Opinions on Pinnacle Borealis & Ridgeback Velocity

phillt

Hello all,

First post here, so be gentle. Have had a read through a fair few threads for beginners and, having given a few bikes a test ride, have ordered two bikes into my local Evans, so wanted to get opinions.

Firstly, my situation: I haven't ridden (rode?) a bike regularly for a fair few years since my brother borrowed mine and left it unchained at The Ace Café, where someone picked it up and walked off. I want to get back into it... my riding will be around the streets of Greater London, mainly on larger roads which have cyclepaths, although I'm not overly bothered about speed. I also intend to cycle along the local canal towpath very often, and may do quite long canalpath trips. Based on this, it seems a hybrid is best for me. I have a budget of £300-£400 plus accessories.

I tried out a couple at Evans, two 'fast hybrid' and two that weren't the fast ones (I forget what they were called). The fast ones (one of which was a Pinnacle Borealis 3.0) felt easier to cycle at first, although on trying a different branch that had the 'slower' Ridgeback Velocity in my size, this felt a lot more comfortable. However, on getting back to the store, I noticed that the seat on the Velocity was a lot lower than it should have been (the earlier bikes had been adjusted to put the saddle level with my hipbone). I'm wondering if the lower seat would have made it seem more comfortable but resulted in difficulties when riding for extended periods? Where should the seat be? How much of my foot should I be able to get on the floor?

So, the two bikes I've ordered to test ride are the Pinnacle Borealis 2.0 in my size, and the Ridgeback Velocity, to have another try with the seat correctly placed.

The reviews and comments I've seen on the Velocity seem very positive, which is good. I can't seem to find much on the Borealis tho. With Pinnacle being exclusive to Evans, I was wondering if they'd speak a little too highly of the brand, but was hoping I might be able to get some genuine opinions here... is Pinnacle, and particularly the Borealis a good bike, suited to the kind of cycling I'd be doing? Is the Velocity better?

Couple of other questions. Cycling around a small residential area, I could feel every bump, speed hump, etc. Is this because it's so long since I've cycled, and am I likely to get used to it? Also, if I try a bike for a couple of weeks and really can't get into it, will shops usually allow you to exchange/upgrade to something better?

Cheers

Phill

phillt

Anyone?

biondino

My best mate has a Pinnacle - it was £850 or so, an aluminium road bike with Veloce. It seems competitive in its range, on the heavy side perhaps, it's hard to tell. But it's absolutely decent, and quite good looking.

I think they're fine, though Evans isn't universally popular so maybe people might have issues with how they're put together, or after-sales service or similar.

alex16zx

I've got a Ridgeback Storm, not sure if this is in the same range as the Velocity, think it would be termed a 'fast hybrid'. I've had it for a year now and am very happy with it, use it on the road for short distances and have been on some longer jaunts along the riverbanks here (Durham) and been very happy with it there as well. It's a pretty comfortable ride with the seatpost at the correct height but not *too* comfortable. I added bar ends which mean I can put my hands in more positions as well which aids comfort.

Citizen Smith

I would also take look at Specialized Sirrus range also....

FyPunK

I have the Ridgy Velocity for just over a year now and cycle 13 miles a day 5 days a week, its has been rock solid, very reliable. I have upgraded it by fitting Shimano A530 pedals and Conti Sports 700x28 tyres which I prefer to the stock Conti Contacts, the other thing which I would recommend is fit bar ends, after a while (few months) my wrists we giving me grief, fitting bar ends has cured this and 50 mile+ rides are no problem now. Well worth a test ride.