Buying a new bike - advice and suggestive guidance requested

[StreetCowboy]

I'm currently riding a 29er mountain bike (front suspension). My riding is > 95% tarmac roads, < 5% construction roads, foot paths and the like.

I find when I'm out with friends on their road bikes I have trouble keeping up - I'd prefer to blame this on the bike than on my fitness and health.

Things I like about the mountain bike:

• Sitting upright and being able to look around me
• Being able to brake and change gear and steer and look around me at the same time
• Disc brakes, and being able to lock up the back wheel no matter what the weather or road surface; and being able to stop as quickly as the traffic around me
• The 'granny wheel' small chain ring, and being able to ride up hills that I would struggle to walk up.
• Not being locked into the pedals, so I can stop unexpectedly when the lights change or traffic comes to an unexpected halt.

Reasons why I have not bought a road bike yet:

• I'm nervous about the skinny little tyres at 110 psi, and the effect on my coccyx
• I'm not sure how the wheels and frame would cope with the pot-holes and spilled concrete and kerbs

I'm interested in suggestions on what to look for in my next bike - my contract has just been extended; not so much specific model recommendations, as that depends on what the shop has in stock. Most obvious - get a frame that fits me; the current one is too small, so the seat post is over-extended.

What else?

SC

[MESmith]

1.Put road tyres (700x35) on your mtb

2.Buy a road bike.

Done both of those. Unless you're riding offroad you don't need a mtb. When you buy your road bike ask them to swap the rear cassette for one with a bigger gear for hills. Don't pay extra for this, they can resell your old cassette. I was concerned I wouldn't be able to manage the big climbs I was doing on my mtb. I sail up on my road bike

Don't raise your seat high on your new road bike, if you're worried about hurting yourself.

You can sit upright on a road bike,

You don't need to clip in, keep the standard pedals.

Road bikes can ride on broken roads, just ride carefully.

Go for it

[StreetCowboy]

1.Put road tyres (700x35) on your mtb

2.Buy a road bike.

Done both of those. Unless you're riding offroad you don't need a mtb. When you buy your road bike ask them to swap the rear cassette for one with a bigger gear for hills. Don't pay extra for this, they can resell your old cassette. I was concerned I wouldn't be able to manage the big climbs I was doing on my mtb. I sail up on my road bike

Don't raise your seat high on your new road bike, if you're worried about hurting yourself.

You can sit upright on a road bike,

You don't need to clip in, keep the standard pedals.

Road bikes can ride on broken roads, just ride carefully.

Go for it

I certainly don't want another mountain bike.

I'm running wet weather road tires at the moment - 35 mm on the rear, 45 mm on the front.

Can you still get the brake lever extensions on road bikes? (I've not seen anyone with them) so that you can brake with your hands on the flat cross-part of the handlebar (completely ineffectual on my last road bike in 1982, but times have moved on,technology advances, and my friends tell me that their rim brakes can now stop in wet weather...).

I'm really interested in things to look for in a new bike to cope with:

- poor road surfaces

- ease of riding in traffic.

Perhaps I am looking for more of a touring bike, rather than a 'racer' - although I don't intend to go very far, I'm not particularly interested in speed.

SC

[moonoi]

The type of road bike that might suit the riding you a looking for is probably going to be cyclocross/gravel or endurance road.

CX and gravel will have wider tyres than the normal road bike (between 28-32mm).

If you like disk brakes as well then these are also available, you can look at Specialized Roubaix, Giant Defy/TCX/Anyroad or Trek Domane or even Pinarello FCX. There is something in almost every budget range ;-)

The giant Anyroad also comes with the brake extensions you asked about, at least they did on the 2014/15 models, but personally I think they look a bit weird (the bike not the brake extensions).

With CX bikes the gearing will be lower as well, so more like an MTB to help you spin up those hills.

Lots of choice, happy hunting!

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[StreetCowboy]

I'm planning on touting round all the bike shops in the area to see what they can offer; I have Trek, Specialized, Avanti, Giant and a half a dozen other shops that sell a number of brands. I know what I am looking for - something that I can cruise along upright, enjoying the scenery, but keep up with the chaps on the road bikes when I have to, and last more than a 100 km when I have to.

I reckon:

- getting rid of the front suspension will make a difference

- Geometry will make a difference

- Drop handle bars will make a difference, but will take a bit of getting used to
the brake extenders are one thing, but having to drop down to reach the gears is another. At the moment I enjoy coasting downhill to traffic lights, dropping down the gears, braking and sitting up looking round to decide when it is safe to run the red light, or how to adjust my speed to catch it turning green - not so easy when you are bent over the handlebars

- I could maybe improve my pedals without locking myself in.

