Hybrid 'street' bikes - Edinburgh, Cannondale, ???
Posted by: Top Cat on 08 January 2004
Hi folks.
For my last birthday (one with a zero at the end
) my wife planned to buy me my first new bicycle - and I rather fancied a hybrid, as whilst I've no interest in careering down the side of a mountain, I wouldn't mind being able to trundle along moderate trails and so on.
I quite like the look of two bikes, and I'm seeking suggestions for others to try. What I am looking for is a combination of strength with light weight - not so fussed about having loads of gears or fancy bits.
The two bikes are the Edinburgh Bicycle Co. "Courier 2003" - which is a fairly minimal bike with only a single cog at the front. What I like about it is that it is very light for the money (£250ish), but seems well built at the same time.
The second bike was previously waaaay out of budget, but as it's in the sale I can get a Cannondale Bad-Boy for just over £500. Sure, I know it's twice the price, but I liked it very much when I had a chance to sit on one, and the shop assures me it is by far the better bike. I'd add some of my own money to my wife's to 'upgrade' to this if it proved to be the right bike for me. It's also lighter than the 'Courier' and has the extra cogs at the front.
The thing is, that's only two bikes out of a lot of choice. I don't know that much about modern bikes, having been brought up on a diet of Raleigh Grifters with broken Sturmey Archer gearsets (always stuck in top, remember?) which seemed to be constructed of a nice Osmium and Lead frame with all the hill-climb capability of a double decker bus.
So, does anyone know anything about these two bikes, or have suggestions for others? I'm neither interested in racers or pure mountain bikes, as I've already given a lot of thought to the hybrid idea, but other than that and a nominal budget of £300 (or more if I add my own cash), I'm open to suggestions.
There seem to be lots of pedal-types about here, so maybe someone can advise?
John
TC '..'
"Sun went down in honey. Moon came up in wine. Stars were spinnin' dizzy, Lord, the band kept us so busy we forgot about the time."
For my last birthday (one with a zero at the end
) my wife planned to buy me my first new bicycle - and I rather fancied a hybrid, as whilst I've no interest in careering down the side of a mountain, I wouldn't mind being able to trundle along moderate trails and so on.I quite like the look of two bikes, and I'm seeking suggestions for others to try. What I am looking for is a combination of strength with light weight - not so fussed about having loads of gears or fancy bits.
The two bikes are the Edinburgh Bicycle Co. "Courier 2003" - which is a fairly minimal bike with only a single cog at the front. What I like about it is that it is very light for the money (£250ish), but seems well built at the same time.
The second bike was previously waaaay out of budget, but as it's in the sale I can get a Cannondale Bad-Boy for just over £500. Sure, I know it's twice the price, but I liked it very much when I had a chance to sit on one, and the shop assures me it is by far the better bike. I'd add some of my own money to my wife's to 'upgrade' to this if it proved to be the right bike for me. It's also lighter than the 'Courier' and has the extra cogs at the front.
The thing is, that's only two bikes out of a lot of choice. I don't know that much about modern bikes, having been brought up on a diet of Raleigh Grifters with broken Sturmey Archer gearsets (always stuck in top, remember?) which seemed to be constructed of a nice Osmium and Lead frame with all the hill-climb capability of a double decker bus.
So, does anyone know anything about these two bikes, or have suggestions for others? I'm neither interested in racers or pure mountain bikes, as I've already given a lot of thought to the hybrid idea, but other than that and a nominal budget of £300 (or more if I add my own cash), I'm open to suggestions.
There seem to be lots of pedal-types about here, so maybe someone can advise?
John
TC '..'
"Sun went down in honey. Moon came up in wine. Stars were spinnin' dizzy, Lord, the band kept us so busy we forgot about the time."
Posted on: 08 January 2004 by Steve G
"The two bikes are the Edinburgh Bicycle Co. "Courier 2003" - which is a fairly minimal bike with only a single cog at the front. What I like about it is that it is very light for the money (£250ish), but seems well built at the same time."
