• ^ basically this. I don't reckon anyone here will have any experience - it's a German 'trekking' bike, perfect for the urban infrastructure in their major cities, cobbled cycle lanes, tow paths etc. all pretty flat and a bit bumpy... not really something you find over here. The UK/US trend seems to be for functional CX/"gravel grinding" bike so you're more likely to find people recommending those.

    My concern would be mainly the brakes (good but non-standard mounts and specific pads, no provision for discs down the line), fork (old tech, heavy, will require more maintenance if regularly going off-road...) and quality of lighting in a non-urban environment.

    The "upgraded rear mech" is an old marketing trick, functionally money spent on the shifter is likely to make difference than the rear mech. IMO budget 10 speed is clunky, less robust and less reliable than even entry level 7/8 speed components (been running low end 8 speed on my road/audax/cross/"functional" bike for a few years now without any issues).

    At the end of the day though, it's your decision and if you think it best fits your requirements go for it :)

  • This, basically.

    That bike is about as German as it gets.
    By German customer standards a bike absolutely has to have:

    • front suspension (by all means necessary. I'm German. As my dad bought a new bike to ride to work with a year ago, I urged him to go for a rigid fork, but the shop just didn't have any.)
    • a completely upright riding position. (Everyone has back problems. So do you)
    • a full set of mudguards and a rear rack
    • a full set of lights and reflectors (as per German law)
    • as many gears as possible (more is better)
    • 40+mm Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres (you don't want a puncture, do you?)
    • an adjustable stem (higher is better)
    • kickstand (how would you even store your bike anywhere without?)

    You then buy this bike, and ride it once every week, not service it for four years and then just buy another. The bike stand at my workplace is a horrorshow.
    Meh. Rant over.

    @bluebikerider Radon is a German brand known for high quality MTBs. That bike is built for the German market, so it is ugly, heavy and has lots of unneeded stuff on it, but it works, it's solid and it (probably) won't fail you. If that's what you want, go for it.

About