I reckon I would be wanting to keep 35 mm 85 psi tyres.

there's a place not far away that rents bikes, so I might go up there and see what he can offer me for a trial for a day, and ride around for a bit. The trouble is that I am a little to a lot taller than my friends, so their bikes might not suit for a trial

SC

[bobfish]

I had the same concerns when I crossed over to road biking. The taller head tube of the "sportive" bikes allows a more upright and comfortable position. The frames are more forgiving and smoother to ride as well. I do over 95% of my braking and gear changing from the hoods, even on my "race" bike.

The bikes suggested by Moonoi would be a good start I think.

[MESmith]

The type of road bike that might suit the riding you a looking for is probably going to be cyclocross/gravel or endurance road.

CX and gravel will have wider tyres than the normal road bike (between 28-32mm).

If you like disk brakes as well then these are also available, you can look at Specialized Roubaix, Giant Defy/TCX/Anyroad or Trek Domane or even Pinarello FCX. There is something in almost every budget range ;-)

The giant Anyroad also comes with the brake extensions you asked about, at least they did on the 2014/15 models, but personally I think they look a bit weird (the bike not the brake extensions).

With CX bikes the gearing will be lower as well, so more like an MTB to help you spin up those hills.

Lots of choice, happy hunting!

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Fuji have a model with disc brakes, too.

[Ericx25]

What about an Alpenchallenge

http://www.bmc-switzerland.com/us-en/bikes/lifestyle/mountainroad-alpenchallenge-ac01-105/

I think there are around 55.000 bahts

Or a Merida Crossway Urban XT edition with a carbon Fork

http://www.merida-bikes.com/en_int/bikes/trekking-city/city/2016/crossway-urban-xt-edition-4455.html

I have just paid 38.000 bahts for mine (falang price, you will have a big discount if you pick a model in the shop but I had to order it because I need a big size 58cm)

Or a trek FX

[StreetCowboy]

What about an Alpenchallenge

http://www.bmc-switzerland.com/us-en/bikes/lifestyle/mountainroad-alpenchallenge-ac01-105/

I think there are around 55.000 bahts

Or a Merida Crossway Urban XT edition with a carbon Fork

http://www.merida-bikes.com/en_int/bikes/trekking-city/city/2016/crossway-urban-xt-edition-4455.html

I have just paid 38.000 bahts for mine (falang price, you will have a big discount if you pick a model in the shop but I had to order it because I need a big size 58cm)

Or a trek FX

That looks good. The big chainwheel is a bit small, but otherwise that was certainly what I was looking for before I ended up with the mountain bike.

Will the carbon forks suffer from being leaned up against things? My bike leans against a corner of the wall in the car park? I've never had carbon parts before...

The Trek FX7.3 or 7.5 also look suitable,..

I think I'll prepare a spec and then tout round all the shops within riding distance to see what they have to offer...

SC

[h90]

"Not being locked into the pedals, so I can stop unexpectedly when the lights change or traffic comes to an unexpected halt."

when you are used to clips (is it called clips) you can always stop unexpected with a twist of your foot. I think you get used to it very fast....The problem is to get going again when you stopped, finding into the clip.

"

• I'm nervous about the skinny little tyres at 110 psi, and the effect on my coccyx
• I'm not sure how the wheels and frame would cope with the pot-holes and spilled concrete and kerbs"

bike adjusted right and street flat: no problem, but it is super sensitive on even small sand and holes are a absolute no go.....

The frame and the wheels will cope with it, but you won't.

If you don't have good streets the very thin wheels aren't for you. But if the streets are good (they can look ugly, just no holes/sand etc) than you just fly over it on such a bike.

"Sitting upright and being able to look around me"

With a tribar and everything (including your body) fine you can have a very relaxed position.

When a truck or grandma on the motorbike overpass you and you follow in the shadow at very high speed, you'll love it. Last one was a group Myanmarnes on a motorbike with side car cheering me....Unfortunately they didn't want to go over 40 because they thought I wouldn't able. Behind a truck....50-60 or more is no problem.

[chiangmaiexpat]

You like riding on the road, but you don't like road bikes. Welcome to the club of the confused! There is a type of bike that might just fit your bill: the cyclocross bike with curly bars, disk brakes, granny gears and semi-skinny tyres. Ironically it was invented by people who like riding offroad, but don't like mountain bikes. At the opposite end of the club of the confused so to speak.

Cheers, CM-Expat

[moonoi]

Cycling Weekly just published a "review" of the Anyroad, still comes with the additional brake levers on the bars

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/reviews/adventure-road-bikes/giant-anyroad-comax

Looks like a good match for your requirements ;-)

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[StreetCowboy]

Cycling Weekly just published a "review" of the Anyroad, still comes with the additional brake levers on the bars

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/reviews/adventure-road-bikes/giant-anyroad-comax

Looks like a good match for your requirements ;-)

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That's a very sexy bike - I'm off to the Giant shop this afternoon to see if they have the cheaper aluminium frame option.

