Recommend me a bike - take 2 - Clyclocross?

The Sparrow

I have had a bit of a disastrous time with my current bike. It's a Giant Defy 3 that I bought 18 months ago mainly for commuting but with the hope of some longer weekend spins.

I've had constant trouble with it and every time I seem to get a few spins in and start getting used to it, something breaks. Usually it is the spokes on the back wheel snapping but there have been a whole host of other issues. I got a new wheel built for it and it was ok for a while but now spokes have started snapping again. So I have a dilemma whether to get yet another wheel built for approx. 200 quid in the hope that it finally fixes the problem or cut my losses and look at a different bike.

In fairness, I think the bike is just not right for me or for commuting. I'm 6'6 and heavy enough so I think I made bad choice. Plus there are other smaller things that I didn't realise such as barely any clearance for muguards which has been a pain for commuting.

I have the option of using the bike to work scheme because last time I did it though a family member and I think I could sell the Giant for €300-400 to someone a little lighter than me and it would be a grand bike for them.

Cyclocross bikes have been recommended to me as something a bit sturdier for commuting so does anyone have any suggestions? I suppose budget is about €1300-1600 or potentially slightly more if the bike was perfect. It would need to be able to function mainly as a commuter so I would need to be able to add a rack and mudguards. It would be great if it also functioned pretty well for an occasional longer weekend spin.

I was looking at a Canyon Infinite Al but I'm not sure if it would take a rack?

https://www.canyon.com/en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3621

I reckon I could talk work into just giving me a cheque so there would be no problem about ordering something online.

Any help would be really appreciated. I do like cycling and I'm glad I have got back into it but it has been nothing but frustration with the Giant.

Lusk_Doyle

What do you weigh? Have you checked the weight limits for your wheels and researched others that might suit better? Nothing wrong with the bike if it's the wheels that are the main sorce of your woes.

Edit: €200 for a wheel is not huge money. Especially if it is to take a heavy weight.

The Sparrow

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

What do you weigh? Have you checked the weight limits for your wheels and researched others that might suit better? Nothing wrong with the bike if it's the wheels that are the main sorce of your woes.

Edit: €200 for a wheel is not huge money. Especially if it is to take a heavy weight.

TBH the €200 isn't necessarily a problem. The issue is that I have already had a custom wheel built and a few months later I'm having the same issue.

So I can spend 200 on a new wheel that may or not fix the problem or sell the bike and use the bike the work scheme to buy a completely new bike for probably not a huge amount more. I've spent a good bit already on this bike getting various things fixed so I'm hesitant to spend much more.

So if a cyclo-cross bike is a better option maybe I should just bite the bullet and get one.

del_boy13

I got a Ridley X Cross from hollingsworth with disc brakes and mostly 105 setup. Use it for commute but it does fine for longer spins once you have some proper road tyres on it. Did the swords cc sportif on it last weekend.

Changed the brakes to trp hy/rd for me as well. Really nice bike little bit heavier than the giant you have. Has eyelets for mudguards and plenty of room for wider tires.

Came in around your budget and they had a few frame sizes in stock.

Dinging

This may fit the bill http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/genesis-day-one-di2-15

onthefringe

Dinging wrote: »

This may fit the bill http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/genesis-day-one-di2-15

thats a hell of a bike for that money..
725 reynolds is a joy to ride

Lumen

I would get the nicest, fastest road bike able to take full mudguards and a rack.

Dolan Preffisio, Ribble Audax, Genesis Volant etc.

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bbd/road-track-bike/ribble-7005-audax-winter-training?part=BB15RIB7005AUDAX&sub=conf_BB_ALL&bike=1
http://www.dolan-bikes.com/dolan-preffisio-aluminium-road-bike.html
http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/road/a-road/volant-30

(these all take guards, not sure about rack)

Disc braked bikes tend to be some combination of heavy, slow and expensive.

Lusk_Doyle

My point is that a new bike may not solve the issue which appears to be the wheels, custom built or otherwise. The existing frame has not given you any issues, right? How does a new frame resolve this issue?

Alek

Disc braked bikes tend to be some combination of heavy, slow and expensive.

They're faster on descends :P

(My Croix de Fer is disc, heavy and "slow". Not too expensive. Yet I have managed a KOM or two here and there, can't complain about its climbing abilities either when looking at strava leaderboards )

Radial

onthefringe wrote: »

thats a hell of a bike for that money..
725 reynolds is a joy to ride

Been looking at this for the last few days.

Shame it doesn't come with the 11 sp version Alfine hub. For me the 8 sp would be a bit too gappy so I'd probably end up swapping out for the 11 sp anyway, making it less of a bargain. If it was 11 sp I'd be all over this because I'm looking for a nice versatile steel bike.

