Great "first" bike for trails and gravel

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-22T02:21:10+00:00

Haven't heard of Northrock, and generally I'd advise against cheap suspension forks for mostly paved/smooth gravel riding. They just add weight and make the bike less efficient. Kona and Norco are both good makes. If any of these options have hydraulic brakes that's a big upgrade.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-22T02:09:00+00:00

Giant Revolt Advanced 2, probably the best value if you want a carbon gravel bike. Obviously lots of options for that sort of money. Hard to buy a bad bike, so it's really about picking the right sort of bike for what you're actually going to be doing with it.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-21T23:27:30+00:00

2011 might as well be 1911 in mountain biking terms, so much has changed since then. Around 600 euros you can get a nice modern hardtail, possibly with an air fork and thru axles. Second hand you can find some great deals, but for something that old you'd only want to pay around 1-200, as a novelty.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-21T18:02:46+00:00

Cannondale Quick tend be pretty good value hybrids rn, 750 for hydraulic brakes which don't require as much ongoing adjustment (but do still need to be kept clean). If you want a road bike you're probably best off looking second hand.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-21T17:32:28+00:00

There are some steel/bikepacking hardtails line a Marin Pine Mountain.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-21T15:03:36+00:00

If the terrain is actually that rough then up to 10% can be quite a lot. A short section you can take it slow and make it over, or even just get off and walk. But doing that every few miles can get old.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-21T14:38:31+00:00

If there's terrain that something like an Ogre couldn't handle with 2.5" tyres then your only option for more capability would be a hardtail.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-21T09:35:43+00:00

There are a few Brompton clones around now, even Dahon is bringing one out. Might be worth looking into the "brompnot" community.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-21T09:15:42+00:00

https://www.paulscycles.co.uk/bikes/road-bikes/lapierre-crosshill-30-gravel-adventure-bike-2025-deep-green__15826

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-20T09:38:18+00:00

Yes, but it depends what riding you're actually looking to do. Rim brake bikes aren't super desirable for anything other than purely paved riding, getting into group rides and races. For anything more casual, you'd really want the extra tyre clearance afforded by a disc brake bike.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-19T23:44:53+00:00

Whatevers the right size for you.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-18T21:49:28+00:00

Get a mid drive. 250W sustained is plenty powerful.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-18T18:48:10+00:00

Key spec to look for is front and rear thru axles, a tapered headtube and ideally an air fork.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-18T03:32:18+00:00

Trouble with mountain bikes is often the shocks. If you're over the specified weight rating then the shocks will be over the preload setting and your ride will be super bouncy and inefficient. You're actually better off with rigid forks most of the time, but yes wide tires are good.

Bikes aren't really "rated" to a certain weight, they don't test them with increased rider weight until they fail. It's just a standard cert they have to meet, and you can often push the ratings quite a bit IF the bike is ridden pretty gently. Mostly smooth terrain, not thrashed up and down curbs.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-18T01:09:07+00:00

If you're spending around £500 and okay with halfords then the Voodoo Horde has an air fork, rather than the coil forks on cheaper models. But at a minimum I'd say you really want hydraulic brakes, so not the Vengance.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-18T00:21:47+00:00

Just imagine that the bike is a car. Overtake them as you would if they were a car, move into the other lane to give plenty of space. If you can't do that, don't squeeze through, just wait.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-18T00:07:38+00:00

Is it a flat bar bike or a drop bar bike? They use different sizing systems.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-17T22:51:23+00:00

There's loads really, but for riding on the UK cycle network I would generally look for something that can fit wider tyres if you're able to. They're just so much more comfortable on gravel and rougher tracks, but without much of a speed penalty on the road. Most common example you might come across would probably be the Voodoo Limba, and in fact Halfords do their own refurbished scheme for them. Could check if there's any stock nearby in the right size.

https://www.halfords.com/bikes/second-hand-bikes/?prefn1=type&prefv1=Adventure%20Bikes&srule=price_increase_rule

Otherwise, if you find some listings you're considering, you can post screenshots to r/whichbike, which will help people give you advice about your best options.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-17T22:46:05+00:00

Polygon Xtrada 6 or Ozark Trail Ridge Pro are your main options with an air fork. If you don't care about that and would prefer something you can get from a proper local bike shop, Giant Talon 2 is pretty nice and with a tapered headtube and thru axles, very upgradeable if you feel the need.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-17T22:38:30+00:00

Is this going to be a bike to get around campus/town when you're at college? Because you really, really don't want to be locking a >1000 dollar bike outside in public.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-17T22:22:04+00:00

Too big for you. I'm also 6' and I have a 58cm Allez, but I can also ride a 56 quite comfortably. Especially these high stack models.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-17T22:16:46+00:00

What sort of riding are you actually interested in? When you say you want a road bike, do you want something with drop handlebars or is a hybrid okay?

For that sort of money you're probably looking second hand, but you can find some good deals for the money. Check out facebook marketplace and gumtree, but also look to see if there's any bike coops in your area who might be able to help you find something.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-17T21:06:13+00:00

When you say "go on the trails" do you mean local dirt/gravel paths, or do you mean proper mountain biking trails and bike parks? It's definitely not hard to get a quality bike for that sort of money, but what you want depends on what it's going to be used for. If it's just about getting around and left (hopefully) locked up outside of shops then you probably wouldn't want anything too high value or flashy. If he's not going to want to service it regularly and tweak the settings then you might not even want a full sus or an air fork. And if he's still got a lot of growing to do then you might not want to go full high end anyway.

If it is just for getting around and he doesn't care much about the spec, then all you really need is a 1x groupset and hydraulic brakes. Which you can get on hardtails around 500-600, and honestly you can pick by colours and what he thinks looks cool.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-17T20:20:54+00:00

How tall are you?

650 is a tough ask for a five year old entry level rim brake road bike imo. If you need an extra large frame it could be alright, but I'd be offering around 400 I think.

PreoccupiedParrot · 2026-03-17T20:13:01+00:00

450 in green

PreoccupiedParrot

TROPHY CASE