I need a bike. Update me by 25 years!!
Discussion
Used to be very into cycling this as a late teen in the mid 90s, and still have one of my old steeds, a hand built brazed/lugged Columbus tubed MTB with all the contemporary bits from way back then - Deore XT (3x7!), mavic, tioga, panaracer, complete with 26” wheels, a long low (quill) stem and a very horizontal riding position.
Anyway, picked it up again recently and now in my 40s, generously built and unfit, my old bike caused me pain!
I want to spend £500ish on something somewhat comfier than that and obviously a bit more up to date. I don’t think I need disc brakes, suspension forks, or 29” wheels but having not experienced any of that maybe I do! Will be mainly back roads and fairly gentle trails so was leaning towards a hybrid style. Then noticed a myriad of other styles/designs options and I’m more confused than when I started! I think I still need at least a double chain ring as was very used to swapping between 3 front cogs before. Ideally I want something pretty lightweight, my old bike is around 25lbs but realise half the websites don’t even list weights these days - every last gram saved used to be an obsession in the 90s!
Any obvious choices out there for me or at least a pointer towards something suitable?
Anyway, picked it up again recently and now in my 40s, generously built and unfit, my old bike caused me pain!
I want to spend £500ish on something somewhat comfier than that and obviously a bit more up to date. I don’t think I need disc brakes, suspension forks, or 29” wheels but having not experienced any of that maybe I do! Will be mainly back roads and fairly gentle trails so was leaning towards a hybrid style. Then noticed a myriad of other styles/designs options and I’m more confused than when I started! I think I still need at least a double chain ring as was very used to swapping between 3 front cogs before. Ideally I want something pretty lightweight, my old bike is around 25lbs but realise half the websites don’t even list weights these days - every last gram saved used to be an obsession in the 90s!
Any obvious choices out there for me or at least a pointer towards something suitable?
What exactly caused you pain? £500 won’t get much these days unless you buy second hand and you may find your current bike is better...assuming it’s still mechanically sound.
Something like this?
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/vitus-m...
Something like this?
https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/mobile/vitus-m...
We need lots more info to be able to help you. But without any info I will say that you do need a front suspension fork and disc brakes (hard to get an MTB without these days). You should also go for 27.5” (650b) wheel size as it’s the best compromise. Other people will say 29” is better but they’d be wrong. 
Where is your pain?
What sort of riding will you do? Mostly road and canal paths/bike trails/cross country?
Does it have to be new (hard getting a new bike at the moment) or would you consider used and if so eBay or Gumtree etc?
What is your maximum budget? £500 is not great for a new MTB, it will be a bit of a tank with some cheap wheels and drivetrain components, and a fork that will weigh more than the frame. Your choice gets considerably better towards £750.
Where is your pain?
What sort of riding will you do? Mostly road and canal paths/bike trails/cross country?
Does it have to be new (hard getting a new bike at the moment) or would you consider used and if so eBay or Gumtree etc?
What is your maximum budget? £500 is not great for a new MTB, it will be a bit of a tank with some cheap wheels and drivetrain components, and a fork that will weigh more than the frame. Your choice gets considerably better towards £750.
I was in a similar situation last June to you albeit 10 years older.
I ignored the snob value & bought a Carrera 29er from Halfords. Done 2000 miles on it in a little over 6 months & it’s been great, A mixture of cycle paths, rough canal tow paths & light waterfall trails.
Intended to upgrade but it’s doing what I need & want it to do so don’t see the point just now.
It’s been reliable (one service inc a new chain & regrease of the rear bearings), is comfortable & good to ride.
The only thing I upgraded was the pedals (to Shimano).
You can actually buy them too.
I ignored the snob value & bought a Carrera 29er from Halfords. Done 2000 miles on it in a little over 6 months & it’s been great, A mixture of cycle paths, rough canal tow paths & light waterfall trails.
Intended to upgrade but it’s doing what I need & want it to do so don’t see the point just now.
It’s been reliable (one service inc a new chain & regrease of the rear bearings), is comfortable & good to ride.
The only thing I upgraded was the pedals (to Shimano).
You can actually buy them too.
Cheers chaps,
Pain was from my saddle, but it seems possibly because of the fairly flat position due to the long low stem, that I am lent forward onto the saddle quite a bit and the pressure point seemed to be towards the middle area of the saddle and not the rear. I need
to experiment with positioning some more...
Happy to go secondhand if needed, and likewise had thought about refreshing the one I have to make it more suited, but obviously stuck with wheel size, geometry and presumably disc brakes or a modern groupset would need new wheels too to accommodate new hubs?) it could very much quickly become triggers broom and because I don't know much about modern components I may just make it worse!