It is heavy though, but the kit is impressive.

The Sparrow

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

My point is that a new bike may not solve the issue which appears to be the wheels, custom built or otherwise. The existing frame has not given you any issues, right? How does a new frame resolve this issue?

It's a fair point. The problem with the existing frame is that there is no clearance for any wider tyres so that is why I am looking at something like a Cyclocross bike. I wonder if the Giant will ever be able to take my weight, a pannier and a daily commute on fairly uneven roads without breaking down a lot.

Lumen wrote:

I would get the nicest, fastest road bike able to take full mudguards and a rack.

That is sort of what I already have with the defy. Mudguards are a struggle with it but I have made it work. I just wonder if me and a pannier and a daily commute are too much for a regular road bike.

Dinging wrote:

This may fit the bill http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/prod...day-one-di2-15

That looks pretty nice. Not sure about only 8 gears but electronic shifting would be pretty sweet. What are the advantages/ disadvantages of steel over aluminium?

del_boy13 wrote:

I got a Ridley X Cross from hollingsworth with disc brakes and mostly 105 setup.

Is that this one?

http://www.mycycle.ie/Ridley-X-Bow-10-105-11sp-1504Am-Cyclocross-Bike-20-p/ridleyxbow10.htm

del_boy13

The Sparrow wrote: »

It's a fair point. The problem with the existing frame is that there is no clearance for any wider tyres so that is why I am looking at something like a Cyclocross bike. I wonder if the Giant will ever be able to take my weight, a pannier and a daily commute on fairly uneven roads without breaking down a lot.



That is sort of what I already have with the defy. Mudguards are a struggle with it but I have made it work. I just wonder if me and a pannier and a daily commute are too much for a regular road bike.



That looks pretty nice. Not sure about only 8 gears but electronic shifting would be pretty sweet. What are the advantages/ disadvantages of steel over aluminium?



Is that this one?

http://www.mycycle.ie/Ridley-X-Bow-10-105-11sp-1504Am-Cyclocross-Bike-20-p/ridleyxbow10.htm

That's the one. Just changed the brakes over. If you are able to pay by cheque on the btw they might do something on the price.

Lumen

The Sparrow wrote: »

It's a fair point. The problem with the existing frame is that there is no clearance for any wider tyres so that is why I am looking at something like a Cyclocross bike. I wonder if the Giant will ever be able to take my weight, a pannier and a daily commute on fairly uneven roads without breaking down a lot.

I'm with Lusk Doyle on this one. The problem isn't your bike, it's your wheels. CX wheels aren't necessarily any stronger or weaker than road wheels (if they're different at all).

Just get some stronger wheels. How heavy are you?

Why do you want wider tyres? They won't help your wheel problem.

onthefringe

Radial wrote: »

Been looking at this for the last few days.

Shame it doesn't come with the 11 sp version Alfine hub. For me the 8 sp would be a bit too gappy so I'd probably end up swapping out for the 11 sp anyway, making it less of a bargain. If it was 11 sp I'd be all over this because I'm looking for a nice versatile steel bike.

It is heavy though, but the kit is impressive.

I have an alfine 8 on a genesis mountain bike... Your right its a tad gappy ... But apparently much more reliable than the 11

The Sparrow

Lumen wrote: »

I'm with Lusk Doyle on this one. The problem isn't your bike, it's your wheels. CX wheels aren't necessarily any stronger or weaker than road wheels (if they're different at all).

Just get some stronger wheels. How heavy are you?

Why do you want wider tyres? They won't help your wheel problem.

I'm 19 stone. I agreed with you initially so I did exactly that and went and got a wheel specifically made to tackle this problem. And yet the issue persists and after a few months that wheel has broken down again.

I was talking to Dara in bee Cycles about this and whilst he reckoned that he could build a better wheel, he was dubious about whether the Giant Defy would ever really take my weight and a pannier bag and stand up to daily commuting. He recommended looking at a cyclocross bike as an alternative because the greater tyre clearance would mean less pressure put on the wheel.

And to be honest, the more I look at cyclocross the more sense it makes. I would definitely like a bit more comfort on the commute.

When I do the maths, I could end up with a new bike for not a lot of cash. It will cost me at least 200 quid to get a new wheel made but I could probably spend 50 quid or so cleaning the bike up and fixing the spokes and maybe sell it for 400 or 450 to a lighter person who wouldn't have the same problem. I can use the bike to work scheme which will cost me €490 for €1000 worth of bike and add another 300-400 quid onto that and suddenly I have a new bike for around 500 quid all in.