The courier runs a 42 tooth front sprocket and I think it's an 8-speed 11-30 on the back. That gives a lowest gear ratio of 42/30 which is pretty high. By contrast the lowest gear on a typical 27-speed mountain bike is 22/32. I can climb most road hills I've encountered comfortably in 32/32 and unless I lived somewhere flat I'd want a gearing of at least that.
Despite not having a triple chainset etc. the courier still isn't all that light either (I think it's a couple of pounds heavier than the claimed 26lbs), although it's a lot lighter than most mountain bikes or hybrids around the same price.
The Bad Boy is a nice bike (one of the guys I mountain bike with has one he commutes on). It is quite light and has a decent spread of gears which should cope with any eventuality. You might want to change the tyres if you do ride any trails although 1" tyres won't be too bad as longs as it's dry (I've done some trail riding on my road bike with 700x23 tyres).
You might be better off buying a mountain bike though, as you could still fit slicks to it (which is all the Bad Boy is really) if you wanted.
Looking at the Edinburgh Cycles sale you could go for something like the Specialized Hardrock Pro at £424, or the Hardrock Disc at £339. Like most bikes at that price though they are heavy.
Alternatively you could go for a 700c wheeled bike (flat or drop barred). Edinburgh Cycles are doing the drop barred Giant OCR3T for £339 (and that's a good enough deal that I've just bought one for commuting on).
If you want a strong bike for roads and smooth trails then a tourer might do and Edinburgh Cycles do their own brand one (the Country) currently on sale at £329.
Regards
Steve
The courier runs a 42 tooth front sprocket and I think it's an 8-speed 11-30 on the back. That gives a lowest gear ratio of 42/30 which is pretty high. By contrast the lowest gear on a typical 27-speed mountain bike is 22/32. I can climb most road hills I've encountered comfortably in 32/32 and unless I lived somewhere flat I'd want a gearing of at least that.
Despite not having a triple chainset etc. the courier still isn't all that light either (I think it's a couple of pounds heavier than the claimed 26lbs), although it's a lot lighter than most mountain bikes or hybrids around the same price.
The Bad Boy is a nice bike (one of the guys I mountain bike with has one he commutes on). It is quite light and has a decent spread of gears which should cope with any eventuality. You might want to change the tyres if you do ride any trails although 1" tyres won't be too bad as longs as it's dry (I've done some trail riding on my road bike with 700x23 tyres).
You might be better off buying a mountain bike though, as you could still fit slicks to it (which is all the Bad Boy is really) if you wanted.
Looking at the Edinburgh Cycles sale you could go for something like the Specialized Hardrock Pro at £424, or the Hardrock Disc at £339. Like most bikes at that price though they are heavy.
Alternatively you could go for a 700c wheeled bike (flat or drop barred). Edinburgh Cycles are doing the drop barred Giant OCR3T for £339 (and that's a good enough deal that I've just bought one for commuting on).
If you want a strong bike for roads and smooth trails then a tourer might do and Edinburgh Cycles do their own brand one (the Country) currently on sale at £329.
Regards
Steve
Posted on: 08 January 2004 by Steve G
quote:
Originally posted by Top Cat:
So, does anyone know anything about these two bikes, or have suggestions for others? I'm neither interested in racers or pure mountain bikes, as I've already given a lot of thought to the hybrid idea, but other than that and a nominal budget of £300 (or more if I add my own cash), I'm open to suggestions.
I'm not a great fan of hybrid bikes because unless you pay enough to get something like the Bad Boy they seem to offer the worst of both worlds rather than the best. For £300 the best way to get a hybrid type bike (IMHO!) is to buy a decent used mountain bike and fit rigid forks and slicks, especially if you are planning on riding unsurfaced tracks. I ran one of those as a commuter for a while and it was quite effective and I even did some light off-roading on it in the dry.
Regards
Steve
Posted on: 08 January 2004 by Top Cat
Thanks, Steve - food for thought. I'm pretty keen to get as light a bike as I can, which is why I'm not looking at mountain bikes, and of course a racer is no use should I want to go along rocky seashore paths or wherever.