I like the gear range; I reckon 1:1 makes the hills around here fairly straightforward and the 4.55 top ratio will be good for 70 kph (according to Strava) on the way down the longer straighter hills;

[Ericx25]

Unfortunately on the cheaper Anyroad bikes you will find noisy mechanical brakes (one sided pistons) that require constant adjustment

http://www.mtbr.com/cat/brakes/disc-brake-system/avid/bb5-mechanical/prd_414627_1507crx.aspx

[StreetCowboy]

Unfortunately on the cheaper Anyroad bikes you will find noisy mechanical brakes (one sided pistons) that require constant adjustment

http://www.mtbr.com/cat/brakes/disc-brake-system/avid/bb5-mechanical/prd_414627_1507crx.aspx

Thanks for that.

As well as the Giant, I am also looking at a Marida Speedster 300, but I have still to go to the Canondale dealer and tomorrow, Trek and the Avanti dealer. The Specialized web site didn't offer anything in my price range, and the shop is closed on a Sunday. The two nearest shops had offerings in the 170k baht range, which is beyond my budget.

[Ericx25]

The Merida Speeder 300 looks great.

The only thing I don't like is the rear derailleur. It is a SS (Shimano 105 SS) that means that it has a short cage,

In other words you cannot put a bigger cog than 28t

[StreetCowboy]

The Merida Speeder 300 looks great.

The only thing I don't like is the rear derailleur. It is a SS (Shimano 105 SS) that means that it has a short cage,

In other words you cannot put a bigger cog than 28t

Maybe I'll end up with muscles like Gorilla-Legs, then. He rides a 34 - 28 combination as his lowest gear.

If the worst comes to the worst, I can get off and walk - it's quicker than the lowest gear on my mountain bike...

SC

[StreetCowboy]

Well, I narrowed it down to a short list of four:

Either the Giant Anyroad 1 or the Trek 1.2 H2 Fit

or

Either the Merida Speedster 300 or the Trek 7.2 FX

I have Avid disc brakes on my current bike, and I've been quite pleased with them - never having had disc brakes before.

I think I'll go for one of the first two, as the latter two are too similar to my mountain bike to be much of a change.

So then I'll go for the Giant, for the more consistent component spec and the better lower gearing, as I'm not as young as I once was.

The big advantage that Trek has is much better opening hours for the shop, and possibly slightly more convenient for the office.

SC

[moonoi]

The Giant seems a good choice, worst case, if the brakes are really that bad, replacing with TRP Spyres would be relatively inexpensive, and they are widely considered to be the best cable pull disk brake on the market, outperforming some hydraulic disk brakes.

[StreetCowboy]

The Giant seems a good choice, worst case, if the brakes are really that bad, replacing with TRP Spyres would be relatively inexpensive, and they are widely considered to be the best cable pull disk brake on the market, outperforming some hydraulic disk brakes.

I asked how much it would cost to put a straight handlebar on, if I was distressed by the drop bars. "it's not the handlebar that costs, it's the new levers and shifters". I'll ask about the practicality of putting on my old mountain bike handlebar, complete with fittings, but I'll give the drop bars a go first. I've not yet confirmed they have XL size in country, yet.

[moonoi]

The Giant seems a good choice, worst case, if the brakes are really that bad, replacing with TRP Spyres would be relatively inexpensive, and they are widely considered to be the best cable pull disk brake on the market, outperforming some hydraulic disk brakes.

I asked how much it would cost to put a straight handlebar on, if I was distressed by the drop bars. "it's not the handlebar that costs, it's the new levers and shifters". I'll ask about the practicality of putting on my old mountain bike handlebar, complete with fittings, but I'll give the drop bars a go first. I've not yet confirmed they have XL size in country, yet.

:-) well that depends, I just spent 8000 baht on some nice shiny new drop bars for my bike (Bontrager Isozone VR-CF).

You shouldn't have a problem with them though, the top and hoods of a drop bar are quite similar to an MTB handlebar the main difference being the spend of response to steering input. Most normal people don't actually use the drops, as out beer guys get in the way of our knees ;-)

How tall are you to need an XL frame? I'm 186cm and found Giant size L to fit well. Although I've since sold my Giant and switched to a Trek size 60 road bike (hence the new handlebar purchase).

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[StreetCowboy]

The Giant seems a good choice, worst case, if the brakes are really that bad, replacing with TRP Spyres would be relatively inexpensive, and they are widely considered to be the best cable pull disk brake on the market, outperforming some hydraulic disk brakes.

I asked how much it would cost to put a straight handlebar on, if I was distressed by the drop bars. "it's not the handlebar that costs, it's the new levers and shifters". I'll ask about the practicality of putting on my old mountain bike handlebar, complete with fittings, but I'll give the drop bars a go first. I've not yet confirmed they have XL size in country, yet.

