Which flatbar/hybrid ?

slimandy

I used to ride alot on my younger days. Now I need to start again to lose weight. I would like a good quality road racer but I no longer like drop handlebars, nor will I ever race.
I don't know much about modern equipment or maunfacturers. Any views on Trek, Ridgeback (Genesis) or Condor?
I like the look of Condor Bivio, Genesis Day 03, Trek 7.6, Scott S30.
Are they all much the same? Is one frame better than another?
My use will be leisure only and road only.

Downwardi

I am going for the Giant M Zero cause it comes with the 26" wheels and I felt most comfortable with it from a life of having MTB's.

Plus like you it's gonna be used for On and Off Road so it seemed like the best all rounder.

hucking_fell

I'm thinking of getting a Boardman performance Hybrid Team for £550. It's got juicy 3 hydraulic brakes, flat bars and other roadie type stuff that's alien to me as I'm an mtb'er. It got 8 out of 10 in a road bike magazine. I'll use it mostly for commuting/scalping but it can also take racks back and front which means I can go places on it and camp. Is this called touring? You can only get it at Halford's though .

Ngalbrai

slimandy wrote:

I used to ride alot on my younger days. Now I need to start again to lose weight. I would like a good quality road racer but I no longer like drop handlebars, nor will I ever race.
I don't know much about modern equipment or maunfacturers. Any views on Trek, Ridgeback (Genesis) or Condor?
I like the look of Condor Bivio, Genesis Day 03, Trek 7.6, Scott S30.
Are they all much the same? Is one frame better than another?
My use will be leisure only and road only.

I had the trek 7.1 for 3 years, clearly significantly lower spec than the 7.6 but good bike, wore it out. Now have a specialized sirrus elite, which i would highly recommend, however don't like the frame styling of the newer models, rides well with heavy panniers too. Test rode the genesis a while back too, loved the look of it but found that caliper as opposed to vee brakes didnt inspire confidence and the handling was more twitchy, also advised it wouldnt handle well with panniers. Dont think you could go far wrong with trek though I have always thought that even the top end 7 series dont look as good as the componentry etc should suggest, just a taste thing. I think the Scott will be heavier than the genesis?

If you want speed and lightness then genesis probably the way forwards.

slimandy

Thanks for the replies so far. I can get last years Genesis 03 for £699 which looks a good deal. The newer one does look a bit nicer but would cost £1000.
The Scott bike I mentioned is a proper road racing bike that has a flat bar instead of drops. I won't use it off road but I would like a comfortable bike.
In terms of brakes I'm not sure I like hyraulics. I'm a good mechanic when it comes to old-fashioned gear but I wouldn't know how to service hyraulic brakes. I'm a fair-weather cyclist anyway so stopping in the rain is not likely to be a major concern.

meanwhile

Based on what you say, look for a reasonable 700C wheel bike with v-brakes or mechanical discs. Make sure that it can take at least 32mm tyres - modern high performance ones like Conti Sports Contacts have hardly any more rolling resistance than ultra narrow racing tyres, but if you weigh a little more you'll really feel the difference in ride quality. If you're not living somewhere very hilly then an Edinburgh Bike Co-op Revolution Courier Race would do the job nicely for you for about £300 (the design is 8 speed, probably as a condition for EBC being allowed to re-brand the frame and sell the bike so cheaply.) If you want to spend more money, you can definitely get a lighter bike... but really, if you're not racing, why bother spending a hundred pounds of cash for each pound of weight you save? The Couriers have excellent handling and are a fun to ride and the price is great.

However, if you want to spend a little, then take a look at the Planet X Kaffenbach or Cotic Roadrat. Either can be built up to your personal spec, and you don't really pay a premium for the privilege - certainly not compared to the Condor. They're both cromo too, which I find at least emotionally appealing, and have great reps for handling and toughness.