I like the idea of the Bad Boy but for the fact that I'm not going to be using it more than once or twice a week and it is possibly a lot of money to spend on an occasional bike. Still, like the stereo, it's sometimes a mistake to buy the cheapest when what you really want is the model or two up. We've all been there, eh?
John
TC '..'
"Sun went down in honey. Moon came up in wine. Stars were spinnin' dizzy, Lord, the band kept us so busy we forgot about the time."
I like the idea of the Bad Boy but for the fact that I'm not going to be using it more than once or twice a week and it is possibly a lot of money to spend on an occasional bike. Still, like the stereo, it's sometimes a mistake to buy the cheapest when what you really want is the model or two up. We've all been there, eh?
John
TC '..'
"Sun went down in honey. Moon came up in wine. Stars were spinnin' dizzy, Lord, the band kept us so busy we forgot about the time."
Posted on: 08 January 2004 by Bruce Woodhouse
Get the Bad Boy. Looks great in stealth matt black especially. It is good quality and likely to last.
I'd agree with Steve but if you are looking for a present I suspect that you do not want to go down the s/h route. An new MTB at that price will probably be fairly basic (and heavier) and you'll probably end up with clunky suspension front forks you do not want or need if you really are not going to use it as an MTB.
Bruce
I'd agree with Steve but if you are looking for a present I suspect that you do not want to go down the s/h route. An new MTB at that price will probably be fairly basic (and heavier) and you'll probably end up with clunky suspension front forks you do not want or need if you really are not going to use it as an MTB.
Bruce
Posted on: 08 January 2004 by Steve G
quote:
Originally posted by Top Cat:
Thanks, Steve - food for thought. I'm pretty keen to get as light a bike as I can, which is why I'm not looking at mountain bikes, and of course a racer is no use should I want to go along rocky seashore paths or wherever.
The same is true of most hybrids and even with the Bad Boy you might want to change the tyres for that sort of terrain.
quote:
I like the idea of the Bad Boy but for the fact that I'm not going to be using it more than once or twice a week and it is possibly a lot of money to spend on an occasional bike. Still, like the stereo, it's sometimes a mistake to buy the cheapest when what you really want is the model or two up. We've all been there, eh?
That's definitely the case with bikes. £300 gets you a usable mountain bike or hybrid but it's going to be compromised in some one and it'll either be off-road ability or weight.
If you were spending the cost of the Bad Boy on a mountain bike then you would be able to get a nice bike though. Merlin Cycles do some nice bikes at that price and their Merlin Malt 2 at £559 or Malt 1 at £515 would give you a very usable and reasonably light bike with decent forks etc.
Regards
Steve
Posted on: 08 January 2004 by matthewr
The Bad Boy is very cool (it ridden by whatsherface in Dark Angel) but its got rich yuppie wanker written all over it. You are basically paying for stuff you won't notice hacking around town and for the name.
Marin do a similar thing with their entry level urban bike the Muirwoods which has an excellent skinny steel frame (which is what you want in a city bike), solid no frills componentry and comes in a cool looking matt black finish. I have one and they make for the perfect communte/hack bike that represents the absolute maximum you should spend on such a bike (its about £330).
Otherwise go second hand. Find something old -- like a second hand orange or something -- with a good quality steel frame, stick a rigid fork and skinny types on it and away you go. Relatively speaking this is a lot of hassle to save yourself at most £100 over the Marin though.
If you are determined to spend more buy a good quality lightweight wheelset hand built by your local shop. It will make much more difference to the ride than the difference between a Bad Boy and a Muirwoods or something second hand in terms of frame build and componentry.
Matthew
Marin do a similar thing with their entry level urban bike the Muirwoods which has an excellent skinny steel frame (which is what you want in a city bike), solid no frills componentry and comes in a cool looking matt black finish. I have one and they make for the perfect communte/hack bike that represents the absolute maximum you should spend on such a bike (its about £330).
Otherwise go second hand. Find something old -- like a second hand orange or something -- with a good quality steel frame, stick a rigid fork and skinny types on it and away you go. Relatively speaking this is a lot of hassle to save yourself at most £100 over the Marin though.
