Commuter turning to weekend warrior
trevorh
Posts: 87
I have commuted by bike for years but never really ridden recreationally. I have recently ventured out on two weekend rides and have enjoyed them. The problem I have is that I do not like riding my commuting bike. I suppose I associate it with going to work in the dark cold and wet, notwithstanding the fact that it is inherently unreliable and has had more things go wrong with it than UK politics. So I am in the market for a weekend road bike. My budget is £1700 only because I like the look of the Cannondale Slate Apex (and that's how much they are) but am open to other suggestions. I like the idea of being able to switch from road to light off road easily and weirdly like the look of the lefty fork and the bigger tyres whilst retaining a racy feel. Has anybody ridden a slate and can give me their thoughts? Also what other comfortable road bikes can I get for that sort of budget without it being super-racy. Thanks in advance
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SuperSix Evo
Used it for commuting then put some better wheels, brakes and cranks on it and use it for bombing down country roads at 40mph
A 10kg bike with a weird fork and 42c tyres isn't going to give you a "racy feel" unless you've been going around on a MTB from the 90s
The gearing is also less than ideal, you've got a single 44T ring at the front and 11-42 in the rear. you can spin up the steepest hill but forget about going downhill/flats with any speed0 -
The reviews of the slate have said that its not slow on the roads but I suppose that its objective. The thing that appeals to me about it is its versatility where I can just jump down some single track (within reason). However the Supersix looks nice and is just about within budget. I would just be concerned that if I want to got off piste so to speak that it wouldn't cope. I have a Diverge at the moment and hate it with a passion but put up with it to commute.0
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trevorh wrote:The reviews of the slate have said that its not slow on the roads but I suppose that its objective. The thing that appeals to me about it is its versatility where I can just jump down some single track (within reason). However the Supersix looks nice and is just about within budget. I would just be concerned that if I want to got off piste so to speak that it wouldn't cope. I have a Diverge at the moment and hate it with a passion but put up with it to commute.
here's a supersix under budget
https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m7b0s6p66 ... TEGRA-2016
or there still some 2016 tiagra models
http://www.startfitness.co.uk/cannondal ... 7QodmHsGpA0 -
The current trend for 'Gravel' bikes might be more suited to your needs - something that can easily be taken off-road but is built primarily for road use. I suppose they are part way to a Cyclocross bike, but the gearing tends to be more road orientated.
I would post a link to one, but there are so many these days...actually Evans describes them as 'Adventure Road' - and they class the Diverge as one!
https://www.evanscycles.com/bikes/road- ... discipline0 -
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If you want a Slate and you can afford it and it sounds like you have your heart set on it then go for it - really good bikes, look fantastic, do everything, will hold value.
Only downside is that its really nickable so big lock time.
Apart from that, go for it, ride it, enjoy it.Postby team47b » Sun Jun 28, 2015 11:53 am
De Sisti wrote:
This is one of the silliest threads I've come across.
Recognition at last Matthew, well done!, a justified honoursmithy21 wrote:
He's right you know.0 -
trevorh wrote:Also what other comfortable road bikes can I get for that sort of budget without it being super-racy. Thanks in advance
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBOOPICKRI ... cross-bike
I have one of these with 50/34 and 11/28. Very comfortable, plenty quick enough for use on the road with nice 28mm tyres, not super light, but easier and cheaper for me to lose 3 kilos than the bike. I do everything on mine - mainly commuting, but longer rides too, also gravelly trails & towpaths with the kids. New wheels have made the bike even better. I use the new wheels with road tyres, and the old wheels have 35mm knobbly tyres on for off-road.0 -
drwae wrote:A 10kg bike with a weird fork and 42c tyres isn't going to give you a "racy feel" unless you've been going around on a MTB from the 90s
The gearing is also less than ideal, you've got a single 44T ring at the front and 11-42 in the rear. you can spin up the steepest hill but forget about going downhill/flats with any speed
This
The Slate is basically a cyclocross/gravel bike but with weird tyres that Cannondale have made themselves only to put on the Slate to make it look 'versatile' and road worthy. Those tyres dont really make sense. They are slick but 42c wide ???? They will slip like crazy in anything resembling wet mud,or dusty loose ground and will feel draggy on the road. They would need slimming down if you plan to spend the majority of your time on road. Just be aware that small,fast decent 650b tyres for the road are harder to find. Those 650b wheels really limit your choices.
The thing that makes a bike a true road bike is the slim tyres and the little rolling resistance they have, combined with the big wheels. Increasing the tyre size to 42c and making the wheels smaller kinda defeats the purpose. Theres not much about this bike that is road except the drop bars. It could pass as a 650b MTB with drop bars fitted. I think the suspension will come into its own off road, but is a dead weight and will sap energy on road.
With that gearing you will spin out on fast descents. 44t with 11t cog at 90 cadence is 28mph, 100 cadence is 31mph.
Sure, you could put a bigger chainring on but then your climbing gears will suffer. And you may need to fit a longer chain.
