Hi guys, I’m getting back into riding after around 10 years of being lazy.. I’m commuting around 10 miles a day to work (along the taff trail) and attempting longer rides on the weekends. I am currently riding an old carerra hybrid which I’m actually enjoying but it feels like its going to break any day soon.

So I’m wondering what bike you would recommend, I’m looking to spend around £1,000 but happy to go a bit higher for the right bike. My problem is I can’t decide whether to get a gravel/adventure bike or a hardtail mtb. I’ve fallen in love with so many bikes and I can’t make my mind up! Ideally I would like one of each but looking to see what you guys would recommend from personal experience?

Thanks in advance

Hardtail mtb. Keep the hybrid till it dies. Then see if you can stretch to another set of wheels shod with something more appropriate for commuting. Gravel and cx is very popular at the moment but a decent hardtail can pretty do as much and more when it comes to going off road.

If you’re going for one bike to rule them all, I would say to go for the gravel. It will allow you to do most of what you seem to want to do right now, plus allow you the opportunity to develop your fitness and skill in a way that will then enable you to make a more informed choice later as to whether you first want to add a mountain bike to your collection or a road bike.

Note that I said ‘first’; it’s not an either/or kind of decision.

If you want to do any MTBing, get an MTB.

If you just want it for commuting, a gravel bike might be marginally better – but I found a hardtail 29er almost as quick as a CX bike everywhere (and much quicker on proper trails).

I think good gravel bikes do XC-style mountainbiking better than MTBs do road/track commuting, so I’d say they’re the better all-rounder. I wouldn’t take a gravel bike to a trail centre, but then I wouldn’t go to a trail centre anyway. ymmv. There is no bad choice, as long as you have a bike you want to ride. 🙂

The thing about “all round” is that hardly anyone really does “all round”- I need my allround bike to race enduro and occasionally dh, do uplifts and weeks in france, but I don’t care if it’s crap on the road and useless at dirt jumps. So you need to decide what your “all” is really.

Me, for a grand I’d get a Calibre Bossnut if it were new, used I’d get another Remedy 29, but neither seems like it’ll suit your all.

I’d start with a 29er hardtail setup for off-road and a cheap set of second wheels for commuting. But I only ride mountain bikes and drive to work so I know nothing.

I’d say a 29er hardtail with fast tyres on – mine is almost as fast as my commuter except in a strong headwind.

You will have to spend significant ££ to get really fast tyres, and go tubeless, so it depends on the faff you can be bothered with.

A gravel bike will be very marginally faster on your commute, but very compromised if you want to do anything tricky off road. And for the majority of the off road a gravel bike does work for, the HT will do it a bit better in a bit more comfort.

Of course the correct answer is buy both. And budget for another few bikes 🙂

Seen a few Cotic Solaris’s second hand for around £800-1100 – would be a good option maybe.

The thing about “all round” is that hardly anyone really does “all round”- I need my allround bike to race enduro and occasionally dh, do uplifts and weeks in france, but I don’t care if it’s crap on the road and useless at dirt jumps. So you need to decide what your “all” is really.

This also applies – most of the answers here will be from people whose all round is different to yours, all trying to be helpful with varying degrees of the wrong answer for you. The same will apply when talking to salespeople in bike shops – they probably aren’t just out to shift the dusty bike in the corner of the showroom nobody else wants, but their all round will be different from yours.

I think a hardtail or a gravel bike would work well. I’d err towards a gravel bike for the following reasons
– it’s really an everyday roadbike, which makes it great for commuting. It’ll take full guards and a rack if you get the right one
– it’ll do off road stuff if you want it to
– if you want to go more off road you can get a hardtail or FS bike, and there won’t be so much overlap with your commuting bike

However, if you’re keeping your carrera and plan to keep using it as well, then a hardtail MTB would be better

Depends how much actual mountain biking you want to do.
If envisage yourself maybe riding a trail centre, or some local rocky, rooty singletrack, then a hardtail MTB is the correct choice.
However if all your off-roading is going to be canal paths and forest roads then go for the gravel bike (make sure to pick one with clearance for at least 40c tyres)

I think a hardtail or a gravel bike would work well. I’d err towards a gravel bike for the following reasons
– it’s really an everyday roadbike, which makes it great for commuting. It’ll take full guards and a rack if you get the right one
– it’ll do off road stuff if you want it to

The problem with this for one bike is that if you put full guards on, it will be even less capable off road – and I’m sure you don’t want to be putting guards on and off all the time.