If you are determined to spend more buy a good quality lightweight wheelset hand built by your local shop. It will make much more difference to the ride than the difference between a Bad Boy and a Muirwoods or something second hand in terms of frame build and componentry.
Matthew
Posted on: 08 January 2004 by Steve G
quote:
Originally posted by Matthew Robinson:
(which is what you want in a city bike), solid no frills componentry and comes in a cool looking matt black finish. I have one and they make for the perfect communte/hack bike that represents the absolute maximum you should spend on such a bike (its about £330).
All excellent advice if John was after a city bike but he now lives out in the sticks so I don't think he was planning to commute on it, just play about on it for lesiure purposes.
Fife is reasonably well placed for bike routes and mountain biking. One of my groups night ride destinations is over there (Devilla forest near Kincardine) and we're scouting another couple of options (the Lomond Hills and Blairadam).
Regards
Steve
Posted on: 08 January 2004 by Top Cat
Urm, I'm not *that* far out in the sticks, but point taken - I could feasibly commute to work on a bike but it's a fifty mile round-trip involving rather scary dual-carriageways, and a long and exposed bridge with strong crosswinds, plus I have a parking space here and there is one shower cubicle for the men in an office of around 500 people (which means that unless you're on the exec, which I'm not, you've got a lot of waiting if you don't want to be all stinky and sweaty all day. Basically.)
Anyway, I'm popping over to the Edinburgh Bicycle shop after work to see what they have, and who knows what I'll end up with. Open minds and all that (plus they may have some ex-demonstrator stock, who knows what they might have)...
John
TC '..'
"Sun went down in honey. Moon came up in wine. Stars were spinnin' dizzy, Lord, the band kept us so busy we forgot about the time."
Anyway, I'm popping over to the Edinburgh Bicycle shop after work to see what they have, and who knows what I'll end up with. Open minds and all that (plus they may have some ex-demonstrator stock, who knows what they might have)...
John
TC '..'
"Sun went down in honey. Moon came up in wine. Stars were spinnin' dizzy, Lord, the band kept us so busy we forgot about the time."
Posted on: 08 January 2004 by Steve G
quote:
Originally posted by Top Cat:
Anyway, I'm popping over to the Edinburgh Bicycle shop after work to see what they have, and who knows what I'll end up with. Open minds and all that (plus they may have some ex-demonstrator stock, who knows what they might have)...
I was in their on Monday buying a bike so I've a fair idea what they've got in stock! Half way down the stairs to the basement you'll find their Specialized Epic '03 test bike, quite a bargain at £799 (original list £1500) and it pretty good condition. Perhaps overkill for your purpose though!
Their basic Edinburgh Contour MTB is down to £150, good value and not all that heavy (sub 30lb is good for a cheap MTB).
The one that took my eye for your purposes (although not perhaps the rocky trails!) is the Giant FCR 02 which is down to £400. It's a 700c wheeled flat-barred bike but very light at only 21.5lb.
They '03 Marin Larkspur at £305 might suit as well - it's quite light at 27lbs. The '04 Muirwoods (as mentioned by Mathew) looks quite cute, light (27lb) and is also good value at about £350. That could well be a good choice for you.
Regards
Steve
Posted on: 08 January 2004 by matthewr
Commnuting or not I'd stick by my advice as John basically wants a bike for tarmac riding with some easy trail use -- which is presumably why the bike shop suggested a Bad Boy.
The usage stated to me implies a cheap, tough but lightweight hack bike with no real off-road requirements. All of which says entry level skinny steel frame, rigid forks and either some reasonably skinny semi-slick tyres or else 1" slicks + a spare pair of off-road tyres.
Note that in this situation the concept of "hybrid" is a bit of a misnomer as urban bikes like the Bad Boy and Muirwoods are really MTBs and, tyres and (usually rigid) forks apart, have MTB frames and componentry. Its really just the marketing department doing what MTBers have been doing to their MTBs for years to make them more street friendly.
