Looking for some informed gentlemen

JNZ

New to cycling (hi all!) and trying to figure out what sort of bike to go with.

I'm male and weigh 140lbs. Currently living in a city and I have a couple goals with cycling:

• Get some exercise into my life. Currently don't exercise at all but apparently extended rides and hills (lots of those where I live) are good for cardio and lower muscle toning
• Commuting to work (sub-2km journey but that could change to a longer distance later this year)
• Rare long commutes between cities in New Zealand with friends for fun once I have the strength/endurance for it (350-400km+ spread out over a few days)

I've been researching for a couple days and the best options seem to be: Endurance Road, Hybrid and CycloCross.

The sheer amount of choices is pretty overwhelming as a newbie but some sound recommendations that I can take into a bike shop would be great. Budget for the bike is about 800USD.

Thanks for your time

cycleclinic

Try some bike in a good shop. A CX/gravel bike is not a not a bad idea if you want to ride off metelled roads which new Zealand no doubt has many. Other wise an endurance road bike or what in the 90's was just a road bike with a tall head tube is the other option. They generally have good clearance for wider tyre so could be used on gravel roads.

passout

If you are spending some time in the sadlle then I'd go for dropped handlebars personally - more comfortable. Cross bikes offer flexibility - wider tyres, can go off road.

cougie

I'd probably not bother cycling in for under 2km. Walking is probably quicker if you have to lock the bike up and throw on kit or lights. And your bike can be safe and sound at home.

Cross bike with road tyres would do everything you need.

cougie

I'd probably not bother cycling in for under 2km. Walking is probably quicker if you have to lock the bike up and throw on kit or lights. And your bike can be safe and sound at home.

Cross bike with road tyres would do everything you need.

iron-clover

Welcome!
For short commutes I prefer to use a flat bar hybrid which is more like a rigid MTB to cruise around on- I find it easier to brake frequently using the flat bars and the wide tyres are good for bumping up and down kerbs, taking in gravel paths etc.

However, if you're thinking of doing long distance trips then I would lean towards a drop bar bike because of the range of hand positions available. And for long, multi day rides nothing fits the bill like Touring bikes.
You don't hear of them much anymore, but they are the original relaxed geometry road bikes with wider tyres, mudguards and pannier racks for lugguage which are used for forays out into the countryside or riding around the globe. Although they can't cope with as much off road terrain as cyclocross bikes they can deal with gravel tracks and grass fine- they just won't cope with very muddy conditions.

Because they are designed to take loads they are a bit heavier than more sport orientated bikes, but they will still be fairly nippy compared to most hybrids. You can get slightly cheaper Alloy versions of the classic touring bikes such as the Dawes Galaxy or Ridgeback Horixon, but really you should go for steel for the comfier ride.

If you want a more sporty bike then a cyclocross bike with the appropriate brazings for mudguards and panniers will make for a decent light tourer but you may be limited to carrying maybe 5-10kg depending on the frame. The other advantage of 'cross bikes is with their off road tyres on they can be great fun to take out into the wilds.

Good luck!

mfin

OP If you are going to ride on anything deemed to be an off road surface then a Cross bike (that you might have mentioned for this reason). Otherwise a Road Bike that fits well (The term Endurance might be irrelevant, it's what fits that count, people ride the same bike in the same position whether they are riding 10 miles in a day or 100 miles in a day and you aren't stating any intention to do more than that so you won't need anything unusual at all).

Bear in mind when you first buy a road bike the position will probably feel alien and will probably feel low, some people can't get this into their heads as they are pre-disposed to think they want to 'sit up more' and then forever ride in positions that are unnecessarily high as they close their minds off.

JNZ

Thanks for the speedy replies everyone! They weren't kidding about the cycling community being pretty inclusive haha

I'll go into a bike shop this week to try some stuff out and hopefully make a purchase but it's sounding like either a CX bike or a Roadie with the space for slightly bigger wheels is what I need.

Both seem to usually come with dropbars which will take some adjusting but no doubt worth it for those longer trips!

As far as CX bikes go I've read on some biking forums during my research that there's a lot of compromise there versus a regular Roadie. Is this stigma just at the competitive level, which I dont plan on riding at anytime soon, or is it something I should be aware of as well?

passout

I wouldn't worry about that stigma. There is a good deal of variety within 'road' bikes anyway - some are for out & out racing whereas others are much more relaxed. You want something that is comfortable firstly & foremost.