Amateur Bicycle question

[Husker Red]

 

Since we are discussing bicycles - I'm in the market to replace my 13 year old mountain bike because the shifter finally gave out. I haven't rode much the last few years and I want to get back into it for fitness and fun. I intend to ride on paved bike trails and some dirt trails. Very little on road use. I have little kids (4 and 1) and would like to include them on some rides so I think that involves a trailer-bike, a trailer, or a baby seat on the bike. I think I have narrowed my choices down to a "comfort bike" or a "hybrid." I've looked at my local bike shops at Giant and Trek bikes.

 

I liked my old mountain bike and rode it on paved bike trails, some dirt trails and a little single track. I really enjoyed the single track stuff (not too technical.) My only complaints about it were that it was pretty slow on the road to the paved trails and it never shifted very well.

 

My main question is should I go with 700 or 26" wheels? I test rode a few bikes and I sure like the 700's better on pavement which is where I will honestly ride most of the time, but I wonder if they will be up to the task on dirt trails? I'm a heavy guy and I don't want to bend the rim first time I hit a tree root. The dirt riding is important to me, but so is less rolling resistance.

 

Here's an emample of the two main choices:

TREK Navigator 2.0

TREK Hybrid 7100

 

A second question would be about any experience with hauling kids on the bikes? Any experience with trailers or carriers?

[markgoodrich]

"I liked my old mountain bike and rode it on paved bike trails, some dirt trails and a little single track."

 

So why not get the thing fixed?

[Husker Red]

So why not get the thing fixed?

 

I had it worked on about a year ago. I spent $75 to get is working, but the full fix with parts and labor would have cost more than I'm willing to put into it. Plus I want a shiny new bike!

 

 

[Kitsap]

Look at a Kona Dew Plus. I use one when we go car camping, works great on pavement and will handle smooth dirt trails. They sell new hear for $600, it's a nice little package.

 

http://www.konaworld.com/bike.cfm?content=dew_plus

[elkroeger]

As far as the wheels go, it sounds to me like what you ought to do is go with the 26". Then get 2 pairs of tires: One pair of skinny road tires, one pair of knobbies.

 

I do this for my winter commuter / mtn bike and it works out pretty well. Heavy use and swapping back and forth can get old though. Or just go with one "do everything" tire.

 

Either way, the 26" is more versatile.

[eddd]

Since you say dirt riding is important to you, I'd stick with a mountain bike.

 

As for the increased rolling resistance of a mountain bike, you mentioned that you are interested in fitness. The mountain bike will afford you a better workout. This is the reason I've never been interested in a road bike. I ride for the the exercise, and skinny tires are kind of like cheating. They make it way too easy. While my overall speed was never impressive, I have done several century rides on my mountain bike.

 

Just keep in mind how much fun it is to be screaming down some fast single track. You don't want to give up the option of being able to do that.

[Rphoto]

I would go with a trailer rather than kid seat. Safer and keeps your bike from being top heavy. If your old mountain bike is a quality unit I would just tune it up and put on an aggressive dirt tread. Better to not get caught off road with a poor traction tire than to put up with a little tire noise when riding on pavement. Your old bike is mighte be better built with better components than the crap they build today.

 

[DonB]

These are both modified comfort bikes. Neither will hold up very well if you ride single track at all. These two you show are hybrid comfort bikes and are not designed for off-road work.

 

If you want to ride off-road you should really consider a real mountain bike.

 

 

[Kitsap]

These are both modified comfort bikes. Neither will hold up very well if you ride single track at all. These two you show are hybrid comfort bikes and are not designed for off-road work.

 

If you want to ride off-road you should really consider a real mountain bike.

 

 

You don't need a mountain bike for non-technical trail riding. The Kona with cyclecross tires has left many pure mountain bikes in the dust on single track trails and fire roads. If the OP was shooting stunts, railing the roots or doing drop offs then sure a mountain bike would be in order.

[motoguy128]

Old bikes aren't worth fixing unless they are a really end frame.

 

Something to consider. You can ride a MTB on road, but you have to be a pretty good rider ot tackle most singletrack with a hybrid or even a cyclocross bike. I've done it, it's not a ot of fun. 35c tires with a rigid fork on singletrack with bumps ruts, rocks and roots is a REAL workout and beats you up pretty good. Plus it's a lot sloer... and flyign throug hthe woods is fun. Getting hammered isn't. I really just wanted to see if I could sruvuve a long 10 miles loop on the cross bike. I did, I was tired afterwards.

 

Go with the MTB if you expect to ride any real off road trails.

 

Otherwise, save your money and get a comfort hybrid 700c bike. It swill work fine on gravel paths and great on road and give you a nice comfortable upright position.

 

I tow a trailer with my daughter in it on my MTB. I like using the MTB because it does go slower, has low gearing and great brakes. With a trailer, its' not about speed. Most aren't really designed from going much over 15mph anyway. Why push it. With our roads around here ,the poor kid gets bounced around much above 10mph anyway on most surface streets.

[Bheckel169]

I'd go with a mountain bike as hybrid's can be a little iffy if the road surface is uneven. Trek has a hardtail called a 4300 which is a good basic mountain bike and you can look for end of year sales going on now that will allow you to get it for under $500. Great bike and all aluminum so it's sturdy but light. You can make some suspension adjustments on the front and tighten up the return so the bike will be less forgiving and a little firmer on paved roads. Takes a couple of seconds to adjust.

 

I have no experience trailering.