Such bikes give you a high quality frame and easily convert to off road use if your interests change in the future. This -- and better manouverability and grin factor -- is the big advantage over a 700c hybrid.
Finally, I wouldnlt get hung up about weight. As long as its not some 36lb overbuilt monster bike designed for making videos of jumping of the school roof for the Extreme Channel its not going to be too heavy. For your useage you can pretty much ignore the difference between a 26-28lb bike and a 22-24lb bike and I certainly wouldn't pay a few hundred quid to make that saving when the money would be better spent on an upgraded wheelset.
Matthew
The usage stated to me implies a cheap, tough but lightweight hack bike with no real off-road requirements. All of which says entry level skinny steel frame, rigid forks and either some reasonably skinny semi-slick tyres or else 1" slicks + a spare pair of off-road tyres.
Note that in this situation the concept of "hybrid" is a bit of a misnomer as urban bikes like the Bad Boy and Muirwoods are really MTBs and, tyres and (usually rigid) forks apart, have MTB frames and componentry. Its really just the marketing department doing what MTBers have been doing to their MTBs for years to make them more street friendly.
Such bikes give you a high quality frame and easily convert to off road use if your interests change in the future. This -- and better manouverability and grin factor -- is the big advantage over a 700c hybrid.
Finally, I wouldnlt get hung up about weight. As long as its not some 36lb overbuilt monster bike designed for making videos of jumping of the school roof for the Extreme Channel its not going to be too heavy. For your useage you can pretty much ignore the difference between a 26-28lb bike and a 22-24lb bike and I certainly wouldn't pay a few hundred quid to make that saving when the money would be better spent on an upgraded wheelset.
Matthew
Posted on: 08 January 2004 by Tim Jones
27lbs? Light?
cough, splutter...
cough, splutter...
Posted on: 08 January 2004 by Steve G
quote:
Originally posted by Tim Jones:
27lbs? _Light?_
For a £300 bike then yes. Most of the cheap MTBs and hybrids are 30lb plus, some of them a lot more.
Regards
Steve
Posted on: 08 January 2004 by Steve G
quote:
Originally posted by Matthew Robinson:
The usage stated to me implies a cheap, tough but lightweight hack bike with no real off-road requirements. All of which says entry level skinny steel frame, rigid forks and either some reasonably skinny semi-slick tyres or else 1" slicks + a spare pair of off-road tyres.
It sounds like we pretty much agree on the bike but for different reasons. Unless John wants to go fast or far then probably the 1" slicks aren't necessary either and he could get by with running knobblies or semi-slicks.
Regards
Steve
Posted on: 08 January 2004 by matthewr
<Does bad Tim Jones impersonation>
£300? bike?
Surely you mean seatpost?
£300? bike?
Surely you mean seatpost?
Posted on: 08 January 2004 by Tim Jones
git 
But right about 'Bad Boys'.
But right about 'Bad Boys'.
Posted on: 08 January 2004 by Top Cat
Hi guys, just a wee update. I got a bike, and we decided to go for a cheap option, which was partly due to an incredibly special offer (40% off) and the fact that the resulting price means I could feasibly buy a s/h road bike as well (with the savings over the Bad Boy). Nothing flash, but a moderately light frame and bits which can be replaced. Bad Boy was gone, sadly...
It's a 21 speed mountain bike (after all that) but it weighs in at 27lbs, which was pretty much the lightest MTB option under £500. Sure, buying secondhand would make more sense, but this one was pretty cheap and if it breaks I won't get upset. Surprisingly well put together for the asking price, though for the life of me I can't remember what it's called.
Anyway, thanks all, I'll at least be able to get some exercise in now...
John
TC '..'
"Sun went down in honey. Moon came up in wine. Stars were spinnin' dizzy, Lord, the band kept us so busy we forgot about the time."
It's a 21 speed mountain bike (after all that) but it weighs in at 27lbs, which was pretty much the lightest MTB option under £500. Sure, buying secondhand would make more sense, but this one was pretty cheap and if it breaks I won't get upset. Surprisingly well put together for the asking price, though for the life of me I can't remember what it's called.
