Yet another question on the hybrid type bikes. Ok, the situation is, I have a secondhand Claude Butler Vantage, guessing it is 12 plus years old. Weighs around 17 kgs. Chunky tyres front and rear. Anyway, I love cycling but find this bike hard work, the other half has a CB which just seems to glide. Am I expecting a new hyrbid, around the £400 mark to work miracles, am I likely to find cycling that much easier. I want a work out, but feel this bike is heavy and cumbersome. Hope you can help. Basically, is it worth moving on ? Sarah http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7737#msg-7737 Tue, 21 May 2013 17:57:02 +0100 Phorum 5.2.7 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7748#msg-7748 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7748#msg-7748
I will take those points into mind when trying about the gearing, with my bike I have now, I quite like pedalling in high gear even though its tougher on the legs but don't have any real problems with this. Not sure what the gearing is on the old CB.

Sarah]]> Sarah9685 The WhyCycle Forum Tue, 06 Sep 2011 21:06:56 +0100 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7747#msg-7747 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7747#msg-7747
It may be cheaper to get mudguards and carrier at point of sale, since the shop might fit them for free at that stage, but might charge for labour if fitted at some later time (depends on shop).

Many bikes nowadays have lots of gears; the online spec for a Trek 7.3 indicates that it has 24 gears.

There should be two gear shifters, one for your left hand numbered 1 to 3 and one for your right hand numbered 1 to 8. Gear shifters may be a twist grip which you twist to change gears or they may have two levers on each shifter - push or pull one lever to change to a higher gear and the other lever to change to a lower gear (remember the gears will only change if you are pedalling the bike). The lowest possible gear will be when both shifters are at 1. The highest possible gear will be when the left shifter is at 3 and the right shifter is at 8. The second highest gear is 1 and 7.

On a flat area, preferably without any cars around (try a local park), start off using a medium gear (possibly 2 and 4) and gradually increase your speed and change to higher gears (2 to 3, then 4 to 5 to 6 ...). If you can't pedal on the flat in the second highest gear then the gears are probably too high for you.

'Chainrings' are the big gear wheels/sprockets by the pedals. The mystic chainring numbers I mentioned earlier are the number of teeth on the three chainrings, with 28-38-48 being the standard sizes which come with the bike. By making these chainrings smaller (fewer teeth) you can make all the gears on the bike lower and easier to pedal.

Hope this helps.

- Murray]]> Murray R Langton The WhyCycle Forum Mon, 05 Sep 2011 22:38:53 +0100 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7746#msg-7746 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7746#msg-7746 Sarah9685 The WhyCycle Forum Mon, 05 Sep 2011 22:12:48 +0100 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7745#msg-7745 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7745#msg-7745
I would suggest tire size 700*35 or 700*38 with a mild tread as being more suitable for forest tracks and general off-road use.

You'll appreciate a light bike when you have to lift it up some stairs or over an obstacle (e.g. locked gate).


A few more points for you to consider:

If you are likely to be riding your bike when roads are wet or over slightly muddy/damp paths then mudguards are a good idea.

If you want to carry any luggage on the bike then consider a rear carrier (a backpack makes the bike less stable and is not a good idea for any significant distances).

Are your legs strong enough to use the top gear on that bike, or is it worth making all the gears a bit lower by fitting 44-34-24 chainrings instead of the standard 48-38-28 (or going even lower with 42-32-22).

- Murray]]> Murray R Langton The WhyCycle Forum Sun, 04 Sep 2011 20:34:22 +0100 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7744#msg-7744 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7744#msg-7744
I went into one of the local bike shops yesterday and road tested a Trek 7.3. Wow, it was light, infact, it felt a little too light, the tyres were pretty smooth, 700x32, I'm not sure if it would be the bike for me for forest tracks. They did say they could do a tyre change f.o.c. to go with a little more tread. I also tested a Mongoose, which certainly had more grip but was the cheaper end of the budget, not so comfortable but it was good to try a different bike on exactly the same hill in succession.

I think it is going to be 'try it and see' try and to switch off from all the jargon (unless you really know what it means, and I don't) and find a comfortable bike.

