Did I buy the wrong bike?



mattyb

New Member
Feb 22, 2007
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I bought a mountain bike in March. I ride mostly bike paths throughout Melbourne and I love finding hills to conquer. I thought I would hit the dirt trails a lot but much prefer the sealed paths and even roads. (gravel and loose dirt scares me but I love speed).

I have been eyeing off road bikes and like how they are designed for efficiency.

Anyway, have I chosen the wrong type of bike? Are the paths around Melbourne better suited to mountain bikes than road bikes.

I also have been looking to get into group rides and the road cycling community seems to be much much bigger, but I doubt I would be able to keep up with people on road bikes. (I'd love to do some amature races for fun).

Should I trade in the mountain bike for a road bike? Or should I do something to make my mountain bike faster such as slicks and different gearing?


Any advice would be great.
By chance if anyone is looking for a swap, I have an Apollo (Raceline) Enduro. SRAM X7 gear, very nice bike.

My mountain bike
 
I think you have best answered your own question.

Buy a good road bike, middle market, say around $2K, Felt, Cannondale, and upgrade the MTB for commuting and wet days, tyres, suspension and gearing.

Look further sown the Aus Forums Page for topics on "MTB Slicks" and "Upgrading Entry Level Mountain and Comfort Bikes". :)

Remember, the number of bikes you have now is always one less than the number required. ;)
 
mattyb said:
I bought a mountain bike in March. I ride mostly bike paths throughout Melbourne and I love finding hills to conquer. I thought I would hit the dirt trails a lot but much prefer the sealed paths and even roads. (gravel and loose dirt scares me but I love speed).

I have been eyeing off road bikes and like how they are designed for efficiency.

Anyway, have I chosen the wrong type of bike? Are the paths around Melbourne better suited to mountain bikes than road bikes.

I also have been looking to get into group rides and the road cycling community seems to be much much bigger, but I doubt I would be able to keep up with people on road bikes. (I'd love to do some amature races for fun).

Should I trade in the mountain bike for a road bike? Or should I do something to make my mountain bike faster such as slicks and different gearing?


Any advice would be great.
By chance if anyone is looking for a swap, I have an Apollo (Raceline) Enduro. SRAM X7 gear, very nice bike.

My mountain bike
You don't have to spend too much to get a nice road bike.

I would recommend picking up a late 80s/early 90s, steel frame road bike off ebay instead of buying new. You can pick up decent ones anywhere from $30-500 on Australian Ebay. These will usually be of Japanese origin and will be more comfy to ride than a new Aluminium roadie (and possible better made too).

Anything with Shimano 105 or 600 groupsets will usually have frames of decent quality with tubing made by Reynolds, Tange or Ishiwata (and can be pretty light).

If you are in Melbourne, check out bicyclerecycle at Moorabbin.

http://www.bicyclerecycle.com.au/
 
Triode12 said:
You don't have to spend too much to get a nice road bike.

I would recommend picking up a late 80s/early 90s, steel frame road bike off ebay instead of buying new. You can pick up decent ones anywhere from $30-500 on Australian Ebay. These will usually be of Japanese origin and will be more comfy to ride than a new Aluminium roadie (and possible better made too).

Anything with Shimano 105 or 600 groupsets will usually have frames of decent quality with tubing made by Reynolds, Tange or Ishiwata (and can be pretty light).

If you are in Melbourne, check out bicyclerecycle at Moorabbin.

http://www.bicyclerecycle.com.au/
I recommend that you choose a bike with integrated shifting.
 
artemidorus said:
I recommend that you choose a bike with integrated shifting.
Yes, it will cost about $100-200 for new Brifters if you get an older bike.