Road newbie seeking advice.

Diesel73

Hi all - Road newbie seeking advice.

Up until about 2013 I had been an enthusiastic MTB warrior but a back injury put me out and Mars bars helped me though the pain. After realising the 43 yr old, Gorilla sized carcass in the mirror was actually me..... I decided it was time to do something more than just a few miles around Swinley so 6 months back I conquered the pain through exercise and pulled out the bike again. Add to this a colleague challenging me to get off my arse and attempt the 38 mile round trip to work.....I am now motivated!

I realised that my Santa Cruz Blur LT2 isn't really up to a 38 mile round trip so I signed up to the CTW scheme for the full £1000 (hoping to limit the spending to 80/20 - Bike/accessories). My voucher doesn't come through for a few weeks yet so I have arranged a bike fit. My back never feels better than when I'm riding the Blur and I get zero aches for days after but I know the riding position of a road bike is a lot different.

I was advised to go gravel bike as the ride from Reading to Newbury is mostly 50/50 Kennet canal toepath and the delightful A4 Bath Road, however, I intend on doing a lot more road outside of the commute.

I need advice on:
1. What to buy (I've looked at a Whyte Sussex and a Specialized Diverge so far)

and more importantly

2. How to build up to a near 40 mile commute for a fat, almost ex-smoker (Quitting on my B-day!)

And lastly to all those who commute along the A4.....I apologise in advance for the traffic jams!

Diesel73

C2W scheme is Cyclescheme and I think both take it. PlanetX seems interesting
Spotted this https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXFMULT6800/planet-x-full-monty-shimano-ultegra-6800-disc-gravel-bike
Leaves me nothing for accessories but not stingy on spec

Halfords are an option but nervous about purchasing from a place I’ve had to return 50% of items I’ve ever bought from them. May pop over on Saturday for a nose around.

I’ve been to a few LBS and they shy away from CX bikes telling me there is a huge difference between CX and gravel.... can’t see the difference apart from higher B.B.

One suggested the Cube Attain Race Disc 2017 which doesn’t really seem suitable for towpaths.

Pretty confident with all things MTB but this roadie lark seems like black magic to me

haydenm

I was going to suggest something from Genesis such as the CdA but that Full Monty is lovely and you should definitely buy it. I doubt you would get that spec on a Genesis for the cash you want to spend. With something like that you could probably use it as a normal road bike with road tyres if you ever wanted to, or load it up and go touring (highly recommended). I have an Equilibrium disc which is great but probably too heavy in comparison to your suggestions, great all rounder though, currently in mid switch between tourer and 'gravel' bike ( ie tyres and taking the pannier racks off). As I mentioned, I had a good look at the CdA in a shop the other week and was quite tempted

For the second part of your advice, there is nothing to set up for road cycling like years of mtb! Buy the new bike, take it on lots of shorter rides until you are happy with setup (stem height and the like) especially if you have back issues, then build up the distance and take it easy if you have to. I don't want to suggest something too hard for you but I think you might be surprised at just what you can do even now, road miles fly in comparison to mtb.

w00dster

My advice would be to forget anything with mechanical disc brakes. Yeah some people will find them OK, but lots prefer hydraulic braking. I had a Genesis CDF a few years ago and was never satisfied with the braking, I found the performance to be worse then my rim brakes in the wet.
Secondly, I would forget about the genre or name a LBS use. CX bikes used to be different than road bikes, canti brakes, wide knobbly tyres, raised BB and no bottle bosses. These bikes still exist for the out and out racers but generally they are not what LBS sell as CX bikes. (Cyclecross racing bikes are limited to a 33c tyre)
The gravel bike name for me is a complete misnomer. Generally these are just bikes that have disc brakes and can fit wide tyres. For example I have a Trek Domane, it has 33mm knobbly tyres and can be used on forest trails, muddy sustains routes and obviously has the advantage of putting on 32mm slicks with full guards for winter duties. I could quite easily race CX on the Domane and it would have no issues what so ever with your commute.
I also have a Cotic Escapade, which is what some people would class as an adventure bike, this is currently set up with 40mm tyres. Its pretty slow on the road because of the tyres, but doing mixed road / off-road rides its good fun. For proper off-road I have the ability to put in 650B wheels and a 47mm tyre.
You probably need to have a think about how often you will ride off-road. There is very little forgiveness in these bikes when riding off-road (thinking about your back). From what you have said all you need is a drop bar bike that can take 32mm tyres. I would say that the Boardman CX Team is probably the cheapest option along with the best components. My personal choice is to look at brakes over the chainset, so I would choose hydraulic brakes and a perceived lower spec chainset than go with mechanical disc and Ultegra. I'm sure I read on here a couple of days ago that with discounts someone had got their CX Team for sub £700.