:-) well that depends, I just spent 8000 baht on some nice shiny new drop bars for my bike (Bontrager Isozone VR-CF).

You shouldn't have a problem with them though, the top and hoods of a drop bar are quite similar to an MTB handlebar the main difference being the spend of response to steering input. Most normal people don't actually use the drops, as out beer guys get in the way of our knees ;-)

How tall are you to need an XL frame? I'm 186cm and found Giant size L to fit well. Although I've since sold my Giant and switched to a Trek size 60 road bike (hence the new handlebar purchase).

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According to the sizing web site I used, I recall 185 cm was recommended to use 22.5" frame, which was the largest in the Anyroad 1 series, as I recall (can't check the details just now)

[moonoi]

I know they can order in the larger sizes if they don't have it in stock. But it could be a 3-6 month wait.

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[StreetCowboy]

I'm getting all excited now... I'm going to pop into the Canondale dealer on the way home from work, and assuming that they don't have anything suitable, I'll be back to the Giant shop this afternoon to sort out measurements, and final details - pedals, reflectors etc.

I'll be wanting this bike to last me about 12,000 km - up to the end of this contract. So I can reasonably afford to upgrade anything I don't like about it.

[StreetCowboy]

I'm getting all excited now... I'm going to pop into the Canondale dealer on the way home from work, and assuming that they don't have anything suitable, I'll be back to the Giant shop this afternoon to sort out measurements, and final details - pedals, reflectors etc.

I'll be wanting this bike to last me about 12,000 km - up to the end of this contract. So I can reasonably afford to upgrade anything I don't like about it.

Well, what an anti-climax that was. I was all excited, almost literally chortling with glee and anticipation,and rubbing my hands to boot as I cycled down to the Giant Store - the earlier trip to the Canondale dealer managed to (what's the opposite of surpass?) well, it fulfilled my expectations of disappointment and futility, and then some.

"Ho, ho ho", I chortled as I went into the Giant shop. "I want to buy a bike. An Anyroad 1. A big one."

Only the mechanic was in, and his English was pretty limited, but eventually I managed to make myself understood.

"No have. Only Medium."

"Can you order one in?" - I'd expected this, and was anticipating coming back next week.

"Wait five minutes". Short phone call.... "No have. Need to wait till 2016 models arrive at end of the year"

By this time the boss had come back.

"OK, put me down for a Large one from the 2016 stock"

"Cannot. Full container of Medium frames"

I tried another road bike medium frame, and it would be possible, but the seat post would be sticking way out in a way that hurts my eyes - that's one of the reasons I'm changing bikes - my mountain bike frame is too small and the seat post is over-extended.

So I rode home disconsolate. I tried the Avanti shop for the third time, and again it was closed. I went into Cycle Studio, which is the nearest bike shop, to see what they could offer in a cheap road bike, but their budget offering was only available in a Small size. I had a bit of a chat with the Filippino chap that lives in my building, and he suggested I just get a bigger frame for the mountain bike.

So I'm back to browsing the manufacturer's web sites...

[moonoi]

Not got a trip abroad sometime soon? Perhaps you can pick up a larger sized frame there and bring it back.

Might be worth calling the giant distributor in Bangkok (Worldbike) just to check. They were able to order me whatever framesize I wanted.

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[MESmith]

Try this shop http://www.weloveshopping.com/template/e3/showproduct.php?pid=26673263&shopid=319083&showm=&groupproduct=1963824

They speak English, answer emails & stock larger sizes. Not sure about Giant.....

[StreetCowboy]

Try this shop http://www.weloveshopping.com/template/e3/showproduct.php?pid=26673263&shopid=319083&showm=&groupproduct=1963824

They speak English, answer emails & stock larger sizes. Not sure about Giant.....

Thanks for that.

I cycled to the most distant cycle-shop I know - 18 km each way, following some satisfactory research on their web site.

Looking for the Specialized Deviant - they reckoned it would take a month or two to get hold of a Large frame - the Giant shop reckoned they couldn't get a Large at all. But that won't be in time for the Audax Randonneur 200, so I'm safe from the temptation of registering...

SC

[StreetCowboy]

At last the Avanti dealer was open this afternoon, and he had a suitable bike. He's the third shop within walking distance, so I asked him to make one ready for me by Friday. I'm not 100% sure about the frame size - whether to go for 56 or 58, but the 56 he had in the shop seemed OK

SC

[StreetCowboy]

Here we are

Avanti Giro AR 2

Maybe not the perfect bike- not as sexy as the Giant Anyroad, but availability from stock, and being within walking distance made a big difference.

Once I got the saddle to about the right height it was OK comfortwise, but it will take a bit of time to build up confidence, I think.

SC