Hey everyone. I’ve been riding my bike for my daily commute for almost two decades now, but never given much more thought to what I ride until I got into watching the pro cycling a year ago. Suddenly my old mountain bike doesn’t seem like enough. I’m looking to buy a road bike, or gravel bike, but I have no idea what to buy. I know most of my questions will be best answered by “Go talk to someone at your local bike shop”, and that is indeed what I’ll do. But I don’t even know what I don’t know, y’know?
My commute is completely flat, 10km each way. Mostly bike path, some road. I don’t ever ride my bike except for my commute, but I’m curious about getting into more serious cycling if I had the bike. Commuting is the main concern though. For some reason I really want the dropdown handlebars, but I’m not sure if that’s foolish for my purposes. What width of tires should I aim for? I want something that’ll zip along faster than my mountain bike, but I’m not looking for racing speed. I store my bike indoors overnight, but the 9 hours I’m at work it’ll be locked at a rack outside. My budget would be around $2000, but I could probably go up to $3000 if given good reason.
If there’s anything I need to know, or to ask about I’d really appreciate it. I’m hoping to skip the step where I walk in there knowing nothing, only to have to go back again with a more focused approach. Thanks.
One place to start is that bikes come in sizes, and your local shop should be able to help you find the right size for you. Test ride more than one size if you can so you feel the difference and trade offs.
For drivetrain, mechanical Shimano equipment is very good and at that price point should be available. Don’t worry about electronic stuff.
A new bike will also come with a saddle but not necessarily pedals. Drop bar bikes put you in a different position which may take time for your rear end to adapt to, and may require a different saddle if you can’t get comfortable.
Drop bars work fine for commuting. So do flat bars, really just a personal preference thing. Drops will be slightly faster.
I think a gravel bike is probably the answer for you. It’ll be faster than your mountain bike but still versatile and comfortable. And if you want to try some rides beyond your commute, it’ll handle pretty much any little side road or even trail you spot.
I’d look to run tires in the 45mm width range. Pretty slick, most likely, as you don’t need knobs on pavement. How thick you go in terms of actual rubber (basically: do you want a commuter tire or a gravel tire) depends how likely you are to puncture - are the roads on your commute covered in glass and stuff? If so, a thick commuter tire like a Scwhalbe Marathon might be the move. But if it’s clear, a lighter, faster gravel tire will be fine. Particularly if you set those tires up tubeless - though that’s a whole other can of worms.
Your 2k budget gives you tons of options. I’d look for an aluminum frame, because it’ll be locked up outside. Beyond that, whatever you can test ride and get locally.
Just be careful to get more than one opinion here - some shops can be really good, open & honest, whilst others will take the opportunity to move stock and just try to sell you something.
Look for gravel or endurance frames with big tire clearance and fender mounts (and ideally, but not required if you won’t haul stuff in panniers, rack mounts), especially if you’ll ride when it rains. I used to have a 31 mile hilly round-trip commute and used both more puncture-resistant tires and faster race tires, and vastly preferred the latter not only for the speed but also feel of not riding on frozen garden hoses. Noawadays there are fast and supple tire options in the 35-40mm range, so getting clearance for at least that with wiggle room for fenders will leave you with good flexibility for future adventures. My first road bike could only fit 25mm tires under fenders, so it didn’t last very long before I went N+1.
As a new drop bar rider, I would suggest avoiding bikes that require proprietary components at the touchpoints to have more options on adjusting fit over time as your body adapts and gets used to riding in a new position. That also means avoiding anything with integrated cable routing through handlebar or stem. Non-round seatposts can also be annoying, as they limit your options if you need different height or setback.
You could pay for a bike fit before getting a road bike, which would give you an indication of the right frame size and geometry to get, however there’s a good chance your body will adapt and change physically with more time on the bike, so I think it’d be better to hold off on a fit until later and just choose a bike that lets you make those changes easily.
If you’re only going to do flat riding, then gearing range isn’t very important, but number of speeds (11, 12, 13) and 1x vs. 2x depends on whether you prefer simplicity or tighter gaps between gear ratios (i.e., would you shift a lot to have a preferred cadence go for more gears, while if you don’t mind cruising along at whatever gear as long as it’s not outrageously easy or hard, you could save a lot of trouble with 1x and fewer speeds). 11 speed is old by now, but parts are much cheaper at the expense of slightly less availability as time goes by. 10 speed stuff exists, but at your price range, I don’t see the point when there are very few new offerings and little to no upgrade path. With 11+ speeds, groupset manufacturers have multiple tiers so you could upgrade to more premium parts or cheaper piecemeal on a whim or as parts wear out).
What’s the weather like? Because if it often stands in the rain, I would be more inclined to look into a belt-driven drivetrain. Much less of a hassle and way easier on maintenance (lesser need to replace a rusty chain).
Though, than a belt-drive commuter would be more logical. Something like a Canyon Commuter 7.
My first questions would be: Where do you you see yourself riding? What kind of riding do you want to do? What kind of riding is easily accessible where you are? Will this replace the current bike as a commuter? If you don’t know, that’s ok, but points towards versatility as a key feature.
If you’ve never ridden drop bars, try to borrow or rent a drop-bar bike that fits you before buying. I prefer flat bars for riding in heavy traffic but either works for a more relaxed commute.
There’s a lot of overlap between the endurance road/all-road/gravel categories, so don’t worry too much about the labels. If you have any interest in going off-pavement, look for something that can accept at least a 40mm tire.
