Other Options for Long Distance Travel/Climbing

Thargor

Hi, Ive come to the conclusion after 2 years messing around with fittings, spds, saddles etc that road bikes just aren't for me even though Im young and fairly fit. I find them agony compared to mountain bikes especially on the back/shoulders/arms over any distance greater than 25-30km or anything with a lot of climbing. I find myself wondering whats the point of trying to cycle to places like the Sally Gap if you're too uncomfortable and pissed off to appreciate the views?

Down at the parents in Clare over Christmas I was using my fathers ancient cheap mountain bike to get into town and back and found it was an absolute pleasure to cycle and just cruise along instead of gritting your teeth in pain. I dont mind dropping the speed to 20 kph from 30 if it means cycling is fun again.

So this Spring and Summer I want to try something different for exploring the Wicklow mountains, can anyone recommend the best hybrid/cx/mountain bike for what I describe above please? I dont really know what I'm looking for, probably something light with thin tyres as I have no interest in off road, long distance and easier climbing are my 2 main goals. Thanks.

Cee-Jay-Cee

If you find a road bike uncomfortable then a CX bike is no use to you as they have similar geometry with bigger clearance for wider tyres and mudguards.

Thargor

Is a road bike the only long distance option though? I dont care about only doing 20 kph as long as I wasn't in pain. Climbing is also a major problem for me.

Lumen

Pick up a second-hand Giant Rapid or similar. Anything really, as long as it's a good brand, about the right size and mechanically sound.

Thargor

Thanks, whats the difference between Giant Rapid 1/2/3/4 and what would you recommend I look for exactly? I dont mind buying new if I get exactly what I want with regards to comfort and ability to do long distances with climbing...

lennymc

have you had a bike fit done?

Lumen

Thargor wrote: »

Thanks, whats the difference between Giant Rapid 1/2/3/4 and what would you recommend I look for exactly? I dont mind buying new if I get exactly what I want with regards to comfort and ability to do long distances with climbing...

Generally once you move up from entry-level the wheels get better, but I think you're overestimating the effect of equipment. If you want a softer ride, put fatter tyres on. If you want a lighter bike, spend more money.

The advantage of buying used is that if it turns out to be the wrong size you can sell it on without losing anything. Once you have found the type and size of bike that works for you, then throw money at it.

Seaswimmer

lennymc wrote: »

have you had a bike fit done?

This a good starting point but also why not try for a road bike with a more relaxed geometry. Something where the bars are roughly the same height as the saddle. In the past all road bikes were built like this but with the advent of compact frames we now have a high saddle and low bars which I also find uncomfortable.

I don't have a list of more relaxed geometry road bikes but they do exist.

if money is no object then I would get a custom bike from here..

http://www.merciancycles.co.uk/

Daroxtar

Put Ergon bar ends on a hybrid, I have them on mine. I'd say the hybrid is possibly more comfortable than the road bike and don't get me wrong, I love my road bike. I've done a few 100km spins on the hybrid and had no pain apart from the legs.

Thargor

Lumen wrote: »

Generally once you move up from entry-level the wheels get better, but I think you're overestimating the effect of equipment. If you want a softer ride, put fatter tyres on. If you want a lighter bike, spend more money.

Thanks, I know the riders fitness is king but thats no good if you hate your bike so much you don't want to cycle anymore, I think Ill take a chance on a Giant and see what happens.

lennymc

[VULTURE] What is your current bike, and are you selling it? [/VULTURE]

Thargor

Tbh I mostly want the comfortable feel of a mountain bike with thin tyres, when I say comfort Im not talking about shocks from the road etc Im talking about my back and arms being sore from the way road bikes are in general.

Koobcam

I reckon the place to start is with a bike fit. Once you have that done, you can also think about a bike with more relaxed geometry-basically, you want the head tube a bit longer and the bars up higher. If you do some searching on 'endurance bikes' you'll see what I mean (Endurance seems to be a code word for 'bikes that are comfortable). Think also about your tyres-most road bikes will have 23mm tyres as standard. If you get 28 or even 32 mm tyres, you might notice a big difference in comfort-you just need to make sure whatever frame you have can fit the bigger tyres. I'd also suggest getting a carbon fibre frame-all things considered, they do a better job of dampening the road buzz you get from sh*t roads than other materials. Overall, I'd suggest sticking with a 'road' bike since you seem to like cycling in the mountains.

