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Indestructible all rounder, assume weight isn’t a factor

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Indestructible all rounder, assume weight isn’t a factor

Old 01-13-20, 11:17 AM
  #26  
ndrose
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Originally Posted by pdlamb
The joke may be on you. When you wrote,



This pretty much defines the stock status of most touring bikes, at most bike shops, most of the year.
Yikes. Yes, I have gotten a taste of that problem. There is a shop (a bit of a hike from here, but there is only one really local dealer) that offers a thirty-day decision period. It’s an amazing policy, but I think I would feel bad having them order and assemble a bike, then taking it for a thirty-day test ride only to return it. They claim to encourage it, but I’m not sure I could do it.
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Old 01-13-20, 11:50 AM
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Finding a "stock" durable OEM bicycle that's commonly produced would be very difficult imo. Having a Trek DS has been, so far, a fun solid bicycle. The wheels set it came with were the first weakest link. After upgrading the wheel assemblies the Trek seemed to be more reliable when put through harder rides [less downtime for repairs/parts being replaced] . I also factored in the typical maintenance when meeting a stock durable measure. Some bicycles act funny when there's not enough friction preventative additives applied or if the moving parts are left slightly dirty.
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Old 01-22-20, 03:11 AM
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any huffy bike
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Old 01-22-20, 08:26 AM
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Without know your particular USES for the bike, a recommendation is pretty pointless.

Commuting? Loaded touring? Day rides? Pavement? Gravel? Do you leave it outside all year? Do you ride through the winter? Salt on the roads?
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Old 01-22-20, 10:11 AM
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Originally Posted by shine2000
any huffy bike
Is this a joke? They're heavy, but only because they are cheap. OP was asking about bikes that sacrifice light weight for durability. Not bikes that sacrifice quality for cheapness.

Handlebars, wheels, cranks regularly bend and break. The derailleurs and brakes need constant adjustment to get them to work as well as any rusty old Trek 820 you can find in a dumpster.
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Old 01-22-20, 12:57 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by ndrose
...you walk into a bike shop...
There's the problem -- you're looking in the wrong place.

Try:
https://www.worksmancycles.com/indbikes.html

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Old 01-22-20, 01:01 PM
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Originally Posted by ndrose
Just as you are walking out in disgust, the salesman says, “Do you want to see the closest existing bike?”

”Sure, why not?”

What bike does he pull off the rack?
Surly Troll.
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Old 01-22-20, 01:24 PM
  #33  
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Hybrids aren't sexy, but if I were in your all-leather hiking boots, I'd be looking for a hybrid in the plus-or-minus-$800 range.

For some reason, people tend to be blind to the fact that upmarket hybrids are essentially flat-bar touring bikes and are usually cheaper than the equivalent touring bikes. They often can take larger tires than touring bikes, too.

I've spent many years doing most of my cold-weather riding and all of my wet-weather riding on an aluminum flat-bar hybrid with clip-on aero bars, Aside from wear items, it's been indestructible so far.
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Old 01-22-20, 02:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Trakhak
Hybrids aren't sexy, but if I were in your all-leather hiking boots, I'd be looking for a hybrid in the plus-or-minus-$800 range.

For some reason, people tend to be blind to the fact that upmarket hybrids are essentially flat-bar touring bikes and are usually cheaper than the equivalent touring bikes. They often can take larger tires than touring bikes, too.

I've spent many years doing most of my cold-weather riding and all of my wet-weather riding on an aluminum flat-bar hybrid with clip-on aero bars, Aside from wear items, it's been indestructible so far.
Hybrids are probably the best bikes for what OP is intending. The big manufacturers almost all have high-end hybrids with very good components and are robust and reliable.
Then only drawback is that so many of them come with suspension forks, which really only add complexity and one more moving part to fail, without giving any real benefit. In the early 2000s or so, manufacturers started calling some of their hybrids 'flat bar road bikes' or 'fitness bikes', I think as a way to distance them from our opinion of so called 'hybrids' as clunky and dorky bikes with crap suspension.

My experience is that, when comparing less expensive components (derailleurs and shifter esp.) to more expensive one, the main difference is the reliability and expected time between adjustments - the more expensive stuff lasts much longer than the cheaper stuff, even if they work the same when new. So a good quality 'hybrid' with no suspension fits exactly what OP is asking.

Check out these babies:

https://www.trekbikes.com/ca/en_CA/b...olorCode=black

https://www.specialized.com/ca/en/me...=225855-154505

https://www.konaworld.com/dr_dew.cfm
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Old 01-22-20, 03:27 PM
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Originally Posted by Kapusta
Without know your particular USES for the bike, a recommendation is pretty pointless.