I cant see me doing much offloading at all, probably nothing any more extreme than a tow path or very gentle trails - would be mainly quiet roads I think at least until I got some more confidence/fitness, hence why I was thinking rigid/ hybrid style with rim brakes just to focus the spending elsewhere. Happy to go secondhand but again it would feel like a completely blind purchase...
Cheers for any tips!
Pain was from my saddle, but it seems possibly because of the fairly flat position due to the long low stem, that I am lent forward onto the saddle quite a bit and the pressure point seemed to be towards the middle area of the saddle and not the rear. I need
to experiment with positioning some more...
Happy to go secondhand if needed, and likewise had thought about refreshing the one I have to make it more suited, but obviously stuck with wheel size, geometry and presumably disc brakes or a modern groupset would need new wheels too to accommodate new hubs?) it could very much quickly become triggers broom and because I don't know much about modern components I may just make it worse!
I cant see me doing much offloading at all, probably nothing any more extreme than a tow path or very gentle trails - would be mainly quiet roads I think at least until I got some more confidence/fitness, hence why I was thinking rigid/ hybrid style with rim brakes just to focus the spending elsewhere. Happy to go secondhand but again it would feel like a completely blind purchase...
Cheers for any tips!
I would be looking to address the painful saddle for starters, unless of course you’re looking for justification to buy a new bike. 
Being older and more portly than I once was, I discovered Selle SMP saddles. They’re not very attractive to look at (not a problem when you’re riding the bike), but the shape and that large cutout really do work wonders. You do need to take time to set it up correctly, but once there they are great.
Being older and more portly than I once was, I discovered Selle SMP saddles. They’re not very attractive to look at (not a problem when you’re riding the bike), but the shape and that large cutout really do work wonders. You do need to take time to set it up correctly, but once there they are great.
£500 just about gets you into hydraulic disk brakes on a hybrid. Whilst you possibly don't need them, the market is mostly disk brakes with bottom end bikes going to mechanical, which should be avoided.
I do rate Boardman bikes for value for money. If you qualify for Cycle Schemes through work, or if you join British Cycling you get a discount. Numerous other discounts available with Halfords.
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Boardman-HYB-8-6-2021-Hyb...
I do rate Boardman bikes for value for money. If you qualify for Cycle Schemes through work, or if you join British Cycling you get a discount. Numerous other discounts available with Halfords.
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Boardman-HYB-8-6-2021-Hyb...
Boardman looks ideal, I was going to suggest this Pinnacle but the boardman looks nicer.
Lockdown etc has resulted in strong sales so you may just have to accept what you can find in the right size but they’re all similar really. Don’t worry about suspension on cheap bikes, it’s heavy and unresponsive. Big tyres at low pressure actually do a better job at that price range
Lockdown etc has resulted in strong sales so you may just have to accept what you can find in the right size but they’re all similar really. Don’t worry about suspension on cheap bikes, it’s heavy and unresponsive. Big tyres at low pressure actually do a better job at that price range
Evanivitch said:
Jimboka said:
If you can stretch to £600 ish
I’d recommend the Voodoo Bizango from Halfords
Seem to be in stock now
I doubt you’d get anything much better for under £1000..
It's a bit overkill for what OP wants, and at 13.7kg it's no lightweight.I’d recommend the Voodoo Bizango from Halfords
Seem to be in stock now
I doubt you’d get anything much better for under £1000..
https://www.mbr.co.uk/reviews/hardtail/voodoo-biza...
After the COVID rush to buy bikes, there will probably be some second hand ones out there at some point....
I bought Halfords Variant MTB a few years ago to get me going like you OP.
After realising most of the riding was roads and hard packed trail - not mountain, I did the research and settled for what gained a great review despite the apparent sniffyness around the brand :
Decathlon Hybrid Riverside 920. Apparently the 920 is the vital part to access decent stuff on it:
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/reviews/hybrid-bikes...
https://road.cc/content/review/decathlon-btwin-riv...
9/10 scores.
I see a few floating around second hand at half price.
(obviously this is step 1 to bike N+1 and the darkside of Ebikes )
After realising most of the riding was roads and hard packed trail - not mountain, I did the research and settled for what gained a great review despite the apparent sniffyness around the brand :
Decathlon Hybrid Riverside 920. Apparently the 920 is the vital part to access decent stuff on it:
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/reviews/hybrid-bikes...
https://road.cc/content/review/decathlon-btwin-riv...
9/10 scores.
I see a few floating around second hand at half price.
(obviously this is step 1 to bike N+1 and the darkside of Ebikes
)With that information I would say order a few saddles and try them all out (at least half an hour riding on each one), send back the ones you don’t like. Put tape on the rails and they will accept the returns.
Get some padded Lycra undershorts. Nobody will know you’re wearing them and once you’ve ridden with them you won’t be able to without.
