Paul_

Since my current bike is falling apart I have to start looking for a new bike. Currently I have a hybrid, but from time to time I feel that the tires are a bit thin for what I'm using it to. On the other side I don't know if a mountain bike will be an overkill. This is how I typically use my bike:

If I'm going to get a hybrid I feel that it should be a rather "mountain bike"-ish one, but I don't know how many of such bike that exist. If I get a mountain bike however, I think that the tires might be a bit wide and small for the non-winter commuting. What do you think?

jdon

Something along these lines may work best for you. https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...5&menuItemId=0

Mountain bike tires on roads is pretty inefficient.

njkayaker

Why is it falling apart?

You can just change the tires.
What size tires do you use now? What size tires do you want to be able to use?

Some hybrids might have more room for wider tires. One issue to keep in mind is brake clearance. (My touring bike can handle quite a wide range of tire widths.)

Of course, fenders compicates things (fenders limit the tire width).

You might consider looking at cyclocross bikes.


I'm not sure what "tractor roads" are. You don't need suspension for flat gravel roads. You might want suspension for your "light" mountain biking.

Paul_

That one looks interesting, I'll have a look for something like that in my local store. Thanks!


njkayaker: Currently I'm using 622 mm tires, can't remember how thick they are, but I'd guess something around 35 mm. I'd defiantly need suspension for the light mountain biking and the winter commuting. I've been using my old bike for quite some years now and especially the gears is getting quite worn out. One of the rims also got some holes on it since I've been using the same brake pads for too long. Since the bike is old I've figured that buying a new rim isn't worth it when taking in account for how long it's usable anyways.

njkayaker

(I use a mountain bike with no suspension.)

622 is the diameter (not that important). 35mm is fairly (really) narrow for a mountain bike. 700mm (29inches) is the standard diameter for road bikes (including hybrids) but it's unusual for mountain bikes (which typically have 26inch wheels).

Any of the brands you listed are reasonable. You might find that spending a more than $400US will get you a much better bike (and, while the sky's the limit), you don't have to spend a lot more than that).

Keep in mind that dual-suspension bikes are going to be more expensive for the same quality and probably won't take racks.

You should consider getting a front suspension with a lock-out.

Panthers007

700C is what you are trying to refer to. It's not 700mm - it is in fact 622mm. The 700C designation comes from France where they tinkered with 700A, 700B, 700C, etc. The '700' itself is a misnomer that has nothing to do with the actual diameter of the tires/wheels.

njkayaker

I should have said the standard "designation". In the US, you'd have trouble asking for 622mm tires. Nearly no-one (in the US) says anything but 700C for this wheel size.
(Example: https://www.surlybikes.com/frames/lon...trucker_frame/)

The 700 number is related to the overall diameter but the actual diameter varies with the tire width. The metal rim doesn't change diameter. So, it does make more sense to refer to the diameter of the rim!

700C/622 rims are fairly unusual for mountain bikes. (At his budget, I don't think he needs to be concerned about "29'ers".)

If people are interested in the odd designations for wheel/tire sizes go here: https://sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

======================

In terms of buying bicycles, it's basically a choice between two wheel sizes: one called "700C" (for mysterious reasons) and one called "26 inch" (for mysterious reasons).

The 700C (622mm rim size, standard for road bikes) is larger than 26 inch (standard for mountain bikes and small road bikes.

There is also a "29 inch" wheel (also 622mm rim size) for mountain bikes but these are not that common (yet?) and tend not to be available in the low end of the range.

======================

For the sake of completeness, there's also a 650B wheel size (smaller than 700C and larger than 26 inch)!!

https://www.rivbike.com/article/misc/...0c_conversions

Panthers007

Some have been led to believe the 'C' is for centimeters. 700cm is about 23 feet.

LarDasse74

I would get a 'hybrid' if I were you...

Unfortunately, for a lot of people the word 'hybrid' is synonomous with 'crappy-comfort-bike.'

The reason why I would choose a hybrid is because most of your riding is on paved or dirt roads, and the larger wheel size of a hybrid will give you slightly lower rollingresistance, and there are more road tires and styles and widths available in that size.

Also, my experienc has been (in Ontario, Canada) that winter city riding is best done with narrow tires with a faily aggressive tread - similar to what is commonly called a '
cyclocrooss tire.' A narrower tire will beter cut through the snow (which gives no traction) down to the wet pavement (which gives some traction).
On country roads and ice steel studded tires are a must.
All of these tires are readily available in 700C size.

Also, I would not get suspension for winter riding- in cold weather it tends to not work too well anyway. Also, do they salt the roads much in your town? Were I live there is so much salt on the road most winter bikes are considered garbage after a winter or two, unless we complete rebuild and change a lot of parts.

Sci-Fi

Cross bike with disc brakes or '29'er'. 29'er bikes allow tires up to 55-622 wide. That's plenty to handle almost any condition. Most 29'ers come with fork suspension and disc brakes, so you don't have to worry about rim wear or reduced brake performance due to mud, leaves, etc. Either one will be a good 4-season bike.

LarDasse74

Right - it is actually "700cc" (cubic centimetres, meaning the volume of air in the tire )

dwr1961

My thoughts exactly. Get a fork with a lock-out and you'll have the perfect bike.