What do you dislike about the Diverge, is it the weight, geometry, components ? because that bike on paper was designed for the riding you describe.0 -
I find my diverge heavy and there has been so much go wrong with it that I ride it almost begrudgingly. Had it 18 months and its needed a new frame. new rear wheel, 2 x freehubs (both faulty), new tyres (the original ones were espoirs and were fraying at the sidewalls) and numerous other things too. Also the Diverge is advertised as having clearance for 35mm tyres but Specialized have told me that this is for the higher end models and the max clearance with mudguards is 28mm or without 30mm. If I do want to do some gravel/light off road stuff that width of tyre wont be good enough so essentially all I have is a heavy road bike. That's why I was looking at the Slate. Wider tyres that can cope with the off road stuff (not necessarily the stock tyres) and that will be reasonably quick on the roads and comfortable on longer Sunday rides. Also the hydraulic brakes appeal as the Spyres on the Diverge need constant adjusting (every week in my case) and I feel lack power. The Super sixes do look nice but I don't really want to go down the fully blown race bike route as then I am limited to just roads only and I don't want another gravel bike as the Diverge will be kept for purely commuting purposes and a winter bike. Sorry to rant on but really don't have any idea what may be suitable for what I want. Any other suggestions would be greatly received.0
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OK so get a cyclo-cross bike but an actual one, ie a relaxed geometry road bike with discs and say 35mm slightly knobbly tyres , not an mtb pretending to be a road bike0
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There really isn't a shortage of these types of bike around at the moment. Virtually every other review that seems to be published concerns a "gravel" type bike.
Have a look here
http://road.cc/category/product-type/gr ... ture-bikes
Here
http://road.cc/category/review-section/ ... ross-bikes
And here
http://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/206 ... us-16-best0 -
I think some test rides if you can get any will help.
a road/CX/gravel bike with big clearance, hydro's and lighter components will be a more nimbler bike. With proper size wheels you'll have more tyre choices. Lightly treaded CX/gravel 32-35mm tyres. At lower pressures will add some comfort. But but the bigger and more knobbly they are, there is always a trade off on the road, there is no getting around that. Trying to make 1 tyre do everything everywhere usually has some a drawbacks somewhere. a second set of tyres for those days where you know the route will be mainly on road/off road may give you more versatility on the whole.0 -
The type of riding you plan on doing is something you need to be really clear about. Most of us have a mix of bikes because our experience has shown us that buying a do-everything bike isn't really the right solution. If you are planning on buying one bike and sticking to that then you need to have a think about the riding.
Is most of the bike going to be on-road, with a small amount of off-roading? Are you planning on touring or doing audax style rides? Is this likely to be a good weather only bike? Do you think you would prefer a racey feel or a more relaxed geometry?
I like Cannondale, but personally I wouldn't go with the Slate (based purely on my riding requirements). My requirements for a road bike are primarily fast road rides but for the bike to be able to fit wide cross tyres, be stable enough for off road, but no slouch for fast club rides, also hydraulic brakes. For this I use a Trek Domane ALR5, it currently has 28mm slick tyres, but for off-road I use 33mm cross tyres, it can take a fair amount larger if needed. In its current guise this bike weighs in at 8.6kgs, with 50-34 and 11/32 it can handle most road and off road hills absolutely fine.
Now that being said, if it was my money I think I would go for a Fairlight Faran, but that's just because I like the look of them and love steel frames. If I was being really sensible and wanted a very good road bike with the capability for the odd off-road ride, then the Domane. If it was more off-road and less road then a cross bike.0 -
w00dster wrote:The type of riding you plan on doing is something you need to be really clear about. Most of us have a mix of bikes because our experience has shown us that buying a do-everything bike isn't really the right solution. If you are planning on buying one bike and sticking to that then you need to have a think about the riding.
Is most of the bike going to be on-road, with a small amount of off-roading? Are you planning on touring or doing audax style rides? Is this likely to be a good weather only bike? Do you think you would prefer a racey feel or a more relaxed geometry?
I like Cannondale, but personally I wouldn't go with the Slate (based purely on my riding requirements). My requirements for a road bike are primarily fast road rides but for the bike to be able to fit wide cross tyres, be stable enough for off road, but no slouch for fast club rides, also hydraulic brakes. For this I use a Trek Domane ALR5, it currently has 28mm slick tyres, but for off-road I use 33mm cross tyres, it can take a fair amount larger if needed. In its current guise this bike weighs in at 8.6kgs, with 50-34 and 11/32 it can handle most road and off road hills absolutely fine.
Now that being said, if it was my money I think I would go for a Fairlight Faran, but that's just because I like the look of them and love steel frames. If I was being really sensible and wanted a very good road bike with the capability for the odd off-road ride, then the Domane. If it was more off-road and less road then a cross bike.
You've got to consider this advice. If you don't like your current gravel-esque bike, then you need something different. It doesn't sound like the Slate is a different enough kind of bike. Sorry, but if you just love the look of it, be prepared to extract yourself from the lustful clutches or else it will turn into bitter tears of anguish later on. It'll be like undressing your newly wedded spouse on the wedding night to find an unexpected set of genitalia.0
