[lukeorafferty]

Hi all,

I hope you can heko me with some ideas for a new bike. My Specialized Sirrus hybrid had been fine for my 12km-each way commute, though I had been considering something new. Now I’ve had that stolen the matter is more pressing.

I don’t need a high performance racing machine, but am looking for something that has a decent turn of speed andcan comfortably handle the often poorly maintained cycle routes around town (potholes abound), the occasional steep hill and also hauling some young kids around. We have(/had) pannier rack mounted kids seats and both little ones are approaching 20kg. We’re also considering a bike trailer with another newborn due imminently. Having had a flat top for several years I like the idea of going to drop bars though at the relatively upright end of them.

I was thinking about something like a Dawes Galaxy that sounds like it’s built for the heavy loads of carrying the kids though I see that’d been discontinued this year. Does a Tourer make sense in that context? Another other thoughts of something at the “practical”, multi functional end of the spectrum?

Thanks a lot for your thoughts.

Topic

[HaveLegsWillRide]

I’ve a Pinnacle Dolomite I
I’ve a Pinnacle Dolomite I got for commuting on roads/light “gravel” off road, which was fine on 28mm slicks year round. Now I have my daughter in a hamax seat on the rear rack so I fitted 30mm G one speeds for more confidence off road. It’s fine whem not very muddy, but her friends seated on mountain bikes definitely don’t get rattled around as much! A gravel bike frame would allow fatter tyres & still be quick on road, but finding frames with a load limit over 20kg was a struggle (without going heavier than I want to). & I’m not too sure how long she’ll be in the seat before we start pushing the load limit. Like you, a trailer is in the future as she recently got twin brothers. So I’m thinking a trailer on my mtb & a hybrid/mtb for the wife that can carry a 3 year old in a seat. ?‍♂️
Back to your question, I’ve definitely found a drop bar bike quicker than a flat bar hybrid when commuting – a ribble cgr or kinesis tripster are potentials if I wanted a new ‘all rounder’

[kil0ran]

As soon as your kids are able

As soon as your kids are able to pedal, get one of these – https://roland-werk.com/addbike/, then they can do their shift as a stoker. Brilliant things, I used ours when my son was age 7-10 and he was powerful enough to push both of us along at a decent speed on the flat. The rack it’s sold with is very sturdy and will take a child seat too.

There’s also the FollowMe tandem (I think reviewed here) as an option – great for taking the kids further from home as they can unhitch and ride independently, and then hitch up when they inevitably get tired. 

[HoarseMann]

I would view this as an

I would view this as an opportunity to acquire two bikes! 

I found as the kids got heavier, that the leverage of a wide flat bar made it much easier to keep the bike upright when stationary.

So, I’d look at getting a nice new endurance/gravel type road bike for the commute, plus a second hand 26″ wheel MTB for kid and shopping lugging duties. The smaller MTB wheels keep the kids seat weight lower for a better centre of gravity, plus you can fit wider tyres for a more comfortable ride.

You will probably spend a lot more time on the commuter bike, so I’d try and avoid compromising it’s performance by trying to get it to do everything.

[lukeorafferty]

Thanks, some good points here
Thanks, some good points here and it’s that frame of reference that I lack at the moment. By “turn of speed” I guessed I mean that given most of my cycling has been mostly city based over the last couple of years, my typical commute means plenty of traffic lights in the city centre and it’s nice to feel like you can get off the line when they go green. However since I’d usually be carrying things like locks, change of clothes, occasionally a laptop, etc. it would make no sense to suggest getting the lightest weight beast – I could probably save myself a few kilos by getting out on the bike a bit more! Though to be fair I’m not planning on 50kg loads any time either.

As one of the kids gets too big and graduates to her own bike the next will be big enough to ride on the back, I am expecting to be at least 4 years away from not carrying the kids.

[lukeorafferty]

That’s brilliant thanks very
That’s brilliant thanks very much. We have a couple of local Decathlon’s so should be easy to keep an eye on at least

[FlyingPenguin]

I think you need to think

I think you need to think carefully about what you mean “turn of speed”, but also be realistic about what you’re going to carry and for how long.

Pretty much anything with drop bars will probably have a “turn of speed” on a Sirrus, but a 14kg (unladen) tourer like the Galaxy is going to be…. marginal… in that regard.  Which is why I mentioned how much load capacity you are going to need.  At ~20kg, the kids are approaching the max load capacity for most rack mounted seats, another year and they’ll be above it.  So, at that point will you really need the ~50kg cargo capacity of the Galaxy?  The new arrival alone won’t require it.

If you’re going to actually use it as a car replacement, loaded up with shopping and stuff, even without the kids, a second hand Galaxy is an awesomely practical bike, but it’s slow and heavy compared to most other drop bar bikes.  In this category, also consider a Spa Cycles 725 tourer or pretty much anything by Surly.

If you don’t need that capacity long term, then a value spec gravel bike like the Boardman ADV 8.9, Ribble CGR AL or (for a sportier option) Boardman CXR 8.9 will be much more fun when lightly or un-loaded, whilst still having eyelets for mudguards and racks

[Dnnnnnn]

Touring bikes are good for

Touring bikes are good for carrying loads, with the downside that they tend to be a bit hefty. Gravel bikes can do the same multi-surface riding and are usually lighter – but perhaps less suited to very heavy loads. I guess both would be fine for towing a trailer but actually on the bike might be different.

Welsh Boy suggested Boardman, which is usually a good shout – I was going to suggest a well-reviewed Decathlon option but see that despite a price rise it appears to be out-of-stock (although you can search by local store/area). Might still be useful for benchmarking purposes though…
https://road.cc/content/review/decathlon-triban-rc-520-gravel-262048

Ribble also do good, customisable gravel bikes from £1k – although you can’t pop down to your local store to try one (unless you live in Lancashire perhaps).

For more ideas…
https://road.cc/content/buyers-guide/14-best-touring-bikes-205991
http://www.cyclinguk.org/cycle/drops-flats; http://www.cyclinguk.org/cycle-magazine/bike-test-mid-range-tourers

[lukeorafferty]

I’d like to be under the
I’d like to be under the £1000 mark if possible, though I’m also open to the idea of finding something second hand. Currently to persuade my company that a Cycle to Work scheme would be a good idea!

[Welsh boy]

What is your budget?

What is your budget?

Have a look at the Boardman range, they do some very good bikes, their cyclo cross bike may hit the sweet spot for you.

[Author]

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