Upgrading my bike

[IsavedLatin]

I am thinking about upgrading my bike, a 5-year-old Trek hybrid, which cost maybe £350 new. It was the best I could afford at the time, and this bike has stood me in good stead for desultory commuting (pre-Covid, maybe once or twice a week and a journey of about 6/7 miles each way) and weekend pootles. Work is talking about people being expected back into the office at least twice a week. I am feeling phobic about public transport right now, and feel that if I'm making cycling my main mode of commuting, then I could splash out via the Cycle to Work scheme and get something that's a bit nippier than my old jalopy.

A couple of years ago, I did the BHF London to Brighton Bike Ride. I enjoyed that challenge; as part of my training I did some longer guided training rides with the big boys (proper lycra types with serious bikes) and while I enjoyed some elements of that – riding in a pack through country lanes was an eye-opener – it was clear my current bike wasn't really up scratch for that sort of thing. This has been borne out by research into other local bike clubs, where it seems that a road bike is a minimum requirement for that sort of outing.

I know a small practical amount about my own bike, but that's the one bike I know literally anything about and I find the options now baffling: are road bikes the thing, actually? If so, what do I need to look out for -- or dead certs to avoid? Can I get something really quite good for under £1k? Do I have to have clips (I think I'm too much of a scaredy-cat to handle them)? Are reasonably affordable bikes basically impossible to get due to supply chain issues? Is this all actually quite wasteful, and should I just keep my bike (because realistically a different bike is not going to do much to stop me being quite a lardy and slow cyclist who hates going uphill)?

Any thoughts are welcome!

[idunnosomename]

George Peppard is dead now, you better take 'im off

[touchingcloth]

Have you considered putting a set of titties on it?

[gib]

if it's for commuting i definitely wouldn't go the clips and lycra route

Shifter is a great youtube channel for bike commuting advice.

i reckon you could definitely get something lovely for under a grand but i ended up spending more than that, justifying it because it was for work and thus an investment

[Cold Meat Platter]

You can kind of fit this title to Judas Priest's Breakin' the Law if you'd like.

[touchingcloth]

More seriously, speaking as a fellow lardy cyclist who hates going up hills, a £350 Trek hybrid was the best commuter bike I ever owned, and trading it for a road bike is one of my biggest regrets.

I saw it as a panacea. I thought it would make climbing hills easier - it did, but it didn't stop them being a chore that made me want to scream. I thought it would make me go faster - it did, but not to the point I was Lance Armstrong. I thought commuting would be even easier - it really wasn't, the shape of a road bike makes city roads terrifying to be on.

I would say to stick with a hybrid for commuting. Maybe upgrade to a lighter frame, or something with a simpler 5-9 speed hub like a Sturmey Archer, or slightly different handlebars that let you lean forward.

Do you have a pannier rack? My experience improved massively when I switched from riding to work with a rucksack on to using pannier bags.

[idunnosomename]

You can kind of fit this title to Judas Priest's Breakin' the Law if you'd like.

you don't know 'bout ma bike!!!

da nana da nana da nana
da nana da nana da nana

[buzby]

There are a couple of  'half way house' bike types between a commuter-style hybrid and a full-on road bike. The first is the touring bike, which is made for riding long distances with panniers etc. They have dropped handlebars like a road bike, but have more 'relaxed' frame geometry (longer wheelbase, slacker head tube angle to make the steering more stable) to make them more comfortable to ride for long periods. They are usually a bit heavier than a road bike though as they are built to carry loads (the frame and forks will have the lugs for fitting mudguards and panniers), but have lower gears to make up for it (hub gears are quite common, sometimes combined with a triple chainring crankset and front derailleur for hill climbing).

The other option is a cyclocross bike. These are much closer to a road bike in weight, but again have  a more 'relaxed' geometry to make them more stable to handle in dirt and mud. They have a short wheelbase like a road bike, the bottom bracket is higher to give the frame more ground clearance for getting over obstacles, the forks and chainstays have more clearance to allow wider tyres to be fitted (and so that mud doesn't build up offroad), and they sometimes also have mudguard mounting lugs. It's quite common for cyclocross bikes to have disc brakes these days too, as they have better performance than rim brakes offroad and in wet conditions (cyclocross is a winter sport). They are usually fitted with the same gear systems as a road bike, but with slighly lower gears for offroad use (usually by having a 'compact' double chainring crankset fitted, which has smaller rings than a standard crankset, though it's not unusual to find these on road bikes too).

