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One bike to rule 'em all...??
So, I've got the "summer bike", the CX bike, the winter bike....but the main difference between them is the wheels, tyres and brakes. OK, geometry and frame toughness too. But, is there one bike that I can buy, with (hydraulic) disc brake groupset and decent enough on the road (28c tyres perhaps) but that could take a wider tyre (35-38c maybe) for the off-road/gravel days?
I'm thinking instead of having numerous bikes, just get one and have a second set of wheels. I'd rather have 650B wheels and tyres for comfort off-road. Cheers.
PS - I did ask the guys in Evans this question - the geezer was basically useless/uninterested/etc..!
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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13 comments
I agree with you JimD666 - seems a little odd to me...I also can't figure out the actual price bit.
I have a Carbonda CFR 505 which does exactly what you describe. You have to order the frameset direct from the manufacturer but for a small fee you can design your own paintwork, then you get to choose all the bits to build it up. It has clearance for 700cx40 or 650bx47 and has been a great to ride on trips up to 150 miles on road and some shorter mixed terrain trips. The geometry is close to a normal road bike so I also use it for club training sessions at Hillingdon circuit.
So I googled Carbonda. Now I'm a little concerned. In the "About Us" section is the following statement: "The S&M Department &the factory is in Huizhou now."
OK I know cyclists are known for enjoying suffering but this is the first company I've come across that devotes a whole department to it!
Tripster ATR? Dave Atkinson seems to rate his
Sonder Camino?
i confess I’ve neither, but I love my GFTI Disc, and I did think about both before I got it
Mason Bokeh, perhaps?
I'm sure as I get older (and lose a little fitness) that I'll end up with only one bike, rather than three! And I'm also sure it'll be something like a CX/adventure bike, just with three wheelsets; one aero race wheelset with road tyres, one a lightweight wheelset with larger road tyres for commuting and the final set some CX/650 wheels.
In reality, I think we are still a little way from being able to do this - gearing would be my main concern. Very interested in the 1x12 or even 1x13 possibilities though.
Saw one at Devil's Dyke on Sunday. It's an absolute beast! Am sure it doesn't ride like one, but me and bank balance are glad I went for the Canyon Inflite instead... which does make me think maybe you should just keep the CX bike.
(apologies if I'm talking bollocks here - haven't read all of the replies)
Good call with the ATR, one of my mates has one and loves it.
Bombtrack Hook could also be an option.
Trouble is, at the moment it seems there's too much of a compromise between road and off-road frames.
I still need to build up my CX bike yet! But I think you might right with that, it does seem like the most versatile option.
Thats what I did last year. 700c summer wheels with 28mm for speed and some comfort & 650b winter wheels with a hub dynamo. Di2 a nice extra. Sold my Pompetamine and the Roubaix should go next week. No regrets.
How does it look and ride with 28c tyres? I've put 25's on my current gravel bike and they look (and ride) a bit odd - too little rubber to cater for all the bike.
As if they were not already fantastic enough, a disc brake equipped machine will make what you want to do very much easier. As long as the hub spacing works, the skewer / thru bolt system is the same, you can get a match with the cassette indexing and the tyre actually fits between the frame elements you are good to go with a simple wheel swapout.
Using exactly the same hubs, rotors and cassette on both wheelsets will make this easier to achieve if you have that luxury.
Thanks for the recommends. The Ribble looks v nice. Can't any bike accept 650B wheels? With bigger tyres the overall circumference is the same so my tiny mind can't see what difference it makes...??
Sirrus carbon and convert to drops, mudguard mounts, space for 40mm tyres, probably won't take 650B but do you need wider than 40mm?
I bought a NOS 2009 Carbon Ltd frameset last year and built it up with Ultegra and some carbon bits, it has pannier rack mounts and despite the more robust 9M carbon modulus it's 8kg all in. Currently it's a leisure bike but IF I was forced to have just one bike (it'd be some alternate universe for that to happen) it'd be the one I would keep.
There are a few 2016/17 models for sale still and the odd 'new' one comes up on e-bay for silly money, the 2017 come with a sub compact chainset as standard.
Have a look at the Fairlight Secan. Only on pre-order at the moment but stunning looking bikes.