The MTB thread

[Nobbylad]

Thanks Matt.

I didn't fancy starting a Hybrid thread

ive got a hybrid (gt zum2) and its great on the roads and paths. Its a lot nicer and smoother than an mtb with semi road tyres (thinner rubber) it does feel different froman mtb though as it finds ruts and bumps easier. however stick 2" wide rubber on it (max it will take) and it has a good go at being a mtb but its deffo not as good off road.

I was reading somewhere that cyclo cross bikes are making a big comeback and offer the best of both worlds, loads of grip (dependant on tyres of course) off road and road race style bars which are comfier on the back, does this sound right ?

[Drew Carey]

They are making a comeback and most manufacturers are doing them. They are not really suited to trail riding or severe off road (from what I have seen), but are apparently very good for XC type riding.

Personally, as I am quite a heavy chap, I would be too worried about breaking it somehow, as I am not very forgiving on my bike - hence for me, I have an All Mountain bike that is built to take knocks.

I believe Badger uses one to commute now......from what I remember (especially since his MTB frame snapped).

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by stewie

I was reading somewhere that cyclo cross bikes are making a big comeback and offer the best of both worlds, loads of grip (dependant on tyres of course) off road and road race style bars which are comfier on the back, does this sound right ?

Depends on where you ride them, cyclocross bikes are usually raced on grass or not too rocky courses, somewhere you don't need suspension.

Yes, 700c wheels roll better on the road than MTB tyres, but are challenged by off road work.

My MTB wheels with slick road tyres rolls along quite nicely, but is heavier than my road bike. Plus I run out of gears because of the smaller MTB chainset.

Whatever you buy its going to be a bit of a compromise, as no bike will do all disciplines well, but can do most, at a pinch.

trouble is I'm not able to buy a newer bike, I have an old GT Timberline from about 97/98 with no suspension, think of upgrading that in the short term, dont want to spend a lot, bang some newish front forks on it new bars and attach some tassles on the bar ends cos I ride like such a girl, job done

Cyclocross bikes started re-appearing a couple of years ago. Most of the major manufacturers are making them. There are aslo designs that mix and match various elements of cyclocross with trail bike and road bike frame geometry and groupsets. So there's plenty of choice.

Cyclocross bikes are versatile. They make good commuting bikes, good touring bikes (many come with braze-ons) and good off-road bikes (providing you stick to tracks). With front suspension, discs and straight bars they're good for cross-country too, plus the larger wheel size decreases rolling resistance over rough stuff. Pre mountain bikes, cyclocross and road bikes were used off-road (called rough-stuff in them days) but there was a lot more carrying involved.

Originally Posted by trail guru

Cyclocross bikes started re-appearing a couple of years ago. Most of the major manufacturers are making them. There are aslo designs that mix and match various elements of cyclocross with trail bike and road bike frame geometry and groupsets. So there's plenty of choice.

Cyclocross bikes are versatile. They make good commuting bikes, good touring bikes (many come with braze-ons) and good off-road bikes (providing you stick to tracks). With front suspension, discs and straight bars they're good for cross-country too, plus the larger wheel size decreases rolling resistance over rough stuff. Pre mountain bikes, cyclocross and road bikes were used off-road (called rough-stuff in them days) but there was a lot more carrying involved.

Thanks, just perusing ebay to spot some sus forks, Im not hardcore just want a bit of fun off road but not too sure what I'm looking for, just want a reasonable shock for a decent price really.

Originally Posted by stewie

Thanks, just perusing ebay to spot some sus forks, Im not hardcore just want a bit of fun off road but not too sure what I'm looking for, just want a reasonable shock for a decent price really.

Just make sure your frame can take a suspension fork. Most are longer than a rigid fork and will affect the steering and stress on the frame. Try
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/ for advice. An 80mm sus fork is probably what you're looking for. It's probably easier getting a cheap 2nd hand entry level hardtail bike with front sus forks off ebay.

Originally Posted by Venom

Just make sure your frame can take a suspension fork. Most are longer than a rigid fork and will affect the steering and stress on the frame. Try
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/ for advice. An 80mm sus fork is probably what you're looking for. It's probably easier getting a cheap 2nd hand entry level hardtail bike with front sus forks off ebay.

Yeah good point actually, by the time Ive faffed about with it I could have probably sourced a better spec later model, I had the chance of GT avalanche 1.0 the other week as well