Commuting? Loaded touring? Day rides? Pavement? Gravel? Do you leave it outside all year? Do you ride through the winter? Salt on the roads?
I don’t leave it outside. And the roads here are not often salted. But yes to all the rest. I suppose many on this forum might consider the idea of an all rounder anathema. But when you’re taking kids on vacation, multiple bikes for each person is not in the realm of possibility. I don’t expect it to do everything perfectly, just to be fun to ride almost anywhere and not miserable in the wrong conditions.
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Old 01-22-20, 03:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Trakhak
Hybrids aren't sexy, but if I were in your all-leather hiking boots, I'd be looking for a hybrid in the plus-or-minus-$800 range.
That’s the idea I started with (I’m replacing a 90s hybrid I’ve been happy with), and I’m still considering some hybrids, but for various reasons (maybe including mission creep) have started looking a bit more upmarket also.
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Old 01-22-20, 03:36 PM
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Originally Posted by Wilfred Laurier
Hybrids are probably the best bikes for what OP is intending. The big manufacturers almost all have high-end hybrids with very good components and are robust and reliable.
Then only drawback is that so many of them come with suspension forks, which really only add complexity and one more moving part to fail, without giving any real benefit. In the early 2000s or so, manufacturers started calling some of their hybrids 'flat bar road bikes' or 'fitness bikes', I think as a way to distance them from our opinion of so called 'hybrids' as clunky and dorky bikes with crap.
Completely agree about suspension. My impression is also the same as yours re: fitness bikes, except it seems to me that in making that shift the manufacturers also consciously aimed more at the casual/commuter market, and a lot of the bikes seem a little under built for touring (e.g. light on the spoke count, especially for someone like me who is not so svelte as he once was).
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Old 01-22-20, 03:43 PM
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Originally Posted by ndrose
Completely agree about suspension. My impression is also the same as yours re: fitness bikes, except it seems to me that in making that shift the manufacturers also consciously aimed more at the casual/commuter market, and a lot of the bikes seem a little under built for touring (e.g. light on the spoke count, especially for someone like me who is not so svelte as he once was).
I am passively lusting after a Trek 920 adventure bike, but many online commentators have concerns about the low-spoke-count wheels (28h rear I think). My solution (in my bike-buying dreams) is not to declare the Trek 920 inadequate, but to have a more robust wheel or wheelset built and installed upon purchase. Either take what trade-in value the LBS can give for the stock wheels, or pay retail for the wheel upgrade and sell the stock wheels. Wheels are, in my opinion, a wear item that can be changed whenever for whatever reason the bike's owner wants.
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Old 01-22-20, 04:24 PM
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Changing wheels is certainly a possibility. The first decision I need to make, I guess, is whether to stick with flat bars or switch to drops. I kind of like the idea of going back to drop bars, like I had as a teenager. (That was back in the days when as soon as you outgrew ape hangers you automatically graduated to a “ten speed”.)

These days the question of what will be comfortable for long rides looms large. When I took up cycling again I had some hand pain with the flat bars, mostly solved with ergonomic grips. The larger number of hand positions with drop bars is appealing; but how my neck and back will do after six hours in a more forward position is an open question. Not answered, of course, by tooling around a bike shop parking lot for ten minutes. I’ll have to arrange some longer test rides.
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Old 01-23-20, 01:27 AM
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y0wnadsgMs

Here is a tank, AZOR dutch style. I don't like their rim brakes. My custom bike has disc Rohloff and SA XL-FDD dyno drum brake front.
Service is every 4,000 miles and adjustments non-existent. Maybe the HB height.
That video wouldn't embed here for some reason.
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Old 01-23-20, 06:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Troul
Finding a "stock" durable OEM bicycle that's commonly produced would be very difficult imo. Having a Trek DS has been, so far, a fun solid bicycle. The wheels set it came with were the first weakest link. After upgrading the wheel assemblies the Trek seemed to be more reliable when put through harder rides [less downtime for repairs/parts being replaced] . I also factored in the typical maintenance when meeting a stock durable measure. Some bicycles act funny when there's not enough friction preventative additives applied or if the moving parts are left slightly dirty.
For the OP, I'd probably start by flipping thru REI's Touring bike web listing
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Old 01-23-20, 07:52 AM
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Affordable
Bombproof
Versatile
Weight not a factor

Look at Surly Bikes. Troll, Bridge Club or Long Haul / Disc Trucker come to immediately to mind.
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Old 01-23-20, 07:55 AM
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Originally Posted by GamblerGORD53
Here is a tank, AZOR dutch style. I don't like their rim brakes. My custom bike has disc Rohloff and SA XL-FDD dyno drum brake front.
Service is every 4,000 miles and adjustments non-existent. Maybe the HB height.
That video wouldn't embed here for some reason.
That bike is something else. Don’t think I’ve seen hydraulic rim brakes before. There are a few interesting European bikes that I have just written off because there’s nowhere to test ride them. But I see these guys have a shop in Ontario not far from my Dad’s house in Buffalo, so I may just take a peek next time I’m up there.
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Old 01-23-20, 08:05 AM
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Originally Posted by Sy Reene
For the OP, I'd probably start by flipping thru REI's Touring bike web listing
I’m a fan of REI. Bought a lot of camping/backpacking stuff from them over the years and generally been happy. Not sure what to think of a company that does a lot of other things also manufacturing bikes. I’m curious to hear opinions.

