Any suggestions for a good bike for leisure cycling?

BrendanBurgess

I have a Kelly's for going around town and it's great. It's very solid. It has good wide tyres on it. The cycling position is comfortable. But it's very heavy.

I want a bike for going on a spin up the mountains, but I am not racing.

I have an old Trek but I don't like the drop handlebars and cycling position generally. I don't like the gears either which are 2 x 6 - I often don't know what gear I am in.

I do want
a light bike
A comfortable riding position - which probably means straight or bent back handlebars
Narrow tyres
Better gear mechanism.

The Giant Rapid range has been suggested to me. They look as if they meet my criteria. Any other suggestions? Anything else I should be looking for in a bike for "touring" purposes?

Lumen

Get a properly fitted bike with drop handlebars.

Buying a hybrid specifically for going up and down hilly roads is madness.

oflahero

You should borrow as much as you possibly can, and invest it in a Colnago or a Pinarello, now as interest rates are so low and affordability has never been better. This is especially true if your job is at risk.

You will then instantly be in large negative equity on your bike, but there will be many people in the same boat and you will be able to form a significant lobby group specifically looking for a taxpayer bailout for those Campagnolo Boras. Even a moratorium on the repayments will allow you to 'fill your overshoes' with overpriced energy gels in the meantime.

Sorry, couldn't resist. Seriously though, it sounds like a Specialized Sirrus would fit the bill for what you're looking for - light, flat bars, excellent build quality and thin wheels. Though as Lumen says, don't rule out the drops - a proper bike fit will make you come round and see the light.

polariz

Lumen wrote: »

Buying a hybrid specifically for going up and down hilly roads is madness.

+1 ..an unnatural hand position to start off with and nowhere to go when it gets worse.

tomasrojo

I think hybrids are ok, unlike a lot of people here, having cycled them for about ten years, but I do prefer drop bars.

Brendan, what is it about the cycling position that bothers you? Is it the "hunched over" feel? If you bought a touring bike you wouldn't be as hunched over, while still having the advantage of the extra hand positions that drop bars give you. Handy for carrying loads too, if that is one of the activities you want the bike for.

tomasrojo

Also, if derailleur gears are not to your liking, you could get a bike with hub gears. You always know where you are with them, and they require very little maintenance. You can get nine-speed hub gears now, which would probably be ok for doing hills.

Lumen

tomasrojo wrote: »

Also, if derailleur gears are not to your liking, you could get a bike with hub gears. You always know where you are with them, and they require very little maintenance. You can get nine-speed hub gears now, which would probably be ok for doing hills.

You can get 11 speed Shimano hub gears now, with lots of range. However, they're very gappy as they're intended to be used with a single chainring. So you end up with bigger gaps and less range than a derailer equipped system, plus lots more drag and ugly unergonomic shifters. And all because cleaning jockey wheels is bit of an inconvenience.

Really, for going up and down hills you want a conventional road bike with conventional integrated shifters and a conventional drivetrain. There's a simple reason that thousands of roadies go out with this kit every weekend: it's better.

BrendanBurgess

tomasrojo wrote: »

I think hybrids are ok, unlike a lot of people here, having cycled them for about ten years, but I do prefer drop bars.

Brendan, what is it about the cycling position that bothers you? Is it the "hunched over" feel? If you bought a touring bike you wouldn't be as hunched over, while still having the advantage of the extra hand positions that drop bars give you. Handy for carrying loads too, if that is one of the activities you want the bike for.

It's the hunched over position I don't like. I am not racing. I am touring. I enjoy looking around me in the upright position. I find the hunched over position less safe getting out of town even - just looking around or indicating is much more difficult. The Kelly's bike is great around town - the bars are bent back slightly.

If you bought a touring bike you wouldn't be as hunched over, while still having the advantage of the extra hand positions that drop bars give you.

I don't understand this. What is a touring bike?

twinsen

Lumen wrote: »

Buying a hybrid specifically for going up and down hilly roads is madness.

I cycle on my hybrid in Wicklow mountains, see no problems with that.

Lumen

twinsen wrote: »

I cycle on my hybrid in Wicklow mountains, see no problems with that.

I applaud your triumph of stubbornness over appropriate equipment.

I've been beaten on a road hillclimb by a barely-adult woman on a mountain bike with knobbly tyres, but it still doesn't make flat bars a sensible choice for road cycling.

twinsen

OP is looking for a bike for a leisure cycling. He wont be trying to beat the speed records on it.

BrendanBurgess

twinsen wrote: »

OP is looking for a bike for a leisure cycling. He wont be trying to beat the speed records on it.

And I don't mind being beaten by a woman, whether or not she is barely-adult.

smacl

I have a Kelly's for going around town and it's great

I've a Kelly's CRX, mines great too and it goes up all the hills in Wicklow just fine. Give it a go before you rule it out, and try a road bike on the same hill to see if the extra spend delivers the anticipated difference.

It has good wide tyres on it.

If they're the same as mine, they're 38c Shwalbe semi-slicks. Something a bit slicker and narrower (32c or even 28c) might make the running easier. I'm planning on changing over to these over the next couple of weeks as part of preparations for the W200.

Still won't be a road bike, but unless you go with the drop bars you'll be in a half way house anyway.

Lumen

BrendanBurgess wrote: »

And I don't mind being beaten by a woman, whether or not she is barely-adult.

Congratulations on missing the point.

oflahero

BrendanBurgess wrote: »

I don't understand this. What is a touring bike?