Bruce

[Husker Red]

I appreciate the excellent advice from everyone. I went to a couple more bike shops over the weekend and learned a little more. I have decided against the hybrid (like the trek 7100) because I do want to ride some singletrack. I've learned there is a ton of great singletrack close to where we live.

 

I agree with your suggestions that a mountain bike would be best for the single track and more than adequate for bike paths, so I'm leaning in that direction. I did check out the Trek 4300 this weekend and I think it's great, although a little more than I wanted to spend. Plus that seat was killing me after 10 minutes although I could exchange that. However, I also rode the Navigator 2.0 (comfort) this weekend and it is really comfortable and seems like it could handle some dirt trails. The owner of the bike shop told me he would be happy to exchange to slightly more aggressive dirt tires. If I find it's not up to the task of single track, I'd still have a great trail bike and I would know more exactly what I was looking for in a mountain bike... Ah, decisions decisions... I enjoy the hunt.

 

It's sort of like me buying the RT. I wanted a comfortable bike capable of hitting the twisties on the weekends. Sure, it's not the best bike out there for twisties but it still far excedes my abilities, and getting there and back is done in comfort and style.

[motoguy128]

The other question is... are you trying to just ride the singletrack for fitness and sort of like a hike on 2 wheels? Or are you trying to go fast and test your skills. If the later, you'll need a more aggressive geometry for better handling and balance. Sort of like a sportbike vs. a ST machine. A full on racing MTB is pretty uncomfotable with the bars set fairly low to get more weight over the front end.

 

Then again, fitness and balance/skill are much more improtant than what you're riding. I've opened some eyes riding a cyclocross bike on some pretty aggressive trails. I could see myself making good time on a upright Trek Navigator.

 

You either know how to ride fast off road or you don't. I get a nice rush sailing between or grazing trees and carving a good corner on singletrack.

[Husker Red]

The other question is... are you trying to just ride the singletrack for fitness and sort of like a hike on 2 wheels? Or are you trying to go fast and test your skills.

I think I want to ride for fitness and fun. Hike on 2 wheels sounds like fun to me. When I rode on singletracks 10 years ago it was more like fast hiking on narrow trails. My brother rode with me one time and after the ride he said, "I think that was the most "extreme" thing I've ever done." We both agreed that was quite sad and that we both needed to expand our horizons.

 

You either know how to ride fast off road or you don't.

I don't. I should work on my fitness and balance first. This has been helpful! I think I will go back to the local bike store and ask to ride the mountain bike again. If I find it uncomfortable after a short ride I'll go with the comfort bike instead. I don't remember my previous mtn bike being all that uncomfortable, although I was 10 years younger and 30 pounds lighter then.

[tallman]

Just weight until you get to the 30 years younger and 10 pounds lighter realm.

[Bheckel169]

The more you ride, the more you get used to the seat. Remember, you can exchange the seat to something that's more comfortable but a true mountain bike or at least a hardtail should accomplish all the things you said you want to do.

Bruce

[sgendler]

Get a mountain bike and buy some high-pressure skinny tires for it or get a cyclocross bike. A cyclocross bike looks like a road bike but is designed to be ridden offroad, too. It'll handle any of the offroad terrain you are likely to encounter based on your description of your riding. I ride fairly technical singletrack on mine all the time. Cross frames are stronger (generally not carbon) and wheels have more spokes and more clearance to the frame than a regular road bike, but it otherwise rides like a slightly heavier than normal road bike. I use my cross bike for just about everything. I can put knobby 38c tires on it for serious offroading or 23c race tires for road riding - or anything in between. It will have a more forward leaning riding posture than a mountain bike - which may or may not be more comfortable for you. Personally, I find that sitting bolt upright on a bicycle makes my ass hurt a lot more than riding with more weight forward. If you are confident that you want an upright riding position, go with a 'hybrid' (sometimes called comfort bike, which is basically a cyclocross frame with straight mountain bike handlebar for upright riding position) or a regular mountain bike and get skinny tires for it. But a cyclocross bike will be your most versatile option for the kind of riding it sounds like you do - especially if you do start to pursue riding for fitness in the future. Many cross bikes have rack mounting options for use as a touring bike, too.

 

Bear in mind that the seat is almost always the first thing to be downgraded in order to make a price point. It is the rare bike that comes with a comfortable seat. And don't assume that wider is better. A seat that fits your sit bones will be most comfortable, whether narrow or wide. I'm a fan of wilderness trail bike (WTB) seats, myself.

[sgendler]

I don't. I should work on my fitness and balance first. This has been helpful! I think I will go back to the local bike store and ask to ride the mountain bike again. If I find it uncomfortable after a short ride I'll go with the comfort bike instead. I don't remember my previous mtn bike being all that uncomfortable, although I was 10 years younger and 30 pounds lighter then.

 

Assuming the frames are comparable sizes, the shop should be able to set up a new mountain bike with a nearly identical riding position to your old one - and move your old seat across. Between sliding the seat fore and aft and swapping out the stem for a different length/rise, there is a lot of adjustability to riding position on a mountain bike. The problem is that when you are buying a relatively cheap bicycle, there isn't enough margin available for the shop to volunteer to do a good job fitting you to the bike before sending you out on a test ride - but they'll do it if you ask them to, usually, since most customers won't. Very minor changes can dramatically change how comfortable or uncomfortable a bike is. If you get a bike that fits your body and does the job you want it to do, it can be adjusted to be as comfortable as any other bike that fits your body.