pls help, buying new bike, £350 max ideally-and a poll

spectroscopic

I am looking at getting a new bike for the commute to work. we run the cycle2work scheme so i can save some £'s. my ride is mostly track with a little bit of road. about 8 miles a day with 1 mile being road.

i am currently riding an orange carrera kraken, bought from halfords as a present about 6/7 years ago.

i was considering moving to a hybrid bike but am now thinking a hardtail mtb with front sus would be a better buy as the track is concrete but has quite a few bumps and some wooden bridges etc. its also mud in some places but this is minimal

the bikes i have seen so far that are of interest are the gt avalance 3.0, trek 4500 and specialized hard rock sport

i cant find the weight of any of these bikes? i am expecting them to be quite similar as they seem to be aimed at the same market segment. does anyone know which has the best gearing ratio and which is the lightest? what would be the general recommendation?

how much better are the 08 models of these bikes compared to the 07 models?

29'' wheels look really nice but i cant find a cheap bike with these wheels, are there any 28'' or 29'' wheel models about with decent front sus and a good spec at this price range?

is it worth saving on 07 models? im thinking anything around £300 is going to be miles better than my old kraken and weight and gearing ratio's are my main priority. brakes are not that important, i try and use them as little as possible, its mostly flat where i have moved too.

thanks for any help people, i have the most wonderful bike ride into work in the morning and would really like a better bike so i can enjoy it even more

supersonic

Be best to try out a few to see what feels best. The best specced may not be the best for you - however sometimes you can avoid bikes due to particularly bad known flaws or components. As far as I am aware with cycle to work scheme, you have to go on the full RRP, not sale prices. Sometimes its hard to compare one year to another as they can be vastly different bikes - the Hardrocks have changed significantly, the 08 been much lighter, and the 'top' model much cheaper, but downspecced. The What Bike thread has some good models to llok through. Gear ratios are nigh on identical for all MTBs at this price, some may having a 34t low gear rather than a 32. But thats about it!

supersonic

re the poll, going on 2008 models; the Trek is 100 quid more than the other two! It doesnt have disc brakes, but instead you get a superb frame, damped fork, 9spd gears and good kit. It weighs just less than 30lbs.

The Spesh and the GT are both 300, but the GT better specced for the money - better brakes (the V brakes on the Hardrock are poor), higher spec gearing: both are similar weighs, 32lbs or so. Whether you need discs or not depends on you, generally they offer better wet weather performance, hydraulic discs even more so (and less maintenance).

spectroscopic

wow, thanks supersonic for the supersonic speed reply. ill let you know about whether the bike2work scheme is available on discounts, i went to the lbs yesterday and the fellow in there seemed to think it would apply on his sale bikes, i have been looking around on the net to see whats available in this price range. if i were to get a trek4500 i think it would have to be the 07 model.

i think i really should have asked whether the trek 4500 '07 model is better than the spech '08 and gt '08 models i asked about?

do you happen to know the weight of the trek 4500 07?

i get the feeling you are recommending the GT, its looks shweeet, so i might go for this.ill see if the lbs has any of these models to compare and what they do have for about this money.

thanks again for your reply. especially regarding the gt vs spesh

supersonic

They are nigh on identical, the 08 having a slightly longer fork. Weight is the same I think. Review here:

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... 0-07-19346

spectroscopic

cheers, you have been really helpful. i think i will go to evans in crawley and see what the 4500 07 model is like. i am thinking the extra 2lbs is a reasonable amount of weight to save and the trek looks less expensive than either of the other two which is a good thing in my book

Splasher

It's irritating when you've narrowed it down and people insist on offering alternatives but:

if I was looking for a bike to do the duty you've described I'd start with something like this http://www.rutlandcycling.com/ProductDe ... f70dca7541 would be my starting point.

It's got 700c wheels so it'll roll faster and easier, it's got a short suspension fork to save the wrists from the joints in the concrete but it won't wallow and sap your strength, it has got touring gears (26/36/48) so more suited to flat fast touring, it'll take proper mudguards and if necessary at any stage, a rack.

£339.

spectroscopic

thanks splasher, i was interested in hybrid's but was after the front shocks+big wheels then was put off by lack of models and price. it looks like it has an adjustable or lock out mechanism on the front sus, do you know which it is?

supersonic

The fork is a SR NEX, with mechanical lockout sytem. Its a decent bike, will be faster than an MTB on the smooth stuff (and maybe rougher stuff! - Thats where skill comes in ;-)). If you plan to venture further offroad at anytime, an MTB would be the better option. For paths and the like, a 700cc may well fare you better. Another option, though no sus, is this:

https://sslrelay.com/s96379727.oneandon ... r.3%252F07

Very light for the money, 7lbs less than the Scott and the Trek!

Splasher

See here it's a lockout http://www.scottusa.com/gb_en/product/1 ... ortster_p4

There is a P45 that comes with disc brakes as well but at £399 that blows your budget and frankly for commuting discs make the bike heavier without any real benefit.

spectroscopic

cheers guys, what do you think of the sus stem's? is it worth 'upgrading' to oneor are they more of a gimmick?

the path is fairly easy going, i just want something to hack to work as quick and easily as possible.

the giant fcr looks really nice, 10.7kg's is unbelievable, that should shave a few minutes off the commute. i think i will go for this. i can see how front sus will add a kg or 2 unless its silly money, so for lightness the giant really does look the business

spectroscopic

sorry for the super nooby question.... my inside leg is 32'' and i am 5'11. i want to sit as upright as possible as it feels easier on the lower back. i am prepared to get a shorter stem if needs be, but am i right in thinking a 50cm frame is the correct size for my inside leg and height. i have looked at a few guides and they seem to say this. i understand some people prefer to be leaning forward, i prefer as upright as possible

thanks for your help guys, these look like some really cool bikes.



the ride2work guides i have been looking at seem to suggest you can purchase sale bikes. i might try and start the scheme myself, but i am pretty low level and do technical work rather than payrolls and all that jazz.

supersonic

Its about the right size, but more to in thatn that: top tube length changes too. New bars and stem can alter position, as can sliding saddle back and forth - but getting the right top tube length (providing your nads clear the frame) is most important.

It is light, but you do sacrifice the comfort of a sus, and the performance of an MTB if you want to do some more off roading.

Chaka Ping

You probably don't want a MTB if you're only doing the sort of riding you described.

A hybrid can cope with a few bumps and a spot of mud easily.

But if you did want to go mountain biking too it would be worth the extra weight and slower speed on the commute, because its brilliant fun.