A touring bike looks like your generic 'racer', but with a few subtle differences - geometry such that you are more upright when sitting on it, and engineering to carry pannier racks with decent clearance and generally to absorb more road abuse. Drop bars vs flat bars is a matter of contention, but drops are recommended not just for the resulting aerodynamic position, but more because of the multiple hand grips you can switch between, thereby avoiding pain and numbness in your hands on long rides.

tomasrojo

As oflahero said, it's a more relaxed road bike. You can crouch down for speed if you want to, but the standard position is with your hands "on the hoods" or on the top of the bar, which makes you about as upright as on a hybrid. The wheels are further apart, which makes the steering less twitchy and the bike more stable on the road. If you want to carry panniers, the rack is quite far back, which gives you the clearance that oflahero mentions: i.e. you don't knock your heels off the pannier with every revolution.

Googling around turned up this, which is quite a good summary:
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art27947.asp

A touring bike is designed for use whilst touring and/or commuting generally on roads. This bike is comfortably built so that it can be used on enjoyable leisurely pursuits and excursions, such as exploring or sightseeing an area or region, or even for leisure, exercise, or commuting.

These bikes are also designed to carry additional loads, such as any luggage and extra gear during a trip. This is often referred to as loaded, or fully loaded touring (whereby the cyclist carries all the additional amenities for their trip, such as food and even sleeping accommodation too). A touring bicycle can come in different models such as road, trail, recumbent and tandem. Touring bikes are quite similar to a road-racing bike in their design and look too, but are built to more comfortably accommodate the cyclist, rather than to achieve aerodynamic excellence.

There can be significant differences between different touring bikes. Touring bikes can vary with how they are built; they can be lightweight (but are generally a little heavier than road racing bikes) or a little heavier, to handle the more rough terrain and heavy loads, such as those bikes used in expedition touring.

Another difference in touring bikes is with the wheels. Touring bikes are often found built with 700C wheels; 26 inches, the same diameter wheel as a road-racing bike. But touring bike wheels are also built to allow for wider tyres than racing bikes, and so they have wider, more heavy-duty rims, helping the bicycle to deal with carrying additional loads. They can also have a wide gear selection to handle the difficulties in maintaining a good cadence with a heavy load for example.

Other features common in touring bikes are that they have road bike style curved handlebars, luggage racks mounted front/back to carry loads, including panniers, etc.

The only downside to touring bikes, in my experience is that they frequently have poorer braking and are usually a bit more expensive than either hybrids or road racing bikes, due to their being a niche market.

ciotog

FWIW, I'm really happy with my Kona Dr. Good which I got from my (then) local bike shop. Seven speed internal hub, frame makes for a relaxed ride and the swept back handlebars are quite comfortable. Rear brake is a roller brake and upfront is a disc brake so it behaves well in the variable weather conditions here in Galway.

BrendanBurgess

Ofla and tomas

That is exactly what I want. Thanks very much.

Any suggestions on brands and models?

Brendan

oflahero

Getting an actual touring bike would be, for your needs, a bit like shooting the proverbial fly with a shotgun. It's heavier than it needs to be, has rougher braking than other bikes and, well, is designed to be ridden with 25kg of panniers hanging off it. You would be more in the market for a road bike with relaxed geometry, such as a Roubaix, or if you prefer to stick with something more hybrid-y, a Sirrus as I've mentioned before.

I'm not being paid by Specialized or anything, though it may sound like it, but I would recommend you pop into Cycleways and have a play around downstairs with a Roubaix and a Sirrus and see what you think. The Roubaix is quite expensive, but you'll at least have an idea of the sort of bike you're looking for, and find an cheaper equivalent. As for actual figures, well, discussion of bike prices is not allowed on this fo... oh never mind... ;-)

Lumen

oflahero wrote: »

Getting an actual touring bike would be, for your needs, a bit like shooting the proverbial fly with a shotgun. It's heavier than it needs to be, has rougher braking than other bikes and, well, is designed to be ridden with 25kg of panniers hanging off it. You would be more in the market for a road bike with relaxed geometry, such as a Roubaix

+1

Cube road bikes have the same headtube/toptube ratio as the Roubaix, although standover height might be an issue with the longer seat tubes.

Unfortunately all the cheap Cubes from 2010 are gone from CRC, and CSS is running pretty low.

Kav0777

oflahero wrote: »

Getting an actual touring bike would be, for your needs, a bit like shooting the proverbial fly with a shotgun. It's heavier than it needs to be, has rougher braking than other bikes and, well, is designed to be ridden with 25kg of panniers hanging off it. You would be more in the market for a road bike with relaxed geometry, such as a Roubaix, or if you prefer to stick with something more hybrid-y, a Sirrus as I've mentioned before.

I'm not being paid by Specialized or anything, though it may sound like it, but I would recommend you pop into Cycleways and have a play around downstairs with a Roubaix and a Sirrus and see what you think. The Roubaix is quite expensive, but you'll at least have an idea of the sort of bike you're looking for, and find an cheaper equivalent. As for actual figures, well, discussion of bike prices is not allowed on this fo... oh never mind... ;-)

You might have a look at the Specialized Secteur which would be a more affordable version of the roubaix.

tomasrojo

I do actually cycle often with 25kg of weight in the panniers, so I find a touring bike ideal. But, Brendan, just to warn you, you might find the reduced braking power alarming if you're used to V-brakes or the dual-pivot brakes you usually find on road racing bikes.

I got a Dawes Horizon, which cost me just under a grand in Little Sport in Fairview. I had a lot of trouble getting a touring bike at all in my size. They're a niche market, as I said.

Personally, I'm very happy with a touring bike, but I haven't anything like the experience of using different types of bike that the other contributors to this thread have.