On paper, they look like great specs for the price. I’m especially interested in the ADV 1.1.

In addition to the manufacturing, I wonder about assembly. Do they have bike mechanics doing it, or will it be put together by someone who rotated out of paddle sports last week? Anyone have experiences good or bad?
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Old 01-23-20, 08:10 AM
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Originally Posted by Kapusta
Affordable
Bombproof
Versatile
Weight not a factor

Look at Surly Bikes. Troll, Bridge Club or Long Haul / Disc Trucker come to immediately to mind.
Surly is definitely on my list. Haven’t had a chance to get up close and personal yet, but there are a couple of places about an hour away that supposedly stock them.

Actually, I did see one at my LBS, which normally stocks Trek and Cannondale. I assume it was a special order for a customer, though it was out on the floor. Maybe the customer had rejected it for some reason. It was by itself in the far corner as if it had been bad and was having a time out.
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Old 01-23-20, 08:13 AM
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Drop Shipped Under $1300 Complete


Four year old photo of my current commuter. It has held up admirably. Even with upgraded Kinesis wheels, a smaller large chainring (46-34, now), and Schwalbe Marathon Plus 37s, it offers a comfortable, happy compromise that can do anything. For loaded touring, I'd likely remove the bottle cages and run a frame bag along with panniers. I've added a front light mount, changed to a leather laced-skirt saddle and SPD dual sided pedals.
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Old 01-23-20, 08:49 AM
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Originally Posted by ndrose
Surly is definitely on my list. Haven’t had a chance to get up close and personal yet, but there are a couple of places about an hour away that supposedly stock them.

Actually, I did see one at my LBS, which normally stocks Trek and Cannondale. I assume it was a special order for a customer, though it was out on the floor. Maybe the customer had rejected it for some reason. It was by itself in the far corner as if it had been bad and was having a time out.
Surly (like Salsa and All City) is a QBP brand. Nearly all bike shops have QBP accounts, and can get Surlys as easily as they can order any other bike part.

However, most bike shops are also tied to specific big bike brands (e.g., Specialized, Trek, Giant, C-Dale) who exert some pressure to sell their bikes over other brands.

Surlys are just not sexy enough for most shops to want to keep them stocked. I had to order both my Karate Monkey (back in 2007) and my Wednesday (last year). I’ve seen a lot more Salsas on showroom floors, as they are a bit more expensive and sexy.
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Old 01-23-20, 09:03 AM
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Does anything beat a Belt drive to Internal Geared Hub when it comes to reliability in sand, snow, and salt (though perhaps not mud)? And with much longer maintenance intervals (some claim every 15 - 20k miles for a belt, with almost zero maintenance), but much less affordable due to expensive IGH and split-seat-stay frame required for belt replacement, and also difficult to service in the wild due to the lack of the rare parts and the lack of rare knowledge of those rare parts. This setup will likely be on my next all-weather commuter, along with a front wheel dynamo for maintenance-free, and worry-free front and rear lighting.
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Old 01-23-20, 11:52 AM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by Wilfred Laurier
I am passively lusting after a Trek 920 adventure bike, but many online commentators have concerns about the low-spoke-count wheels (28h rear I think). My solution (in my bike-buying dreams) is not to declare the Trek 920 inadequate, but to have a more robust wheel or wheelset built and installed upon purchase. Either take what trade-in value the LBS can give for the stock wheels, or pay retail for the wheel upgrade and sell the stock wheels. Wheels are, in my opinion, a wear item that can be changed whenever for whatever reason the bike's owner wants.
While I agree that wheels can be changed, the issue is that they shouldn’t need to be changed for the intended purpose. That’s the problem with the 920. It should come with wheels that are built for the purpose. It wouldn’t have cost anymore to specify 36 spoke wheels. The choice of 28 spoke wheels is a marketing ploy because 36 spoke wheels aren’t “sexy” enough. But if someone finds that having more spokes isn’t “sexy” they probably don’t understand how those spokes function to make for a strong wheel.

It’s a shame, too. The 920 looks like a good bike with some other flaws.
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Old 01-23-20, 11:59 AM
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Originally Posted by ndrose
That bike is something else. Don’t think I’ve seen hydraulic rim brakes before. There are a few interesting European bikes that I have just written off because there’s nowhere to test ride them. But I see these guys have a shop in Ontario not far from my Dad’s house in Buffalo, so I may just take a peek next time I’m up there.
Hydraulic rim brakes predate hydraulic hub mounted discs. Magura introduced them in 1987. They are rare but they have existed for a long time.
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