Tourer or Carbon

bristolmotorspeedway

I've had a hybrid bike for 3 years now (alloy framed Giant) and almost replaced/supplemented it with a Roubaix a couple of years back. I then started doing more gym work for fitness and so cycling took a back seat, but I am back to riding more often again now.

I'd like to upgrade to a roadbike, one of the reasons being that I would like to have something more fun to ride and another being that I would like the greater comfort that I perceive a good carbon bike would give. A more relaxed seating position appeals and the legendary comfort of the Roubaix does too, so nothing too aggressive geometry wise.

My cycling isn't too bad both on road and in the gym (17mph over 46 miles is my longest ride/280-290 watts is my average for a 40 minute spin class) but i'd like to push it further.

Now, all so simple thus far. Go out, testride and buy a bike I like the look of, yes? Here is the dilemma part....

A friend and I have decided we would like to ride Bristol to Lands End next year, just a fun jaunt, first attempt at multi-day cycling. I thought, great, another reason to treat myself to a Roubaix. Then remembered that it doesn't have mountings for panniers, and also that a carbon bike may not be the ideal thing for parking up in B&Bs etc.

I've entertained the idea of something more suited to touring, perhaps a titanium framed bike. But then I feel that I am getting something that is probably perfect for multi-day touring, but isn't what I want for an evening/weekend blast.

This brings me to the option of buying the Roubaix for training, but using the hybrid for the Bristol - Lands End ride, perhaps upgraded with drop bars to give more positions.

I'm entirely undecided on the best option. So, I thought to throw it to the experts on here :-)

NB. I know I don't NEED to buy a great bike at my ability level, but I'd like something sportier, so I am not really considering 'just' keeping the hybrid. n+1 time. When n+1 = 2, it's a must have really :-)

cougie

What bike is your mate on ? If he's on a hybrid too - then thats no issue - but if he's on a bike with a lower position - will you struggle to keep up ?

I know plenty of people who have ridden LE JOG on carbon racers - just pack very light. How many days are you planning on ? Personally I'd use the Roubaix for the ride.

And your watts are very impressive if they're accurate.

bristolmotorspeedway

Thanks Cougie. Good point re mate's bike. He has a reasonably cheap roadbike, but is also thinking of upgrading. Actually, the couple of times we have cycled together I have tended to leave him on hills, but on a longer ride the pace would be slower. Hopefully we will match each others pace and take it relatively easy. He's very fit, I suspect I am more of a cyclist than him though.

We haven't planned the ride in any detail yet, perhaps 5 days, 7 would be the max including getting home somehow! The emphasis will be on leisurely rather than hell for leather.

Very good info on people doing LE JOG on carbon racers - are they carrying backpacks rather than on-bike? Appreciate that this may be something I will need to try out.

Thanks re.the watts but thinking about it they may be inaccurate numbers. My VO2 max was 55 last year (age 41), but I think the spin bikes must over-read. I've done a couple of completely unscientific sessions on a wattbike pro and only managed 220 over 30-35 minutes - but both times I measured my effort badly and was done for after about 10 minutes

bobmcstuff

There's plenty of middle ground bikes that are good for light touring and regular cycling, I've just ordered a Condor Fratello (steel) for that purpose or you could get something like the Ribble Audax (alu)/525 (steel), Genesis Equilibirum (apparently the 2015 ones will have pannier mounts, and there's a Ti one), or similar. Titanium frames are quite pricey, but look nice and you can definitely get one that suits.

Having said that I'm sure the hybrid would do the job, especially if you're taking it fairly slow, and a nice carbon bike for regular riding would be nice

Personally I don't like riding with a backpack, you can get panniers which attach to the seat tube, which I guess is what those guys use.

alan_sherman

The hybrid has one great advantage - a triple crank! Those hills in Cornwall are steep....

You aren't looking at lots of miles in a day, so the hybrid could be a better bike for the ride. You would be sat up a bit more so could enjoy the scenery, which is lovely down there.

The train from Penzance will get you back to Bristol. Book a bike place in advance.

The NCN bike route from Penzance to Lands end is very pretty, but does have gravel. I rode it on 25mm tyres but hybrid (32mm) may be better / easier to control.

Have fun!

ai_1

I think you may be asking slightly the wrong question. Don't worry about whether the bike will be carbon or not. It's not that important in the grand scheme of things. First figure out if you want a light low road bike, a tourer or something else like a CX bike. Deciding on the material and the specific bike should come later or you'll just confuse yourself and keep second guessing everything (IMO!)
For a long multi-day ride with baggage I would think a Hybrid would be fine but if you've spent most of your time on drop bars between now and then, the flats may drive you nuts!
A drop bar road bike with ability to take racks and mudguards seems like the best option to cover your needs for both the shorter, faster training rides you want to do now and the long touring rides next year. The vast majority of the comfort provided by a bike is down to the tyre type, size and pressures. After that the seatpost & saddle make a difference and the bars and bar tape have an impact too. I think the frame probably comes in behind all of those (tyres are definitely no. 1), so I'm a little sceptical when I see all the hype about compliant frames in marketing and reviews. I haven't enough experience to say for sure but it seems to me that a compliant frame may help, and carbon is a good material for building one, but it's not likely to be the biggest difference between a harsh and a comfy bike.