ZMC888

Some general thoughts....and these are just opinions. I'm not looking for any arguments. If some other expert disagrees please just put your thoughts and reply to the OP independently stating your case without personal attacks and quoting me.

I can't really help you that much about specific models, even though I'm the exact same age as you and have also ridden lots of MTB, although I never had a bike as nice as a SC Blur. The reason is I've done a fair bit of yoga and I'm fairly supple. I would usually say that enduro/gravel bikes are usually just a load of bollox marketing, but in your case you might actually need something that has a higher front end with a back problem.

-Quit smoking! I gave up nearly 10 years ago, one of the best things I ever did. I did it with nicotine gum, and reducing down to sugar free gum after months, but other people have different methods.

-If you can afford it think about maybe a different material from aluminium alloy. Steel, carbon fibre or titanium are really better choices. The UK roads are very rough with often bad surface dressing and pot holes and aluminium alloy can be pretty brutal and not so much fun, even though aluminium has come a long way it is still going to be a harsher ride all things being equal. Aluminium alloy bikes are cheap and easily available in the UK, but that doesn't mean that everyone should automatically get one if spending under 1000 pounds. Don't fear carbon fibre. Personally I prefer even low end carbon fibre or steel to aluminium alloy. Steel is a great choice, because you'll want to keep using it for touring/CX/bikepacking/commuting even if you upgrade to a carbon fibre bike, whereas you'll probably not want to ride a aluminium alloy bike ever again if you buy carbon bike.

-Get a bike that can take at least 28mm wide tires comfortably.

-Get either rim brakes or hydraulic disk brakes, Shimano are ideal, like MTB they seem to generally make the most reliable powerful brakes. Mechanical disks are not worth the weight on the whole. Rim brakes look like they'll be hopeless coming from an MTB background, but actually they work incredibly well, especially Shimano 105 5800 or above, however they are shite in the rain for the first 1 or 2 seconds you use them, so if things are often wet and hilly the hydro disks for the win.

-If you can afford it get a bike with a Shimano 105 groupset or above, slick shifting 11 speed is great. Also Sora and Tiagra are fine but Claris is garbage.

-If your bike doesn't come with one, get a carbon fibre seatpost for it, your rump will thank you.

-MTB clipless, and road clipless shoes and pedals don't really offer that much above 5-10s and long pin flats, take your time with footwear and give yourself time to decide what you want.

-Download Strava for your smartphone if you haven't already, you'll probably get addicted and it will motivate you to ride more, make contact with clubs, make friends and find out where the best roads are.

Diesel73

Thanks for all the comments guys. Just read through them all this morning as I only got back from Beijing a few days ago.

Spent yesterday at a couple of LBS and had a few short tests:

Focus Paralane 105 AL - very comfortable riding position when tried in the shop however didn't have time to take out for more than a few minutes test as the kids needed collecting. It's more than the £1k limit however shop said I could overspend (with a bike fit fee reimbursed if I bought through them)

Nukeproof Digger 1.0 - Hired a Nukeproof Mega AM full sus on holiday and loved it so I gave the Digger a shot. Very nice bit of kit but I'm not sure about the riding position

I've also been getting more and more offers from Planet X. They are very tempting but not being able to try them before buying is frustrating as travelling to Sheffield from Berkshire isn't an option.....but the offers are good.
London Road SRAM Rival Hyd - https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLDNRIV1/planet-x-london-road-sram-rival-1-hydraulic-disc-road-bike
Full Carbon Tiagra XLS - https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXXLSTIAG/planet-x-xls-shimano-tiagra-4700-cyclocross-bike

Lastly, the Cyclescheme vouchers have still not arrived as the India based finance team in my company thought the 30 day estimate on delivery was a target for invoice payment..... still at the approved stage so I'm getting frustrated

fenix

If its for commuting make sure it can take full mudguards and at least a 25mm tyre. Preferably wider.