Thargor

Thanks but its really not about the bumps and vibration, its all about my body just not liking the road bike position. I cycle for exercise and to get from place to place and the mountain bike position is the only one I can maintain comfortably for long distances. Sorry about the poor vocabulary I need to do more research.

Lumen

Thargor wrote: »

Thanks but its really not about the bumps and vibration, its all about my body just not liking the road bike position. I cycle for exercise and to get from place to place and the mountain bike position is the only one I can maintain comfortably for long distances.

Really, don't overthink this. You find a certain type of bike more fun to ride, so buy one of those.

Thargor

Thanks for the replies Lumen, Im just worried about ending up with a big heavy lump that Ill never use because the Boardman was better than I thought it was all along. Do you see people going up the sally Gap and places like that on Giant Rapids or their alternatives?

quozl

A giant rapid isn't going to weigh much different than a giant defy. It's certainly OK for going up the Sally Gap. The problem for me would be that I'd find it uncomfortable compared to a road bike on long spins but if that's not the case for you, then that's not an issue.

I would get bar-ends though.

Thargor

Thargor wrote: »

Thanks for the replies Lumen, Im just worried about ending up with a big heavy lump that Ill never use because the Boardman was better than I thought it was all along. Do you see people going up the sally Gap and places like that on Giant Rapids or their alternatives?

Went over the Sally gap several times on my old heavy giant hybrid with front suspension. People do it but most people use road bikes.

It might be worth getting a bike fit for your current bike before splashing cash on a new one. A few cm of saddle or stem adjustment could make all the difference.

Thargor

Nah its the gears aswell, I just cant make the hills on it. I suppose if I cant get anything cheap I might think about a bike fit and a granny ring added.

quozl

You can get the same gearing on a road-bike as on a hybrid. Either by getting a triple, like you mentioned, or by getting a new derailleur and a really big rear cassette like a 32 or even a 34.

So I wouldn't take gearing into account in deciding between a road bike or a hybrid. You can get the gearing you want on either, though I accept that the gearing that comes on a hybrid is more likely to be near to what you want so therefore cheaper. Apart from having to buy a whole new bike.

Fian

You may have already considered an "endurance" road bike which is designed for comfort on longer cycles rather than an agressive "racing" aerodynamic geometry? Probably difficult to test ride one because it would only be after a long cycle that you can see if it works for you, but you could consider something along these lines perhaps?

By way of example:

http://www.cannondale.com/uk_gb/2015/bikes/road/endurance-road/synapse/synapse-disc-5-105

Thargor

Id take anything as long as it was comfortable to ride tbh, do you have any recommendations that can be got in Ireland on Bike to Work?

Thargor

How much do you think it would cost to get a bike shop to fit a triple to my Boardman roadbike or does it not work like that?

lennymc

What boardman do you have? If you are getting pains in your neck/arms it could be a bike fit problem. What height are you and what size is the bike? There are adjustable stems that may suit you - you could look at something like that before moving on to a new bike. You could even fit flat bars and shifters to your boardman. If you had a picture of the bike some of us may be able to give an indication as to the fit compared with a standard fit.

you can fit most groupsets (including triples) to most bikes, but if you have a compact, you are not going to get much lower gears with a triple. You could try a 28 or a 32 (depending on your rear derailleur) on the back (change the gearing) which should give you a similar spread of gears as a triple. Don't despair - there are lots of modifications available to you without resorting to buying a new bike (although buying a new bike is always a nice option)

Thargor

Its a Large 2010 Boardman Road Comp so getting on a bit now, its just not comfortable for me even shooting down to the shops on it:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/2010-boardman-comp-road-bike-large-56cm

Im 5' 10 so borderline between medium and large. I suppose I should go down to Kilmaconague and give that well known lad a go, I really would like lower gears though, I always run out of steam even in the lowest gear even on pathetically small hills like Lovers Leap lane and the other ones around Enniskerry nevermind going up into the actual mountains.

