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Since this is my first post on the forum, let me start by saying hello to everyone. I would like to pick your guys brains a little bit about my bike. I mostly use it for commuting and driving on the road, so the most "offroad" i go is gravel, curbs and potholes but since I am 195cm and 110-125kg (depending on my variable fitness level and how big my lunch is) I was recommended to get a 29er and put touring tires on it. That is exactly what I did - got a Cube Attention ( https://www.thebikelist.co.uk/cube/attention-29 ) with thinner tires. Most recently i have gone even thinner with some vittoria randonneur 700x28c that i picked up in Decathlon but I beleive it is possible to make the bike even more "road worthy" then just the tires.
Can anyone suggest some other modifications that would make sense? I was thinking maybe a different handle bar and possibly fron fork but I am having trouble fully comprehening the geometry differences between a MTB and road bike and what changes would actually be an improvement.
Ideally I would get a road bike but am worried about my weight and how jumping of the sidewalk and stuff would affect it durability.
So to sum it up I would like any advice regarding modifications to my current setup or any suggestions on the plausibility of a road bike for someone my size.
I greatly appreciate it !!!
My utility bike is an MTB on 1.75 mixed use tyres. You could put a flatter narrower bar with bar ends on it. I wouldn't change out the fork. Its nice to have a sus fork on bumpy roads.
How far are you riding? As a newb I would not want drop bars and drop bars on a MTB frame may well make for a uncomfortable riding position.
What advantages do you think you could get by changing it?
If you out drop bars on it you're looking at a lot of money to make something that's not going to work that well. You might be better to cut your losses and sell it it and get a gravel/adventure bike. Essentially a chunkier road bike.
If you want to keep it then lighter wheels, narrower bars, maybe longer, lower stem and adjust the gearing and it'll be a bit quicker on the road.
Thank you for your quick responses. I also like my suspension, especially on bumpy local roads. I usually ride approx 10km a day around town and every now and again go for 20-50km rides. Rarely longer than that.
The reason I want to mod the bike is that i can feel on speeds over 20kmh that wind resistance is really high and slowes me down a lot. I also like pushing the pace so my speeds on flat are around 30kmh which requiers a lot of power output and it is hard to lower my posture with the existing steering. Any suggestions on a bar that would lower me a bit but allow me to retain my gear shifters and hyd disk levers?
Also, touching on changing the bike all together - any suggestions on makes/models?
Any old skool narrow flat bar. Used with bar ends can improve the aero
You could look at gravel type bikes, they will have drop bars but will also have good size tyres to deal with the lumps and bumps. They're also built for some off-road work so they're pretty strong and won't have to aggressive position.
+1 for gravel bike. You'll lose the front suspension but forget about 28mm tyres, go for something a bit fatter, run at lowish pressures and you'll get a reasonably comfy ride.
Bar ends are deeply unfashionable but they're quite nice for riding an MTB on the road.
You could flip the stem and put some swept back flat bars on, that would lower your position slighlty and make you a little more aero.
Also you could ditch the triple and front derailleur and go with a single ring set up, with a suitable sized front chain ring for road use.
Seeing as you say you ride mainly on road I doubt you would miss the 2 smaller rings, plus it will drop some weight from the bike too.
Thanks guys, really appreciate all the answers. I did some thinking and I have decided to try and sell my bike and get a gravel bike. Within my budget i can choose between Cube Nuroad 2020 Pro with Shimano Tiagra, 11-34T, 2x10 and a used Cube Nuroad 2019 race with Shimano 105 groupset for the same price, so is it worth getting a used bike for the better components?
Also I noticed the Nuroad 2020 race (which is out of my busget) ditched the 105 groupset for
GRX 2x11 groupset. Am i missing out on much regarding this?
I’d go for the new one, current tiagra is decent enough, plus you’ll have the shop warranty backup. Good bike for what you are looking for.
If you could find the extra £300 for the GRX you get a much better drivetrain and especially the brakes, which are streets ahead of the mechanical ones on the base model
Thanks for the quick reply. Unfortunately I think the new race is out of my range right now. So its still down to group 105 vs tiagra. How do brakes compare on the two? I believe tiagra as you said is mechanical, 105 is hyd?
Im probably not that good of a cyclist to notice a difference between the two regarding drivetrain, but considering my weight of 110+ kg I do need some good brakes on my bike.
Out of those I’d still go for the one with shop warranty support I reckon.
Im really torn between the smell of new and better components. Shop warranty is rather limited on what it covers and the used bike is still under the same warranty that pretty much only covers manufacrure defects and frame. I have trouble deciding on breakfast, this is gonna be hard 🙂
Got the used 2019 race model. Zero regrets, amazing bike. Feels like a race car coming from my old bike. Also, I am glad I got the model with hyd disks. They are exactly what I need. Thanks again for everyones input!
I have a Cube Reaction 29er. I run a set of Profil t2 tribars on it for my longer gravel multiday races. It does add maybe an mph to my speed.
Trawl ebay and they are around £20. Make sure you get some that you can move the armrests rearwards to get a comfortable and aero position.
I’d see if you can get a decent ride on a gravel bike first, definitely before I sold another bike to fund it.
I would go new with warranty rather than used, unless i knew the previous owner, or the bike literally looked brand new.