First decent entry level Fast Urban / Hybrid

Mikeoupe
Posts: 2
I'm sorry if this question has been asked a thousand times before but due to the numbers (and apparent similarity) of available products searching for my first entry level 'decent' bike is proving to be rather more tricky than expected.
I've been enjoying cycling as an adult on and off for the last decade, mainly road and track, distances between say 5 & 30 miles for fun and fitness, four or five times a week.
The current bike is a front suspension MTB which I've sort of hacked into a road bike with skinny tyres, adjustable stem, flat bars & bar ends. It's fine but the forks are heavy, the gearing is wrong for what I do with it and sometimes it doesn't feel long enough, i.e. my ass is hanging off the back of the seat.
So I'm searching for a new bike. I'm slowly getting my head round the various brands and I've had a few phone conversations (not spectacularly helpful) with a couple of local bike shops.
Brand wise I'm looking at Trek, Kona, Gary Fisher, Claud Butler, the usual suspects I guess. My budget is preferably £300-400 plus a bit if it would make a significant difference.
So for those of you in the know is there a bike / manufacturer that stands out from the crowd at this price point?
At 5'10 am I right to be looking at 19" / 20" frames?
Are disk brakes worth the premium? (I'm unlikely to be riding in the rain often)
Thanks for reading .. and thanks for any replies!!
Mike
I've been enjoying cycling as an adult on and off for the last decade, mainly road and track, distances between say 5 & 30 miles for fun and fitness, four or five times a week.
The current bike is a front suspension MTB which I've sort of hacked into a road bike with skinny tyres, adjustable stem, flat bars & bar ends. It's fine but the forks are heavy, the gearing is wrong for what I do with it and sometimes it doesn't feel long enough, i.e. my ass is hanging off the back of the seat.
So I'm searching for a new bike. I'm slowly getting my head round the various brands and I've had a few phone conversations (not spectacularly helpful) with a couple of local bike shops.
Brand wise I'm looking at Trek, Kona, Gary Fisher, Claud Butler, the usual suspects I guess. My budget is preferably £300-400 plus a bit if it would make a significant difference.
So for those of you in the know is there a bike / manufacturer that stands out from the crowd at this price point?
At 5'10 am I right to be looking at 19" / 20" frames?
Are disk brakes worth the premium? (I'm unlikely to be riding in the rain often)
Thanks for reading .. and thanks for any replies!!
Mike
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Comments
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[Obligatory "Hyrids are rubbish, get a road bike." comment]
Hyrids are rubbish, get a road bike.
[/Obligatory "Hyrids are rubbish, get a road bike." comment]0 -
Seriously though, they are. There's no such thing as a fast hybrid.
You don't need disc brakes, we all manage fine on our road bikes with small tyres, they're more for heavy MTBs and downhills and that.0 -
Am in a similar position, see my posting, but opting to go to full road and would recommend anyone to do similar. Sacking the whole hybrid thing as fed up of being passed all the time.(could just be me tho')
That said I've had a Claude Butler Urban 300 for 2 years and covered about 3K on it with the only issue one broke spoke. Good quality bikes but I'd go for the Levant in this series which effectively is a flat bar roadie around that price or (and I do get mixed up with Giant) I think the Giant FCR which is similar and a great little bike a friend of mine has.
Word of warning for Claude B though, trying to get carbon forks for mine as on the 500 to replace the front suspension and CB do not supply spares any more. They just import whole bikes. Now looking for more helpful LBS to assist in fork and wheel upgrade to make it a winter hack.0 -
I am lucky enough to posses a dedicated MTB and a dedicated road bike. However, I still felt like I needed something in the middle. So I built up an old Trek MTB with rigid forks, close ratio gears, slick (but but not too skinny) tyres etc.
I disagree with people who say hybrids are pointless. I do love my road bike and, on tarmac, it's hard to beat. Likewise, the mountain bike does it's intended job exceptionally well.
Some people just prefer the flat bar position offered by a hybrid. People always come up with all the science that 'proves' drop bars are better but science can't take away a persons right to personal choice.
My personal recommendation for a fast hybrid within your price range would be the Specialized Sirrus:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... e-ec016919
Or if you want something a little faster, then this is pretty much a road bike with flat bars:
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Giant-FCR-4-200 ... _20179.htm
Either of these bikes will blow you away compared to what you're currently riding. Also, if you were to get a dedicated road bike, you'd need to up your budget slightly but you will discover speeds that you never thought possible. I needed to make that point because when I disagree with the 'hybrids are pointless' thing, people always assume that I'm anti-road bikes. I have a Specialized Allez which I love to pieces but it would never have been my choice bike if it was going to be my only bike.0 -
I just swapped my Giant hybrid with bar ends etc that was £400 for a Trek 1.2c. I too was bored of being passed and being left behind on hills by my road bike riding friends. Now it's them who are being left behind
I've kept the hybrid for the tow path riding with the wife.0