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I have a new job. It does Cyclescheme. I'm also paying higher rate tax for the first time in my life, and could afford a new bike. I ride an Orange Gyro now, perfectly fine for everything I do, though an XL so really heavy. I work at home, and a quick spin out at lunchtime will help my fitness, and break up the day. Help me work this through. £1k limit
1. Do nothing. Life is fine.
2. Buy a road bike. Something sensible like a Specialised Allez with 105. Half of my mates have road bikes, and 2 did a coast to coast in the summer that I fancy. Go for the sensible roadie road option.
3. Buy a less sensible bike like the Ribble with Ultegra that is on offer at the moment, because it looks lovely and if most of my spins out are 1 hour lunchtime trips, then the 25mm tyres don't matter. And I can do (very) minimal bike luggage on it if necessary for the once a year coast to coast.
4. Buy a Gravel bike- disc brakes and bigger tyres. Sensible, hard wearing, comfortable. Worse (Tiagra) group set. Do anything, can do a coast to coast easily.
5. Buy a Sonder Transmitter because the geometry is really different, and the long low slack thing is sufficiently different to my Gyro. Because every weekend I go out with my son, nephew and brother in law. Its great fun. Except (BiLaw does not have a decent bike- so he could use it, and then when my 14 year old son gets big, he can move onto it too.) And It'll be good for quick lunchtime climbs. And as a hardtail I'll notice a difference on the climbs from the Gyro.
What am I missing? Help me think it through. Thanks
4. Buy a Gravel bike- disc brakes and bigger tyres. Sensible, hard wearing, comfortable. Worse (Tiagra) group set. Do anything, can do a coast to coast easily.
I went this way with a very versatile bike tough out of your budget. It gets the most riding in at the moment, 45mm Gravel tyres don't seem to hold me back that much on the road, side by side there is not much difference in rolling to a road tyre
4.
Gravelly bike + FS MTB is a good n=2 combination in my experience.
Gravel bike, and a second set of road wheels/tyres ftw
Yep gravel bike as a +1, great versatility and loads can run 650b or 700c so two wheel sets covers all the bases.
Gravel bike, and a second set of road wheels/tyres ftw
Having taken the G-One bites around the canals and Hope Pre Peak, then around the Tour O Borders I'm not too bothered about a second set of wheels/tyres
Another for 4. GRAVEL BIKE. Covers all options really, except option 1, not really an option is it.
Cyclescheme
I work at home
Thief!
Put bike on a turbo, cycle at work.
i went option 4 and sold my road bike as it hasn’t been used in the 3 years since the cx/gravel bike arrived.
Quick. Lock the thread while we have a consensus or someone will derail the whole thing with arguments about why what you really need is a recumbent trike.
Blimey. That is total consensus. Thanks all. Good work. Off researching £1k gravel bikes. Cheers
Boardman cross/gravel bikes are pretty dam good for the money.
I went for the 1x11 cross bike, stuck some 32mm tyres on it and it goes like stink.
As the owner of a recumbent trike, everyone needs one. Forget gravel, get low.
1 obviously, you fools.
Ok, it’s 4. Damn these sensible discussions