Should I get a road bike?

alienmuppet

Hi,
I wasn't sure which was the best forum to post in ...

I'm a long time mountain bike user looking to perhaps get a road bike, and could use some advice before purchasing.

I'm a recreational rider, looking to get a lot fitter trying to shed the final stone of weight from around my belly!

I currently have a Trek Fuel EX8 2011 which I purchased second hand a few years ago. It is full suspension and apparently weighs around 12.31kg which is not too bad for a mountain bike AFAIK. It certainly feels much nicer and lighter than my last bike (old heady Giant XTC Napa) or any bike I've had in the past.

As well as off road, I'm starting to do (recreational) riding on the road, along canal paths, around Rutland Water (UK), things like that, so I've been thinking of getting a road bike. The Giant Defy 1 Disc 2016 has caught my eye which I think I can pick up second hand for around £500 to £600. From what I've heard it could probably manage a slightly rough road (i.e. the canal paths).

I must admit, I expected a more substantial weight difference, though I can imagine I will notice 3kg and far less drag from the much thinner smoother tires.

I did wonder about getting a hybrid, but it seems like there maybe isn't enough difference compared to what I have now, especially if I only spend around £600 (second hand). I figured the road bike for road / canal paths and the mountain bike when it's proper off road.

Does this sound reasonable? Any advice would be much appreciated.

slowbike

Yes - you should get a road bike.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Boardman CX Team and a set of Cosine Disc wheels.;)

pblakeney

Yes.

Shuggy76

disc brakes innit, they're heavy lumps ;-)
The Defy is a nice bike, you should get on fine with it if you decide to plump for it. Hybrids are a bit M'eh, maybe have gander at the CX route? I haven't, but constantly tempted everytime I wander into my local bike shop

fat daddy

no ... a road bike wont solve your issues .... you need a road bike + cx bike + hybrid + single speed + endurance bike and another mtb

slowmart

If the defy fits, buy it and join a local club who look after novices and ride out with them as they will have the routes which are quite, pretty and for a range of abilities.

I'd avoid using a road bike on canal path and thats not to say it's not doable but its like getting a date with Eva Green and going bowling. I mean why would you when there's much better ways of spending your time.

alienmuppet

Haha, errr, no 2 bikes is my limit :P Must admit single speed has never had the slightest appeal to me.

I might take a look at CX bikes - I hadn't even heard of CX / Cyclocross bikes until today. The Boardman looks good but from the pictures I find it a tad... uninspiring. I don't know why; probably a personal taste thing, I tend to prefer lighter coloured bikes for a start. I'm sure it's a great bike and would probably really like it if I owned it, maybe even eventually love it. Perhaps the Halfords connection doesn't help. I'm probably being very shallow... I'll see what else is out there.

Thanks for your replies so far.

figbat

I am a long-time MTBer. I was in the "nope, never, not-in-a-million, fergedabowdit, over-my-dead-body" camp when it came to road bikes. I half-considered a flat-barred hybrid but was never going to go down the mamil route.

I am currently doing more miles on my Cannondale Synapse than on my 29er, mostly because I am trying to get road fit for an upcoming sportive. Whilst I will always consider myself an MTBer who rides a road bike, I do like it more than I thought I would. I pick my routes and stay away from roads where traffic interactions are the worst.

I thought about CX but decided I wanted to go full-on road. However, having now bought a new MTB, the wife can use my old 26" hardtail which leaves her 90s Trek, steel-framed, rigid MTB ripe for me to do a project on - some kind of drop-barred gravel bike is what I'm thinking.

alienmuppet

Interesting RE full road vs CX.... damn.. more decisions.

The Cannondale CaadX Tiagra looks rather nice, as does the Giant TCX SLR. I'd probably go for 2015/2016 models of whatever I get because I like to go 2nd hand and keep the price down.. especially as I'm trying to save money for a house ;-)

Anyway, might be time to get off my arse and go take a look at some bikes.

I have this odd thing that... I want to avoid full Carbon Fiber as I don't like fragile (especially as I'm used to MTBs). That will at least keep the price down ;-)

w00dster

Going the disc brake route opens your options up for different riding. For example, my Trek Domane ALR Disc can take up to 40mm slicks, I normally use either 28mm slick for road or for off road 33mm knobbly, I could comfortably put on 35mm knobbly tyres. This allows me to use it as my winter road bike and for off road rides.
As already mentioned the downside to disc brakes is the bikes tend to be heavier, especially in the price range you are looking at. Getting rid of the stock wheels will help. I've got my domane down to just under 9kgs which is pretty heavy, that being said the weight penalty for me is worth it as it opens up different rides for me.
CX or Road Bike....Nowadays the difference between the two has gotten smaller, I would just go road bike that can fit wide tyres. The gearing on a CX bike may not be great for road rides (46/36), but what you describe would be fine with a compact chainset (50/34).

rubertoe

The Answer is obvious.

Yes.

As for the rest. Get a bike that will take slightly wider tyres or dare i say nobbles and then you can ride it pretty much where you like.

Make sure that you try the ride before you buy and more importantly get something that fits.

