Best bike for hills and light off road

[1centaur]

Beyond my expertise, I am about to be asked on this topic by a guy who rides his road bike 25 miles maybe 15 times a year at 16.5 mph and would like to keep a bike at his weekend home where the hills are very steep and riding on dirt roads as part of a loop may happen.

He will never be "serious" about riding in the way we are, can easily afford the best in bikes but likes to be rational, and IMO will ride a few more times a year if the bike is light and efficient (carbon) but does not beat him up (zertz sounds good here). I put him on a Cannondale Synapse with 105 a few years ago and he's been very happy with that. He's climbing phobic so I'd emphasize that capability over the dirt road riding, but I'm thinking maybe a cross bike or a road bike that can take bigger tires so if he finds he loves dirt he can change wheels and go with knobbies. Shimano gearing. A lot better to be 16 lbs than 19 lbs. The guy is 61.

Give me stuff to think about.

Thank you in advance.

[Uncle Jam's Army]

Not sure about fitting anything larger than 25mm tires, but the new Scott Addict is phenomenally light and comfortable. The SL version would be my climbing machine. Saving my pennies to get one.

[KidWok]

Salsa warbird in AL or Ti or similar gravel race bike. You get light weight, low bb, clearance for bigger tires, and Salsa generally specs a longer HT good for higher handlebars.

Tai

[Ahneida Ride]

Wheels make a big difference .....

for hills ...get a light in weight wheel ...

Talk to a custom wheel builder ..... see Ergot (above in banner ad)

[PJN]

"Gravel road bikes" are stupid.

It's called a road bike.

Tell him to buy one and ride it lots. The rest will follow.

[Climb01742]

Buy another weekend home where it's flat?;)

[bobswire]

I have no problem riding this on steep climbs or light off road. If you an get 28c tires on a frame or even 25c you should be fine. It's more about handling skills and one own ability.http://i39.tinypic.com/141nx29.jpg

[jblande]

Parlee Z4 with 'big' 25mm tires.

[Jaq]

All-City Space Horse (http://allcitycycles.com/bikes/space_horse).

[Fixed]

I have no problem riding this on steep climbs or light off road. If you an get 28c tires on a frame or even 25c you should be fine. It's more about handling skills and one own ability.http://i39.tinypic.com/141nx29.jpg

Nice picture looks like fun
Cheers :)

[thwart]

Parlee Z4 with 'big' 25mm tires.

This would work... although I'd probably lean toward titanium if gravel roads are more than a rare event.

[Kirk007]

"Gravel road bikes" are stupid.

It's called a road bike.

Tell him to buy one and ride it lots. The rest will follow.

Is it the name or concept your pissy about? The concept of a road bike with clearance for 32s and disc brakes has its place, at least where I ride.

I second the warbird like bike. How bout that tomac from SSaratoga ....

[rnhood]

Specliazed Crux if the gravel/dirt roads are pretty rough. Otherwise Spec Roubaix with 28 tires. Both are really good machines. And they are lightweight.

[Brian Smith]

Beyond my expertise, I am about to be asked on this topic by a guy who rides his road bike 25 miles maybe 15 times a year at 16.5 mph and would like to keep a bike at his weekend home where the hills are very steep and riding on dirt roads as part of a loop may happen.

He will never be "serious" about riding in the way we are, can easily afford the best in bikes but likes to be rational, and IMO will ride a few more times a year if the bike is light and efficient (carbon) but does not beat him up (zertz sounds good here). I put him on a Cannondale Synapse with 105 a few years ago and he's been very happy with that. He's climbing phobic so I'd emphasize that capability over the dirt road riding, but I'm thinking maybe a cross bike or a road bike that can take bigger tires so if he finds he loves dirt he can change wheels and go with knobbies. Shimano gearing. A lot better to be 16 lbs than 19 lbs. The guy is 61.

Give me stuff to think about.

Thank you in advance.

Is the bike weight restriction his, or rather yours?
If it's yours, then I'd suggest that this is perhaps an application for the run-of-the-mill hybrid. With low gearing and higher tire pressure range of acceptability, it might be an option that is easy to live with (show up Friday night, hop on Saturday morning without a need to inflate tires, etc.)
It doesn't sound like the need is for an ability to thread himself into the local group hammerfest for a metric before lunch and have a bunch of shop rats compliment him on his bike.
You've been around bikes long enough to know that not every purpose is only served by a road racing bike. He's got that. A very fit roadie might use a 'cross bike for that use. They also would probably not need your advice. A flat bar hybrid with a wide gearing range and without a bolt upright stem can be great for steep climbing and getting away for a spin on one's own. If you want to shop among more expensive and higher quality rides, something from the likes of Rivendell would do nicely. If you want to suggest something of better quality than the run-of-the-mill hybrid and give your friend the opportunity to call the company who "made" it directly to solve potential problems or add to the purchase, Rivendell would be an ace choice, and one that permits you to look over the shoulder as things develop.

[PJN]

Is it the name or concept your pissy about?

Both. No special equipment is needed. Just ride what's in front of you.

If you need 32s and disk brakes then you should probably be on a mountain bike. 28s and rim brakes work fine. Really. If not you need to work on your bike handling skills.