Commutes are much better if you arrive dry.

craker

Don't rush into thinking you can do an 18 mile each way commute 5 days a week. If you do it once, one day a week, one way, your doing better than most people.

Reading<->Newbury has an excellent train service, don't be afraid to build up your mileage and get the train home. Get a beater to leave at the station.

I wouldn't get too hung up about bikes, anything with road tyres on is enough to get started.

Have you tried the route yet? The tow path Newbury way is not suitable for a long distance cycle commute, you'll be wanting to push 15 miles an hour and it's unpaved (mud) for much of the way. Nice and fast on the A4 but I'm not sure I'd enjoy that daily, how about going south of the valley through Aldermaston & Brimpton?

daniel_b

I used to commute 20miles from Newbury to Reading, and didn't touch any towpath - would have been way too slow, and muddy and orrible in the winter.
I wasn't fit, but as it's pretty much pan flat, would take me around 1hr 05.

I can dig out an exact route if it would be of use, but in a nutshell I used to head into Green Park, and then use the backroads to pop me out by the Spring Inn Pub on the A4, and then use that to get back into Newbury - A4 is a pretty safe road, mostly very wide, and plenty of room for overtaking.

This is the turn:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/The+Spring+Inn/@51.4212611,-1.1084753,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x68cb4180f02d46f4!8m2!3d51.422171!4d-1.1056

I used to use an old Marin Hybrid converted with drop bars, full guards, a rack and a top box - oh and very adequate lighting.
Durano Plus would be the tyre I would reccommend.
Not overly up on bikes, but in your position I would almost certainly go for the Boardman,

ricky_h-2

The Boardman CX team is £900 at Halfords and if you are a CTC member, you get 10% off. Well in budget, hydraulic disc brakes (as stated above, a good idea on a year round commuter). Boardman are fine bikes, just give it the once over to check and you will be fine.
It's been a long time since I lived in your neck of the woods and from memory, the A4 was a pretty awful road to be avoided and a CX will be fine on a muddy/gravel towpath.
As for fitness, start 1 day a week, then 2 etc and build up from there. Don't forget the importance of rest and sleep in recovery. You will feel fatigued initially as you build up your miles. 38 miles on dirt is a decent shift without factoring in winds but I am sure you know you're capable of it from your mtb days. I hope you enjoy it !

daniel_b

Ricky h wrote:

It's been a long time since I lived in your neck of the woods and from memory, the A4 was a pretty awful road to be avoided

Sections of the A4 are narrow and not very nice, but the bit between Newbury, and the turn off I showed are properly WIDE - zero issues with close passes for me.

Tis also a comparitive breeze out West of Newbury, through Hungerford etc, and out towards Bath should you so desire.

veronese68

Lots of advice already given. I would go for a bike you are comfortable on if you have back issues, your strength and flexibility will improve I'm sure, but not if you start out uncomfortable as you won't ride as much. I'd also agree with the comments about full hydraulics if you can, especially coming from proper MTB discs, cable discs will just wind you up. As said above I'd go for at least 28mm preferably more. I'm riding 32mm tyres with full guards on my CX and it is comfy on gravel paths and plenty fast enough on the road. I have had 41mm knobblys on it for off road use in the past which was quite entertaining.
Hope you get your voucher soon and enjoy whatever you end up with.

Diesel73

Thanks all

Trust me, I won't be rushing into the commute. I have Strava and the Garmin connect app and I have mapped out a number of what you could call Training routes. I've built a few 8, 15 and 20 mile easy and not so easy round-trips in and around Earley/Reading to get me up and running. When I'm comfortable on the bike and I've gauged what I'm capable of I will attempt the commute 1 day a week..... with a target of 3 a week when my fitness has improved.

Planning on trying out the commute route on my Blur at the weekend and my planned commute route takes me through Shinfield, Three Mile X, Grazeley and comes out exactly where Daniel B said..... the Ship Inn (crap food by the way!)
As for for the Boardman CX Team....I'll go take a look on saturday but I'm still not sold on it. I can't fault the spec but I just don't like looking at it.
I've also been advised that whatever ride I decide to get I should go for a set of Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 32c or 35c tyres. Anyone have experience with these?

daniel_b

Diesel73 wrote:

Thanks all

Trust me, I won't be rushing into the commute. I have Strava and the Garmin connect app and I have mapped out a number of what you could call Training routes. I've built a few 8, 15 and 20 mile easy and not so easy round-trips in and around Earley/Reading to get me up and running. When I'm comfortable on the bike and I've gauged what I'm capable of I will attempt the commute 1 day a week..... with a target of 3 a week when my fitness has improved.

