cant decide on new bike

asffraser

hi there all

im looking to buy a hybrid bike , i have four bikes in mind , these are gt zum2 ,pinnacle mean streak 2, ridgeback storm, giant escape m1 which i like . the thing is these bikes are around the £400 mark, im at the stage where iam getting frustrated to decide which one i want,obviously i want the best spec for what im paying,i would be very gratefull of any suggestions

big al

TheBoyBilly

Firstly Al, why are you drawn to the Giant? Have you tried one are is it just that you like the looks? You can get a bit bogged down in the spec department, most £400 bikes should be pretty decent but the best spec "on paper" might not suit you as an individual. For example you might not like the shifters or the frame size may be more of a compromise. It's always best to test-ride at least a couple but you have done well to draw up a short list, so many folk don't.
Other things to consider are the locality of the bike shop you are going to buy from should there be a problem and whether or not they have a good reputation. Ask around.
Good luck.

asffraser

thanks for the reply theboybilly

the bikes iv looked at all have rapid fire shifters and hydraulic discs which is a must, the pinnacle mean streak and the ridgeback storm are at evans cycles which is only 8 mile away and evans gets a good review.the gt zum 2 09 is at halfords and the giant escape is at edinburgh cycle coop which are all within 10 mile. the pinnacle draws my attention because it only has 9 speed to be honest that is quite sufficient, plus less will go wrong with not having front derailer. i mean im new to the commuting side of things so i want something that will shift, i will be going back to evans cycles next week so i will be having a test ride

thanks for the advice


big al

Eau Rouge

asffraser wrote:

i mean im new to the commuting side of things so i want something that will shift,

The four look to me like more mountain-bikey hybrids rather than the more flat-bar road bike style ones on the market. If it's speed you want, and your commute is on tarmac, the roadie hybrids would seem a better bet. If your commute is through a forest, on the other hand, they would seem ok.

An actual road bike would be better yet of course, but if you really want disc brakes (rapid fire shifters being just flat bar versions of STI/Ergo shifters) you can get those on some cyclocross bikes too. The CX bike would allow more off-roading than an out and out roadie, though thats more due to frame clearances allowing wider tyres than anything else.

monkeysm8

What about a flat barred roadie?? Giant FCR or something?

R_T_A

I agree with Eau - what are you going to be using it for and what surfaces? I've just got an Escape R1 as I travel on mostly rubbish country roads, and I've also got loads of bridleways to explore on the way home.

I also wanted discs (coming from a MTB background), and prefer the slightly more comfortable riding position - although that's all personaly preference

However..roadies are great if you're wanting speed & efficiency on tarmac.

asffraser

well guys


iv had a good think and been to couple of other shops today, and had a total change of heart. iv decided to go for giant terrago only because the route i wwill be taking is a bit of everything, so iv went with the suspention fork the good thing is i can put a pair of slicks on it. and with my kids getting older they will want to go everywhere so rather than the hybrid im afraid its the hardtail for me this bike also has hydraulic disk and 27 speed .
i appreciate all the input guys cheers

big al