Worth replacing mountain bike with something better?

[kingston12]

I have got an old Specialised Hard Rock mountain bike that I have had for years and it has always done the job for the mainly short rides that I do.

I am thinking about getting into cycling a bit more seriously, starting by going on rides of 15-20 miles which will be a mixture of roads and gravel paths/river tow paths.

I thought that it might be good to upgrade the bike to something a bit newer and suitable for this type of terrain, given that I never ride properly off road anyway. I was looking at a hybrid (Specialised Cross Trail) yesterday, but it seemed every bit as heavy as my current bike and the tyres weren't that much thinner.

Would I notice a big difference moving to a bike like this, or should I be looking at something else altogether?

[mac96]

If the your existing bike is in good condition, have you considered using thinner road tyres on it?

If you currently have wide knobblies on, the difference will be huge, and you may not need the new bike at all!.

[hman]

I have the same bike and the same dilemma - I am considering another set of wheels for it.

The damn thing's unbreakable!

[kingston12]

mac96 said:

If the your existing bike is in good condition, have you considered using thinner road tyres on it?

If you currently have wide knobblies on, the difference will be huge, and you may not need the new bike at all!.

Thanks, that's what I was thinking. I thought that lower weight would be an advantage, but the 'hybrids' that I have seen just seem to be mountain bikes with slightly thinner tyres.

The actual road bikes seem much lighter, but I am not sure that they will be up to the tow path part of my rides.

Any recommendations for wheel/tyre sets?

[paulrockliffe]

Don't bother. Maybe upgrade a few bits on your bike if they're knackered, but unless you're spending £1k on a middle-spec mountain bike you get any value for money from a new bike compared with what you already have.

[mac96]

kingston12 said:

mac96 said:

If the your existing bike is in good condition, have you considered using thinner road tyres on it?

If you currently have wide knobblies on, the difference will be huge, and you may not need the new bike at all!.

Thanks, that's what I was thinking. I thought that lower weight would be an advantage, but the 'hybrids' that I have seen just seem to be mountain bikes with slightly thinner tyres.

The actual road bikes seem much lighter, but I am not sure that they will be up to the tow path part of my rides.

Any recommendations for wheel/tyre sets?

I'd start by just replacing tyres, and look for puncture resistance. I have an old Trek mountain bike, and although I have replaced the wheels it was because the old ones had damaged rims rather than for better performance.

[Watchman]

Budget?

Hybrids with front suspension are rarely, if ever, as useful as a hardtail. A rigid flat bar sounds more like the type you should consider - something with 35mm tyres. It'll be lighter than your current bike and should roll far better.

[bigandclever]

Looked at any cyclocross bikes?

[Mr Ted]

Plus 1 for cyclocross bikes! I have a State Thunderbird single speed CX bike that is a blast on towpaths and trails, I have ridden it on MTB trails and got on fine although it can get a bit sketchy on downhills but that just means I have fun at a lower speed than if I was on my MTB. I use Clement MXP tyres, 33mm wide and they are fine in the mud and roll well on the road. If you've never ridden a CX bike you will never know what they are capable off, plus they are a perfectly good road bike as well!!!

[kingston12]

Thanks all. I think I will put a new set of tyres on the MTB to start with to see how much that improves things.

The Cyclocross bikes look interesting, much closer to what I was expecting a hybrid to be. I will check them out as well.

[yellowjack]

kingston12 said:

mac96 said:

If the your existing bike is in good condition, have you considered using thinner road tyres on it?

If you currently have wide knobblies on, the difference will be huge, and you may not need the new bike at all!.

Thanks, that's what I was thinking. I thought that lower weight would be an advantage, but the 'hybrids' that I have seen just seem to be mountain bikes with slightly thinner tyres.

The actual road bikes seem much lighter, but I am not sure that they will be up to the tow path part of my rides.

Any recommendations for wheel/tyre sets?

Pffft! You'd be surprised what a carbon road bike on 25mm wide slicks can cope with (in dry weather ).

In your situation I'd look at new tyres, semi-slicks or gravel specific ones, and give the bike a service. But I don't get rid of bikes easily.

Try 'Continental Contact' tyres. My son is currently commuting about 5 miles each way on an old Giant Talon MTB with 26" x 1.75" Conti Contacts on it. His route is more than 50% gravel and pot holed gravel at that, in places. Varies from military training area gravel roads to nicely surfaced lakeside recreational paths. I've not had to assist with a puncture for him at all this year. Those tyres are pretty good on tarmac too, although I think they're probably quite heavy.

[SwissJonese]

Depends how old the bike it. I had a 15 year old Specialized Rockhopper and the wife had a 10 year old Specialized Hard Rock. I upgraded the wife's to a 2nd hand Merida Juliet 500 and it is like night and day. Modern gearing and hydraulic disc brakes make a huge difference, not to mention how much lighter and the ergonomics of the bike. She won't ride the old one anymore.

[AlasdairMc]

Think carefully about the type of riding you're likely to do, even what you aspire to doing.

Many years ago I was considering either a hybrid or a mountain bike for the commute, and my wife was suggesting I got the hybrid as she didn't expect me to take it offroad. She was wrong, I got the mountain bike and it's now the main thing that I do. I doubt I'd be where I am now if I'd got a hybrid and just commuted on it.

My point is that it's a lot easier to convert a mountain bike to ride as a hybrid than it is to take a hybrid offroad. You might be fine with your current bike and some hybrid tyres which can be swapped over to knobblies when you decide to do more adventurous stuff.