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Road Cycling
Published
15 August 2006
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20 September 2006
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Auz
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  1. 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?

    All advise greatfully recieved

    cheers guys

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  2. 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/

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  3. 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?

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  4. 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.

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  5. 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/

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  6. 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

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  7. 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.

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  8. 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

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  9. 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

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  10. 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).

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  11. 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...

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  12. 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.

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  13. 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...

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  14. 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.

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  15. 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:

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