Urgent advice needed..Buying a bike

[vanna1234]

Hi everyone,
I live in the country on a farm and I have gotten back into bike riding for fitness over the last 12 months. The bike I have now I have outgrown and its a little ( well alot outdated) So I want to upgrade. I haev hills some with sand, also loose dirt roads etc so I need something rugged, suspension would be great, apart from that I really dont know what else to look for, I would like value for money as well as something thats fairly rugged.

I am looking to spend no more than $1000 if poss on a good hybrid, I do most of my riding along back roads and paddocks, lots of rocks, sand, snakes, etc.

I clock about 10-20km twice a day ( I know thats lame by most standards but I have to also fit in farm work, house work and a job!!)

I was looking at Mongoose Tyax elite ( the only decent thing our bike shop had) and also managed a look at a Avanti o7 I think it was when I was in Melb.

I need some advice because I am getting confused and annoyed at some of the things people in bike shops tell me.
Please please please help me

 

[oldbobcat]

I was looking at Mongoose Tyax elite ( the only decent thing our bike shop had) and also managed a look at a Avanti o7 I think it was when I was in Melb.

The Tyax Elite looks like a fine bike for your purposes. Rear suspension would be overkill. Nothing to get our shorts in a bunch over. If you can get a good fit and a good price, why not?

 

[alfeng]

FWIW. I recommend you look at the RALIEGH XXIX -- there are two versions ... one is a single speed and the other has gears & suspension (about $1000). There are other 29ers, but they are more expensive.

If you decide that the 29er tires (~700x58) are too big for the type of riding you do, you can always install "Hybrid" tires (~700x38), later; but, you generally cannot fit 29er tires in a Hybrid frame.

 

[garage sale GT]

Suspension would slow you down a bit.

The power which articulates the suspension comes out of your forward power.

I believe I can easily feel the difference on a dirt road with a suspension fork or a FS bike. A solid bike just rolls easier if the tires are correctly inflated and the bumps/roughness aren't big enough to actually make you catch some air.

 

[dbackmtg]

Cannondale Bad Boy. Comes with 700c tires but you can buy mtb tires and rims and switch when you want to.

 

[alfeng]

Cannondale Bad Boy. Comes with 700c tires but you can buy mtb tires and rims and switch when you want to.

BTW. There is an alternate rear dropout available for the single speed Raleigh XXIX which has a derailleur hanger (I presume it is one that is commonly used on their MTBs, but may be proprietary to the frame), so it can be converted to something akin to the Cannondale Bad Boy by using either what you might cannibalize from your current bike (shifters, derailleurs, crank) OR with new components for a few hundred (or, more!) dollars at still a much lower cost than the Cannondale Bad Boy would cost EVEN AFTER adding the cost of a second rear wheel (or, having the single speed hub replaced with a multi-speed freehub).

The Raleigh has a steel frame (a good thing, IMO) and the Cannondale has a alloy frame (nothing wrong with that).

The Cannondale Bad Boy seems to sit surprisingly high off the ground (not necessarily a bad thing) based on the one (I've only seen it once) which one of our friends has ... that is, without looking at the bike, again, I'd say the stays are possibly almost "horizontal" like on a regular MTB. Also, the HEADSHOK (apparently, an idea-and-patent which Cannondale won't let die gracefully) places the headtube much higher above the ground (again, not necessarily a bad thing) than one might find on anything other than a downhill racer!

Most 29er frames (including the Raleigh XXIX) have a Bottom Bracket "drop" similar to what you would find on a typical road bike (i.e., it is lower because of the larger rims/tyres).

For sand & loose dirt I think you/(vanna1234) really want the fattest tyres that are commonly available. I'm not sure what the largest tyre size the Cannondale Bad Boy can actually accommodate (the typical "Hybrid" cannot accommodate a 700x58 tyre) ... and, the rims which come standard on the Cannondale are 622-15 (for 29er tyres, you probably want 622-17, or larger, rims).

NB/FYI. There are some TANDEM forks which have legs which are parallel to one another which may be able to accommodate a 700x58 tyre ... the solid steel forks are available "used" (pulled from new bikes) because many people choose to install a carbon fibre fork on their new tandems.

If you shop around on eBay (or, possibly at a local shop that also sells tandems), you may be able to find a suitable "solid" fork for under $50AUD. I got one for about $36US (including the shipping!) last year off of eBay. If a shop has a "used"/pulled steel tandem fork, it is just languishing ... taking up space ... and, probably begging to be sold for almost any amount.

Some old (but, not too old) MTB frames can handle a 700x58 tyre in the rear ... if the frame does not have disc mounts, you may be able to fit either a long reach ROAD caliper or (if the fender-mount bridge is further away) an older center pull brake caliper (probably better).

While a person may not want to retrofit a MTB with 29er tyres for use on technically demanding trails, I think doing so would be fine for unpaved road riding.

There are bikes (69er) on the market with 26" tyres in the rear & 29er tyres up front -- these are presumably intended for riding where you want the benefits of the large front tyre + you want to retain the standard MTB gearing ratios.

Of course (presuming you have a MTB), you could just put a new fork + 29er front wheel/tyre on your bike for a DIY 69er.

If your heart is set on a new bike, because the Raleigh XXIX is probably fabricated in Taiwan, the cartage & import duty may/should be cost less than for the Cannondale which is made in the States ... or, not! Of course, who know how much the local distributor wants/takes for either/(any!) bicycle brand!?!