Bike Advice

lau
lau Posts: 3
edited May 2013 in Commuting general
Hey all

I've spent the last week trying to figure out the best bike for my needs and still at a bit of a loss so looking for a little bit of advice.

I'm basically looking for a commuter bike - 15 miles a day, mainly pot holed roads and cycle paths that I can also take over to rutland water etc at the weekends, right now I'm using my trek 3700 which is fairly slow, lacking in higher gears...I'm not feeling the love for it.

So ideally I'm looking for a hardtail still that will perform better on the roads, under £800. The only potential bike I've come across is the Specialized crosstail elite. Do you think this would be ok for what i need?

Thank you
Lau

Comments

  • mattv
    mattv Posts: 992
    Spesh Jett hardtail? Pretty much as light, better fork, put some lightweight 29er tyres on it and you are away.
  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    The 3700 is not a bad frame
    How about upgrade your Trek MTB with some rigid forks, semi-slick rubber, bigger chainrings and permanent full-length mudguards and invest the rest in a dedicated weekend playbike.
  • Barteos
    Barteos Posts: 657
    lau wrote:
    ...my trek 3700 which is fairly slow, lacking in higher gears...I'm not feeling the love for it...
    Lau

    There's no such thing like a "slow bike".
    You can average anything from 12mph to 18mph on an average mountain bike depending on a tyre choice and riding position.
    Get a pair of Shwalbe Big Apples, Super Motos or Kojaks 2" and a rigid fork (carbon?) and your Trek will become a completely different bike.
    Additionally you can lower the bars and put on a pair of bar ends near the stem for more aero position. It will make a big difference on exposed roads.
    In case you run out of gears (really? how often?) you can always put a 48T chainring on.
  • lau
    lau Posts: 3
    Thanks all for the help.

    MichaelW - I have considered this but i think i just want something new, unfortunately i won't have the space for two bikes right now but its a good idea.

    Mattv - Thanks, looking into a 29er, also thinking of possibly ditching the front suspension idea and upgrading altogether with a cyclocross, the search continues!

    Cheers
    Lau

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