[1centaur]

The Ti for gravel comment made me wonder: does anyone use the equivalent of car clear bra on the underside of the downtube? I know about chainstay protectors, but if clear bra can make car lovers happy under the daily pelting of gravel at 60mph, surely the equivalent on a bike would be very effective.

[rando]

Seems likely he would be open to anything that fits his need of being pleasant to ride without getting in his way.

I've seen a boyish twinkle in the eyes of more than a few guys his age on a full suspension mtb with a saddle that is kindly padded for and aging body. Something he can get on and ride without spending and hour pumping up both shocks and reading a manual. Being able to see exactly which gear the bike is in is another point over modern road groups. Might be a good match for him with a set of file treads that have knobs on the sides.

That is to say road bikes trying to be mtb's works both ways

[Kirk007]

Both. No special equipment is needed. Just ride what's in front of you.

If you need 32s and disk brakes then you should probably be on a mountain bike. 28s and rim brakes work fine. Really. If not you need to work on your bike handling skills..

I'm glad you like your 28s and rim brakes, good for you. Really. I like them on my Kirk, and I like 25s on my Peg, and my bike handing skills are fine. Really. But there are many places where I live where my drop bar 29er with 50mm tires and bisc brakes is simply more fun and easier to deal with. The technology is here, it works, so why be close-minded?

Besides making assumptions about people you don't know, your focused solely on percieved need. As others have pointed out, a hybrid would probably meet this gentlemen's needs, but it sounds like he also has some interest in style/nicer equipment. We don't know who steep, how rutted the roads, wet or dry riding, so why exclude new technology that might aid him and make the ride more enjoyable. Disc brakes on step wet, maybe loose roads, and some Jack Browns or the equivalent, might make the ride more enjoyable for this fella.

The trade-off, unless you are willing to spend $$ is probably weight. Many of the gravel bikes are steel (other than the Warbird and some more obscure ti brands, like Everti). The Calfee tetra or luna with the adventure setup could be a fun choice. Frankly a nice 29er mountain bike with rigid fork might work really well for him too.

[1centaur]

To fill in a couple of gaps, steepness is whatever is around North Conway, NH, and he won't ride in the wet. I have never been there so don't know the condition of the dirt roads.. I am guessing (only guessing) he'll be on tarmac a lot more than dirt, which is why I was not going in the mountain bike direction. By temperament, he is more likely to want to grind up a climb than gear way down and use his aerobic capacity. I went up an 8% 1/3rd mile hill with him and he blew up in 100 yards trying to keep his revs high; when I told him heart and legs were a team and to try mostly legs, he slow cadenced up the rest of the way with a big grin. Yeah, he's got a lot to learn about climbing technique and he'll never ride enough to really do it. If he's turned way off by steep tarmac up there but gets captured by dirt roads then maybe I'll have the mountain bike conversation.

[KidWok]

Both. No special equipment is needed. Just ride what's in front of you.

If you need 32s and disk brakes then you should probably be on a mountain bike. 28s and rim brakes work fine. Really. If not you need to work on your bike handling skills.

That's a pretty contemptuous opinion. The potential buyer likely doesn't have that much bike handling skills because they don't ride often. And they are looking for a completely new machine to suit the environment around the other home. Why shouldn't he get what's good for him instead of what's good for you?

I normally find it pointless to respond to these types of comments (the commenters are never the type to change their opinions anyway), but recognize that this kind of attitude is a huge turn off for less experienced cyclists, which we all were at some point.

Tai

[PJN]

That's a pretty contemptuous opinion. The potential buyer likely doesn't have that much bike handling skills because they don't ride often. And they are looking for a completely new machine to suit the environment around the other home. Why shouldn't he get what's good for him instead of what's good for you?

I normally find it pointless to respond to these types of comments (the commenters are never the type to change their opinions anyway), but recognize that this kind of attitude is a huge turn off for less experienced cyclists, which we all were at some point.

Tai

And we became more experienced by riding- not buying new stuff.

[jblande]

for me read dirt (ie not major gravel or larger rocks) would not really mean larger than 25 mm tires and normal road bike with normal brakes.

[Spoonito]

I finally got my Ibis Hakkalugi built up. I've been riding it more than my road bike lately... Rides nice.

[fourflys]

for someone who will be riding hills, on dirt, and only rides it 15 times a year, this is what I would go for...

Steel Cross bike with a triple or at least a compact double that has a RD that will support a 34 tooth rear... I have a an XT RD on my monster cross and it is awesome...

for the bike I could see something like the Swiss Cross or if the guy wants disc brakes, maybe the new Surly Straggler...

not real sure I'd go for super expensive wheels on something that will be ridden that little... a good set of wheels, sure....

BTW- I've gotta put a plug in for the Black Mountain Cycles MonsterCross here... the ability to put bigger tires on than most cross/dirt road bikes is hard to beat... and it sounds like there might be some trails in this area the guy may eventually want to explore... 45# in a 43mm tire is some nice riding on a trail... plus, pretty sure the Black Mountain is a bit nicer steel than on a Surly (just my opinion)...

good luck!

[WickedWheels]

http://www.ninerbikes.com/RLT9

Should be pretty sweet. I just ordered a couple for the shop.

[Climb01742]

http://www.ninerbikes.com/RLT9

Should be pretty sweet. I just ordered a couple for the shop.

that is cool. even cooler that it can be set up as a SS. could be a perfect winter/rain ride. um.