Spending, say, a grand, on a bike to ride, in order to have less bikes.

[brocklanders023]

Be interested to hear how you get on with the Whippet. Presume at that price it's sram sx and rigid forks?

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBOOWHSX/on-one-whippet-sram-sx-mountain-bike

Yep, that's the one. They were selling stock they had in for another 20% off a few weeks back. I've never had a modern, light XC bike but nearly went that way when I got the gravel so it's an itch I wanted to scratch. At that price it was an easy sell.

Not actually had chance to go very far on it (or any other bike!) since it arrived but I'll post up my thoughts when I do. Initial impressions are the front is very, very light and twitchy, coming from my Fox 36 equipped Stage 5, the bb is higher than I'm used to and the gearing is sub optimal for mile munching.

 

[retroJIM]

This is the bike I ride the most, it's a fully rigid Steel 29er. I bought the frameset during lockdown a - Brother Cycles Big Bro. Nothing too flashy, 10 Speed Deore Groupset, Brand-X dropper post and whatever else I could cobble together from the parts that were available. It's been completely reliable and I love it. Total spend was probably around a grand. Sadly I ride my retro bikes much less as a result but I still enjoy building them and use them for shorter rides.

 

[clubby]

@retroJIM oooh, that’s lovely.

Been having a closer look at those On Ones, That Bootzipper looks pretty damn close to what you’ve asked for. Only real issue I can see is that you’re limited to a 36 front ring. Not going to be mega light but at that price there’s room for upgrades. Get it with the Geoff bar. Copies of Jones bars which give a number of hand positions but still feel good off road. Swap out tyres for a light 50c gravel tyre and it’d be pretty near perfect. Rear rack and front fork mounts or you get the fully loaded version with the bike packing bags for a grand.

 

[retroJIM]

@retroJIM oooh, that’s lovely.

Been having a closer look at those On Ones, That Bootzipper looks pretty damn close to what you’ve asked for. Only real issue I can see is that you’re limited to a 36 front ring. Not going to be mega light but at that price there’s room for upgrades. Get it with the Geoff bar. Copies of Jones bars which give a number of hand positions but still feel good off road. Swap out tyres for a light 50c gravel tyre and it’d be pretty near perfect. Rear rack and front fork mounts or you get the fully loaded version with the bike packing bags for a grand.

I considered the Bootzipper myself. The only thing that put me off was at the time it was only available in the raw finish which I didn't like. The other thing to bare in mind is the geometry is not suspension corrected. If you plan on suspension forks it could be an issue. They're great value though.

 

[The History Man]

Coastroad had has a 3x10 that covers everything from fully loaded touring to trails to fast road (55mph) conti tour ride puncture protect tyres are very road biased so i have small block 8s and Maxxis Ardent for other stuff. I also have another rigid 29er with silly chunky tyres on. (see Brian's bike below). I found that if you do the sort of riding I do on them suspension isn't really required as long as you have a loose, soft-handed style. No idea as to frame weights as for me, and I would suggest most, it's irrelevant. It's more about usability. Components are more important. And if it has that certain something. I'll forgive a few extra pounds if I love the bike. Which i do.

 

[Captain Stupido]

I considered the Bootzipper myself. The only thing that put me off was at the time it was only available in the raw finish which I didn't like. The other thing to bare in mind is the geometry is not suspension corrected. If you plan on suspension forks it could be an issue. They're great value though.

@retroJIM oooh, that’s lovely.

Been having a closer look at those On Ones, That Bootzipper looks pretty damn close to what you’ve asked for. Only real issue I can see is that you’re limited to a 36 front ring. Not going to be mega light but at that price there’s room for upgrades. Get it with the Geoff bar. Copies of Jones bars which give a number of hand positions but still feel good off road. Swap out tyres for a light 50c gravel tyre and it’d be pretty near perfect. Rear rack and front fork mounts or you get the fully loaded version with the bike packing bags for a grand.

No idea as to frame weights as for me, and I would suggest most, it's irrelevant. It's more about usability. Components are more important. And if it has that certain something. I'll forgive a few extra pounds if I love the bike. Which i do.