Thargor

Thargor wrote: »

Its a Large 2010 Boardman Road Comp so getting on a bit now, its just not comfortable for me even shooting down to the shops on it:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/2010-boardman-comp-road-bike-large-56cm

Im 5' 10 so borderline between medium and large. I suppose I should go down to Kilmaconague and give that well known lad a go, I really would like lower gears though, I always run out of steam even in the lowest gear even on pathetically small hills like Lovers Leap lane and the other ones around Enniskerry nevermind going up into the actual mountains.

How many teeth does your largest gear at the back have?

lennymc

I'm the same height as you and ride a medium boardman team carbon and I find it borderline too big. I had a large pro carbon and it was way too big. The large has a 55.5 cm top tube iirc. That, and a 130 mm stem will have you stretched on the bike which can lead to pain. What model bike is it? I used the sizing guide on competitive cyclist website and that gave me some numbers to look at when sizing a bike. They have 3 suggestions for sizing based on how aggressive a position you want.

Edit - just saw model info above.

Thargor

ronoc wrote: »

How many teeth does your largest gear at the back have?

14 it looks like?

Thargor

lennymc wrote: »

I'm the same height as you and ride a medium boardman team carbon and I find it borderline too big. I had a large pro carbon and it was way too big. The large has a 55.5 cm top tube iirc. That, and a 130 mm stem will have you stretched on the bike which can lead to pain. What model bike is it? I used the sizing guide on competitive cyclist website and that gave me some numbers to look at when sizing a bike. They have 3 suggestions for sizing based on how aggressive a position you want.

Edit - just saw model info above.

Well thats not good...

quozl

Thargor wrote: »

Well thats not good...

could be good news - it'd be good if your difficulties had an easy answer like having the wrong size bike.

cdaly_

Thargor wrote: »

14 it looks like?

That would be your smallest/highest gear (though 14 is a lot for that). Your largest/lowest gear should have at least 25 or more.

Thargor

cdaly_ wrote: »

That would be your smallest/highest gear (though 14 is a lot for that). Your largest/lowest gear should have at least 25 or more.

Oh sorry yeah its 25.

Thargor

I wouldnt mind buying something like this Defy 4, I still have my Bike to Work credit:

http://www.giant-dublin.ie/en-ie/bikes/model/defy.4/20115/79370/

But then Im back to my original problem of wanting gears like I had on mountain bikes as a kid when you could climb any hill even if you had to do it at walking pace in a low gear, I used to go over the Burren and back for fun, I dont think Id do that on my current bike...

Do you need to get the bike custom built or something or am I being an idiot asking the wrong questions here?

Lumen

Thargor wrote: »

But then Im back to my original problem of wanting gears like I had on mountain bikes as a kid when you could climb any hill even if you had to do it at walking pace in a low gear, I used to go over the Burren and back for fun, I dont think Id do that on my current bike...

Do you need to get the bike custom built or something or am I being an idiot asking the wrong questions here?

All the Defy models come with a compact chainset (easiest ring is 34 teeth) and either 30 or 32 teeth on the easiest rear sprocket.

34-30 or 34-32 isn't mountain bike gearing but it is enough to go up steep hills if you're reasonably fit.

For perspective, racers only a couple of decades ago came with gearing that was about 50% harder.

Thargor

Would that be a big improvement over the current Boardman?

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/2010-boardman-comp-road-bike-large-56cm

quozl

That defy has a 32 on the back. It'll be vastly easier than your current setup with a 25. The Boardman link you gave didn't detail what gears it had.

Brian?

Thargor wrote: »

I wouldnt mind buying something like this Defy 4, I still have my Bike to Work credit:

http://www.giant-dublin.ie/en-ie/bikes/model/defy.4/20115/79370/

But then Im back to my original problem of wanting gears like I had on mountain bikes as a kid when you could climb any hill even if you had to do it at walking pace in a low gear, I used to go over the Burren and back for fun, I dont think Id do that on my current bike...

Do you need to get the bike custom built or something or am I being an idiot asking the wrong questions here?

I know Stagg Cycles in Lucan will take a trade in against a new bike. They'll measure you correctly as well, of course. If you head in and talk to them, they'll order in whatever you need.

Thargor

Thats brilliant thanks for the help everybody, I think Im going to chance it, my brother is mad about his 2012 Defy anyway. If anyone has any better suggestions please post.