Hello, after much deliberation I've come tail tucked and would like some advice on which bike (second hand and in Australia):
– Don't Own a bike; grew up riding in NZ but surfing, skating and skiing took over
– Likely 80% off road, 20% asphalt – single track fortnightly, fire trails and bush weekender trips and if I'm really enjoying it I'll go on longer ones
– Wrist impingement which ultimately will require me to use drop bars or horns on a dual on long rides.
– Leaning towards dual, but open to the discussion of gravel or hardtail
Really appreciate any insight into options or guidance, I'm fairly green and the rabbit hole is deep man and I'm getting a bit overwhelmed which options.
Heres a few secondhand options I've been looking at in my region:
by mynameistoe_
2 Comments
I would probably lean towards the hardtail over a dual suspension as it will be more efficient on longer rides ( you’re not losing pedal efficiency from the rear shock), plus the frame triangle will have more room for bags without the rear shock in there. Gravel bike, maybe, but the hardtail would be more versatile overall.
You can ride any bike anywhere you want. What changes is your level of control and comfort.
If I had your use case I would look for a cheap used midrange hardtail and ride it for a year before deciding whether you wanted more off-road control or more on road comfort.