There is another more recent fad called the gravel bike that's sort of a cross between a touring bike and a mountain bike. Long whelelbase, sometimes with pannier & mudguard mounts, but with wide chainstay and fork clearance to allow knobbly MTB-style tyres to be firted (the same tyres you would use on a 700c MTB wheel). They usually have MTB-type gearing too.

I never really got on with the cycling club scene so I can't comment on that. I have both an MTB and road bike (both of which I built up from frames) and use both of them equally. I did briefly own a disc-braked cyclocross bike as well, which I bought second-hand to use for a 250-mile charity ride with work that involved both road and offroad riding (the disc brakes and mudguards proved very useful as the weather was awful), and I probably regret selling that and keeping the MTB.

Regarding the clips thing - if you want to get into club riding, they will be pretty much essential to keep up, as they allow you to exert more power on the pedals, especially when going uphill. They are also a lot safer in the wet, as there's no risk of your feet slipping off the pedals. I use clipless pedals and shoes on both my bikes (Shimano SPDs on the MTB, and SPD-R on the road bike). It takes a short time to get used to them (and potentially a couple of instances of low speed sideways toppling over at traffic lights) but once you get used to the clipping and unclipping process it becomes an unconscious reaction (on Shimano's clipless pedals it's done by rotating your foot sideways). You can adjust the tension in the pedals so that it takes almost no force to unclip them too, and I usually unclip as I'm coasting up to a set of lights or Give Way line so my foot is already out by the time I need to stop.

[Chedney Honks]

Motorbike

[ProvanFan]

Quenchy cup on back tyre

[Neomod]

That reminds me, it's MEGAVALANCHE 2021 time on youtube.

I guess I really should upgrade my £100 Argos jobbie which has probably cost me another £150 in spares/replacements over the 6 years I've had it.

Survived being hit by a car though in what was probably the slowest traffic accident since the Victorian age.

[IsavedLatin]

More seriously, speaking as a fellow lardy cyclist who hates going up hills, a £350 Trek hybrid was the best commuter bike I ever owned, and trading it for a road bike is one of my biggest regrets.

I saw it as a panacea. I thought it would make climbing hills easier - it did, but it didn't stop them being a chore that made me want to scream. I thought it would make me go faster - it did, but not to the point I was Lance Armstrong. I thought commuting would be even easier - it really wasn't, the shape of a road bike makes city roads terrifying to be on.

I would say to stick with a hybrid for commuting. Maybe upgrade to a lighter frame, or something with a simpler 5-9 speed hub like a Sturmey Archer, or slightly different handlebars that let you lean forward.

Argh shit, this is the sort of real talk I need! Can I ask you to exapnd on "the shape of a road bike makes city roads terrifying to be on" -- is that because the posture means the very top of your head is facing out in the direction of travel, rather than your actual face, and hence you don't have as good visibility?

Do you have a pannier rack? My experience improved massively when I switched from riding to work with a rucksack on to using pannier bags.

I do have a pannier rack, and I know that that will be a requirement for me with any future bike purchase. (Stupid numpty question: can you even put a pannier rack on a road bike?)

I never really got on with the cycling club scene so I can't comment on that. I have both an MTB and road bike (both of which I built up from frames) and use both of them equally. I did briefly own a disc-braked cyclocross bike as well, which I bought second-hand to use for a 250-mile charity ride with work that involved both road and offroad riding (the disc brakes and mudguards proved very useful as the weather was awful), and I probably regret selling that and keeping the MTB.

Regarding the clips thing - if you want to get into club riding, they will be pretty much essential to keep up, as they allow you to exert more power on the pedals, especially when going uphill. They are also a lot safer in the wet, as there's no risk of your feet slipping off the pedals. I use clipless pedals and shoes on both my bikes (Shimano SPDs on the MTB, and SPD-R on the road bike). It takes a short time to get used to them (and potentially a couple of instances of low speed sideways toppling over at traffic lights) but once you get used to the clipping and unclipping process it becomes an unconscious reaction (on Shimano's clipless pedals it's done by rotating your foot sideways). You can adjust the tension in the pedals so that it takes almost no force to unclip them too, and I usually unclip as I'm coasting up to a set of lights or Give Way line so my foot is already out by the time I need to stop.

