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N+1 Something in between

by AJG_19
Wed, Apr 04, 2018 16:48
13

Hi, I currently have a Canyon Ultimate CF SL 9.0 and a Genesis Flyer. I'm now looking at n+1 of something in between the two. Something that can be used as a winter and crap weather bike for training and the winter chain gangs. But also be used where the road surface below isn't all that great like bridleways and disused railway lines that you'd expect to find on some national cycle routes.
I've been looking at all sorts such as CX, gravel/adventure and bikes that are just marketed almost as four season, winter bikes or do it all bikes and I'm not sure whether some of the bikes I'm looking at would be too relaxed and find I'm struggling in a chain gang or too aggressive that they would struggle on anything other surface than roads.

Below I've listed some I have been looking at. In no particular order.
• Whyte Dorset - £999 @ Wheelbase
• Cube Nuroad - £999 @Wheelbase
• Ribble CGR - £799 (Dependant on Spec) @ Ribble
• Boardman CX Team - £900 (British Cycling & 10% off. End of line so further discount if display models only) @ Halfords
• Jamis Ventura Comp - £660 @ Evans (can get 9% off marked price)
• Kinesis Tripster AT (Frameset only)
• Kinesis Racelight 4S Disc (Frameset only)

I don't mind getting a cheaper groupset if the frame is worthy of upgrading the parts in the long term. The Kinesis framesets would mean I'd take longer to have a finished bike as it could put me over budget.

Any info on the geometries of these bikes and experience of riding any of them would be greatly appreciated.
Feel free to suggest other options.
I am looking for something with disc brakes though.
Thanks in advance.

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

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds | 6 years ago
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Forme Hooklow 3

Claud Butler CX9 or radical, here's a new CX9 frame for £100, https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-Claud-Butler-Alto-CX9-Cyclo-Cross-road-Bi...

Avatar
kil0ran | 6 years ago
1 like

Condor Italia or Fratello self-build?

The Faran will be too heavy for the chain gang, unless you're speccing some seriously light wheels. If you can make it to London they include a free fit to get you the right frame.

I can also strongly recommend the Merida Cyclocross 500 - '15, '16, or '17 model years were all brilliant do it all bikes. Good brakes, loads of clearance for guards, fast enough and pointy enough for sportives - I did Ride London on mine. The only reason I sold mine was that it didn't have rack mounts and I didn't like that the trade team was sponsored by Bahrain.

 

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zero_trooper replied to kil0ran | 6 years ago
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kil0ran wrote:

Condor Italia or Fratello self-build?

The Faran will be too heavy for the chain gang, unless you're speccing some seriously light wheels. If you can make it to London they include a free fit to get you the right frame.

I can also strongly recommend the Merida Cyclocross 500 - '15, '16, or '17 model years were all brilliant do it all bikes. Good brakes, loads of clearance for guards, fast enough and pointy enough for sportives - I did Ride London on mine. The only reason I sold mine was that it didn't have rack mounts and I didn't like that the trade team was sponsored by Bahrain.

 

 

You can have a like for 'I didn't like that the trade team was sponsored by Bahrain' 1

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ClubSmed | 6 years ago
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As your options seem to be all below the £1k mark, have you considered going through a cycle to work scheme to get extra discount and payments spread interest free over 12 months?

It is not for everyone of course, your company may not deal with the right cycle store, you may be already on it, you may not intend to stay long term with your employer etc etc

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AJG_19 replied to ClubSmed | 6 years ago
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Those Fairlight cycles are a thing of beauty. I love the sizing thing, I definitely fall into the taller rider category with long legs and short torso.  As are those Orro's. Unfortunately they would be way over budget especially considering this wouldn't be my main bike, some are more expensive than my Canyon. 

ClubSmed wrote:

As your options seem to be all below the £1k mark, have you considered going through a cycle to work scheme to get extra discount and payments spread interest free over 12 months?

It is not for everyone of course, your company may not deal with the right cycle store, you may be already on it, you may not intend to stay long term with your employer etc etc

I don't know how willing my employer would be to do cycle to work. Having said that I have not broached the idea. I live 30 miles from work (the shortest route I could possibly take) not that cycling that sort of distance is the problem. I'm very unlikely to cycle to work. So they might tell me to get lost. I work 7am to 7pm (four days on, four days off) so leaving for work at 5am and getting home at 9 pm wouldn't go down to well at home, and getting enough sleep in too. 