Anyway, thanks all, I'll at least be able to get some exercise in now...
John
TC '..'
"Sun went down in honey. Moon came up in wine. Stars were spinnin' dizzy, Lord, the band kept us so busy we forgot about the time."
Posted on: 08 January 2004 by Steve G
quote:
Originally posted by Top Cat:
It's a 21 speed mountain bike (after all that) but it weighs in at 27lbs, which was pretty much the lightest MTB option under £500. Sure, buying secondhand would make more sense, but this one was pretty cheap and if it breaks I won't get upset. Surprisingly well put together for the asking price, though for the life of me I can't remember what it's called.
'03 Edinburgh Cuillin or Contour perhaps?
If it's one of the Edinburgh Bike Co-Op's own bikes then the frames are pretty decent (rebadged Claud Butler was the rumour). The daughter of one of my MTBing buddies has one (a Cadence I think) and she's been round the Glentress red and black routes on it.
If you do fancy giving the muddy stuff a try let me know.
Regards
Steve
Posted on: 08 January 2004 by Top Cat
That's the one, Steve.
2003 Cuillin, £127. So cheap it was silly not to consider it, and looking at it versus a £450 MTB, I have to say that there was little to choose other than a brand name. As you say, the frame is supposedly quite decent so the fundamentals are right, and though it doesn't come with suspension, with the savings I could add some really nice shocks for the front and rear - possibly beating an equivalent overall-priced stock offering in ride quality, etc. so as a basic building block it will be ideal.
Not had a chance to ride it properly yet - we were so late getting there and back yesterday that it was very dark, wet and windy, so all I did was put it in the downstairs spare bedroom for now. Tomorrow I think we'll do the coastal path to give it a trial run. I was surprised at how little the difference in weight was between the Cuillin and offerings around £500 to £800 - I couldn't really say that the more expensive bikes were much lighter, so throwing more money at it (at that level) wasn't going to really get me a much lighter bike - and the only things that really seem to make the Cuillin heavier than a decent hybrid are the wheels/tyres, and of course they're easily changed.
So, pretty happy. My bike won't impress anyone who is into bikes, but it's solid, seems well built and it's light enough. Sure, I wanted a hybrid but really only because I didn't want teh extra weight, but in fairness the Cuillin isn't that heavy. At the price, well, if it turns out to be a bit too basic for me over time, well, I won't lose much 'cause it didn't cost much...
Might take you up on that offer, Steve, but let me get used to the bike for a bit first.
Cheers,
John
TC '..'
"Sun went down in honey. Moon came up in wine. Stars were spinnin' dizzy, Lord, the band kept us so busy we forgot about the time."
2003 Cuillin, £127. So cheap it was silly not to consider it, and looking at it versus a £450 MTB, I have to say that there was little to choose other than a brand name. As you say, the frame is supposedly quite decent so the fundamentals are right, and though it doesn't come with suspension, with the savings I could add some really nice shocks for the front and rear - possibly beating an equivalent overall-priced stock offering in ride quality, etc. so as a basic building block it will be ideal.
Not had a chance to ride it properly yet - we were so late getting there and back yesterday that it was very dark, wet and windy, so all I did was put it in the downstairs spare bedroom for now. Tomorrow I think we'll do the coastal path to give it a trial run. I was surprised at how little the difference in weight was between the Cuillin and offerings around £500 to £800 - I couldn't really say that the more expensive bikes were much lighter, so throwing more money at it (at that level) wasn't going to really get me a much lighter bike - and the only things that really seem to make the Cuillin heavier than a decent hybrid are the wheels/tyres, and of course they're easily changed.
So, pretty happy. My bike won't impress anyone who is into bikes, but it's solid, seems well built and it's light enough. Sure, I wanted a hybrid but really only because I didn't want teh extra weight, but in fairness the Cuillin isn't that heavy. At the price, well, if it turns out to be a bit too basic for me over time, well, I won't lose much 'cause it didn't cost much...
Might take you up on that offer, Steve, but let me get used to the bike for a bit first.