Planning on trying out the commute route on my Blur at the weekend and my planned commute route takes me through Shinfield, Three Mile X, Grazeley and comes out exactly where Daniel B said..... the Ship Inn (crap food by the way!)
As for for the Boardman CX Team....I'll go take a look on saturday but I'm still not sold on it. I can't fault the spec but I just don't like looking at it.
I've also been advised that whatever ride I decide to get I should go for a set of Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 32c or 35c tyres. Anyone have experience with these?

Sounds like you have it all in hand, and that seems a very sensible and measured approach.

Personally I would think Marathons are overkill, I would look at Duranos, or my favourite weapon of choice, foldable Durano Pluses in 25 width.

Here is my bit of the route (Which I think may be a bit shorter than the one you have planned going by the place names you mentioned) that would apply to you - nice country roads, and not that busy either, was the favourite part of my commute.
The dotted line bit, between 17 & 18 on the map, is where you go past a vehicle barrier - there was never anyone there to man it, and no one complained as I skirted around it, but the first time I got there, I did a double take, as hadn't expected it.


I thought it was the Spring Inn - maybe it has changed hands and name since I last went, a few years back now.

Out of idle interest, where approx in Newbs are you commuting to?

Diesel73

Commuting to Newbury Business park...near B&Q on the A4

veronese68

Diesel73 wrote:

I've also been advised that whatever ride I decide to get I should go for a set of Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 32c or 35c tyres. Anyone have experience with these?

Not the Supremes but normal Marathons I didn't like, felt horrible. I'm using 32mm Vittoria Voyager Hypers, very pleased with them. Roll fast and feel good, don't want to tempt fate but good in other ways as well.

daniel_b

Diesel73 wrote:

Commuting to Newbury Business park...near B&Q on the A4

Pretty straightforward then, no need to encounter/avoid the Robin hood r'bout.
Which I used to cross on the way back, but it can be a bit intimidating, plenty of buses and lorries on it.

Diesel73

Finally got my voucher through Friday.... and gave up the cigs same day too !!
I took the Boardman CX team out for a test at Cycle Republic, liked the ride and loved the Rival 1 x 11.... however still think it’s ugly as sin.

Tried a Pinnacle Arkrose 3 in evans.. really comfortable fit even after the guy accidentally half tore my family Jewels off with an unscheduled adjustment to the saddle

Trek Domane ALR 4 disc available for £1k too but i’d have to wait a week just for a test ride.

Had plenty of comments from bike shop employees saying that any road bike that can take 28c with guards should handle the 10-20% toe path riding.... just trying to sell me something or truth?
If they are telling me the truth I really like the look of this https://www.merlincycles.com/eddy-merckx-sallanches-64-tiagra-disc-road-bike-2017-104221.html

Diesel73

Bit the bullet and bought the Boardman from Cyclerepublic who allowed me to use the “AUT75” discount code alongside the Cyclescheme voucher... so the bike came out at £825. The £175 left over went on pedals, set of decent lights and an overboard waterproof rucksack for when it gets wet.

Any suggestions on moderately priced bibs and jerseys that are flattering to a bigger chap?
Decathlon maybe?

milemuncher1

Diesel73 wrote:

Bit the bullet and bought the Boardman from Cyclerepublic who allowed me to use the “AUT75” discount code alongside the Cyclescheme voucher... so the bike came out at £825. The £175 left over went on pedals, set of decent lights and an overboard waterproof rucksack for when it gets wet.

Any suggestions on moderately priced bibs and jerseys that are flattering to a bigger chap?
Decathlon maybe?

That’s a cracking good bike. Go for

https://fatladattheback.com

This stuff, if you’re a bit on the ‘powerfully built’ side.

Diesel73

Seem like a happy couple



Flipped the stem on the CX Team already as more comfortable. Adding a set of Marathon Supremes, fitting the pedals on wed when I get back from Vienna ....then out and about!

8yr old daughter now wants a Road bike to go with her hotrock... gonna need a bigger garage!