Glarner

I am hoping some of you can suggest some bicycle brands and models to look at for a second bicycle. I am an avid recreational cyclist (after being a long term cycling commuter), recently retired. I am riding over 1,000 miles per month with plenty of elevation – and loving it.



I would like to get a second bicycle similar to my current bicycle so I can ride when one is in the shop. Right now I am riding a 2008 Gary Fisher Mendota flat bar hybrid. The flat bar (more upright position) is important for me as I have a back that does not do well hunched over. Over the years I changed the gearing to a more mountain bike gearing so I can ride up steeper, longer hills (which I enjoy doing) and spin so my grumpy old knees don’t complain too much. I have 22 – 31 – 44 teeth on my front chain rings with an 11-34 cassette. That gives me a really low gear (ratio) of 22/34 = 0.65. This works perfectly for me. I can handle hills up to 15-20% grades on both paved roads and gravel. At the same time the bike is pretty light and rolls well on pavement, allowing me to comfortably ride 100 miles or more in a day. I also use a rack and panniers for longer day and multi-day trips.



I have been looking at many new bikes and have been frustrated at not being able to find a lighter hybrid / gravel / fitness bike with flat bars that has low gearing. When I talk to folks at local bike shops they suggest ebikes. I do not want an ebike – I just want a nice regular bike with some low gearing. I’m also not a fan of single chain rings in front – I’d like at least two (perhaps I’m just too old fashioned in that way?).



There are some bikes I’ve seen that come somewhat close but they’re all pretty heavy (Fuji Absolute 1, Cannondale Quick CX4, Raleigh Strada Hybrid, Marin Fairfax 1). They have 48 – 38 – 28 chain rings and 14-34 cassettes. I am not sure if it is possible to change out the 28-tooth chain ring for a 22 or 24? I don’t know enough about the capabilities of the derailleurs and such (I ride a lot but I’m not terribly knowledgeable about mechanics).



Thanks for your patience in reading through this and any advice you might have. I guess I cannot post a photo of my current bike yet as I do not have enough posts - sorry.

veganbikes

I would look at some nicer bikes then you have in your list.

A Specailzied Sirrus 6.0 is a good off the peg option but maybe you might want something more custom since you are riding a lot and have wants and are retired. Tale a look at some of the many awesome custom builders maybe look at something in titanium which is comfortable, generally lightweight enough and plenty of awesome custom builders who can give you want you want. Then you can figure out parts and make it really work for you and be as comfortable as you need it to be and have mounts for whatever you want to carry. If you are riding long distances then make sure you have something with multiple hand positions like say the Koga Denham or Velo Orange Crazy or Surly Moloko Bar so you can move your hands around and be comfortable, if you are not desirous of drop bars. It will help prevent pain and make those longer riders more pleasant.

Most of the off the peg bikes are designed for a wide swath of people to be generically decent I have found very few bikes like that fit my needs so I found a good frame that works for my geometry and build it up with parts I have chosen. It allows me to dial in what I want and need and allows me to generally avoid the crap I don't want or would change out of the gate.

mstateglfr 

https://www.canyon.com/en-us/hybrid-...nfarbe=GY%2FTQ

Listed as under 20 pounds. 2x11 drive train.
They have less expensive models too.

Maelochs

Budget determines a lot, and use .... if this is a bike you don't plan to ride much (I hope your regular ride isn't in the shop That much) then you might be able to stomach some compromises to save some dollars.

Otherwise, you can pretty much buy whatever you want depending on what you want to spend.

Also you can buy a 44/32/22 crank set and swap it if you don't like whatever is stock .... of you want. You can also buy a wide range of cassettes.

I haven't read through these articles, just scanned a little but there ought to be some ideas here ....
https://biketestreviews.com/flat-bar-gravel-bikes/
https://bermstyle.com/five-flat-bar-...ng-adventures/
https://cycletraveloverload.com/best...-gravel-bikes/
https://www.cyclingabout.com/best-fl...el-bikes-2021/

Glarner

Thanks so much! I'll check this Canyon out!

Glarner

Thanks Maelochs! I'll read through these when I get back form my ride tomorrow! My bike isn't in the shop too much but when it is I get frustrated at not being able to ride. Also, if I get a new bike that I really like then my current bike may be relegated to back-up status.

Glarner

Thanks so much Veganbikes! This makes a good deal of sense - I didn't check out custom bikes because I was afraid of costs but I will take a look. It might make more sense in the long run - especially if this new bike becomes the one I will ride more often.

katsup

OP's photo gallery with a photo of the bike
https://www.bikeforums.net/g/user/541184

Maelochs

Herzlos

How often are you likely to be without your main bike? Is it worth spending big money on another one for that? Would learning to service/repair it yourself reduce the down time?

There's nothing stopping you getting an identical bike if you need, but why not look at getting something different to give you some more variety?

Wildwood 

Used bikes can be a good value for a second (lesser used) bike.
Recycled Cycles? Or so many others in the city.

blacknbluebikes 

Glarner ... Long time commuter? over 200miles per week? You are a fanatic in denial. Get aspirational, spoil yourself and buy something really cool, way out there and much more expensive than you're willing to tell most people. You know what you like, you do a lot of it and you know it's really good for your health. Start a long and self-serving search for the holy-grail-bike, your forever-bike. Go big or go home. You deserve it.

Dave Mayer

The bar style and bar height are 2 different things. You can get a road (drop) bar higher with a higher rise stem - lots of solutions here. Drop bars are much better if you are doing any distances due to the number of hand positions possible. If you are riding more than 10 miles in a stretch on the road, the (single) flat bar hand position will leave your wrists and hands numb. In contrast, road bars allow multiple hand positions, and relief.

