http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Bike advice... en Wed, 13 May 2026 05:02:34 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16335#post-218593 Tue, 03 May 2016 10:49:11 +0000 cb 218593@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I've combined cycling into lots of hill walking days. Mainly on a very dilapidated 20 year old mountain bike.<br /> That's fine for most Land Rover tracks and plenty of other paths.</p> <p>Once the cycling is getting to hard you're probably better off leaving it and walking. However, in saying that, it's often worthwhile doing a bit of pushing on the way in as it's usually downhill and therefore a freewheel on the way out again.</p> <p>After a day on the hills, whizzing back down to, say, the Linn of Dee at 20 mph past exhausted hill walkers is a good feeling!</p> <p>It's good to get beyond the mind-set of just treating the bike as a way to eat up the miles on the long approaches and seeing the opportunities to open up new routes. Maybe approach a group of hills from 'the back' or up a more interesting ridge etc.</p> <p>Suddenly you can combine hills in ways that you would never have thought of before.</p> <p>Another consideration is having to leave the bike unattended, albeit in a remote location. I usually try and leave it out of site of the path (can be remarkable tricky sometimes) with a lock through the wheel, but you often see a bike lent against a pathside boulder.</p> <p>How is the bike going to be transported? In the boot of a car has many advantages if there is space so perhaps that could have a bit of a bearing on chosen wheel size.</p> <p>I've heard of people swearing by the convenience of a folding Montague MB for that reason. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16335#post-218580 Tue, 03 May 2016 09:40:13 +0000 urchaidh 218580@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I bought a Whyte Caledonian, which they market as an "all terrain" bike, might be worth a look at this or similar.</p> <p>I'd never liked the idea of a hybrid but this seems to get the balance right - though that could just be me getting older. I did put some wider (45mm) knobblies on though. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16335#post-218578 Tue, 03 May 2016 09:27:35 +0000 steveo 218578@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>CDF, cover most bases. Kaffenback might be good too, I think it can take pretty wide tyres. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16335#post-218577 Tue, 03 May 2016 09:22:00 +0000 SRD 218577@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I was trying to sell him on a gravel bike - would suit his hipster style better, I think. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16335#post-218575 Tue, 03 May 2016 09:09:04 +0000 LivM 218575@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I'd suggest that the wheel size and so on is not the most important thing. What matters is does he find it comfortable, easy to ride and can he maintain the odd bits that he needs to (like fixing a puncture or adjusting brakes). Salesman will try to sell the best bike he can but your average user is not going to be squeezing every last drop out of the bike. 29er wheels can be good if you are rolling on rough terrain, smaller wheels better if you want a smaller turning circle. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16335#post-218574 Tue, 03 May 2016 09:04:32 +0000 fimm 218574@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>Far back enough to involve steel rims?</em><br /> @wingpig probably! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16335#post-218573 Tue, 03 May 2016 09:03:27 +0000 chdot 218573@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Just a reminder that 29er is 700c - like a racer/tourer with fatter tyres (frame with suitable clearance).</p> <p>Regarded by some as 'marketing', though larger wheels have some advantages. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16335#post-218572 Tue, 03 May 2016 09:01:40 +0000 wingpig 218572@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><blockquote><em>"one or two hairy moments"</em></blockquote></p> <p>Far back enough to involve steel rims? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16335#post-218571 Tue, 03 May 2016 08:57:15 +0000 fimm 218571@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>What little mountain biking I've done to reduce Munro walk-ins has been on various 26" wheeled machines (including my £200 bottom-of-the-range job from Alpine Bikes). Assuming Land Rover tracks and from what Boyfriend of Fimm has said, yes a 29er is probably the right option.</p> <p>There's a gentleman in the mountaineering club who must be approaching 70 who has tales of using bikes to access hills when a bike was a bike was a bike - I get the impression there were one or two hairy moments! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16335#post-218532 Mon, 02 May 2016 17:10:33 +0000 Cyclingmollie 218532@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I have used a mountain bike to get through Rothiemurchus before walking to the Chalamain Gap. The resulting mechanical problems led my LBS person to suggest I spend more than £200 if I wanted a bike that would survive in an actual mountain setting.<br /> For Munro bagging it would be the ideal way to shorten Glen Tilt, the long walk in to Ben Alder etc. But you could use a road bike to access hill walks as an alternative to driving rather than walking. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16335#post-218526 Mon, 02 May 2016 15:37:23 +0000 ih 218526@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>" Never ridden a 29er, but would the slightly larger wheels be a hindrance given his specific Munro based requirements??"</p> <p>Depends how it is intended to be used. If, to ride along long, rough, but otherwise well constructed tracks, I'd have thought a 29er would be great, although I too haven't ridden one, but plan to get something like it for the same reason. If, to actually take it onto the hills themselves, please try not to! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16335#post-218523 Mon, 02 May 2016 15:19:16 +0000 Nelly 218523@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Never ridden a 29er, but would the slightly larger wheels be a hindrance given his specific Munro based requirements??</p> <p>That may be a nonsense supposition of course.......... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16335#post-218518 Mon, 02 May 2016 14:44:24 +0000 SRD 218518@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Colleague of mine looking at mountain bikes - wants a bike mainly to access otherwise inaccessible Munros. </p> <p>Has been to EBC in Cannonmills and looking at a 29er from Whyte. </p> <p>What do people recommend? </p>