For commuting you probably want fender mounts and possibly rack mounts. Not all new bikes have them. You do NOT want through-headset cable routing on a bike that’ll live outside – it’ll be a maintenance headache down the road.
1X or 2x drivetrains are a personal preference unless you’re riding terrain rough enough to bounce the chain off the chainrings. .
I’d also think about what you might do to update your old bike. Faster tires? Drivetrain refresh and bearing service? Adjust the position with a bar/stem/seatpost swap? Grips/saddle? If it has a heavy suspension fork, go rigid? Parts should be very inexpensive, and you might be pleasantly surprised at how it feels with some TLC.
To toss in my 2 cents (from making this mistake…). Try out the bike at the local shop, do it with a backpack (or whatever bag you commute with) on. It makes a world of difference when you’re on a drop-bar with/without that backpack on.
I’d go for something like this. Race-y commuter. Don’t worry about the brand, it’s more the type of bike I’m trying to show. “Gravel geometry” so it’s not too much of a jump from MTB to power commuter. Let the bike shop help you to get the right size and a decent initial fit.
This specific brand/model costs around 1000 EUR and comes with Shimano CUES gearing, which is very decent and plenty enough for commutes - while still good enough to discover other types of riding.
Don’t let the bike shop make you spend more because of fancier gearing (“groupset”) - especially if it’ll be standing outside 9 hours per day. The one thing you could/should spend more on, is hydraulic braking (the 1000 EUR bike comes with cable-actuated disc brakes, which is… meh).
Hi Chris, you should also ask at your local shop about local group rides for beginners. on the weekend. It is super fun to go out with a bunch of fellas, but there are all sorts of things you’ll want to know about riding with a group. If you just jump in a random group ride, it could possibly (by which I mean: definitely will be) be quite discouraging. Find a warm and friendly group ride for people expressly for riders without tons of experience and that will set you on your way, whatever bike you have. Once you get bitten by the bug, there is no going back, it is so much fun.
Good advice from all above. Nothing wrong with curly bars - if anything it gives you more position options for comfort.
Further questions that might help get you the best answer:
How old are you? (as a gauge of fitness, flexibility, which way your fitness or flexibility might progress in the future) edit - I do see you said commuting for 2 decades, so no spring chicken I’m guessing
Weight/any medical issues?
Where do you live? (what brands are available/supported in your region, what’s the weather like, will you commute in all seasons, road surface conditions, etc)
What’s your mechanical aptitude? (OK with roadside or at home repairs? Or don’t know one end of a screwdriver from the other?)
Lots of good suggestions here but I can’t help but notice one key item - that this bike will be locked outside 9 hours a day! Any remotely nice bike is likely to be stolen unless your lockup space is also somewhat secure. If yes to a secure space ( and your current MTB presumably hasn’t been stolen so far) then your best bet is probably an aluminum gravel bike with fender and rack mounts. My $.02 would be a 1x drivetrain (single front chainring) as simpler is better and your route is mostly flat. If your outside lockup is not secure or see a lot of traffic invest in a good lock and bike insurance!
When I made the switch from old mountain bike to road bike I was shocked at how much more distance I could cover. Suddenly 60 km was not only attainable, it was a regular fun ride once my fitness increased. I really enjoy the social aspects and recommend finding a beginner friendly group ride.
I think there is a lot of good advice here. If I were in your shoes I would investigate if there are more secure and weatherproof storage solutions at your work. Does your employer offer indoor bike storage or is there the possibility of renting a bike locker? Not sure how things are in your area but those things are on offer around my parts.
As others have indicated, I would suggest something in the all road or lighter end of gravel bike territory. Something that can accommodate fenders and a 40ish mm tire would be desirable.
Drop bars are a game changer for any kind of distance riding because of the variety of positions available.
If buying something to commute on then I’d make pannier rack a must have requirement. I was a “backpacks are fine” guy for years but it really is so much nicer to have your gear in a pannier
Thanks for the help everyone. Very helpful. I really like the look of the bike Laurens posted. I’ll bump this thread whenever I eventually make a decision.
I live in Winnipeg Canada, it rains sometimes, but its not a very wet area. What we have is punishing winter, but I already have an ebike for that season. I park my ebike inside all winter for the batteries health. If being stored outside would be really bad for my fancy new bike then I could keep it inside too.
I take my bikes to get serviced once a year, before their season. Beyond lubing the chain and pumping the tires I dont know much about maintenance. Theres a class put on by a bike mechanic group that Ive been looking at too that teaches the basics.
The beginners group ride is a good idea. Its just been me on my bike going to work. Theres been this whole cycling culture going on around me all this time that Im ready to join.
Besides commuting, you say you’d like to get into recreational cycling. What type of riding interests you? Leisurely tours? Long endurance sufferfest all day rides? Short hard hilly workouts?
One thought on where you buy your bike. I don’t know about Winnipeg, but many/most large metropolitan areas have a good supply of legitimate (as in not stolen) used bikes for sale. A one to two year old, good quality gravel bike can likely be found from someone who is trading up or deciding that riding is not for them. The price will likely be 1/2 of new, and you can still support your local bike shop by spending on things that will greatly increase your enjoyment. A good bike fit, new saddle, bar tape you love, shorts, racks, etc. I think spending on your personal gear and bike “touch points” will give you a much more enjoyable experience than a one or two year newer bike. The bikes haven’t changed that quickly and moving up from your current bike, everything will feel like a Ferrari. Lastly, there are a lot of good fit calculators on line which will give you a good size to purchase, then you can do a bike fit after a month or two on the bike.
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