This is all making the Bootzipper look all the more attractive... I like the fact that it's non suspension corrected, it looks more "right" than most modern rigid bikes where the fork crown towers above the wheel.

Currently they're only in stock in green, I'm not sure about it in the pics but I bet it looks good in the flesh.

When it comes to gearing I need to work out what a 36 front ring and big wheels and tyres adds up to... Not going to be half as spinny as 26" wheels with a 36... I tend to be more of a spinner than a masher so I'm not too worried, main thing is getting up hills...

 

[CassidyAce]

Apologies for the rambling post. Happens every now and then, basically I need the good people of RB land to talk me out of buying a new bike.

I'm probably always going to have one or two projects on the go, but overall I could do with having fewer bikes, and riding more. The ultimate quest for me is increasingly becoming finding the least compromised "do it all" bike that I can, and I'm wondering about how throwing a bit more money at the problem might help solve it. Most of my builds seem to cost about £300 when all's said and done. What about a grand on something old or new?

Comfort is more important than speed, but I want something efficient enough that I can cover distance. It needs to be rugged (and capable) enough for both carrying luggage and riding on trails.

Recently I attempted to crack this by building up an Orange C16R, with rigid forks, in drop bar flavour. It was quite a fun bike, but ultimately a bit sluggish on the road, and twitchy on the trails - I got bored of it.

Having had lots of road bikes with flat bars, and lots of MTBs with drops, I'm coming round to the conclusion that while I like drops for covering distance on roads, flat bars work so much better for me over anything remotely technical that they're probably the best option for a do it all bike.

Also, I've never owned a 29er, but it seems to me that bigger wheels do roll better on tarmac. This seems to be the main compromise when it comes to using a retro MTB for "everything". It seems weird to me that modern thinking is that these big wheels are better off road too... but it makes me wonder whether a modern rigid MTB or a gravel bike (with straight bars) would do the job better.

Based on the theory that bigger wheels are better I've got a Dawes Synthesis 700c hybrid build in the queue as well as a 27" Claud Butler Majestic which are both different answers to the question, but realistically unlikely to be the "ultimate" answer, if only because I'd really like something with disc brakes. It's bloody hilly here and brakes are important!

The best compromise in my stable today is a Giant Cadex. It's pretty fast over any surface, handles brilliantly, is lightweight and reasonably comfortable and will go pretty much anywhere. It's my first carbon bike and while I prefer the ride quality and feel of a steel frame I appreciate the virtues of carbon fibre. Being critical it's perhaps a bit too racy in feel, not exactly a comfy cruiser, and a bit of a boneshaker on the trails. I'm not sure I'd want to use it for loaded touring off road, either.

View attachment 581125

Here and now, my (hard tail) Clockwork is pretty much all the fun I need at the local trail centre, and I have a slightly dull Trek road bike which is as good a bike as i'm likely to need for the limited amount of pure summer road riding I do. It's the compromise bike that's just a bit too...compromised.

So what about a more modern (or just more expensive) do it all bike. I mean, it's hard to believe that something like the bike below wouldn't be "better" overall than the Giant... disc brakes, big wheels (and tyres), a titanium frame and carbon forks... sounds good, right? If I cleared some of the chaff out of the cellar I'd have a grand in no time... if I could stop myself spending it on more projects!

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBOORRSX/on-one-rocky-road-sram-sx-titanium-adventure-bike
Or what about something a bit more retro? What would you buy? What have you bought already?

Hang on a minute. This thread began with "basically I need the good people of RB land to talk me out of buying a new bike" and it's ending up as the opposite: suggestions of new bikes to buy! Such is the bike-acquisition impulse on Retrobike!

Now, I might be playing devil's advocate here but this is why you should not buy a new, £1,000 bike.

1) Modern bikes have less character than good old cro-mo 90s bikes. They might be efficient at what they do, but being soulless carbon/alloy lumps of cynicism, they are dull. You might get fit and healthy but part of you will be dying inside. Remember that: you will be dying inside!

