how about this, ive had a few cannondale's and all been great, nice spec on that for the price as well, only thin i would upgrade in the end is the brakes but they would do fine, paulhttp://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/trail-sl-5-2010-mountain-bike-ec020208
pinnacle peak s are quite good i have to do a bit off off roading and cycle pathing to get to work
Hey guys, i've got £650 to spend on a new bike from evans (has to be evans unfortuanately - cycle to work scheme) and was looking at this.I've got 3 miles of footpaths and muddy roads followed by just under 9 miles on roads, a good fit do you think or should i look at something else? Not riden a bike for almost 10 years so not really clued up on technical specs!
Quote from: Zed on May 04, 2010, 07:59:04 PMhow about this, ive had a few cannondale's and all been great, nice spec on that for the price as well, only thin i would upgrade in the end is the brakes but they would do fine, paulhttp://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/trail-sl-5-2010-mountain-bike-ec020208Looks nice but the problem with that bike is the tyres and gearing are made for off road and i've been warned that i'll get really annoyed riding that those for too long on roads as they're just so slow and heavy with slower gearing than a hybrid like the specialized. I tried out a few of the canondale big boy series and didn't like the smaller tyres on those either, though a workmate has been pushing me towards cannondale as well so there must definitely be something good to the brand!
I own aluminum, titanium, and steel frames... I have ridden them all extensively over the years.I can honestly say that the "aluminum is harsh" tale is a bunch of hooey. So is the "ti is noodly" and the "steel fatigues and goes soft after a long time on the road".A well made frame makes the most out of the material it was designed for. It depends on geometry, tubing diameter, tube wall thickness... etc... And tires make or break a bikes "smoothness" more than anything else other than frame and fork geometry.If it is designed properly, any frame material will "feel" just fine. The rest is all in one's head. The smoothest bike I have ever ridden was a Cannondale.G.
On the potholes, suspension might be nice. But the best way to ride a commuter bike is to do all that you can to avoid technical terrain. Why?Well, you see... a commuter bike presumes you are on the way to work or on the way home. Therefore, you do not have the luxury of risking a break down due to riding anything remotely hardcore. This bike needs to be reliable before all else, and your riding needs to be quick and conservative. Turning your front wheel into a taco on the way to work because you rode a suspension equipped hybrid over a pothole is not in line with that mindset.A commuter bike and the rider must be cautious and alert. You avoid obstacles that could injure you or damage your bike. You ride a bike that is the most practical for the trip that you can possibly find.Save aggressive riding for the weekends when you can afford to break down because you took a proper MTB over some rocks.Is a shock all that heavy? No, modern shocks in and of themselves are not that heavy. But... the weight is right up front, attached to your steerer. Even with a lock out, this is going to give you a sluggish front end on the road. Also, most suspension forks have fairly slack angles, whereas road forks are usually a bit more steep. Steeper equals quicker turning. Not so steep that you are all twitchy like a track bike, but steep enough that you can flick the bike hard left and avoid being crushed by a lorry, yeah?The last thing I want on my bike on the road is sluggishness. I have enough of that in my person. Big tires will help you cope with the trails. Like 700 x 38 if they will fit. And they do make tires that are make for road and trail. You might not find the perfect bike off the shelf. It will likely be a compromise, and you will change out the tires, seat, etc.Yes, I do think you should avoid drop bars for now. Find a bike with a flat bar or mustache bars.As for components... better to invest in the frame and wheels. Components can be changed out as they wear out. For you right now, anything from Shimano or Suntour or Diacompe or Tektro or SRAM will be fine. Bontrager, Ritchey, Aheadset (or Cane Creek), these are all good too.This is a commuter bike, so exotic components are not what you want anyway. You want tough, durable, reliable, and cheap to replace. Most of the high end components are merely lighter. They use less material, and are often short lived. You want good components, not race kit. Your frameset, wheels, and tires are where you really want to put your money.
Ah, the Sirrus has mini V brakes like my wife's. Not going to get fenders in there. Ask the shop to put fenders on the Kona and ride happy!
