Sporty Hybrid - where do I start?

jonny_trousers

Ha! This thread made me laugh: I've been riding into work for just three weeks now on my EBC 'commuter' and already I want to upgrade. It's a perfectly nice bike: light enough, uncomplicated and unattractive to thieves, but I can't help but find myself wanting more. Please be patient with me over the coming weeks while I pick your brains about what is the ultimate commuting machine.

Eau Rouge

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Please be patient with me over the coming weeks while I pick your brains about what is the ultimate commuting machine.

Wrong question.
What is the ultimate bike you need for when you're not commuting, thats the question to ask yourself.

FZ6_Jones

Hi
I realise im one of the many people asking this same question, I want to start riding to work maybee 2/3 times a week to save some dollars and get fitter for my xc riding on weekends on my trek ex8 :-)
Its an 18mile round trip to/from wk, I live in north wales and I like to go for a ride after work for an hour or 3 on the odd sunny weekday or a weekend morning on twisty up/downhill empty country roads with a bit of gravel or loose crap on them and some potholes but not many. and my back isnt in 100% perfect
sooo ive narrowed it down to trek 1.1, specialised alliez, oor do i go trek 7.3 or specialised sirrus?( 500 quid max budget)
its the downhill twists with some loose stuff that puts me off going for a roadie incase i just skid out, and my occaisonaly dodjy back
can you hire road bikes anywhere thats how i worked out if i wanted full suss instead of a hardtail on trails?
sorry for clogging your post
thanks if you help

jimmypippa

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

Ha! This thread made me laugh: I've been riding into work for just three weeks now on my EBC 'commuter' and already I want to upgrade. It's a perfectly nice bike: light enough, uncomplicated and unattractive to thieves, but I can't help but find myself wanting more. Please be patient with me over the coming weeks while I pick your brains about what is the ultimate commuting machine.

This is Roastie's answer:

http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12679399&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=

Roastie wrote:

I've dropped a few hints that a friend and I are starting up a bike business. This is our first prototype; effectively my idea of a dream commuter bike. Crazy day - did some test fitting of parts, then spent some time sorting out the branding. This is so ridiculously exciting!

And the checklist looks pretty much what I would want:

El Gordo wrote:

It sounds great. Titanium frame, disc brakes, eccentric BB, hub gears, rack and guard eyelets and drop bars. If the price is sensible I'd buy one. When do you hope to get production rolling?

I have just bought a tourer, which is pretty good for my commute - got a hybrid at first because of price, and did 6000-miles on it before changing. I was saving for a better bike, and the cheap hybrid did pay for itself in about 4-months of public transport.

PBo

spasypaddy wrote:

Cannondale Synapse Flatbar, which is essentially a roadbike with flat bars. Definitely the best out of the three youve listed.

not familiar with the bike, but I too have a flatbar roadie, which is probably very different to a MTB style frame with commuting tyres. Hybrid covers a wide range of bikes....and mine has disc brakes too

chrishumes

i have exactly the same questions a few month ago, roadies tried their best to push me to a road bike, bit i settled on a ridgeback flight 04. perfect commute bike. its fast, disc brakes, internal hub gearing so low maintenance.

it was between that, a giant rapid, or the boardman hybrid. personaally the boardman looks the best!

jonny_trousers

Thanks Jimmy; that's a very sexy looking bike.

I do think it is only a matter of time now before I upgrade. I would really like drop bars and the Alfine hub seems like a great idea.

I was overtaken by a girl today; a girl! In my defence, she was riding a road bike and she did jump the lights at a major junction on Kennington Road. Obviously she was a lesbian high on illegally sourced testosterone, but still, my pride was damaged to the point where it can only be restored by spending money on a new bike.

Stevo_666

Jonny_Trousers wrote:

I was overtaken by a girl today; a girl! In my defence, she was riding a road bike and she did jump the lights at a major junction on Kennington Road. Obviously she was a lesbian high on illegally sourced testosterone, but still, my pride was damaged to the point where it can only be restored by spending money on a new bike.

That's the best excuse I've heard in a long while for buying another bike...

Splottboy

If someone who likes girls is a Lesbian...

Then I'm a lesbian too !

dg lander

Here are some hybrids suggestions around the £500 mark, you could use the rest of your budget on accessories.

Boardman Hybrid Comp - £499.99
Giant Rapid 3 - £559.99
Specialized Sirrus Sport 2010 - £499.99
Trek 7.3 FX 2010 - £449.99
Scott Sub 30 2010 - £549.99
Cannondale Badboy 2010 - £549.99

W1

These threads are always so amusing to read. I bought a cheap-ish Hybrid for a number of reasons:
I'd had two bikes nicked, there's no such thing as perfect security and I didn't have the space or the budget to keep two bikes
One of my main reasons for cycling to work was to save some cash - that doesn't work for me on a 5/6/700 quid bike
I wanted a bike that could be abused, ridden in the winter, washed once a month, serviced one a year without me feeling too guilty - so decent quality parts are a necessity, but carbon frames etc are over the top for my use/needs
I don't think that there is much difference in speed over a sub 10-mile city centre commute to justify a full on road bike
I wanted to fit a rack and mudguards
I wanted a more up-right riding position with full access to gears and brakes

On that basis a chape-ish hybrid is perfect, I can leave it at the pub, outside the shops, do no maintenance and still scalp plenty of tarts everyday, and all for under £300 (which I've already saved). A road bike is more nickable, costs more to buy, is less sturdy than a more rugged hybrid and is no faster in the real world in my experience. In which case, spending two or three times as much to get one seems pointless, especially if you begin cycling in order to save some pennies.

All in my opinion obviously, and no doubt the roadies will now start jumping up and down about how wrong I am! But a hybrid works for me....

Rykard

I got my Merida sport for £150 instead of £350 or £400 - haven't used it as much as i would like, but with fuel going up it will be out in the next few weeks...

Mastineo

Giant FCR, more of a flat bar roadie than a hybrid.
Done numerous 80+ milers on mine. Longest ride so far is 151 miles @ 15.6mph av. with a rear rack and rack pack fitted. Dont think that I would have been much quicker on a 'proper' road bike.