Get some SPD pedals and away you go

w00dster

A CAADX is surely overkill (and overpriced)
I love the caad frame, but 46/36 for road, canal paths and Rutland water? Plus promax render brakes.
Nah. Personally I think the OP is better off with an alloy road bike with hydraulic disc brakes and room for a wider tyre. No compromising going on with that set up, will be good on road and will handle canal paths absolutely fine.

vegasfoster

I might start by sticking some skinny tires on my mtn bike first and seeing if it takes me where I want to go. http://chainreactioncycles.com/us/en/co ... -prod39338

Tonyellis2607

Definitely go cx. The geometry is a bit more relaxed than a full on road bike. Takes bigger tyres, and most come with discs!!

I went for a cx bike then road from Brussels to Paris on a charity ride with it, all on road, and still use it for the fitness side. Makes a big difference to the more endurance side of bike fitness. When the weathers alright, I'm out on my cx bike a lot. Got some road tyres on it and it's great!!

Didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I do!! Putting the nobbly tyres back on, it's great fun on trails too.

w00dster

CX geometry isn't necessarily more relaxed, doesn't necessarily allow for wider tyres and disc brakes are available for most road bikes.
The difference between CX and road bikes has reduced. My trek domane has ridden CX circuits and has been fine. It has hydraulic discs and can take a 40mm tyre. The difference is bottom bracket height and gearing.
OP probably needs to test ride both types. But it's important that he understands the difference between 50/34 and 46/36. I would also try and avoid mechanical disc brakes as well. A 46 front chainring on the road would drive me crazy.
OP, can't you hire bikes at Rutland water?

fat daddy

w00dster wrote:

A 46 front chainring on the road would drive me crazy.

I don't think a 46 on the road is a bad thing ... plent of people run a compact 50 with a narrow 12-28 cassette ..... and as you know 46-11 is the pretty much the same as 50-12

I suppose if you regularily spin 50:11 at 110rpm than having to find the extra 10rpm to do it at 46:11 might be harder work, but then how often will he be hard pedalling at 40mph ?

alienmuppet

Thanks for all the replies.

Okay.. first, 50/34 and 46/36 - I'm going to have to look into that. I hadn't even thought about different gear ratios.

Second, what is wrong with mechanical disc brakes? I've never tried them so genuinely curious. I am used to hydraulic disc brakes on my Trek, but I don't think I'd be too worried if the breaks were not quite as responsive.. As long as I pull the lever and I slow down

I went to a shop yesterday. One of them was a Specialized dealer so their main interest was selling me a Specialized, but I used it to try and get an idea of the size I'd need. They guessed me at 56 due to my size, but turns out I need a 54. I must have a shorter upper body. I'm wondering now how that translates to Giant (if I went that route); I'm guessing I'd need a medium (M), not a M/L and definitely not an L! There is a second hand M for sale that's barely been used but it's a bit of a drive from me (over 100 miles...) so maybe trying some at Rutland Water would be a good idea, if they have the sort of thing I'm looking for that is.

Looks like there's some disagreement about road vs cyclocross ...

type:epyt

Cannondale Badboy ... Fast enough on the road but versatile enough for most things a MTB is overkill for ...

A CX bike with slicker tyres is more versatile still but as a halfway house to see how much road riding you do the Badboy ticks all the boxes, including looks and price ...

alienmuppet

@epyt:
Thanks, but that looks way too much like my MTB, and weighs nearly as much. My MTB is 12.5kg and that's full sus!
I need something nearer the road bike end of the scale.
I'm definitely not planning on selling my MTB so having something that close to it doesn't make sense for me.

alienmuppet

I did reply to the above (Re Cannondale Badboy) but my reply never appeared!
Basically, it is way too much like a MTB, which I already have, so makes no sense to me.
Thanks for the suggestion though.

kajjal

I did the same buying a rim braked road bike. It was fine but i realised i wanted hydraulic disc brakes and bigger tyres to take it off road if the mood took me. Ended up with a specialized diverge with hydraulic brakes, relatively light dsw frame and could fit up to 33mm tyres so smoother off road.

On road it is faster than my trek road bike especially downhill but a little slower up hill. Off road until it gets rougher and more technical it is faster than my xc mountain bike. Once it gets rough as expected you take a beating and it does not replace a mountain bike. One thing i hadn't considered was how fast the road sections between the trails fly by unlike a mountain bike with huge knobbly tyres.

Worth trying this type of bike. In the winter i fit 25m tyres and use it purely for road riding.

alienmuppet

Well, I ended up getting a 2nd hand Giant Defy 1 Disc 2016 (Medium), AND a 2nd hand Cannondale CAADX 105 2016 (54"). Both mint condition (the Giant hadn't even been ridden), and both around half the original price. I was torn so thought I'd get both and see how I get on with them. I'll probably end up keeping both

I went with Medium size in the end; I seem to be between. 2 bike shops said I was a medium, another 2 said 54" (non-Giant), another 2 said I was medium/large. Given that I'm already thinking of reducing the reach on both bikes (changing 100mm stem to 90mm), I think Medium/Large would have been too much, though perhaps I'll try them again once I've had some experience on the Medium.

I do love the look of the 2017 Defy Advanced (the red and black) so perhaps I'll upgrade next year if I really get into it . Fortunately I am single at the moment so nobody to object