Westislander

Hello All,
Currently I'm riding a Trek 3500 mountain bike. I've changed the tires to 26" x 1.5" and they max at 65psi.

I find the bike stable, but I'm always passed by everyone on the trails. I find the bike heavy, slow, and should go faster for the amount of energy I put into it.

I use the bike to commute to and from work - 34 km round trip. I also enjoy riding in parks, sometimes on grass, and sometimes on packed gravel roads. I never go over rocks (intentionally), I never jump it. I do sometimes go over the occasional tree root (that's in the way on a gravel road). Also, along my commute the roads often have cracks and sometimes potholes.

I'm looking at the Giant Anyroad bike AnyRoad 1

This bike has 700cx32 tires and the pressure is max 70 psi (I think that's the max psi).

Questions for you:
- is it worth it to do this? Will I notice a big difference?
- is this the right choice?

fyi - I'm 50 years old, 5'10" 165lbs and in relatively good shape. Yesterday I biked 70km on my Trek 3500 and I'm not in pain today, but I would say 70km on the Trek 3500 is my 'comfortable healthy limit'

Thank you.

10 Wheels

Nice bike..But very pricy,

Be fun to ride but I doubt it would be much faster.

Try a test ride on one.

NormanF

I think a gravel road/adventure bike would be a good all rounder both for urban commuting and weekend off road rides.

I have a Schwinn Super Sport DBX that serves as my commuter and I find it a comfortable bike with 700 X 35 tires. Its much better suited for my needs than a mountain bike.

My advice is test the Giant Anyroad and see how it feels. I have a feeling you would be happy with it.

mstateglfr 

It comes with Shimano 460 shifting, which is basically OEM Tiagra level. 350 is Sora level. No idea why it isn't labeled as Tiagra and Sora or why there is a non-named version for the component levels. That stuff is plenty fine and reliable for daily commuting and should last.

The crank is a 48t large ring. So with the chain in the 11t rear cog you have 117.8 gear inches. If you were to pedal at 60rpm, you would be at 21mph. So backing off from the fastest gearing, if you were to ride in the 48-14 combo at 60rpm, you would cruise at 16.5mph.
I would think that is fast enough to keep up with and pass most people on trails. 60rpm isn't an excessive cadence either, though it is faster than a leisurely pace.

32mm tires should be plenty for what you mention you ride over.





ETA- what ring combo do you typically ride/commute in and what is your typical rpm? knowing these will help determine if you would go any faster with a new bike or not.

DogBoy

If you have the money, it is fun to buy a new bike and you will love it until another bike piques your curiosity. Will it make you faster? Probably a hair. I'm faster on my CF gravel bike than on my Surly Troll. On the troll I average about 12.2 mph (total time, not moving time). On my gravel bike I average 13.1 mph. If you see similar speed gains, you will go from 52 minutes one way (assuming ~10.5 miles) to 48 minutes, or 8 minutes per day. Personally, I enjoy my time on the faster bike more, but I am more limited by intersections and starting and stopping than I am by cruising speed.

fietsbob

Montreal? a good one to save for Winter riding and fit with studded tires..

maybe get a Hybrid with 700c 32 wide tires for the rest of the year .

that sector has a lot of companies wanting a slice of that .

I personally have preferred IGH bikes for my Daily rides ..

NormanF

After getting my GT Eightball, my bike shop mechanic told me the stock stem won't fit a North Road bar... so I had an adjustable Kalloy stem ordered at the shop. It will delay the build for awhile..

GovernorSilver

Not with that gearing - max 42T front chain ring, 14T smallest gear on the cassette:
3500 - Trek Bicycle

Typical road bikes have bigger chain rings and smaller gears on the cassette to go faster. Your mountain bike OTOH was built to climb rather than go fast.

That idea to get the Anyroad or similar adventure road bike to be your new commuter and keep the Trek (presumably with studded tires) for commuting on icy terrain sounds like a good one.

Phil_gretz

Not to quibble, but 60 rpm is sort of "no man's land" in terms of cadence, unless you're climbing a significant hill with very limited gearing. I would recommend that the OP cruise at 90 rpm. Sprint higher, and climb somewhere lower, at wherever cadence he's comfortable depending on how steep, how long, and what gearing is available.

mstateglfr 

Ninetieth, your point is quite valid. I used 60rpm since I figured a fully capable adult currently riding could hit and maintain 60rpm. A minimum baseline of sorts.

I agree it isn't an ideal cadence for actually riding on flat trail land.

Tundra_Man 

I've gotten faster with every new bike I've ever bought.

At least that's what it feels like.