I suggest you start with a road bike, and raise the bars with a riser stem, obtainable from Ebay for less than $20. You may have to change out the brake and shifter cables and housings due to the longer runs involved.

I suggest you look for a 5-year old used road bike, as light as possible with rim brakes. Cost: less than $1k. Raise the bars, and add some granny gears at the back, which may involve a derailleur swap.

Note that the more you ride, especially on hills, the better you'll get at riding hills. So you may think you need very low gearing, but over time you won't.

Glarner

Thanks Herzlos! This is some food for thought. I have bought a bike stand and I've started doing some simple things but I've not pursued it as I should. I signed up for maintenance classes in early summer but came down with Covid and had to cancel. Since then I haven't had the time (with helping kids move around the country, riding nearly every day, and trying to figure out the bewildering options of Medicare - this country does not make it easy to retire). I have been frustrated with the hydraulic disc brakes on my bike - much less intuitive for me to take care of then the good old rim brakes. I will look for some classes in the fall and try to learn off Youtube.

This does raise another issue for me - about frame longevity. My current bike is about 14 years old. Most of the time it was a commuter bike to the tune of roughly 100 - 120 miles per week (my current riding intensity is a retirement thing). I am a heavier guy (200 - 220 lbs depending on the year). My previous bike was a Cannondale aluminum hybrid that I had from 1998 to 2015 (overlapped with this one) - used for commuting at times but more road and gravel rides. In 2015 the mechanic at the LBS recommended that I stop riding it due to a number of hairline fractures in the frame. Given my current bike (also Al frame) is 14 years old should I expect frame issues in the coming years? Should I be thinking about my new bike as the primary bike and retire my Gary Fisher for just occasional rides? Thanks for your thoughts!

A number of commenters are suggesting a road bike - I need to look into that.

Maelochs

I agree with both blacknbluebikes and @Dave_mayer----Either get something really sweet used, and put some love and care (and parts and money) into it, or just admit it---you are ready for a new bike with modern improvements.

If you are a fairly serious daily commuter, get a nice bike. I remember quite clearly when i went form a horde of decent and well-tailored, rescued and rebuilt Frankenbikes to a really decent new commuter---actually a rigid MTB but perfect for my uses---and it is a day of joy you might remember for decades ..... I have.

Everyone has a perfect N+1 in my opinion .... a number of bikes they can manage and actually use, without too many "I try to ride them all but that one gets overlooked" bikes. For a daily commuter, three is probably good, or four----two solid light-tourer/commuters, a speedy bike for quick fun on free days, and a full-squish MTB for whatever you feel like doing in the forests.

Let me know how it works for you.

veganbikes

Yeah it can cost a little more initially but it is well worth it. If you enjoy riding and ride often it pays for it self. Having a bike dialed in for you by someone who knows what to do is something special.

t2p

Canyon, Specialized, Trek have some great looking well spec'd hybrids

Litespeed has an extra cool hybrid

Also consider a 'gravel bike' - gravel bike bike is sorta / kinda like a road bike - but with different geometry / often better rider position, lower gearing, will accept larger / wider tires, and accommodate racks, panniers and other accessories

I vote NO on the road bike suggestions

Kapusta

Your gearing requirements may be a little outside the norm for hybrids.

Luckily, gearing is not that hard to change.

Trek FX series are nice bikes.

Kapusta

If you are not seeing cracks on your GF i would not worry about it. Most mtb frames will plug on nearly indefinitely, regardless of material.

alcjphil

A road bike doesn't have to have an aggressive rider position. I recently bought myself a gravel bike that has a much more upright riding posture than my other bikes. I really enjoy riding it on days when I want to take things easy and just roll along. It also has much lower gearing than is possible to achieve on my other bikes allowing me to easily climb the hills around here

prj71

Giant FastRoad

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/bi...-bikes/fitness

Specialized Sirrus

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/sh...SAAEgKa-_D_BwE

Spartazoo

I am 52 and in late March began the journey of going from zero exercise to have now ridden over 1300 miles (I know child's play for many, but a lot for me). Those miles came on an indoor spin bike (Sole SB900) early in the morning during the week and outdoors on the weekends. I live in a rural area that has great paved country roads as well as a fair amount of gravel roads so I went looking for a hybrid bike that would fit what I would do. I prefer straight handle bars. After a lot of research, I ended up with a 2021 Specialized SirrusX 4.0 and i love it. Since I am still in the "start up" stage, I wasn't willing to shell out more coin for a full carbon bike. The Sirrus is great on both pavement and gravel and is perfect for my speed. I am not someone who intends to average 20+ mph on every ride. In my opinion the X 4.0 is the perfect tweener bike that sits between nice commuter bike and bike you can do more with. I have ridden it everywhere from country paved and gravel roads to down and back (40 miles) on the Chicago Lake Front Trail. I would recommend taking a look.

by the way, I am hooked on cycling and now looking for a beginner gravel race to enter.

jnbrown

I agree that custom would be a good option.
You are riding a lot of miles and have certain fit requirements.
Also a flat bar is going to handle different than drop bar.
off the shelf bikes tend to be heavy unless you are paying top dollar.
You can build up a bike from scratch to be much lighter depending your budget.
check out David Kirk for a custom frame, he is not that far from you.
Also Rodriguez in Seattle. I am sure there are others.
Its not going to be cheap expect to pay at least $3K for a frame set but it is an investment that would be worthwhile.

sean.hwy

Another vote for Giant fast road. That's a lot of bike for the money. If I didn't already invest so much in my gravel bike with several wheel sets I would buy one.

I still want to buy a 2nd wheel set for my mtb bike.

I am trying real hard to keep it to just two bikes.