Reasonably effective partial mudguards are probably the way to go (but might look silly on a gravel bike – though this shouldn’t really be a reason not to do something).

I’d recommend a dropper post too -great for flicking through twisty bits as well as going down anything that starts to get steep or lumpy.

If you plan on doing much proper off road then a 29er XC hardtail for sure. Fast tyres, bar ends for the commute.

rigid, weenie, 29er with Thunderburts running 1×11.

That’s what I do my offroad/towpath commutes on. Love it.

Canyon have a sale just now, the Grand Canyon at a shade over a grand( there is also one under) looks good.

Thanks for the reply’s, I think I am going to get a 29er for the weekends and use the hybrid for work until I can get a second set of wheels for commuting.

I’ve been looking at the Orange clockwork 100, slightly over budget and I am not too sure the spec is decent? Can anyone recommend alternatives for a similar price? Or something that is better value for money?

Thanks

The Boardman Pro 29er was easily the best bang-for-buck when I was looking a year or so ago. Good geometry, great components for the price and it’s often discounted by 20% (and you can get 10% off if a member of British Cycling too).

It’s sale time now, so there may be other bargains to be had around the £1k mark too.

I have a 19in custom spec Boardman to sell, if you’re interested in saving a few quid with secondhand? Would suit 5ft7in to 6ft-ish.

I commute mainly on my 29er HT with Conti MK 2.2s. It’s 6 miles on road and 12 miles off road. Does the job well. Admittedly I run the tyres quite hard.

As Yokaiser said, I’d get this.

https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/mtb/grand-canyon/grand-canyon-al-sl-8-9.html

Cx / gravel bikes are fine for farm tracks, but not very good on anything remotely bumpy in my opinion.

I reckon a route that was 50/50 road and proper off road (not steep technical.. Just not pan flat) would be far quicker on a 29er hardtail with fastish tyres

Best all round bike…
Definitely my 2009 Anthem for sale… 🙂

get whatever mtb you want – the carrera will go on and on and on and on….

That Canyon is a great bike for the price. Only thing that puts me off ever so slightly is press fit BB.

If its a commuting bike more than a trail bike, would something closer to a road bike with decent enough tyres and brakes not make more sense?

Something like this?

http://road.cc/content/tech-news/224253-specialized-diverge-2018-future-shock-wider-tyres-and-revised-geometry

Charge SS Grinduro at Wiggle for £510!

In another thread on here, it is claimed it is a Plug frame that can be converted to gears with a mech hanger.

The Canyon is a lot of bike for the money and would handle a commute no problem. I’d rather have the flexibility of being able to take the bike off road as well as commute. Unless you’re planning to get into road riding and tapping out 50 miles+ rides, 29er hardtail every time I reckon (assuming it’s just the one bike)

I’ve just got an NS Rag for commuting, everyday riding, towpath, singletrack and off road around the peak District. Not come across anything it can’t cope with yet. Swapped the stock bars for some cowchippers and plan on buying a set of 650b wheels when money allows. It’s a compromise in some ways, but I’m only able to own one bike at present and this does a cracking job.

I’ve owned a Cotic Soul and a Genesis Croix De Fer, both i’d describe as good all rounders.

It’s a common question, that always seems to get a variety of replies. I wonder if, seeng as you have quite a bit of money to spend you could: buy a secondhand hardtail mtb and try that for a few weeks, sell it and buy a secondhand gravel bike and try that for a few weeks. Then depending on what you discover, make a more personal choice. I doubt you’d lose much through the buying and selling of the secondhand bikes and you’d be clearer about what suits your needs. Maybe.

^ +1 (or buy both my XTC hardtail and near-new Genesis Vagabond for £650 all in, ride both for a while then sell the one that you find you don’t use so much :). )