Put new tyres on the MTB, something fast rolling but with a bit of grip. Ask a bike shop for a recommendations or read some tyre reviews.
If you’re doing enough miles and the old bike becomes a pain (replacing old components can become tiresome as you’re looking at secondhand stuff), then get a Boardman hybrid or similar. Nothing wrong with Halfords bikes, they still do the Chinese BSOs but also decent stuff too. I’ve only heard good things about Boardman bikes.
As others have said, cheap suspension forks are worse than none if you’re not really going off-road. This isn’t being a snob, it’s just how it is, they’ll be super heavy and the damping will be s
t.
Get some padded Lycra undershorts. Nobody will know you’re wearing them and once you’ve ridden with them you won’t be able to without.
Put new tyres on the MTB, something fast rolling but with a bit of grip. Ask a bike shop for a recommendations or read some tyre reviews.
If you’re doing enough miles and the old bike becomes a pain (replacing old components can become tiresome as you’re looking at secondhand stuff), then get a Boardman hybrid or similar. Nothing wrong with Halfords bikes, they still do the Chinese BSOs but also decent stuff too. I’ve only heard good things about Boardman bikes.
As others have said, cheap suspension forks are worse than none if you’re not really going off-road. This isn’t being a snob, it’s just how it is, they’ll be super heavy and the damping will be s
t.S6PNJ said:
Evanivitch said:
Jimboka said:
If you can stretch to £600 ish
I’d recommend the Voodoo Bizango from Halfords
Seem to be in stock now
I doubt you’d get anything much better for under £1000..
It's a bit overkill for what OP wants, and at 13.7kg it's no lightweight.I’d recommend the Voodoo Bizango from Halfords
Seem to be in stock now
I doubt you’d get anything much better for under £1000..
https://www.mbr.co.uk/reviews/hardtail/voodoo-biza...
After the COVID rush to buy bikes, there will probably be some second hand ones out there at some point....
My wife has a Carrera Subway and looking at Halfords website, a men's Subway 2 with Shimano 2x9 gearing and hydraulic discs comes in at £350. I think I would be more inclined to head in that direction. Unless you fancy giving drop bars a whirl. I bought a Voodoo Limba gravel bike in Sept-19 and it got thousands of km stuck on it last year doing cycle paths, roads and towpaths. Only downer on the Limba is the mechanical discs, which aren't up to hydraulic standard, but still perfectly adequate for normal people doing normal things.
SpeckledJim said:
Rather than get an ok bike new, I'd suggest getting a good bike second-hand.
You'll get more bike for your money on the way in, and you'll get more of your money back on the way out.
Depends, you may end up spending more on a new chain, chainring, bearings, grips, cables etcYou'll get more bike for your money on the way in, and you'll get more of your money back on the way out.
No suggestions on bikes, but for comfort -
I’ve always struggled with finding a comfortable saddle, I’m very tall and very heavy.
Eventually after trying so many different saddles I managed to settle on a Charge Spoon, I just kept on and on and on building up time in the saddle until after 6 months it started to feel ok on 2+ hour rides, but nothing longer than 3 hours.
Recently I’ve struggled getting back into riding after a 3 year break, I cannot seem to find the right saddle, my trusty old Spoon is murdering me and I don’t have 6 months to try and break in my sitting bones again.
So I went for one of these - https://www.wiggle.co.uk/brooks-england-cambium-c1...
I easily managed an hour yesterday, only the second time I’ve sat on it, I think I may have found a new favourite.
Edit - always wear padded under shorts.
I’ve always struggled with finding a comfortable saddle, I’m very tall and very heavy.
Eventually after trying so many different saddles I managed to settle on a Charge Spoon, I just kept on and on and on building up time in the saddle until after 6 months it started to feel ok on 2+ hour rides, but nothing longer than 3 hours.
Recently I’ve struggled getting back into riding after a 3 year break, I cannot seem to find the right saddle, my trusty old Spoon is murdering me and I don’t have 6 months to try and break in my sitting bones again.
So I went for one of these - https://www.wiggle.co.uk/brooks-england-cambium-c1...
I easily managed an hour yesterday, only the second time I’ve sat on it, I think I may have found a new favourite.
Edit - always wear padded under shorts.
pablo said:
SpeckledJim said:
Rather than get an ok bike new, I'd suggest getting a good bike second-hand.
You'll get more bike for your money on the way in, and you'll get more of your money back on the way out.
Depends, you may end up spending more on a new chain, chainring, bearings, grips, cables etcYou'll get more bike for your money on the way in, and you'll get more of your money back on the way out.
Faddy people (such as myself) are always buying bikes to use twice, store for a few years and then sell at <30% of the price.
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