Avatar
John_S | 6 years ago
1 like

Hi again,

In addition to the bikes on your list (if it wasn't on your list I would have mentioned the Kinesis Tripster AT) there are a few other options for your lisat of bikes to consider.

 

Pinnacle Pyrolite

https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-pyrolite-1-2018-adventure-road-bike-EV306269

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jan/21/pinnacle-pyrolite-bike-review-a-frame-to-tame-the-wildest-yips-650b-adventure

http://www.sportive.com/cycling-reviews/536537/pinnacle-pyrolite-adventure-bike-review

 

There's a few bikes in the Bombtrack Bikes range that would probably fit what you're describing that you're after:-

http://bombtrack.com/all-bikes/

Depending on where you are in the country stockists are listed here:-  https://www.lyon.co.uk/outdoor/bombtrack-uk-stockists

 

There's the Orro Bikes Terra range which includes some different frames and build options:-

https://www.orrobikes.com/bikes/adventure

 

Kona have their four season bikes the Roadhouse and Wheelhouse with the later being the cheaper of the two:-

http://www.konaworld.com/platform_steel_road.cfm

Plus their gravel bike range called Rove of which there different frame materials and builds, including different wheel sizes (some 700c and some 650b), available:-

http://www.konaworld.com/platform_rove.cfm

 

Plus also The Light Blue Robinson could work:-

http://www.thelightblue.co.uk/Sport/complete-bikes

http://road.cc/content/review/174276-light-blue-robinson-rival-1x

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/reviews/road-bikes/the-light-blue-robinson-rd-105

 

If you can get out to some LBS to try as many as you can then that can only help when trying to narrow down your choice.

John

Avatar
zero_trooper | 6 years ago
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Just out of interest, how do you get 9% discount at Evans?

 

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ClubSmed replied to zero_trooper | 6 years ago
1 like

zero_trooper wrote:

Just out of interest, how do you get 9% discount at Evans?

If memory serves me correctly I think that Evans have an old bike trade in deal that would probably work out to be around 9% on a £660 bike so maybe that's what the OP meant?

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AJG_19 replied to zero_trooper | 6 years ago
1 like

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated and definitly some food for thought there too.

Not had chance to look through the links yet but will now.

 

zero_trooper wrote:

Just out of interest, how do you get 9% discount at Evans?

 

 

My work is part of a scheme where it has a whole heap of different retailers and services that we can get cashback or buy reloadable cards (gift cards) Evans is on there and I can buy a reloadable card for 9% off the value that will be on the card. Its not so handy for emergency or impulse buys (though Evans I can also get 4% cashback if I buy online so it helps for impulse buys) but with planning i.e. waiting for the card to arrive then a couple more days for the funds to be added once you activate it. Fortunatley I don't have to order a new card each time.

Halfords cards are on there for 10% off too so using that with British Cycling discount can make for some good bargains.

Avatar
zero_trooper replied to AJG_19 | 6 years ago
0 likes

AJG_19 wrote:

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated and definitly some food for thought there too.

Not had chance to look through the links yet but will now.

 

zero_trooper wrote:

Just out of interest, how do you get 9% discount at Evans?

 

 

My work is part of a scheme where it has a whole heap of different retailers and services that we can get cashback or buy reloadable cards (gift cards) Evans is on there and I can buy a reloadable card for 9% off the value that will be on the card. Its not so handy for emergency or impulse buys (though Evans I can also get 4% cashback if I buy online so it helps for impulse buys) but with planning i.e. waiting for the card to arrive then a couple more days for the funds to be added once you activate it. Fortunatley I don't have to order a new card each time.

Halfords cards are on there for 10% off too so using that with British Cycling discount can make for some good bargains.

 

Thanks. I have a pre-loaded debit card through Unison. I pay into it at the start of the month by DD. However, I only get 5% discount at Evans and Halfords. Occasionally there's promotions on. IIRC Evans did 7 or 8% before Christmas. Nice to know that there are other offers/options out there.

