What urban bike to get?
beanbag
Posts: 47
Afternoon all,
I have a bit of a dilemma. My only and current steed is a Stumpy FSR and using it to ride to work and go to the supermarket is neither fun or stress free.
The 2.3 tyres are an pain on the road. The suspension is set plush for my mountain riding. The 203 brakes are massively overkill, and with a value of €2600, I'm paranoid at every minute when leaving it locked outside with my 5kg of locks that I have to lug around with me everywhere.
Only last week, somebody decided to have a go at it and did nothing more than chip the paint a little and I found the bike on the floor.
So it's high time I leave the stumpy for the trails and get myself a decent urban city bike. Some of the features I want:
- Relatively light
- No gears (hub gears are ok)
- No suspension. Lower priced forks are crap.
- Good brakes
- No quick release on wheels or seat.
- Must NOT exceed a max budget of €500.
After a bit of searching, I stumbled across the Specialized Centrum. It looks fantastic, and is has pretty much everything I need, plus hydraulic brakes. OK, this isn't maybe the best choice as hydraulics when they go wrong, go very wrong, but I have the gear from my stumpy to fix any problems and in winter they'll work well.
It also has a massive 3 gears in the rear hub which is more or less maintenance free. Spot on and great for those steeper roads.
Also, my bike insurance will cover this bike easily so if it gets nicked, I can simply go out and buy another at no cost. I can also attach a small kryptonite lock to the bike without much weight addition.
I've not managed to find any reviews on this bike so what are all your opinions?
I also thought the Hardrock XC could be a good choice, but it has suspension (albeit with lock-out), and masses of gears with a knaff group set which will invariably need constant maintenance in winter.
It is however cheaper (but not by much), than the Centrum, at €375 for an '08 model. All the '07's had been sold for €300....(I would have snapped one up at that price....
)
So....what do you all think?
Any advice is as always, very much appreciated.
Thanks,
BB
I have a bit of a dilemma. My only and current steed is a Stumpy FSR and using it to ride to work and go to the supermarket is neither fun or stress free.
The 2.3 tyres are an pain on the road. The suspension is set plush for my mountain riding. The 203 brakes are massively overkill, and with a value of €2600, I'm paranoid at every minute when leaving it locked outside with my 5kg of locks that I have to lug around with me everywhere.
Only last week, somebody decided to have a go at it and did nothing more than chip the paint a little and I found the bike on the floor.
So it's high time I leave the stumpy for the trails and get myself a decent urban city bike. Some of the features I want:
- Relatively light
- No gears (hub gears are ok)
- No suspension. Lower priced forks are crap.
- Good brakes
- No quick release on wheels or seat.
- Must NOT exceed a max budget of €500.
After a bit of searching, I stumbled across the Specialized Centrum. It looks fantastic, and is has pretty much everything I need, plus hydraulic brakes. OK, this isn't maybe the best choice as hydraulics when they go wrong, go very wrong, but I have the gear from my stumpy to fix any problems and in winter they'll work well.
It also has a massive 3 gears in the rear hub which is more or less maintenance free. Spot on and great for those steeper roads.
Also, my bike insurance will cover this bike easily so if it gets nicked, I can simply go out and buy another at no cost. I can also attach a small kryptonite lock to the bike without much weight addition.
I've not managed to find any reviews on this bike so what are all your opinions?
I also thought the Hardrock XC could be a good choice, but it has suspension (albeit with lock-out), and masses of gears with a knaff group set which will invariably need constant maintenance in winter.
It is however cheaper (but not by much), than the Centrum, at €375 for an '08 model. All the '07's had been sold for €300....(I would have snapped one up at that price....
)So....what do you all think?
Any advice is as always, very much appreciated.
Thanks,
BB
2006 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Comp
203 discs on each end....that's about it.....
2008 Specialized Sirrus
203 discs on each end....that's about it.....
2008 Specialized Sirrus
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