Hi guys.
I'm looking to buy a hybrid commuter bike, ideally with front suspension as I'll be taking it off-road.
I liked the Look of the Trek DS 1
But not sure what to look for in a bike, apart from what I know feels comfortable for me.
Anyone have recommendations?
Hey mate,
Thanks for your input!
I'm not going on dirt-tracks, but occasionally I'll hop on/off curbs, go over shitty roads, across grass etc. In my experience I would pop through tyres in changing terrain - I'm a bout 90kg also (thick, solid, tight).
Hybrid is the way, other alternative is a cyclrocross if you want drop bars. But your on the right track.
Cyclocross bikes can be quite aggressive in geometry, very race oriented. For a more relaxed ride a gravel grinder would be a better fit, more relaxed and designed for endurance rather than race.
Define your off road usage a little better please. Fire trails, gravel paths, single track MTB?
The suspension on a bike like the link isn’t very good and it just adds weight to the bike. You’d get a better effect by getting some bugger sized tyres and running lower pressure. If you ar only planning on riding gravel paths/fire trails as off road you don’t really need suspension, especially not cheap suspension.
If you want to hit the MTB trails then you would be better off compromising on the road aspect and buy a hardtail 29er mountain bike with some less aggressive tyres swapped in. It won’t be much slower on the road, but much better off it.
There are plenty of bikes in a relatively new category called ‘gravel grinders’ they are designed to be fairly fast on road and tough enough to take to gravel roads and some off road. They often don’t have suspension and have bigger tyres (like 40mm wide), but by all accounts are quite good. A hybrid bike is more road biased.
Jumping on and off pavements (historically this would pinch road bike tyres), grass, and, rarely, gravel (parents have a farm).
I was eyeing out a second hand Giant ATX or Trek DS 1
What you are describing is not really off road, but certainly needs a bit more than 23mm race bike tyres. If you get something with 28-35mm tyres you should be fine. They should ride nice and fast, but provide enough comfort and pinch flat protection to cope with the odd curb hop or grass journey. I ride my flat bar roadie on 23mm tyres and occasionally do what you describe without too much drama it just takes a little extra care when the surface is a bit rough.
For reference check out ‘road bike party’ on youtube to see what a road bike can do with skinny tyres.
Much appreciated for everyone's input.
Would anyone recommend where I can get a good deal on a hybrid second hand?
Just an update. I decided to go with a trek Dual sport 3. Picked it up brand new roughly $700. Couldn't find it second hand.
Assuming you want to ensure you get a suitable bike with limited experience, your local bike shop is the best place to visit. They will give you the customer service and knowledge so you get a suitable outcome.
The drawback is this knowledge and service is funded by a profit margin on the bike, so you will pay more than if you knew exactly what you want.
My view on items like this is you are best to pay for expert help to get started, then as you become more knowledgeable become your own expert. With something like bikes (and many other things), for me that means knowing what I want and buying second hand.
For what it is worth, and I am far from an expert, but I think buying a hybrid with the idea of using it for commuting and off road is a fools errand. The hybrid bikes are able to handle a surface with a bit more variability than a velodrome or smooth tarmac that a racer needs, but this means a bit of loose gravel or some mud puddles, not a bush track.
You will need the suspension and wider tires to ride off road, but will pay for them in extra weight and drag during on road commuting.
If I wanted to do both, I would buy two bikes (I say this as an owner of a flat bar hybrid {Giant CRX} that handles imperfect country pavement, but is not suitable for off road).