I'm also not completely sold on the whole club riding thing; the few that I did were me essentially being allowed to glom on to an existing social group who were fine and all but clearly had their own in-jokes and what have you, and the numpty on the clipless hybrid (with, on one day, embarrassingly squealy brakes that badly needed adjustment) didn't wholly ingratiate herself into that group a long-term way. But a few moments, moving with a pack at what was, to me, very high speed in picturesque countryside, and having got their entirely under my own steam (!!!), really stayed with me.

Re: your comments on clips, I have been wondering whether hiring a bike and the kit (clips, shoes etc.) for a period of time might be the most sensible thing to try it all out properly, before committing to a spendy mistake. (Thanks for all your other advice on the different types, buzby, I will look into those further.)

I am really missing the bike shop I bought my current one from; they marketed themselves as being actively not intimidating or twatty to female and/or inexperienced cyclists. I took all my stupid noob questions to them, and bought all my initial raft of stuff from them, and was never steered wrong, but they went bust a few years ago. I occasionally find myself wondering where their particularly nice mechanic ended up going.

[touchingcloth]

Argh shit, this is the sort of real talk I need! Can I ask you to exapnd on "the shape of a road bike makes city roads terrifying to be on" -- is that because the posture means the very top of your head is facing out in the direction of travel, rather than your actual face, and hence you don't have as good visibility?

I do have a pannier rack, and I know that that will be a requirement for me with any future bike purchase. (Stupid numpty question: can you even put a pannier rack on a road bike?)

Re. the frame shape, yeah, that's exactly it. Your eyes face the road beneath you more easily than the traffic ahead of you, and you're that small bit lower than the cars around and ahead of you. The handlebars are narrower and the wheelbase shorter as well, which makes it feel like it's easier to tip over if you have to suddenly swerve. Basically everything about a road bike is geared towards performance more than comfort, and hybrid/touring frames are designed more for stability. Either thing might suit the way you'd ideally like to commute and the routes you go on, but for me there was no question that a hybrid suited city roads better.

You can find road bikes with pannier mounting lugs, and there are pannier racks that connect to the seat post for bikes that don't have them. The shorter wheelbase means that your heels might brush the pannier bags as you pedal, though.

If you're interested in trying clips out, you can go old school and get pedals with clips that you slide normal shoes into rather than needing special cleated ones. Would probably cost well under twenty quid to try a cheap pair.

[buzby]

Argh shit, this is the sort of real talk I need! Can I ask you to exapnd on "the shape of a road bike makes city roads terrifying to be on" -- is that because the posture means the very top of your head is facing out in the direction of travel, rather than your actual face, and hence you don't have as good visibility?

This isn't quite true. There's only really 3 variables in the geometry of a diamond-type bike frame - wheelbase, head tube angle and bottom bracket height.

A full-on road bike has a short wheelbase to make it more nimble, an upright head tube angle which reduces the wheelbase and makes steering input more direct (and twitchy over bumps), and a low bottom bracket to keep the rider low to aid aerodynamics. This makes for a 'fast' feeling bike but with very direct steering, which can make it not exactly relaxing to ride.

Hybrid frames tend to fall into two camps - ones that use road-style geometry, and ones that use MTB or tourer type geometry (longer wheelbase for stability, more inclined headtube for more relaxed steering, slightly higher bottom bracket for clearing kerbs).

The biggest difference between the riding position of a road bike and a hybrid is due to the handlebars and seat positioning. A hybrid has flat bars and a stem that puts them usually level or slightly higher than the seat. This is what gives that upright riding position - bad for aerodynamics, but good for visibility.

Road bikes have drop handlebars, and the current fashion is to try and replicate the riding position pro race cyclists use with the bars as low as possible, much lower than the seat, with a long stem to get you stretched out for the best aero position. This means that unless you ride with your neck tilted back all the time ,all you will see is the road immediately below you. However, as long as you don't mind the tuts and sneers of the fashionistas, there's no reason why you can't set a road bike up with the seat and top of the handlebars level and with a reasonably short stem for a more 'hybrid--like' position that is both more relaxed and has better visibility (you can still go down onto the drops if you want less drag, like coasting down a long hill). 

