GT Transeo 5.0, Carrera Subway or Pinnacle Borealis/Stratus

Alexb01
Alexb01 Posts: 15
edited April 2010 in Commuting chat
I'm looking of a Hybrid, do quite a bit of (almost all) road cycling at the moment but plan to do more next year at University. My budget is round about £250.

At the moment two that seem good contenders are the GT Transeo 5.0 2009 (£250 at Evans) or Carrera Subway (1 is £250, 2 is £300 at Halfords). I can get an extra 15% discount at Halfords making the Subway 2 about on budget - so if it's significantly better than the 1 it's still on budget.

After test riding the GT Transeo today I was generally quite happy with it but was wondering whether it would be worth looking for something with slightly lower-profile tyres. What do you think?

Out of these which is a better option or what others should I think about?

Thanks in advance,

Alex

Comments

  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    I'd take a look at the Gryphon:

    http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... 65534#dtab

    Seems better specced, and looks lighter.
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  • Zombie_donkey
    Zombie_donkey Posts: 359
    I just got the Subway 1 and its a nice bike. I'm not happy with the way Halford set it up and I am considering taking it to an independant bike shop for peace of mind.
    Giant Escape M1....
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    Donkey on Roller skates.......OK I'm lying, but I am down to one bike right now and I feel bad about it,
  • cyberknight
    cyberknight Posts: 1,238
    +1 for subway 1

    I use mine for a winter hack and it is still going strong after 2 winters and good 3000 miles.
    FCN 3/5/9
  • TwoWheelDrift
    TwoWheelDrift Posts: 20
    I had a gryphon, it served me well and was pretty light too.
  • Alexb01
    Alexb01 Posts: 15
    I went to Halfords today to have a look at the Subway and was quite impressed. I got the Halfords equivalent of a test ride (a ride around the shop :P).

    However the more I read about it the more I hear about big bits breaking and the terrible service/set up from Halfords.

    I'm really in two minds between the GT Transeo 5.0 or the Subway. While the subway looks good now I fear the components on the GT will age much better. And on top of that I'd feel slightly happier letting Evans set it up than Halfords.

    The GT seemed to have slightly more unnecessary beefy tyres, is it me being fairly naive thinking that I'd notice much difference?

    I did have a look at the Gryphon but decided I didn't want to go with /such/ low profile tyres as I do like going on Towpaths etc and would probably puncture numerous tyres and ruin numerous rims :P
  • dugliss
    dugliss Posts: 235
    Go with the subway 1 and spend a bit extra getting it checked out if you don`t trust Halfords or find a branch with a decent mechanic ( I believe there are some!!)
  • Alexb01
    Alexb01 Posts: 15
    In a fresh load of reductions this end of line Pinnacle Borealis 1.0 2009 bike has been reduced at Evans: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pin ... e-ec018127

    Would this also be a good contender? Would it's pretty slick 700x28 tyres survive canal tow paths or slightly uneven cycle paths?

    And so might this Pinnacle Straus 2.0 be a better compromise:

    http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pin ... e-ec018121?
  • LittleLance
    LittleLance Posts: 89
    +1 for the Subway. Mines done nearly 10,000 (much on rough path) in just over two years commuting and still going strong. Other than consumables I've only had to replace the seatpost and a couple of spokes.
  • Alexb01
    Alexb01 Posts: 15
    any opinions on the pinnacle ones?
  • amnezia
    amnezia Posts: 590
    The Pinnacle bikes are basically Evans own brand bikes. A friend has one and shes pretty happy with it. 28C tyres will be fine on a tow path although the ones it comes with are fairly cheap (as with all new bikes), you may want to upgrade them if you're worried about punctures.

    At least you get to test ride the bikes at Evans, i'd much rather buy something from them than from Halfrauds.
  • jonny_trousers
    jonny_trousers Posts: 3,588
    Have you tried Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative? Lots of choice, decent spec. Better still, you can buy my as new Courier Disc if you like.
  • Alexb01
    Alexb01 Posts: 15
    I'm starting to go off the Subway as I'd rather not have to deal with Halfords and also the 26" tyres seem a bit annoying. I'm also thinking that i'd rather get slightly wider tyres than those slick 28mm on the Borealis as I think the ride would just be more uncomfortable on some dodgy London roads and I wouldn't get too much advantage.

    So on this train of thought it's between the GT Transeo 5.0 and the Pinnacle Stratus 2.0. On paper there doesn't seem too much between them although the stratus seems a bit more upright and has an adjustable stem, slightly slicker tyres and a suspension seat post. Given it's higher RRP I'd be inclined to say that it'd be a better option but that's a bit of a naive approach I guess :P. A further thing I might consider is that the Stratus is only available in small size (I'm a bout 5 Foot 6 without shoes). I did try a small GT Transeo and it seemed alright but people have been telling me I shouldn't get a small hmm... :/. And at the mo there are /some/ medium GTs at Evans. Either way I want to make a decision pretty soon as there's no advantage to sitting around and as they are end of line they might run out.

    I did have a quite look at Edinburgh cycles and couldn't find too much but really would prefer the piece of mind of buying it at a local store.

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