Lusk_Doyle

And you can do cyclocross races in the winter!

Lumen

I would hesitate to contradict Dara, but I can't see you having problems with a 28mm tyre on a well-built 36-hole touring wheel.

e.g. this

http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b17s176p349

..assuming your brakes will accommodate the 25mm rim and 28mm tyre. Even a 25mm tyre would probably be fine.

That wheel is €120 + shipping.

Again, if you're busting a well-built wheel on your Defy you may have to upgrade the wheels on the CX bike anyway. A fatter tyre may help, or it may not.

Anyway, more bikes is better so good luck with whatever you choose.

The Sparrow

Lumen wrote: »

I would hesitate to contradict Dara, but I can't see you having problems with a 28mm tyre on a well-built 36-hole touring wheel.

e.g. this

http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m2b17s176p349

..assuming your brakes will accommodate the 25mm rim and 28mm tyre. Even a 25mm tyre would probably be fine.

That wheel is €120 + shipping.

Again, if you're busting a well-built wheel on your Defy you may have to upgrade the wheels on the CX bike anyway. A fatter tyre may help, or it may not.

Anyway, more bikes is better so good luck with whatever you choose.

Cheers, unfortunately there is no clearance for anything above a 25mm on the Giant Defy.

smacl

Was in a similar situation looking at a CX or similar bike as general all rounder and finally plumped for a Rose CX, some details here. I wonder would you be better going for a decent tourer or Audax bike rather than a CX bike though, something like the SPA Cycles steel audax or maybe Surly long haul trucker seems to fit your requirements pretty well. The thinking here is that a tourer will be designed to carry weight on paved roads where the CX bike is more about having fun in the mud. I went for the Rose CX because I wanted a bit of both, not really sure why you'd go for a cross bike if you weren't planning on taking it off road. If the bike is loaded heavily between your own weight and panniers, the gearing on a cross bike might be a bit high as well.

arybvtcw0eolkf

How are you riding/seating on the bike?.

It almost amazes me when people talk about regularly breaking spokes, I fight Judo at plus 100kgs so my body weight is usually over 110kgs and in over twenty years cycling I've never broken a spoke yet!.

Yet I can't see I'm doing anything special, I avoid potholes like everyone else and lift my bum off the saddle if I can't.

I've 25mm tyres on the road bike, with the manufactures wheels and some kind of cheap tyres on my Halfords hybrid, again with no problems.

My advice is look at your riding style before adding more expense to find the same issues occur again.

The Sparrow

Ameer Mushy Showboat wrote: »

How are you riding/seating on the bike?.

It almost amazes me when people talk about regularly breaking spokes, I fight Judo at plus 100kgs so my body weight is usually over 110kgs and in over twenty years cycling I've never broken a spoke yet!.

Yet I can't see I'm doing anything special, I avoid potholes like everyone else and lift my bum off the saddle if I can't.

I've 25mm tyres on the road bike, with the manufactures wheels and some kind of cheap tyres on my Halfords hybrid, again with no problems.

My advice is look at your riding style before adding more expense to find the same issues occur again.

I don't don't think I ride particularly carelessly, like you I try and avoid potholes (although sometimes that is easier said than done!) and I stand up if I'm going over any particularly rough bumps. I did not expect the spokes thing to be a problem, but it is ridiculous the amount that I have broken on this bike.

What do ppl think of this Planet X commuter as an option?

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLDNRIV/planet-x-london-road-sram-rival-22-road-bike

outfox

How long is your commute? Is it all urban? Maybe a dedicated commuter hybrid type thing would be better than a road bike or tourer or CX, especially if you're carrying so much gear to work. You could then keep the Defy for weekend spins when you don't need mudguards or a rack (subject to a new rear wheel of course). I'm a big believer in different bikes for different jobs. Having a one-bike-fits-all policy inevitably results in too many compromises. Just my 2p.

The Sparrow

outfox wrote: »

How long is your commute? Is it all urban? Maybe a dedicated commuter hybrid type thing would be better than a road bike or tourer or CX, especially if you're carrying so much gear to work. You could then keep the Defy for weekend spins when you don't need mudguards or a rack (subject to a new rear wheel of course). I'm a big believer in different bikes for different jobs. Having a one-bike-fits-all policy inevitably results in too many compromises. Just my 2p.

Yeah it's a fair point. It is an all urban commute and probably a Hybrid bike would be fine. But it just doesn't excite me and I could see the commute turning into drudgery instead of the mostly fun cycle that it is now (when the bike is on the road!)

I think my head has been turned by a Rose Pro DX 200. Rose say that they will custom make a wheel for heavier riders so I'm going to email them and see what they would cost.