There's plenty decent comfort-oriented road bikes to chose from that are suitable for both short rides and long hauls. The number that can take reasonably large tyres, mudguards and racks will be smaller. Then pick a budget. Then see what takes your fancy. Then see what material it's made from and decide if that matters to you.

I rode an aluminium Specialised Tricross Sport Triple (cyclocross/general purpose bike) for my first 3.5 years in cycling. It got me up and down canal paths, gravel tracks and out for some road riding in it's original configuration, then I put on slicks and a new stem to bring the bars down and used it as a road bike to do plenty long rides including several 100km and 160km sportives and one very tough 200km sportives. The bike was a smidge heavier than an equivalent road bike but never held me back. I recently bought a carbon Canyon Ultimate CF SL 9.0 roadbike. It weighs about 3kg less, is made of carbon and has much higher spec components but it's still not a million miles away from the Tricross at the end of the day! I loved riding the Tricross and I love riding the Canyon. The Tricross has a wider gear selection can take mudguards, racks and any size tyre I could wish for. For my usual rides the Canyon is a slightly better fit, easier to haul up hills quickly, crisper handling, prettier and just a bit more fun.
Something like the Canyon might be the best bet for your day to day fast rides. Something like the Tricross would meet any need you're likely to come up with and only makes a few small compromises to do it. An Audax bike or road bike with good tyre clearance and rack potential is between the two and probably the best of both worlds.

bristolmotorspeedway

Thanks for all the replies so far guys, it is giving me plenty of food for thought and helping me see all the pros and cons from different angles.

The 'triple' advantage of the hybrid did cross my mind too. Although I rarely drop even to the second ring on the (very short) hills around here, I suspect Devon and Cornwall would be a different matter. The longest 'climb' I do regularly is only about 0.75 miles at 3/4%! Thanks for the info on the train (need to book ahead) and good thoughts on the view.

Really useful thoughts on the bikes to consider. Whatever I buy (and whether it gets used for this ride or not) is likely to be something I keep for a few years - which is why I am a little wary of compromising daily use for what might only be one long trip. Then again, the more practical bikes with mounts etc. will potentially make good commuters too.

I had a good look at the Canton website a couple of weeks back, really impressed with their offerings but a bit of a drawback is not being able to testride/view in person, plus slight concerns over service in the unlikely event of problems.

Again, thanks for all the advice and experience shared, much appreciated.

ai_1

If you're considering a Canyon I wouldn't let the lack of a test ride put you off. I think test rides are massively over-rated. What you notice on a test ride is more down to the way the shop has set up the bike, how much air is in the tyres and how you feel on the day rather than a reflection on the bike. I know lots of people on here go on and on about doing a test ride but honestly, it's an exercise in convincing ourselves we like/dislike a bike not a valid way to judge them. We're just not that objective and there are too many variables.

Canyon do great bikes and they're great value. With the exception of a few issues with the Ultimate CF SLX frame recently I've never heard the quality or performance of their bikes criticised and I'm very happy with mine.

You don't have to go for a hybrid to get a triple chainset. You can get some roadbikes and cyclocross bikes with triples too although they're becoming less common. Most compact systems now permit fairly generous sized sprockets (rear gears) and they have 9, 10 or 11 sprockets which is a lot more than they used to. So with compact doubles offering wide gear ranges without excessive gaps, triples offer less of an advantage than they used to.

bristolmotorspeedway

Interesting point re test rides, and also backed-up in my own experience I suppose - changing the tyres from 32 to 28 on my hybrid did transform it. Ok, that's not a minor setup change, but it does show how much an individual bike can change.

I'm not too hung up on a triple, that's really just an advantage (that I hadn't considered until it was mentioned) of my current bike if I choose to use it for the Lands End ride which has much bigger hills than I am used to. For the new bike, I am pretty sure I will go with a compact, perhaps 11-speed. On the local routes, I don't think I have dropped onto the third ring in 3 years of owning the bike (maybe in the first ride or two as my legs were reintroduced to what cycling was!).

Dippydog2

Roubaix like frame.
Takes 32mm tires.
Mounts for mudguards.
Disc brakes.

hmm....... That's what I just bought.
http://road.cc/content/news/126206-spec ... o-anywhere’-bike-launching-soon

Monty Dog

I set-up a friend's Specialized carbon bike for JOGLE - fitted a Tubus Fly rack, 13-30 cassette, triple chainset with 28 inner and some 28mm Schwalbe Durano Plus tyres. They were really grateful for the low gears when laden.