Quote from: glorn on May 05, 2010, 07:45:05 PMAh, the Sirrus has mini V brakes like my wife's. Not going to get fenders in there. Ask the shop to put fenders on the Kona and ride happy!Cheers mate, i'll find a store that stocks them and see what i think to it The problem with getting it fitted in store, is i don't think i can I live well outside of London where all the Evans stores are, so home delivery is my only option and as i say, i won't be able to get the train into or out of london because they don't let you take bikes on rush hour trains which is the only time i'll be able to go in or out of london. I don't think they even sell specialized bikes in store, they're home delivery only, although i think you can buy the Kona there and then. My plan was to pop down on tuesday and have a test ride of the bikes I'm looking at and if one seemed to fit the bill i'll order it online the next day with all associated accessories.
Quote from: Abstraction on May 05, 2010, 08:10:53 PMQuote from: glorn on May 05, 2010, 07:45:05 PMAh, the Sirrus has mini V brakes like my wife's. Not going to get fenders in there. Ask the shop to put fenders on the Kona and ride happy!Cheers mate, i'll find a store that stocks them and see what i think to it The problem with getting it fitted in store, is i don't think i can I live well outside of London where all the Evans stores are, so home delivery is my only option and as i say, i won't be able to get the train into or out of london because they don't let you take bikes on rush hour trains which is the only time i'll be able to go in or out of london. I don't think they even sell specialized bikes in store, they're home delivery only, although i think you can buy the Kona there and then. My plan was to pop down on tuesday and have a test ride of the bikes I'm looking at and if one seemed to fit the bill i'll order it online the next day with all associated accessories. can you not ask while checking it store, is it cheaper online as my brother did the same work scheme and got it cheaper from the shop, out of interest where abouts outside of London is it paul
Quote from: Zed on May 05, 2010, 08:38:09 PMQuote from: Abstraction on May 05, 2010, 08:10:53 PMQuote from: glorn on May 05, 2010, 07:45:05 PMAh, the Sirrus has mini V brakes like my wife's. Not going to get fenders in there. Ask the shop to put fenders on the Kona and ride happy!Cheers mate, i'll find a store that stocks them and see what i think to it The problem with getting it fitted in store, is i don't think i can I live well outside of London where all the Evans stores are, so home delivery is my only option and as i say, i won't be able to get the train into or out of london because they don't let you take bikes on rush hour trains which is the only time i'll be able to go in or out of london. I don't think they even sell specialized bikes in store, they're home delivery only, although i think you can buy the Kona there and then. My plan was to pop down on tuesday and have a test ride of the bikes I'm looking at and if one seemed to fit the bill i'll order it online the next day with all associated accessories. can you not ask while checking it store, is it cheaper online as my brother did the same work scheme and got it cheaper from the shop, out of interest where abouts outside of London is it paulThey're all over london, i had to go to three last time because they all have different stock, but while i might be able to get it in store if i found the right one i wouldn't be able to get it home on the train, that's the issue
I live far from london unfortunately, my company is london based which is why we have the tie up with evans but i work in our offices well outside of it. I'll go in and see what they recommend I guess. I can call ahead and get them to bring in the two bikes i want to try for a £50 fully refundable deposit so might get my closest store to bring in the crosstrial and Kona Dew to see which one i prefere with a decent test ride.
My mind may have been made up for me - phoned the store to make sure they had everything in stock i wanted on monday but they cant get the crosstrail in for at least a week and can't get the Kona in until tuesday, so i'm taking a trip down there tuesday to check out the Kona, if i like it i'll get it, otherwise i'll be confused :pOne thing which surprised me though is he recommended a 54cm frame. I'm only 5'7"-5'8" and the Kona sizing chart says i'd need 18"-19" so 45cm-48.2cm. Even given the footnote that Kona frames come up smaller than they claim (Notes:The Dew models have a compact frame size that come up 5cm smaller than stated. E.g. 56cm frame = 51cm) that's still really big! I was expecting the 49 or 52cm frames.Hope he knows what he's talking about as otherwise i'll have wasted the trip into london to try a bike which is way too big!