Is a hybrid bike for me and if so which one (GT Transeo 2?)

Ollie222

Hi All,

I'm not sure whether I should post in this section or in the Road section but basically I'm looking to buy a new bike as my existing one is pretty worn out and I'm thinking along the lines of a hybrid.

From spring until autumn I do around 20-50 miles a week for a bit of fitness and fun, pretty much always in the dry weather. These miles are mostly done on hilly, often potholed country roads and some unmade paths or canal tracks (80/20% split).

I have a few issues with my wrists and my current bike has poor worn grips and no suspension and the jarring over poor surfaces makes them ache a lot so this is something I'd like to address.

So I think I'm looking for a bike that fits the following criteria.

Fits me well (I'm 6'3" and 180lbs)
Has a wide range of gears from low to high to allow for steep hills and fast flat and downhill sections.
Has front suspension with either remote lockout or a lockout that can be activated easily while riding.
Isn't too heavy.
Gears that change easily and reliably.
Is generally reliable.

Ideally I'd like the above to fit a budget of £300-£400 but from what I've seen I think I may have to spend quite a bit more to fit my needs, £500 - £600. While I'd rather not spend this much I also don't want to spend too little money on something that isn't going to do the job. I'm also happy to look at secondhand providing it's not too worn.

I recently took out a GT Transeo 3 and a GT Transeo 2 and thought they rode quite well , particularly the 2 with the remote lockout suspension but that is £569 so right at the top of my budget.

Another option that looks like it fits most of my criteria but I've not seen is a Dawes Discovery 401.

Any thoughts on the above GT or Dawes?

What other bikes should I be looking at?

Do I need front suspension to alleviate grief with my wrists or would things like comfort grips help?

Any help would be appreciated.

rally200

Your wrist pain may have more to do with bike fit or the shape/height of the bars, than bumps and bangs from the road surface - when you go looking for a new bike take your current one , if you explain what hurts it could help them reccomend something that wont.

alfablue

I get sore wrists on my flat barred mtb, I find the position imposes an unnatural twist of the wrists. I have no problems with drop bars where my hands are in a position that conforms more naturally to the resting position of my hands. If you drop your hands to your sides they will face inwards, drop bars allow you to mimic this and there is no rotation of the wrist. Cyclocross bike?

Ollie222

Thanks for the replies guys.

I wouldn't be surprised if part of the problem with my wrists are the positions of my hands on the bars as after a long ride they ache more and they don't feel totally comfortable the whole time.

I know I have an issue with them and according to the doc and the scans I've had done it's a problem caused by old injuries where I've broken them previously.

I assumed the main problem is from jarring them as I often get similar problems if I do bits of diy. I'm fine for most of it and them I'll jar them doing something and they're often bad for days afterwards.

I've never properly ridden a bike with drop handles but wouldn't be adverse to looking at one. Does anyone have any recommendations for Cyclocross bikes to take a look at?

stevedb55

I'm about to buy a Pinnacle Expede 1.0 cross bike from Evans, I'm buying the 08 model as its down from £1000 to £750 and seems like a good spec, they are also selling an 09 version for £750, don't think they are in the stores yet though. Was very impresses with a couple of (very short) test rides around the car park.

Will give some feedback when I've had it a week or two......

Cheers
Steve

Ollie222

Thanks for the reply Steve.

I don't know a lot about cyclocross bikes but someone has mentioned them to me before however I think they're all above my budget and some of the hills by me are very steep and I think I'd prefer the gears to go a bit lower for when I'm knackered towards the end of a ride and have a huge hill to go up.

robmanic1

Ollie, I'd go for a hard tail MTB, I'm guessing your current steed is knocking on a bit by your description, if so you'll be amazed at the difference a £500 MTB with front suspension.

Go visit some bike shops and get a trial ride if you can, try and stick to the more well known brands (GT Avalanche always gets good reviews).

I can't really see the point of hybrids, it's a bit like a road bike but not as good on the road and a bit like an MTB but you can't ride anything other than a canal path.

Ollie222

Hi Rob,

You're certainly right about my current steed, it really needs to be put out to pasture as everything is just wearing out however it has done me well and it is quite old.

I've not looked at mountain bikes too much as a lot of my use is on road. The gearing tends to be lower on mountain bikes and on my current bike I do end up running out of gears on some flat/downhill sections.

I think I'm unlikely to ever get to the point of doing a lot of off road work.

robmanic1

A nice, light hard tail with semi-slick tyres sounds like the way forward, but as I say, see if you can try a few out, see which feels the best for you, good luck!

marchant

I can recommend my GT Zum; nippy, reliable (so far) and capable of taking me (100Kg, plus whatever's in my bag). Unfortunately I think Halfords have discontinued my model; it has carbon forks.