Help and advice please? Re: JOGLE Bike

DannyUK

Hi all,

A small bit of history: I am a cross country mountain biker riding a Rockhopper for the last few years. I have decided that I would like to train and complete the JOGLE challenge for a local charity meaning I now need a n appropriate road going bike.

I have been spending a lot of time reading posts regarding bikes around the budget I have, which is up to £1500.

Whilst the posts have been very helpful I would like any advice to those that ride long distances comfortably? Comfort, Geometry, Carbon or Alloy, components? Anything bike related more than route etc..

I am keen on a couple of bikes but wonder what your thoughts are?

1) Boardman Team Carbon 2015
2) Giant Defy Advanced 2/3 Composite 2015

Thanks for any advice/help..

sloppyschleckonds

Put some slick tyres on the Rockhopper and donate the £1500 to charity.

DannyUK

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Put some slick tyres on the Rockhopper and donate the £1500 to charity.

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. Not sure how to take it to be honest? Its not an option I had thought about if I'm honest. I'm not new to charity events having raised money for this close to my heart small local charity over the last few years, usually I believe in using the right gear so that you avoid injuries and complications.

My thoughts were also that this 1000 miles could be an introduction to more road cycling charity events that I could raise even more money for them.. So if I spend my own money on a more suitable bike, then I can do more.

But, I will think about it. Most people feel a road bike would be safer for the long rides on the busier roads.

menthel

DannyUK wrote:

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Put some slick tyres on the Rockhopper and donate the £1500 to charity.

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. Not sure how to take it to be honest? Its not an option I had thought about if I'm honest. I'm not new to charity events having raised money for this close to my heart small local charity over the last few years, usually I believe in using the right gear so that you avoid injuries and complications.

My thoughts were also that this 1000 miles could be an introduction to more road cycling charity events that I could raise even more money for them.. So if I spend my own money on a more suitable bike, then I can do more.

But, I will think about it. Most people feel a road bike would be safer for the long rides on the busier roads.

Ignore him, it's the usual rubbish he posts.

How are you planning on doing your JOGLE? Supported, unsupported? If you want to carry kit with you a bike with rack mounts would be of use. I would find a bike that fits and is comfy for a decent length ride. Getting a frame that will fit you is the biggest thing for me, the ride can be tuned with tyres, wheels, saddles and handlebar tape so that you can smooth out the ride.

fatdaz

For that money you'll have a wide choice of bikes that'll suit for LEJOG and beyond. As above the first thing to do is determine whether you're touring with your gear strapped to the bike or riding supported where you're just carrying food, hydration and a few spares with all your kit in a support vehicle. If the riding you want to do after LEJOG will be "pure" road cycling rather than touring I'd say you want to try and do LEJOG supported so you can buy a bike which suits your riding beyond LEJOG. If you are looking at a "racing" bike vs a touring bike you'll need to decide how aggressive a geometry you are comfortable with as this will dictate the choice to some extent. Finally coming from a mountain bike background you may want to look at what brakes are fitted as some cheaper road brakes may not be great in comparison to mountain bike discs. At your budget you should probably be looking at Ultegra or equivalent brakes though (assuming you don't go discs although that'd be an option) and they are perfectly good enough.

Whatever style of bike you want there'll be a great range of options within your budget. I don't know how quickly you'd like to complete it but I assume you'll be spending a long time in the saddle each day in which case getting a properly fitting and fitted bike is even more important. I would get out to some bike shops, take some advice on bike sizing and fitting and try some bikes out. If it comes down to choice go for decent frame and wheels over groupset as you can always upgrade components later. Final consideration is gearing, you don't need gearing as low as you will use on you MTB but you will need to consider how low you want your gearing to go

jameses

Have a look at some audax bikes (Condor Fratello and Genesis Equilibrium get mentioned here quite a lot). They should have fittings for mudguards and racks and clearance for larger volume tyres, and are designed to cover long distances in relative comfort, yet not quite as relaxed in position as out-and-out tourers. Should do you well for LEJOG and be nimble enough for club/sportive rides without luggage.

DannyUK

Thanks for your replies guys, been helpful.. I am planning on joining a large group so there will be a support vehicle and I don't imagine I will be carrying a lot on the bike with me..

I went to a local shop in Norwich today and rode the Boardman, the Giant and also Tarmac, and a Cervelo r2 today - and if I am honest I liked all of them! The Tarmac felt quite nice, but then again so did the Boardman, and that was only listed for £999.99. The local shop was saying how the Boardman bike may have cut costs on parts such as wheels, hubs, etc.. and also that the frame may not be as tough long term that could cause issues later compared to say specialized, giant, etc.. However, I am unsure as to how true this is?

kajjal

The main difference with road bikes compared to mountain bikes is you ride in a fairly static position. This means bike setup is alot more important and needs to be alot more accurate. If you ride long distances and setup issues even minor ones will soon surface. To get round this do some long rides to make sure all is OK.

Also on long rides get used to taking enough food and drink and how to pace yourself. The other post mentioning gearing is important, make sure you have enough low gears for when the going gets harder.

arlowood

My advice would be to get a bike that will take proper mudguards rather than having to faff about with Cruds Roadracers or similar compromise systems.

You will be riding probably up to 100 miles per day for around 10 days and I suspect that quite a few of these miles will be in the rain. Nothing worse than wet feet and a wet ar*e for 100 miles.

The suggestions above of the Fratello or Genesis Equilibrium are good ones as both have front and rear eyelets for proper mudguards. Also consider one of the Trek Domane range. These have their own integral mudguard mounting system and the special seat tube/ top tube suspension thingy that is reported to give significant comfort benefits.

This one is slightly over your budget but gives you the general idea

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... ign=Online

Cannock Chase

Put some slick tyres on the Rockhopper and donate the £1500 to charity.

Ignore him, it's the usual rubbish he posts.

Not a rubbish suggestion at all, depending on how you wish to ride it and how long you wish to take.

The wife and I have ridden the End to End in both directions. We used rigid mountain bikes with slicks, full mudguards and panniers. Self supported all the way. If you want to do it as quick as you can, then yes, use a road bike. But if you want to take it steadier, look at the countryside, which of course you should do, and enjoy it, then think about rigid MTB's.

milese

Go to a couple of bike shops, ride a few bikes and see which shop you like the feel of and Trust.

Its very hard not to do, but try not to get too hung up on the details of the bike, get one you like the look and feel of. At £1500 there wont be a bad bike. Stick to the main brands. Avoid Halfords. Personally I wouldnt buy a boardman. The better the brand the less you get for your money - Specialised tended to be low spec'd bikes for the money. Middle of the range brands probably give a best balance of value and kudos - Giant, Trek, Scott etc.

I had a bike with proper mounts and chopped it info bike without them and have just done a winter (about 600 to 800 miles a month) with the clip on ones and they are fine.

Personally I'd like a Cannondale CAAD10.

Monty Dog

Merida make Boardman frames, they also own /make Specialized - mucho bollox spouted above.

Go for a P-X Dirty Disco for £999 with bike packing bags and 32mm touring tyres. Might want to look at a MTB double chainset or triple if riding minor roads, rough tracks.

Seen many LEJOG riders struggling to get to Penzance or St Mawes because they are over-geared and over-laden.