Which bike to get?!?!?

yusufloserjozu

Hi everyone,

Thanks for taking the time to read this. I recently went into an Evans cycle shop to have a long talk with one of the shop assistants. I specified that I need a bike that's

Great for daily commuting
Very durable
Very affordable
Comfortable
Highly suitable for mudguards and panniers
Versatile (in all aspects, especially weather conditions)
Dropdown bars (Ideally, equipped with dual pull brake levers for ease of mind in both handlebar positions but not essential).


She recommended getting an adventure Road bike (or gravel bike, as I believe they are often called). May I ask if this is the best recommendation?

Furthermore, I have spotted the Dawes Discovery Road 2 as a potential suitor (link below). I can get this bike for £400 so ideally I'd want alternative options to be below that price.

http://dawescycles.com/dawes/discovery-road-sport-2/


Is this bike an adventure Road bike?
Does it fit the above criteria?
Are there any better models out there?

Thank you very much for your time.

Jerry185

Welcome to the website Yusu

You might try this from Decathlon

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-520-f ... 22799.html

£380 v £700, the Decathlon one has better gears and carbon forks (makes the ride a lot smoother) and a bike that weighs under 10 kilos. They have in-store servicing so can sort out the bike before you leave and any niggles afterwards.
Give both a full read + any reviews you can find.

Good luck

yusufloserjozu

Jerry185 wrote:

Welcome to the website Yusu

You might try this from Decathlon

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-520-f ... 22799.html

£380 v £700, the Decathlon one has better gears and carbon forks (makes the ride a lot smoother) and a bike that weighs under 10 kilos. They have in-store servicing so can sort out the bike before you leave and any niggles afterwards.
Give both a full read + any reviews you can find.

Good luck

Hi Jerry

Thanks for the reply! Yeah, There's a clearance sale on a shop to buy the Discovery Road 2 bike for £400 so the price is relatively the same. The drop down handlebars really appeal to me (now changed in the original post, sorry!) and I quite like the idea of disc brakes (more power and durability?). While the bike is 16kg, I'm not too concerned about weight as I certainly wouldn't consider it heavy (on novice premonition!) and am certainly not going to utilise any lighter weights as I'm not too concerned with racing capabilities. As long as it's reasonably fast (which most road bikes are?), I'm happy!

fenix

I don't see the need for the adventure bike really - unless your commute is offroad ?

Is a triple chainset really necessary ? Again great if you're riding through a muddy hilly forest but usually a bit OTT on roads.

A cheap bike is usually heavier and just doesn't work as well as the more sophisticated pricier bike.

How far is the commute and what kind of roads ?

imposter2.0

'Adventure' bikes, gravel bikes, whatever - they do tend to give you the option of fitting tyres larger than 28mm, which many 'regular' disk road bikes don't. If that's important to you then it's worth considering. Otherwise, I tend to agree with Fenix..

milemuncher1

Jerry185 wrote:

Welcome to the website Yusu

You might try this from Decathlon

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-520-f ... 22799.html

£380 v £700, the Decathlon one has better gears and carbon forks (makes the ride a lot smoother) and a bike that weighs under 10 kilos. They have in-store servicing so can sort out the bike before you leave and any niggles afterwards.
Give both a full read + any reviews you can find.

Good luck

I have the drop bar version of this bike, and I can't recommend it highly enough to a road bike newbie. I've had mine for a couple of years, and I've ridden well over 20000 miles on it. I'd probably say it would be worth stumping up the extra cash for the 540 version, and get the 105 11 speed groupset and better wheels, but the 520 is still a superb beginners bike. Budget for immediate tyre upgrades, but other than that, I've not got a bad word to say about it. Obviously it's not going to set the world alight, but if you're not a 'pro bro' it's very good VFM. I only bought it as a 'station bike / crap weather bike', but I found myself using it for the ride up to London, for the 2015 Ride London, then actually doing the event on it, and riding home again ( 150 mile round trip, plus the event's 100 miles).

Rapid_Rob

I had similar requirements a year ago, and purchased a second hand CAADX 105. I paid £300 for it, and since then, it has survived a weeklong camping tour, frequent commuting, 100 mile sportive's, and general road riding totalling ~2000 miles. Obviously second hand isn't everyone's cup of tea, but just thought I would put another option on the table!

kajjal

The upside to gravel bikes are disc brakes, will fit wider tyres and sharper handling than a road bike. They weight a little more but also have stronger frame and wheels normally. This why they recommended one or a similar bike.

Adventure bikes are normally very well built, quite heavy and designed to carry you and a lot of survival gear in remote places. It would be a very smooth and reliable commute but noticeably slower.

The best deals are second hand if you are confident.