Hi everyone,
I expect there are a million posts like this but I am really struggling with making a decision on my new bike. More research just makes it harder! Any recommendations or comments from your own experiences would be amazing. Sorry if this is a long and boring post!
Me: I'm a slender 40 year old 172cm/5'7 female. I mostly want a new setup for bikepacking and all day rides. Usually for 2-6 weeks, often wild camping. UK, Spain, California Sierra Cascades planned for September. So usually a mix of tarmac and gravel. I live in a hilly area (Sheffield), go out in the Peak often (road).
Current set up: I currently use a cube Crossrace Pro with 40/36, swapped out to 11-50 with a road link. Shifting is ok, brakes are dire. Generally lost confidence in the bike a bit and time to treat myself!
What I *think* I'm looking for: My budget is about £1500. I've never bought new before and up for new or used. I am up for making mods as I've done with my current bike. Current improvements and considerations:
– I often struggle with saddle pain so need good adjustability
– current shifting needs careful maintenance and is a PTA. I'm open to moving from Shimano
– I want to upgrade to hydraulic brakes, I find stopping on the downhill difficult/impossible
– I used to just have strap on bags, I've got some panniers now but would like the option of both
– low weight is quite important as I'm not a powerful cyclist, but full carbon won't stand up to my clumsiness 😬
– I like drop bars, not a fan of MTB, don't think I need any suspension
– I need to maintain a good granny gear, but not a fan of spinning to death on long downhills.
Current considerations and what I'm struggling with: Generally I'm getting overwhelmed with comparing 1 speed options Vs current 2 speed, weight benefits, comfort, blah blah.
– Cube Nuroad has good and familiar specs and price.
– Sonder Camino looks good, local favourite but weighty and possibly pricey with hydraulics and the setup I'd like. overwhelmed with custom options
– Ribble Allgrit or similar looks nice too but not sure if 40 11/44 is enough
– always wanted a Specialised Diverge but not sure on cons. Setup looks good with 40 11/50. Similar to Cube but ££
HELP. I struggle with decision paralysis at the best of times and this is not the fun experience I dreamed of!
Thanks so much for helping with my suffering!! 🫠
by maralions
1 Comment
If you want to keep it local then you could look into Cotic, they’re based around Sheffield. Maybe a bit over budget but they have some Escapades left and do test rides.
Otherwise you could look into clearance deals, eg this in a 54cm
https://winstanleysbikes.co.uk/bikes/road-bikes/gravel-adventure-bikes/marin-headlands-1-2025-bike
If you’re okay with alloy then you’re right, there are quite literally dozens of good options. I might consider a bike fit to narrow down exactly what you want from the geometry.