This is exactly how I have my road bike set up, I'm 5'7" with short legs & arms and a long torso and find the low, stretched-out ''aero' position very uncomfortable. I'm also over 40 and not willing to put up with a sore neck after every ride. Even with a more upright riding position I can still maintain a 17+mph average for a 30 mile ride.

Most of the time I ride with my hands on the hoods of the brake/shift levers. If I want to go more relaxed or it's a long uphill and I want to use different muscles I move my hands to the flat tops (I also do this to get an aero braking affect going downhill). If I want to get some speed up downhill or I'm riding in to a strong headwind I move my hands down onto the drops.
The good thing about most bikes (provided you don't get something too bespoke, like the kit some Treks use) is that they are basically like Lego or Meccano - there's usually nothing stopping you setting one up exactly how you are most comfortable with,

I do have a pannier rack, and I know that that will be a requirement for me with any future bike purchase. (Stupid numpty question: can you even put a pannier rack on a road bike?)

The vast majority of 'race'-style road frames won't have the lugs for mudguards and panniers,  as there's no reason you would fit them on a race bike. However, there are 'drop-handlebar types of road bike like the tourer, audax (meant for 100+ mile long distance road rides, but these are a n'iche market that's usually hand-built) some cyclocross (the CX bike I had had mudguard and pannier mounts) and gravel bikes that do have mudguard and pannier lugs.

I'm also not completely sold on the whole club riding thing; the few that I did were me essentially being allowed to glom on to an existing social group who were fine and all but clearly had their own in-jokes and what have you, and the numpty on the clipless hybrid (with, on one day, embarrassingly squealy brakes that badly needed adjustment) didn't wholly ingratiate herself into that group a long-term way. But a few moments, moving with a pack at what was, to me, very high speed in picturesque countryside, and having got their entirely under my own steam (!!!), really stayed with me.

Yes, it's the 'club culture' that I don't really get on with. This is in no way meant to be sexist, but if you are a female at least you probably won't be subject to the 'man the fuck up' macho aspect of club riding. I have ridden in groups, usually impromptu ones that have formed on the road on organised rides like the Liverpool-Chester-Liverpool  or the Great Manchester Cycle (RIP) so I have experienced the benefits of 'sitting in' and getting pulled along by the person in front with minimal effort (and reciprocated by doing  my turn on the front, of course). I still prefer riding alone though (I'm probably subconsciously a masochist).

[jobotic]

My bottom bracket's gone.

Not a euphemism etc

I have a cyclo-cross bike but I'm shit off road so I bought road wheels and tyres and just use it as a road bike, but with SPD pedals. Probably should have just bought a road bike in the first place but the frame does mean that even though my saddle is quite a bit higher than the bars I've never really had an issue with comfort. I use it everyday to go to work (only a couple of miles) and for regular longer rides.

Charge Spoon saddle helps.

[badaids]

What you need is some spokey dokeys, some pegs and a pair of trucks hung under the back of the saddle.

[The Dog]

Horse.

[idunnosomename]

What you need is some spokey dokeys, some pegs and a pair of trucks hung under the back of the saddle.

what about a fun-size pack of Ricicles

[Norton Canes]

To echo buzby's comments, a tourer seems the right option, or maybe a cyclocross/gravel bike if you're planning to do any tracks/towpaths etc. Having drop bars is a massive plus, they give you so much more freedom (again, as buzby says) to change riding positions, which if nothing else is a good way to relieve stress on long rides. Hands on top for cruising through the flatlands, on the hoods for climbs, and on the drops when you're pretending to be Cavendish.

The other big piece of advice I'd give is think carefully where you buy. Pick a local shop, preferably independent or a small chain, that has a really good reputation for customer care (particularly aftersales care). You will in all likelihood be bringing it in at least for regular tune-ups and there's nothing worse than somewhere you have to wait weeks or who do a poor job (hello Halfords).

[jobotic]

100% agree with that about Halfords. Don't let them have your bike for weeks on end for a service whilst fobbing you off only to find that they've broken your seat post.

And don't buy from Evans as they're owned by Mike Ashley