Thanks for your help, you've given me food for thought. Sarah]]> Sarah9685 The WhyCycle Forum Sun, 04 Sep 2011 08:55:37 +0100 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7743#msg-7743 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7743#msg-7743
Murray has got things about right in my opinion. I see lots of people in my shop who have got as confused as you from looking at web sites! The reality is that all bikes are made in the same way from the same components by the same people in the same factories and at a given price points there is little difference between the offerings despite the claims from the manufacturers.

A mid range hybrid, something in the region of £400, should suit you. Some will be more evenly specified and some will not and as Murray says, your best bet is to go with the offering from a bike shop that you are comfortable with.]]> DocB The WhyCycle Forum Sat, 03 Sep 2011 18:29:18 +0100 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7742#msg-7742 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7742#msg-7742
Sorry I don't know much about any specific suspension systems. Any suspension system is going to add some weight to a bicycle. In order to cover the cost of a suspension system a bike may use lower quality components elsewhere. It's largely a matter of balance - are all the components of about the same level of quality; better quality components tend to be lighter and/or last longer. Some suppliers provide higher quality components on the more visible parts of a bike and lower quality components elsewhere (e.g. wheel bearings and bottom bracket).

As far as tyres go, I can comment on that. Knobbly mountain bike tyres, especially if not inflated very hard, can result in an energy loss of as much as 15%. Narrow racing tyres (around 25 mm) have very little energy loss but are usually inflated so hard that they do nothing to cushion any bumps in the road, and are not really suitable for off-road use. Hybrid tyres (35mm or 38mm) are a compromise which allow mild off-road use but which are reasonably efficient on-road, and which provide some cushioning. Tests have shown that road grip is just as good for smooth tyres as for those with a tread, but a moderate tread may be better for mild off-road use. I have tried tyres which have a smooth central portion and noticeable tread on the edges, but found these personally unsatisfactory since when I lean over on a fast corner the handling suddenly changes dramatically as the tread contacts the road.

Transmission efficiency (chain and sprockets) can be drastically reduced if things get rusty - regular mild lubrication is better than very occasionally flooding the chain etc.

- Murray]]> Murray R Langton The WhyCycle Forum Sat, 03 Sep 2011 14:56:27 +0100 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7741#msg-7741 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7741#msg-7741
When you say 'not very good quality' , does this mean it's going to be heavy or break ?

Sorry, I'm just a bit new to this, always just got on and ridden, it's only recently, that I've been struggling and noticing that the OH's bike free wheels so much better than mine. I've looked at various cycles, basically on their own websites (and I wouldn't go to H's) one for example has a SR Suntour NEX, preload adjustable, 50mm travel, would that not be classed as a good suspension fork ?

I know there are lots of things to consider but are the tyres the main reason for resistance on the road ? My CB has mountain bike tyres, ie. would this be the main reason for the bike being hard work on roads or is it other parts ie hubs ? Sorry, not very techy when it comes to bikes.

Sarah]]> Sarah9685 The WhyCycle Forum Sat, 03 Sep 2011 10:04:18 +0100 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7740#msg-7740 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7740#msg-7740
- Murray]]> Murray R Langton The WhyCycle Forum Sat, 03 Sep 2011 08:26:32 +0100 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7739#msg-7739 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7739#msg-7739 Sarah9685 The WhyCycle Forum Fri, 02 Sep 2011 21:29:40 +0100 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7738#msg-7738 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7738#msg-7738 nicm The WhyCycle Forum Fri, 02 Sep 2011 20:34:51 +0100 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7737#msg-7737 http://www.whycycle.co.uk/whycycle_forum/read.php?1,7737,7737#msg-7737 Chunky tyres front and rear. Anyway, I love cycling but find this bike hard work, the other half has a CB which just seems to glide. Am I expecting a new hyrbid, around the £400 mark to work miracles, am I likely to find cycling that much easier. I want a work out, but feel this bike is heavy and cumbersome. Hope you can help. Basically, is it worth moving on ? Sarah]]> Sarah9685 The WhyCycle Forum Fri, 02 Sep 2011 19:54:20 +0100