So I’m new to cycling and zwift. I have been looking at different types of bikes and based off the replies from my last post, decided to go for a hybrid bike.
I’ve narrowed it down to 5. Each bike has different cassettes, drive trains etc. Basically stuff that I know nothing about. I’m not really sure which specs are better suited to Zwift, or if going for the more expensive bikes even makes sense.
Is the 3x8 Groupset Bike better than the 2x9 Groupset bikes? It has a larger big gear than the others so I could reach higher speeds? Are the more expensive bikes below just diminishing returns?
I have just joined Zwift. I ended up buying a Smart Bike (Stages SB20), very happy, have the bike set up with a dream drive 25 virtual gears on single drive. Glad I went with the smart bike, low maintenance and virtually no wear on parts. Guess it all boils down to money mate and what your budget is, but very impressed with the Smart bike and the controllable aspect that Zwift has wrt terrain. Hope this helps.
if you’re new to cycling i would avoid the triple (Prowheel,48/38/28t) doesn’t give you much of a bigger range of gears and triples are harder to maintain than double chainrings due to the middle chainring needing to be aligned.
what trainer are you using? make sure it is compatible with 8 speed and if it isn’t then it makes your choice easier.
If you’re using a wheel on trainer (not direct drive) then make sure you have a road tyre on the rear wheel not a knobbly one as that’d be horrible on a trainer.
without knowing the other specs hard to advise, go for the lighter one or the one you like the look of the best, they’re all pretty similar from gearing for the 9 speed ones.
With the 9 speed bikes, you get a choice between a cassette with a wider gearing range than 8 speed (11-36 vs 11-34) OR you can choose a cassette that has less range but smaller jumps between gears. Smaller increments means it’s easier to find a comfortable gear at your desired cadence (assuming the low gear is low enough). Wider range usually means that the lowest gear is lower (36 teeth vs 34) and the highest gear is the same (11 teeth). With the 46/30 gearing in front, I would choose a cassette with less range like 11-28 in order to get smaller incremental gear changes, but that decision depends on how fit you are, whether you enjoy riding long climbs, your preferred pedaling cadence, and where you adjust the Trainer Difficulty setting in the game.
I assume this is a bike to be used outside and then also on zwift and not just for zwift?
if it is to be used outside too then it really is dependant on where you live, how hilly it is, what type of riding you’ll be doing and how far.
if it will be used for commuting you might want something more sturdy/strong and so weight is less important, if it is just for fitness or you live in a hilly place you’ll want to get something a bit lighter. if they’re all hybrids the geometry will likely be pretty similar but if you’re able to go to a store and sit on a few IRL before buying see which you find comfier and fits you best.
if it is just for zwift then all of that is mostly irrelevant really and just get the cheapest one that fits and with a reasonable spread of gears.
The other 5% will just be cycling along greenways for leisure. No outdoor racing and will also be avoiding cycling on roads. I haven’t cycled in so long that I don’t trust myself being around vehicles.
The bigger chainrings might not fit. Don’t assume that there’s enough clearance between the chainring and the chainstay. Similarly, there might not be enough front derailleur adjustment.
i’d leave the gearing as it is for now and see how you get on.
as Colin says, might be worth seeing if a bigger chainring will fit if you did want to change it in the future. it should be okay but depends if the front mech is band on or braze on (don’t worry the bike shop will understand!)
One consideration that is honestly important: when you’re down to a choice between two or three very similar bikes, do you like any of them more than the others? Cooler color, better looking design?
Don’t buy a junk bike instead of a much better one because of looks. But if there are only small differences, don’t feel ashamed to make ‘how much you like looking at it’ a consideration. A bike you really like will be a bike you’ll ride more
Thats a great point, one of them doesn’t look great but seeing as the three I am looking at are pretty similar for most specs, then I might as well pick one that looks decent.