2) 1x gearing. Convincing the buying public that 1 x 10/11/12 is better than 3 x 7/8/9 is a triumph of marketing spin. A do-it-all bike aka a gravel bike aka an adventure bike aka a hybrid is best off with a wider range of gears and a bigger choice between the highest and lowest gears. After all, you want higher gears for the road miles and some lower gears for the steeper, rougher off road miles. But the marketing will have you believe that you will be happy with 36/11 as your top gear on a nice stretch of flat road. Well, not when you see the roadies shooting past, and even the occasional 26" MTB with 42/11 cruising past.

3) More expense: you will want a more expensive lock because you bike will be more attractive to thieves; cassettes will be more expensive; chains will be more expensive and they will not last as long. Your children/spouse/partner/even pets will look at you with reproach, knowing that you are spending more on your one-bike-to-rule-them-all and less on them and they will resent you for that.

4) Jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none: you will be dissatisfied with the performance in one respect or another and begin 'tweaking' and each time you do, you will still be dissatisfied. It will be an unquenchable addiction that can only be solved by buying other bikes and then you will be back at square one. Again, your loved ones will look askance.

5) Your new bike will be old one day so you might as well get an old bike now and just get used to living with the old. Otherwise, you're back with an expensive addiction again, buying new bike after new bike . . . and your loved ones will disapprove. So will the planet.

6) A flat bar gravel bike is just a slight variation on a 90s mountain bike anyway.

So, if you want to be slow, lonely, have the whole planet hate you and feel like you're dying inside, buy a new do-it-all bike. Alternatively, just sell off some of the unwanted stuff you've got and clear some space that way.

I hope this is the talking you out of buying a new bike that you wanted.

 

[Captain Stupido]

Rough min/max gearing on the On One and the Giant. I might have got the crank length and tyre sizes slightly wrong.



There's not a whole lot in it IMO. Lowest gear is the same, top on the 1x is the equivalent of 2nd from top on the 3x7 bike (46 front, 14 rear). Yes you lose a bit of potential top speed but not much and I'd expect the simple shifting and neatly spread ratios would more than make up for the lack of absolute top speed. I have a fairly narrow spread 1x8 setup on my Clockwork and I love the simplicity of it. Gears that frustrate me are ones that are awkward to shift or weirdly spaced, I can live without macho high gears if I know I can climb all day long.

 

[CassidyAce]

Rough min/max gearing on the On One and the Giant. I might have got the crank length and tyre sizes slightly wrong.

View attachment 581315

There's not a whole lot in it IMO. Lowest gear is the same, top on the 1x is the equivalent of 2nd from top on the 3x7 bike (46 front, 14 rear). Yes you lose a bit of potential top speed but not much and I'd expect the simple shifting and neatly spread ratios would more than make up for the lack of absolute top speed. I have a fairly narrow spread 1x8 setup on my Clockwork and I love the simplicity of it. Gears that frustrate me are ones that are awkward to shift or weirdly spaced, I can live without macho high gears if I know I can climb all day long.

View attachment 581316

Agreed, although that doesn't factor in the additional rotational weight of a 29er 2.3" tyre. But more to the point, it sounds very much like the sort of argument that would be put forward by someone who no longer wants to be talked out of buying a new bike. Perhaps someone who is starting to like the idea of a new bike . . .

 

[clubby]

When it comes to gearing I need to work out what a 36 front ring and big wheels and tyres adds up to... Not going to be half as spinny as 26" wheels with a 36... I tend to be more of a spinner than a masher so I'm not too worried, main thing is getting up hills...

Don’t be taken in by the calculation numbers, all you’ve looked at is top gear. As soon as you start going up a cog, a smaller front ring makes a difference. Calculate mid block ratios and you’ll see what I mean.

To the 1x skeptics I think you are partly right. Have been sold as they are easier for bike companies but for road use they are definitely not the best. Technical off road though it is so much better not having to juggle front and rear shifts. Full suss it is also a no brainier as it stop design comprises from having to have a front mech at a certain physical point. Can also design a pivot placement within 2-4 teeth of the perfect place and not 10 either way.
No chain drops or jams either. Used to break chains all the time, never have on a 1x system.
It’s not a perfect solution for everyone but don’t just dismiss it as marketing.