Do it all forever bike

Trippy
Trippy Posts: 13
edited May 2014 in Road general
That's what I'm looking for and thinking Specialized crosstrail elite disk or Whyte Caladoinian.
Which one would you go for when spending around £700?

Comments

  • davep1
    davep1 Posts: 837
    The title suggests a Titanium bike but your budget doesn't (!) Have a look at Kinesis - I liked what they had at the Bike Show.
  • davep1
    davep1 Posts: 837
    The title suggests a Titanium bike but your budget doesn't (!) Have a look at Kinesis - I liked what they had at the Bike Show.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    No such thing, unfortunately...
  • JayKosta
    JayKosta Posts: 635
    If you would be satisfied with a bike that is 'acceptable' (but not especially 'good') for various types of riding, then a road bike that can accept fairly wide tires, racks, and mud guards would be useful.

    But for someone who gets 'enthusiastic' about activities, it would be better to get a bike that is really 'good' for the type of riding that would be done most often. Many people begin with 'starter' bikes, and soon yearn for better performance.

    If there is an active 'used bike' market in your area, then you could start with whatever is currently appealing, and then sell, and buy another to suit your needs. If you buy a new bike from a dealer, its value will be considerably less if you re-sell it.

    Jay Kosta
    Endwell NY USA
  • ai_1
    ai_1 Posts: 3,060
    A CX bike would most likely fit the bill. Get one that'll take mudguards and racks and you can easily adapt it to do a decent job as a road bike, commuter, tourer or of course a CX
  • jonny_trousers
    jonny_trousers Posts: 3,588
    I agree with many of the comments above. If you want a good compromise bike at your price point then one of the lower specked Genesis Equilibriums should fit the bill.
  • woody2359
    woody2359 Posts: 59
    Charge Filter Hi - Its marketed as a cyclocrosser but is perfectly suited to road/cycle track/commuting/limited off road. With massive (and I mean massive) clearances for knobbly tires it'll go off the tarmac, but is equally at home zipping along the smooth stuff on a set of 23s. For touring/commuting it has full mudguard and pannier rack bosses, plus disc brakes (albeit mechanical) for wet weather. I love mine, it's my daily commuter and long distance (doing a 600mile France/Spain tour next month on it) bike, and at a hefty 12kg(!) makes jumping on the race bike a feel like a dream.
  • arran77
    arran77 Posts: 9,260
    As others have said, a forever bike and a £700 budget do not go hand in hand in my opinion.
    "Arran, you are like the Tony Benn of smut. You have never diluted your depravity and always stand by your beliefs. You have my respect sir and your wife my pity" :lol:

    seanoconn
  • mrfpb
    mrfpb Posts: 4,569
    Kaffenback 2 from Planet X has a fan club in the commuter section. Flat bar model is £700, drop bar is £800. Steel frame and Tiagra groupset. Good for gravel/hard trails as well as the road. Bosses for mudguards and racks.
  • mattrixdesign2
    mattrixdesign2 Posts: 644
    No bike will last "forever", but any could certainly last a lifetime if cared for (excl components!), and there is no reason why a £700 factory made bike should not last as long a £2k custom made bike. It all depends on what you want and need, and if you want a timeless classic design, or something modern (and possibly made from, god forbid Aluminium!).

    As for "do it all bike", i.e. something versatile, there are loads of choices these days many listed above. Personally I am a fan of the TriCross, it ain't cool, it aint steel, it aint brilliant at any one thing. It will ride well on road, it will go off road, it will give a comfy commute, it could race in cross, it could tour etc etc etc. There are many similar bikes these days, so its really up to you.

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