I’m only allowed one bike, it’s a law passed by Mrs Teadrinker. I curretnly have a Charge rigid 29er which is ok.

I’m finding though since becoming a dad I don’t have time to go out as much on the bike and living on the Essex/Suffolk border the mtb routes aren’t the best. I still go away with the family a couple of times a year for long weekends in the Lakes and I do use my bike to commute all week, only ten miles a day and mainly all road although when summer comes round I may deviate. So if I was to possibly change my current steed what sort of thing would STW’ers reccomend?

I’d go for a long travel hardtail.

Jones.

Spearfish

What do you do that you find your bike doesn’t do well?

Divorce.

Just one? May as well go all out and get a Tallboy LTc or something! 🙂 See how she likes those potatoes.

One bike? Helius AM pinion would be the obvious choice to me – you might have to move house to make the most of it though.

Seriously though, one bike? even my girlfriend has realised she needs two bikes*.

*She actually just downsized from 3 bikes :$

Definitely a Jones. Does everything a full sus does but slower and more uncomfortably. Whats not to like 😉

i would go for one of these 🙂

http://www.salsacycles.com/bikes/fargo/

Practically speaking it sounds like your Charge covers most of your commuting duties but what you want is something that can handle commuting with a bit of rough and tumble at the weekends… Right?

How about a Lurcher (seeing as you’re riding a 29er already) with a fork that has lockout and a 2nd set of wheels, during the week; slick tired wheelset, and lockout on for commuting, at the weekend, knobbleys on and lockout off for proper riding…

Or keep the charge and get a 2nd “proper” MTB…

It sounds to me like you want something that is fun to ride locally on gentle trails and roads, OK for commuting but also robust enough to deal with some occasional tougher offroad routes.

Not a very STW response but in your position I’d just buy an extra set of wheels for your 29er with cross or road tyres fitted.

Or if you want a change, as above something like a Fargo would be a good call. Or perhaps a Swift?

If I was to keep one bike it would be my Surly Karate Monkey – versatile as hell, can be run geared or singlespeed, takes racks and guards, tough as old boots and really capable on properly rough stuff but also quite happy run with drops and slicks for the road.

i would go for one of these

🙂

I w just about to write what SprocketJockey wrote. A second set of wheels can make a huge difference to the versatility of what you have

I too moved to Essex/Suffolk border from North Wales a few years ago. A year later I ditched my Orange Alpine for a Ragley Blue Pig. It’s great for pootling along local bridleways and can take the abuse when I go back to Wales, Spain or the Alps. I’ve got 140mm forks on so it’s not too slack. It currently weighs about 12kg with chunky tyres and tubes.

I would buy a cross bike ,or ditch the missus

Try buying a pair of pants first, and then wearing them.

😆

Remedy

Tell her that the more bikes you have the less spare time you have to try and fill in other ways.

One bike… That is a tough question…

I would go with a Jones:
Gears or ss
Decent road touring bike with big apple slicks
Great offroad

Until I rode a jones it would have been a Fargo.

Orange five.. 😉

Buy the £599 ‘dale Trail SL SS 29er and user that for off road.

Tell her your current Charge had “commuting” geomatry and is no good for off road.

Ogre

I hope you limit how many shoes she can own

To one 😀

What Speocketjockey said about Surly KM’s +1

Also worth considering a 456ti too. IME the best bike I’ve ever had and the 456ti gets to ride all over the UK where my Enduro sits languishing waiting for tis trip to the Alps (or similar)

The KM I have is used mainly for road / canal tow path stuff.

If I could only have one bike I’d sell the KM and Enduro straight away and keep the 456t or do what Gunz suggested.

Keep what you have for the commute, buy new forks, drive chain, wheels for your occasional trips away. Still 1 bike with the ability to make it work offroad.

29er with 2 sets of wheels and 1 rigid / 1 sus fork. Geared and SS options too maybe.

You can spend loads of time faffing swapping things around. Use the idea of ‘saving quality time’ to then go back to 2 bikes.