I've inherited a bike!
Discussion
Well, sort of.
I was storing some stuff for a mate and he has asked me just to chuck it all out or keep anything I wanted.
Amongst boxes of old clothes and things is a Glenmore Alpinebike.
I know less than Foxtrot-Alpha about push-bikes (as my belly can demonstrate) but I can safely say it has posh brakes (discs!) and heaps of gears.
It's caked in mud, which I've cleaned off and I've given all the sprockets a good soaking with wd40.
It's got pretty knobbly tyres on it but I'm not really planning on doing any off-road riding, maybe just the odd 6-mile round trip to the boozer. Is it worth putting some road tyres on it?
Ta
I was storing some stuff for a mate and he has asked me just to chuck it all out or keep anything I wanted.
Amongst boxes of old clothes and things is a Glenmore Alpinebike.
I know less than Foxtrot-Alpha about push-bikes (as my belly can demonstrate) but I can safely say it has posh brakes (discs!) and heaps of gears.
It's caked in mud, which I've cleaned off and I've given all the sprockets a good soaking with wd40.
It's got pretty knobbly tyres on it but I'm not really planning on doing any off-road riding, maybe just the odd 6-mile round trip to the boozer. Is it worth putting some road tyres on it?
Ta
Some googling suggests it might be an Alpinebike Glenmore (I.e. make is Alpinebike.)
They don't seem to do them any more though. If its in good nick might as well keep it for pottering about on... I'd leave the existing tyres on it tbh. If you get into it and start riding every weekend thats the time to start buying slicks and sorting it out.
They don't seem to do them any more though. If its in good nick might as well keep it for pottering about on... I'd leave the existing tyres on it tbh. If you get into it and start riding every weekend thats the time to start buying slicks and sorting it out.
Bit of a thread resurrection...
I've been using this old bike a few times a month, the odd ride to the pub or local village (6 miles round trip) and a bit of mucking about with my 6 year-old.
We just got back from a week in center parcs where I hired a weird Schwinn bike for £25 and discovered a few things:
1. The Glenmore is far too small for me. 17.5" frame, I'm 6'4". The Schwinn thing felt huge but was actually much more comfortable and natural to ride.
2. The gnarly MTB tyres on my bike make it seriously hard work on the road.
So I think I might go and get myself a new bike. Going to visit a couple of local inde shops tomorrow. I'll be riding mostly on roads or reasonably smooth tracks, not much proper offroad stuff.
Budget, not really sure, but I'd say top whack of £500? Is that even realistic?
Cheers
Lefty
I've been using this old bike a few times a month, the odd ride to the pub or local village (6 miles round trip) and a bit of mucking about with my 6 year-old.
We just got back from a week in center parcs where I hired a weird Schwinn bike for £25 and discovered a few things:
1. The Glenmore is far too small for me. 17.5" frame, I'm 6'4". The Schwinn thing felt huge but was actually much more comfortable and natural to ride.
2. The gnarly MTB tyres on my bike make it seriously hard work on the road.
So I think I might go and get myself a new bike. Going to visit a couple of local inde shops tomorrow. I'll be riding mostly on roads or reasonably smooth tracks, not much proper offroad stuff.
Budget, not really sure, but I'd say top whack of £500? Is that even realistic?
Cheers
Lefty
)
Lefty said:
Looks ideal.Are you going to be using it for proper offroad at all? as you may be better off with a cyclocross like this for general use: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pinnacle/arkos...
The Specialized tricross also looks nice, but getting above budget (as is the one above, but only slightly).
Dont worry too much about disk brakes unless you'll be rinding in lots of wet and mud, a good cyclocross will make your mountain bike feel like it had the QE2's anchor attached to it.
The Specialized tricross also looks nice, but getting above budget (as is the one above, but only slightly).
Dont worry too much about disk brakes unless you'll be rinding in lots of wet and mud, a good cyclocross will make your mountain bike feel like it had the QE2's anchor attached to it.
Edited by Iklwa on Monday 5th August 14:26
Iklwa said:
Are you going to be using it for proper offroad at all? as you may be better off with a cyclocross like this for general use: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pinnacle/arkos...
A mate just got one of these. It's quite heavy but is good for £675. Would be a good commuter hack if you could live without discs. Iklwa said:
Are you going to be using it for proper offroad at all? as you may be better off with a cyclocross like this for general use: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pinnacle/arkos...
The Specialized tricross also looks nice, but getting above budget (as is the one above, but only slightly).
Dont worry too much about disk brakes unless you'll be rinding in lots of wet and mud, a good cyclocross will make your mountain bike feel like it had the QE2's anchor attached to it.
Hmm, not really. Farm and forest tracks.The Specialized tricross also looks nice, but getting above budget (as is the one above, but only slightly).
Dont worry too much about disk brakes unless you'll be rinding in lots of wet and mud, a good cyclocross will make your mountain bike feel like it had the QE2's anchor attached to it.
Edited by Iklwa on Monday 5th August 14:26
Sorry to sound thick (in this particular area, I AM!), what's the difference between cyclo cross and a hybrid?
Cheers
There are so many different types of hybrid and cyclocross bikes now the lines have probably blurred quite a lot at different price points. Cyclocross gives a better road riding position, tend to be closer to a road bike without being as stiff, and allow clearance for mudguards, whereas a hybrid tends to be closer to a mountain bike, so less effective on the road.
Sort of like how a Toyota GT86 is closer to a Ferrari 458 than it is to a Land Rover Defender, but a BMW X5 is closer to a Defender than a 458.....althugh just reading that makes me realise my car to bike descriptive similes are terrible, but hopefully you get the idea.
You are compromising, so you either compromise towards going offroad or onroad. If you want to compromise even less, then this is a wicked bike http://www.cyclesurgery.com/pws/UniqueProductKey.i...
I had a look at one recently and if I get a road bike it would likely be the one, good value for money and a bike you can upgrade over time. Would be worth going to a local bike shop and trying a hybrid, cyclocross, and road bike to see which you like best, as they offer very different rides.
Sort of like how a Toyota GT86 is closer to a Ferrari 458 than it is to a Land Rover Defender, but a BMW X5 is closer to a Defender than a 458.....althugh just reading that makes me realise my car to bike descriptive similes are terrible, but hopefully you get the idea.
You are compromising, so you either compromise towards going offroad or onroad. If you want to compromise even less, then this is a wicked bike http://www.cyclesurgery.com/pws/UniqueProductKey.i...
I had a look at one recently and if I get a road bike it would likely be the one, good value for money and a bike you can upgrade over time. Would be worth going to a local bike shop and trying a hybrid, cyclocross, and road bike to see which you like best, as they offer very different rides.
Edited by Iklwa on Tuesday 6th August 09:11
I did that very thing today! Edinburgh Bikes (in Aberdeen!)
Tried cyclocross and hybrid, definitely prefer the hybrid and I've decided i do want flat bars.
Very nearly ordered a Canondale Bad Boy 2, just cause it was so damn cool...but my cooler head prevailed. If it had been the right size I might well have pulled the trigger, even though it's twice my budget
New Specialized Crosstrail comes out in 2 days so I'm going to try and get one of those I think - but want to try an XL and XXL frame for size.
Cheers for the help chaps
Tried cyclocross and hybrid, definitely prefer the hybrid and I've decided i do want flat bars.
Very nearly ordered a Canondale Bad Boy 2, just cause it was so damn cool...but my cooler head prevailed. If it had been the right size I might well have pulled the trigger, even though it's twice my budget
New Specialized Crosstrail comes out in 2 days so I'm going to try and get one of those I think - but want to try an XL and XXL frame for size.
Cheers for the help chaps
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