Hello all,

Right let me get straight to the point.

I have decided that I need to start cycling to work. Mainly for health reasons.
Primary use will be a 7 km commute (each way) to work then the occasional weekend mountain biking.

Budget some $1,000 max. Willing to consider second hands (if I know which model to look for).

It needs to be as simple as a bike can get as I plan to get to know it, maintain it and look after it as long as possible.

It's got to be bloody well rugged and quality build.

We live in a very hot country (Saudi Arabia!) all year round and the roads are tough to say the least.

Cycling is still a niche activity here but one that is growing steadily. There is a chain that is essentially an agent for Trek bicycles. They charge a fortune but offer parts and servicing.

However, we'll be back in the UK this summer and possibly in the states as well and we do travel often so sourcing items from back home on a regular basis won't be a problem.

I really like the Specialized brand (don't know why) but I'm all ears tbh. My last bike was a hand built Claud Butler from late-nineties and was stolen in 05 in Manchester during Uni days.

Finally, I prefer the mountain bike design.

Built to your specs..Koga Signature

shipped to a designated dealer, such as in UK.

If you think the local shops charge a fortune, just wait until you try to fly back with a bicycle and see what the airlines charge for shipping.


I'd suggest looking at local bikes that have provisions for mounting a rack. Test ride as many as you can, and buy the one you like. You can mail order racks and panniers if you like.


It'd be a good idea to make sure you can mount at least one cage for a water bottle -- I hear it's hot and dry in Saudi!

Maybe a camel back water system would be more appropriate in this situation?

REI has the Yuba Mundo for $1000
https://www.rei.com/product/101377/y...eed-cargo-bike

Here's mine with some extras on it:

The things I’d ask are: Do you want front suspension, or would you prefer plus size tires? Do you want rear rack mounts for traditional accessories like a kid seat and panniers, or would you like a frame bag and tail bag?

I've never been to Saudi Arabia and have no idea what bicycling there is like except for what you have written. I also don't know what your knowledge / skill level is for shopping for / maintaining your own bicycle. Based on all that I would recommend that you buy a Trek from the local chain. That way at least you can test ride it and buy accessories from an actual person rather than google or amazon or whatever. $1,000 is more than enough money to get you something you can commute the distance you're talking about.

You need a fat bike for all those sand dunes. You’ll get a great workout pushing those fat tires for 7 kilometers. That’s what? 3 or 4 miles?

7km? Unicycle.

I would be hesitant about riding a bike to work in KSA. This is due to the traffic. It was like being in China; but with people who drive faster.

I rode my folding Dahon when I was there; but I never rode it to work. It was plenty strong for the roads in Jeddah.

I don't recall seeing any bike shops at all. The first thing I would do is try to find some bike shops, then decide which one you are most comfortable at. Then buy a bike there. However, I brought my bike with me to KSA.

And if that's not enough, consider a backup camel

That's a big ask, to have a bike that is well-suited for both commuting and mountain-biking. You'll need to compromise on being somewhat inefficient for commuting, and somewhat limited in what kinds of trails you can easily ride.

There is a category of bike called a 'gravel-grinder' (also similar to an 'endurance bike') that would probably land pretty much in the sweet spot, but you'd probably have drop-bars, and I'm guessing if you really want a mountain bike you wouldn't like that.

Personally, I'd recommend you stretch your budget and get a Surly Krampus. As a few up there suggested, you'll have nice wide tires for sand. It won't be the most efficient rider on the street, but it won't care about bad roads at all, and your distance of 7km is not too long.

In terms of simplicity, it is about as simple as it gets. Rigid fork, so no need to maintain a suspension fork. 1x drivetrain, so only 1 shifter and 1 derailleur to worry about, instead of two of each. Brakes are hydraulic, that might take some learning, but shouldn't be a huge problem. If you can find a used original model (green) then the disk brakes are mechanical, which is even easier -- and you might be able to get it under $1000. The MSRP of the 2017 model is $1500.

Here's a (long) article about what got upgraded in the 2017 model.

^^^ I like that approach but I’d pick a less expensive brand and one that’s 27.5+ not 29+. The current Marin Pine Mountain is under $1000 and now has rack mounts.

Tho I admit I’d like one of the current purple KM.

27.5+ is indeed a lot more common than 29+. I don't know of any bike other than the Krampus that is: 29+ and 1x with a rigid fork.

BD has tons of plus bikes for well under $1000, many of them might work very well for OP

Save Up To 60% Off Plus Bikes. Faster and lighter than a fat bike but just as fun. Shop Now NEW PLUS BIKES from $499 SingleSpeed Plus Bicycles from bikesdirect.com

That's all mail-order to the US (I think not even canada), so would have extra arranging to do to find a helper in the us to receive the shipment.

ECR is, but that's a Surly too. Trek Stache was, but isn't right now. Trek 1120 is. Some BD bikes are shipping this way, I think.

I picked the 27.5+ because they have a ~2" BB drop, so you can make it a 29er, or put medium 650b or narrow 700c slicks on it.

The Pine Mountain is 1x10 and a bit lower on build spec but still quite decent... it does have a proprietary hub, though, which is annoying if you wanted more wheelsets. Marin tried to start a "boost QR" standard and SFAIK no one else followed it. The Surly bikes have the advantage of the fancy universal dropouts.

Wow, that Trek 1120 looks pretty amazing. That "midstay" (elevated driveside chainstay) looks brilliant. I don't get that funky non-horizontal rear rack though

(And ECR is a 2x drivetrain, although I guess you could build up a frame as 1x)

Keeps you from getting any crazy ideas about trying to carry stuff on it.

Wouldn't a set of commuting wheels/tires and another set of knobbies to switch with solve a lot of problems? 1K is a good budget to work with.

Can't get into that tiny front ring... just can't.

It's all about the math. The 29+ tires have a certain circumference, get a superwide cassette (11-40? 42? 46? SRAM eagle 10-50?), and then for the chainring choose the number of teeth that gets you up your hills on the bottom end, and then you spin out wherever you spin out. Or choose the number of teeth that lets you spin out at whatever top speed you choose, and you can get up whatever hills that lets you get up.

I really like the Brilliant L Train: https://www.brilliant.co/collections/bicycles

Belt drive, internal hub, silver components. Although, I've read that sand can make belt drives noisy.

Yeah, that's what I was implying.

The aesthetics? Because it works pretty well. I have a lot of newer stuff like this on my trail bike and I'm sold. I'm not going back.

Me too. I don't expect to ever buy another bike with multiple chainrings, or brakes other than hydraulic discs

Yes, just talking the look. I've never ridden one.