Cheers,
John
TC '..'
"Sun went down in honey. Moon came up in wine. Stars were spinnin' dizzy, Lord, the band kept us so busy we forgot about the time."
Posted on: 09 January 2004 by matthewr
It sounds like you did exactly the right thing.
"the only things that really seem to make the Cuillin heavier than a decent hybrid are the wheels/tyres, and of course they're easily changed"
And they are rotating mass (at least while you ar riding) so the savings are much more significant.
Matthew
"the only things that really seem to make the Cuillin heavier than a decent hybrid are the wheels/tyres, and of course they're easily changed"
And they are rotating mass (at least while you ar riding) so the savings are much more significant.
Matthew
Posted on: 09 January 2004 by Steve G
quote:
Originally posted by Top Cat:
That's the one, Steve.
2003 Cuillin, £127. So cheap it was silly not to consider it, and looking at it versus a £450 MTB, I have to say that there was little to choose other than a brand name.
Sounds like a good choice and the frame would probably warrant a few upgrades . If you do change the wheels as suggested by Mathew make sure you got for a rear with an 8/9 speed hub (you can still fit a 7-speed cassette with a spacer) as that'll allow you to upgrade to 27 speed in future if you want.
I started with a bike not much different to that one and it did me fine until I got more serious about mountain biking and I was still using it as a commuter until recently.
Regards
Steve
Posted on: 09 January 2004 by matthewr
"If you do change the wheels as suggested by Mathew"
Just for the record -- I was not suggesting John needs to upgrade his wheels, only that if he really wants to upgrade something that would be what I would do. Good wheelsets are one of the few upgrades that really make a difference IMHO but even so you need to be doing a lot of riding to justify them.
Matthew
Just for the record -- I was not suggesting John needs to upgrade his wheels, only that if he really wants to upgrade something that would be what I would do. Good wheelsets are one of the few upgrades that really make a difference IMHO but even so you need to be doing a lot of riding to justify them.
Matthew
Posted on: 09 January 2004 by Steve G
quote:
Originally posted by Matthew Robinson:
"If you do change the wheels as suggested by Mathew"
Just for the record -- I was not suggesting John needs to upgrade his wheels,
Sorry - I was aware you meant possibly in the longer term.
quote:
only that if he really wants to upgrade something that would be what I would do. Good wheelsets are one of the few upgrades that really make a difference IMHO but even so you need to be doing a lot of riding to justify them.
Very true. My first MTB was similar spec to the one Johns just bought and one of the problems I had was that when I took it off road I kept bending the wheels. I eventually upgraded to a still fairly cheap set (Deore/Mavic 517) and they were a lot better. My main bike now has Hope XC/Mavic 317 wheels and they're pretty good and not too expensive (although they did cost more than Johns bike!).
Good non-disc wheels are cheap 2nd hand these days as well, due to many people changing to disc brakes.
Regards
Steve
Posted on: 09 January 2004 by matthewr
Deoere (or better XT) + 517s is the classic combination -- it matters more who builds them then having fancy Hope hubs. XT/517 handbuilt at your LBS is hard to beat IMHO.
Matthew
(Says a man with a wet of wheels that cost 1.5x the price of his bike but but, well, there is a reason for that).
Matthew
(Says a man with a wet of wheels that cost 1.5x the price of his bike but but, well, there is a reason for that).
Posted on: 09 January 2004 by Steve G
quote:
Originally posted by Matthew Robinson:
Deoere (or better XT) + 517s is the classic combination -- it matters more who builds them then having fancy Hope hubs. XT/517 handbuilt at your LBS is hard to beat IMHO.
Unless you ride in muddy or snowy conditions in which case discs are a lot better.
And I'll have you know my Hope hubs aren't fancy - I think the XC's are the cheapest disc ones.
Regards
Steve
Posted on: 11 January 2004 by Steve G
quote:
Originally posted by Top Cat:
Tomorrow I think we'll do the coastal path to give it a trial run.
Had a chance to get out on the bike yet John? If so how did you get on?
Regards
Steve