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Hi guys I need some advice as to what route to take with this. I'm wanting to improve my cardio fitness and I dislike running so it has to be on a bike. While out on my full suss the other day I noticed my heart rate rose considerably while doing the road section back home over the forest ride I had just done, so this got me thinking about getting a cheap road bike to help even further. The problem is I suffer from a bad lower back after a fall many years ago so I'm worried that a road bike will make it worse. I have two full suss bikes which are comfy but too heavy for road use but I do have an Ibis Tranny I hardly use so could I successfully adapt that to a road/ cross type of bike or should I just buy a second hand cross bike , the thinking is that the bars aren't so low on a cross bike so it may save my back? Thanks if you made it this far !!
Go for something cheap with flat bars. If it's fitness you want to develop you don't need to be on the drops. In fact if you sit up straight and wear a baggy, flappy jacket you'll have to work harder.
My early 1990s hybrid gives a good road workout. definitely better than an mtb but too shit to train on seriously.
Loads of flat bar road bikes around these days - I sometimes wish I had gone that route, think it would have seen a lot more use than my drop bar bike.
So is it feasible to put flat bars on my Ibis with road tyres or is it the wrong geometry?
I ride a 26"mtb on the road sometimes.
It does feel a little odd over distances >10miles or so. But I do have 700c wheeled alternatives that perhaps highlight the difference.
I am sure you could make it work but it won't be as handy/good as something mire focussed imo.
For the cost of a pair of tyres and a cheap flat handlebar I might be tempted to give it a go at least to see if I could enjoy road riding enough.
Thanks for the advice. So any tips on what bike to look out for ?
Ride faster in the woods 🙂
Going by the ibis site it was considered in the design of the frame. See link below.
http://www.ibiscycles.co.uk/bikes/past_models/tranny/#details
Looks a lovely frame and it could build into just what your looking for.
Mmm it looks like I could add flat bars and 700c wheels , which I presume are 135 spacing ? Cheers guys it seems the cheapest way at the moment .
If you want to get fit rather than be fast then just ride it the way it is. All that extra rolling resistance and pogo-ing will give you a better work-out over any given distance than a road bike will.
I agree with you Scotroutes but I'm trying to keep my heart rate up at a high steady level and the full suss just too much bike, I've a blood or an asr7 so both are not really suitable I think.
If you're planning on doing a fair bit of riding on the road eg 2 or 3 times a week, I'd suggest a proper road bike if you've got the cash. Toiling into a headwind on flat bars isn't fun. Well, it's not fun on drop bars either, but at least you don't spend the whole time thinking 'this bike is rubbish for this'. Roadbikes = bikes for the road 🙂
RIding a big full suss on the road is just going to put you off it, and keep you off the bike in my experience.
You don't say exactly what the injury is. It could be that a properly set up road bike wouldn't aggravate it.
However, the Trek Domane bikes might be worth a test ride. They are a little shorter in the toptube and a little taller in the headtube. Plus, they have a pivot at the seat cluster which allows a fair bit of flex. I've heard people say good things about them. You could also fit 28mm tyres to it and/or road tubeless as both will add a degree of comfort.
My injury is smashed coccyx leading to muscle damage which spasms when I lean over in a prone position. Thanks for the suggestion of the Trek .