Avatar
AJG_19 replied to zero_trooper | 6 years ago
0 likes

zero_trooper wrote:

AJG_19 wrote:

Thanks for the replies, much appreciated and definitly some food for thought there too.

Not had chance to look through the links yet but will now.

 

zero_trooper wrote:

Just out of interest, how do you get 9% discount at Evans?

 

 

My work is part of a scheme where it has a whole heap of different retailers and services that we can get cashback or buy reloadable cards (gift cards) Evans is on there and I can buy a reloadable card for 9% off the value that will be on the card. Its not so handy for emergency or impulse buys (though Evans I can also get 4% cashback if I buy online so it helps for impulse buys) but with planning i.e. waiting for the card to arrive then a couple more days for the funds to be added once you activate it. Fortunatley I don't have to order a new card each time.

Halfords cards are on there for 10% off too so using that with British Cycling discount can make for some good bargains.

 

Thanks. I have a pre-loaded debit card through Unison. I pay into it at the start of the month by DD. However, I only get 5% discount at Evans and Halfords. Occasionally there's promotions on. IIRC Evans did 7 or 8% before Christmas. Nice to know that there are other offers/options out there.

I've just been looking at it appears Evans are only 9% till 15th April it says they're usually 7%. But I think a lot of the discounts have gone down recently so its probably their way of slightly decreasing the discount.

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Jack Osbourne snr | 6 years ago
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Dont discount the Genesis Croix de Fer, as it can, with a change of tyres (or wheelset) tick most of the boxes you're proposing need ticked.

If you hunt around, you can get a frame set very cheaply.

Great frame sets that are very versatile.

As the owner of a flyer, you'll know how good the Genesis frames are.

Avatar
John_S | 6 years ago
0 likes

Hi AJG_19,

I appreciate that the following suggestions might be a bit more money than your other options however if it were me and I could get enough money together they'd be on my shortlist.

Depending on my primary uses and the extent to which I would go off road and the conditions of the off road riding I'd consider one of the bikes from British company Farilight Cycles.

https://fairlightcycles.com

I've recently been considering a new bike but I'm going to park the idea until I can save enough money for something that I really want.  One reason for not wanting to buy something right now is I've struggled with fit on many off the peg stock bikes.  If you take a look at the following video Fairlight try to offer a greater variety of sizes to suit a greater number of people by offering both regular and tall version of their frames.

https://vimeo.com/180866780

https://fairlightcycles.com/why-fairlight/fit-function-form/?v=79cba1185463

 

Now you might be lucky and find stock bikes that easily fit you and so the above doesn't really conern or interest you.  Still even if that's the case if you take their Strael bike it's the bike that James Hayden pedalled to victory in the Trans Continental Race and so I think that must say quite a bit about its durability.

 

In your message you mention speed is a concern so if you're wanting to go faster then maybe the Strael is for you:-

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/txxoqyx1082wypz/AACdqtXg1SbSXaxTsXG7e8Gga?dl=0&preview=Fairlight+Strael+2.0+Lookbook+HR.pdf

https://fairlightcycles.com/product/deposit/?v=79cba1185463

 

But if you want to consider something more relaxed with the versatility to fit wider tyres plus do some touring on there's the Faran:-

https://fairlightcycles.com/faran/?v=79cba1185463

 

Or they've just annouced a new bike which is the Secan:-

https://fairlightcycles.com/product/secan-deposit/?v=79cba1185463

 

Other bikes that might fit your needs are perhaps either the Condor Bivio Gravel and you can customise your build:-

https://www.condorcycles.com/collections/cyclo-cross-bikes/products/condor-bivio-gravel-frameset

Or perhaps either the Mason Resolution or Bokeh depending on which style of bike/riding you aim for with your final N+1 purchase but again both of these are a bit more money than the others which are on your existing shortlist.

Sorry if these suggestions are too expensive or not of interest.  They're bikes that have caught my eye and in particular the Fairlight bikes because of the fit options that they offer and I think that for me fit is so important that if not going for a complete custom frame what they offer is one of the next best options despite the fact that I would have to save longer to get what I wanted.

 

Good luck finding the right bike for you!

John

 

 

 

 

 

 

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