Help! Any cyclists about?

[Eddielzzard]

Urgh so DH took DD to buy a hybrid bike so she could ride on gravel paths on the common and also on the road. She had her heart set on a certain bike. Salesman said the bike she wanted was a hybrid, and absolutely fine for where she wanted to ride.

She went for a ride last night and said it was really hard to ride on gravel paths. Her bike was slipping all over the place. It's got smooth, quite narrow tyres.

I'm freaking out. Can we return this bike since she's ridden it? Can we change the tyres for nobbly ones? Have we been miss-sold this really expensive bike? I'm pissed off that we've spent all this money and don't have a bike fit for purpose. DD's upset, I'm pissed off and DH is pretending all is fine. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

For a similar price you could get something like this which I think would be more suited to the type of riding your DD wants to do.
www.allterraincycles.co.uk/trek-dual-sport-3-wsd-hybrid-bike-2021?s=googleshoppingppc&gclid=CjwKCAjwgdX4BRB_EiwAg8O8HYgMGZxZ5j43pMAuHAppFE43KpCI2q49xF_VvvFBNHvOPyzpgEURQhoChsAQAvD_BwE

Roller brakes are a type of drum brakes that are common on Dutch bikes. Ok for that kind of riding and easy to maintain, but not terribly efficient, not so easy to modulate and depending on the model, can make it easy to skid the back wheel which doesn't really make them ideal for loose surfaces. Some more expensive types have a torque modulator that help reduce the risk of skidding but basically they aren't really the right tool for the job that the OP wants the bike to do.

OMG I'm WAY out of my depth.

Thanks for the links. I love the cyclist who's wheel gets stuck that would be me!

We live by a common but cycling is restricted to only a couple of paths, otherwise it's all riding on cycle paths or roads. So in reality, unless she seriously gets into off road cycling, I think the gravel bits will be few and far between.

She does athletics and loves running. I don't know if she'd want to get into cycling as a sport, none of her friends do so that seems unlikely to me. The long term view is that she can use the bike to get to friends or even school. She's not got enough road sense for that yet tho.

With DD it's ALL about the style. It's got to be cool in her view and this bike is utterly gorgeous. It suits her goth style and sadly I know that if her bike isn't cool she wouldn't be seen dead on it. So gut feel is that unless she gets into cycling as a sport and gets a bit more fussy about features, she loves this bike.

that bike is cool. I wish my bike would die so I could get one like that.
looks like it's mainly for getting from a to b really with a tiny bit offroad thrown in and for that this bike is ace.

It’s a decent bike brand.....however I’d never pay that much for a bike which weighs 16kg and only has 7 gears! It’s heavy and I can’t imagine would be much fun to ride long distance especially with the lack of a decent gear range! The title says hybrid, the description says city bike and from the weight and gears I’d say it’s more of a city bike. Though I’m sure will be ok for tootling about on cycle paths, etc as long as not too hilly.

If you get new tyres, go for Marathon Plus tyres as they're much more puncture proof

I totally agree that it is all about a bike you love. I have a tennagers Dutch style bike and totally love it. I ride several times a week now finally, mostly because it is step through and easy to get on and off.

It only has 8 gears but so far I am fine with that.

www.bicyclejunction.co.nz/pages/faq-internal-vs-external-gears

It’s not about having 8 gears but the range and there are advantages of these types of gears

No I totally get it’s about the overall range of the gear spectrum but you won’t get the same steps from one end of the spectrum to another. Not really an issue if you’re somewhere fairly flat but could make hills fairly miserable especially with a heavier bike.

If you have the range of gearing going up hill won’t be a problem or any different from a bike with 21 gears and the same range

Riding on loose gravel is never much fun as pp have mentioned. But one thing that hasn’t been mentioned is psi/pressure in the tyres. If they’re rock hard that will certainly make things worse with traction on anything but tarmac.

@ivykaty44

If you have the range of gearing going up hill won’t be a problem or any different from a bike with 21 gears and the same range

I’ve got 9 bikes and cycle a lot....it would be a lot harder. If as you’re going uphill you come down a gear and it’s only a small step down Then you keep your power and momentum going a lot better than if you drop down a gear and it’s a bit change.

Saying that there’s certainly a place for bikes with gears. One of my bikes is a 1960s Raleigh with a 3 internal gear Sturmey Archer hub. Great bike.

I wouldn't waste energy trying to master how to cycle on gravel or chippings, especially not on a thin-tyred bike that's meant for the road.

Cycling on gravel is bloody dangerous even for a seasoned cyclist, it's something I avoid, as it's pointless and not pleasurable to risk falling off, it's far too easy for the bike to slip and destabilise - you need to remember each of those pesky little gravel pieces is it's own individual roller on your tyres, and I absolutely agree upthread, add that to a high PSI pressure, and you have an impossibly dangerous combination to be avoided!

Horses for courses, as they say, those tyres are ideal for the road, but not good 'holding' for off-road cycling.

You mention its only a small section where its worst, personally I'd get off the bike and walk that bit. Get knobbly tyres if its a little bit for other sections.

I have a road bike and I'd never take it on anything remotely gravelly even as experienced as I am I dont want to risk coming off and scratching up my bike

I’ve got 9 bikes and cycle a lot...

you've not got a fixie then? Ive just sold an original Claude Butler from the 1950s which originally only had one gear, very different from the mercian that I have which is a touring bike

There is different trains of thought on this and some like this concept of less gears but a full range and others don't, bit like the disk brakes brigade - some like it and others don't. It will always happen in cycling and I guess other sport. Ultimately though op dd is going to have the easy bottom gear for a steep hill abet with a larger jump down in gearing.

@thatcarolebaskinbitch where does it say that (30 return policy) on their website. I’m having a look but i can only see where it says 90 days if unused, I really want to try out a bike that they sell but I can only try a quick 10 min ride around, I want a proper go on it to try it out!

you've not got a fixie then

God, no. I’m terrified of them with their pedals which don’t stop turning. 😁. I’d be over the handlebars every five mins!