Icedtea

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for an adult bike for fitness riding on local paved trails and also to begin to ride with my daughter (who's about 1.5 years old).

My challenge is that I like a little bit of a speedy ride when cycling on my own but also want a safe ride with my daughter (I would go much slower). So for example, I am concerned whether 700c tires on some speed bikes will be too thin for riding with a daughter. Also, I noticed a lot of post COVID bikes in my area (Maryland) don't have Shimano gears or drivetrain and I'm concerned whether the gears will be adequate for my intended uses.

1. Any thoughts on a bike that would fit my intended uses and budget (see more details below)?
2. In terms of safety, should I look for a bike with wider wheels than a 700c for riding with a child? (example, go for a 650b rather than something like a Schwalbe Spicer, 700x35c)?
3. When compared to a Shimano, would a microSHIFT Advent drivetrain be inadequate for my intended riding style, frequency, and safety? I'm not sure how long the parts last and want to set expectations.

Thank you.

More details:

• Budget wise, I ideally want to spend under $700.
• I'm close to about 25 miles of paved trails, moderate hills, and expect my fitness runs to be modest (usually an hour, was able to clock in 10-12+ miles for the hour on a very heavy bike). With having kids and less time, I probably would go biking up to 20 times a year.
• For a ride with my daughter, I expect it would be shorter in time and distance (probably 7-8 miles an hour and a 40 minutes or less trip until she gets older).
• I have to bike about 1.5 miles of city roads to get to the trail but expect most use to be on the paved trail.
• I checked out some Trek and Cannondale bikes in person and really liked the feel of a Cannondale Quick 4 followed by the Treadwell 2 (these are both on sale near me to fit my budget and don't have a Shimano drivetrain). I am open to suggestions from any other brand as well.
• Experience wise, I'm probably a moderate experience rider. I've done up to 20 miles consistently on city trips when younger, have done quarter sized trails through the mountain biking, and tried a variety of trails/surfaces.
• Equipment wise, I have a front mount car seat a friend gave me for free. I have reflectors, a horn, and lights from an old bike.
• I'd get a double kickstand to help loading the daughter and bottle holder. I am open to other accessories so long as they don't exceed about $100-150.

DorkDisk

Most people I know with kids have bikes just for the kids. The most dedicated ones use Yubas with accessories to cart the kids around. Then they have standard bikes for non-kid schlepping.

poiuyt

If you like speed, it's hard to do with kids behind: they might feed uncomfortable, or move, which will impact your balance and compromise your safety and the kid's.

Otherwise a few thoughts:
- Advent is a very good groupset, comparable to Deore in the Shimano range.
- A trailer can be a solution if you already have a bike (there "sport trailers" that can be used on bikes, when running,...), but trailers have inconvenient as well: flip over at speed, and they may be invisible by car.
- As mentioned in the previous answer, people with kids here use rather compact electric cargo bikes — like the one pictured, Tern or other brands. It's not the budget you announced, but the point is rather to substitute a second car and use the bike to ride the kid to school, go errands,... In other words, adding an exercise component to a task that normally has none rather than having a fitness session with the kid following.

Icedtea

Thanks for the replies.
DorkDisk Appreciate the point, but we don't have too much storage space for an additional bike so I'm aiming for one bike.
poiuyt Thank you for the input on the groupset and trailer. The cargo bike route isn't an exact fit as I don't commute to work and for errands, don't really do much more than groceries, which need more cargo space for our family, or buy bulky things like furniture or larger items that won't necessarily fit the cargo frame.

I could sacrifice the speed riding bike for something like a Cannondale Treadwell or Trek / Giant alternatives if the smaller, wider tire is ultimately more safe for my daughter. I'll be okay with the heavier, shorter-distance ride if it's really much safer, but I'm not sure it is. Over 30 years ago, my dad used to ride essentially something like the Quick 3 with curved handlebars back in his day and added a back, bike seat to his bike, riding through very, very busy and somewhat windy city streets, on very thin 19 inch tires. This worked fine for him, and I really enjoyed the rides as a toddler.

hokiefyd 

I don't have a lot of advice regarding riding with the tikes (my oldest tike goes off to college this fall!), but I can confirm that Microshift's Advent group, at least the components I have, is pretty stout stuff. I have the Advent (9-speed) rear derailleur with clutch and ball bearing shifter. It's run flawless on the bikes I've had it on and it feels very weighty (as in bombproof). Microshift, like Shimano, certainly have cheaper components. They have some notably cheap twist shifter designs often used on big box bikes. And their mainline rear derailleur, found on big box bikes and lower trims of bike shop bikes alike, the M26, is reported to be pretty cheap and generally not all that good. But if you step up within the range, to Acolyte (8-speed), Advent (9-speed), Advent X (10-speed), and their new Sword (also 10-speed) gravel groupset, they've got pretty competitive stuff.

Icedtea

Congratulations on your oldest heading off!

The shifter and derailleur input is helpful. I see in some of the other threads feedback on avoiding some of the lower end derailleurs so collectively this has been really informative.

I've looked at a few other bikes in the interim and am currently debating between the Cannondale Quick 4 or Treadwell 2. I really like the Quick but may end up going with the Treadwell as it may be a bit more stable and versatile for riding with a little one.

poiuyt

Thinking about it, but given you'll ride with "an additional weight", better to take the bike that feels the most comfortable at slow speed. There's a risk that the Quick won't feel "right" if you add 20kg, and the gearing is probably more chosen to go fast than to handle a little one.

Icedtea

Thanks, fair point. I also plan to take the actual seat and a dummy weight I have (about 30 lbs) to the bike shop to test it out on the bike. I spoke with the owner who's also super comfortable installing everything for another test ride and providing suggestions on balance, weight, etc.