Читать книгу The Lancashire Cycleway. The tour and 17 day rides онлайн

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Gorgeous though the Tour bikes may be, even if money’s no object they aren’t quite perfect for the Lancashire Cycleway. You’re looking for something with a slightly softer and more stable ride, like the bikes now aimed at the sportive market. Sportives are mass-participation events, not races, over a range of distances up to, and occasionally exceeding, 100 miles.

An endurance or sportive road bike is a good choice for riding long distances

A new, but very interesting, niche is the ‘gravel’ bike (terms like ‘adventure bike’ may be used instead). At first glance these closely resemble traditional road bikes, but they probably have disc brakes, have a slightly more resilient ride and are built to take wider tyres. They’re still pretty nippy on the roads but can also handle off-road duties, well beyond mere towpaths and forest tracks.

In any case, budget at least £300 for a worthwhile new bike. If you plan to get serious, be prepared to invest significantly more. Cheaper bikes may look superficially similar but almost certainly won’t last as long (or hold their re-sale value). If your budget is much below £300, you will be better off shopping around for a good second-hand machine.