All in 1 bike but no idea where to start

Robbo73
Robbo73 Posts: 15
edited September 2017 in Road buying advice
Hello.

I have a Planet X RT58 for road duties & an older trek fx700 for the morning commute to the station and that gets left out in the elements when I do. I have two boys(6&8) who have their own orbea bikes and at weekends I want a bike that I can cycle 3-5 miles with them on but can also jump on and do a quick 15-20 mile 1 hr workout on a Sunday morning. Was thinking of a Genesis croix de fer with a thicker tyre or something that is easy to ride buy can climb a hill in and go well on the flat when I push it. It doesn't need to be drop bar.

It would be great to get a recommendation or two. Budget would be £1000 to £1200 max.

Thanks!
Iain

Comments

  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    What's wrong with what you have now ? Either bike would manage.
  • andcp
    andcp Posts: 644
    Here's how National Champions do it: http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/andy- ... bike-29431
    "It must be true, it's on the internet" - Winston Churchill
  • My "do everything" bike is my specialized allez elite. I would highly recommend it. Until very recently (finished building a new bike yesterday) its been my only road bike for a while. I use it for everything from my daily commute to work and 10 minute trips to the local shop to longer 4-5 hour rides on the weekend.

    Its very racey (based on the Tarmac geometry - at least for my old 2008 model. Not so sure about the new ones). Its also very comfortable, more so than most other aluminium bikes with Carbon forks, whether this is due to the zertz inserts or having carbon seatstays and seatpost as well as forks I don't know but I can ride for 50-70 miles without being discomforted by road vibrations.

    The only downside is that it comes equipped with tiagra, whereas a lot of other bikes at the £1k pricepoint tend to have 105s. So it's quite a big downside...

    The other bike I would recommend is B'twin's 920 bikes. They are pretty amazing value for money. At around £1k you can get a full carbon frame with 105 parts or aluminium with carbon forks and full Ultegra. The only downside here would be that the frame geometry is generic "racy".
  • trek_dan
    trek_dan Posts: 1,366
    Cyclocross bike (any will do), use 32c semi-slick tyres instead of knobblies. This is what I do the vast majority of my riding on.
  • I've been doing a little more research as to what I fancy as a one size fits all bike that can go to the shops, toe path action or that 10 mile off piste run. I like the look of the Coptic Roadrat and the Genesis Vagabond or Croix De Fer. Any thoughts on these would be very welcome!

    http://sohobikes.co.uk/1416/products/co ... ellow.aspx
    http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/adv ... d/vagabond
    http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/adv ... -de-fer-20


    Thanks!
    Iain
  • ================
    2020 Voodoo Marasa
    2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
    2016 Voodoo Wazoo
  • Btwin Triban 520 or 540, either in flat bar or drop bar variant. Fast, versatile bikes. Decathlon say can fit tyres up to 32mm but clearance is bigger than that. I've currently got 35mm cx tyres on my 540.
  • Focus Paralane
  • singleton
    singleton Posts: 2,489
    Pretty much any CX bike would fit the bill wouldn't it?
    CAADX 105 disc for under £900