Hybrid / Flat Bar Road Bikes

MBH
MBH Posts: 3
edited November 2010 in Commuting general
I'm looking out for a bike to use on the daily commute.

I'd been looking at hybrid/flat bar road bikes in the 5-700 bracket and was wondering if any people more in the know than me might be able to recommend any good bikes to check out.

Also, I'd be keen to hear people's thoughts on carbon forks for a road commute, are they really necessary as this seems to bulk the price up a little bit.

Cheers

Comments

  • CarlosDSanchez
    CarlosDSanchez Posts: 455
    My specialized sirrius was £500 2 years ago and has carbon forks and seat stays. Not sure how much the equivalent costs these days though. Comfortable on rough roads, pretty quick and has room for mud guards and a rack so ideal commuter. Carbon fork is lighter and "springy" so it smooths out some of the road vibrations. Steel does the same, but is heavier.
    Dolan Preffisio
    2010 Cube Agree SL
  • mrwibble
    mrwibble Posts: 980
    top end boardman is very good
  • wizzlebanger
    wizzlebanger Posts: 177
    I love my Trek 7.5 FX. The carbon forks on it seem pretty good to me at soaking up 'buzz'.

    Not had any problems in nearly a year of commuting. Light, comfy and reasonably fast. (even with full mudguards)
    FCN : 8

    Fast Hybrid 7.
    Baggies +1
    SPD's -1
    Full mudguards for a dry bottom. + 1
  • Catfish
    Catfish Posts: 141
    mrwibble wrote:
    top end boardman is very good
    It's also £850, but the team hybrid would be in your budget. Again an very good bike.
  • Babber Goo
    Babber Goo Posts: 35
    i have a Giant Rapid 3 flat bar road bike and it's excellent
    2010 Giant Rapid 2
    2010 Kona Jake
    2011 Cube AMS Comp
  • chrishumes
    chrishumes Posts: 227
    the giants look the biz, i went for the ridgeback flight 04, perfect for your needs
  • MBH
    MBH Posts: 3
    I've since tested a couple of bikes and the giant did fit my 6'4 frame pretty nicely but I found the ride incredibly stiff compared to the other "hybrids" I'd tried. I'm not sure if this it's linked to the forks on the Giant being less forgiving than on other bikes (Marin Fairfax for example)

    Does anyone know if the stiffer ride is for extra performance?

    Aside from that a bit of a quandry, do you go for a nice frame fit and stiff ride or a lesser fit and more absorbing ride like the Dawes 501I tried!
  • chrishumes
    chrishumes Posts: 227
    i assume it will be mate, they are advertised as flat bar road bikes sowont be as a typical hybrid. if its got a carbon fork and seatpost on it should be a bit better, but yeah mine is still a hard ride, but fast!

    depends what you want really. how about a cannondale badboy, got fromt sus, which you can lock out i think
  • mudcovered
    mudcovered Posts: 725
    MBH wrote:
    Does anyone know if the stiffer ride is for extra performance?

    Aside from that a bit of a quandry, do you go for a nice frame fit and stiff ride or a lesser fit and more absorbing ride like the Dawes 501I tried!
    The stiffer ride is to make power transfer more efficient for easier speed. Not surprising as the Giant Rapids are road bikes with flat bars rather than an MTB modded for the road like a lot of the hybrids.

    Always get a bike that fits. You will get used to the stiffer ride but a bike that doesn't fit properly will cause you much more discomfort over time. I found my Cross bike (a rigid road bike designed for offroad use) a bit uncomfortable for a couple of weeks when I switched from a Rigid MTB and Full suspension MTB. Now I'm used to it I barely notice the extra bumps when I'm offroad and the extra speed onroad is a big plus.

    Mike
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    'Hybrid' unfourtunately covers everything from a roadised mountain bike to full on road bikes with just flat bars, to the newer disc equipped but stil road framed (like the Boardman's) and its not really sensibly to compare the different horses for different courses.

    My Hybrid (built up from a bare frame) is meant to have 700c wheels, but I'm running it on 26" MTB wheels to get some give out of the tyres (26x1.5 at 80psi) as I commute on very rough country lanes and 700x23 are very uncomfortable!

    Simon
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • tonye_n
    tonye_n Posts: 832
    I use a Ridgeback Flight T3(2008) for my daily commute. The current equivalent would be a Ridgeback Flight 04.
    I also own a specialized carbon "proper" road bike, but I find that the Flight T3 is a road bike in every aspect but with Flat bar.

    http://www.evanscycles.com/products/rid ... mo=Content

    Before opting for the ridgeback I owned a Spesh Sirrus Elite 2008, but I found that the front-end of this bike was too high for me compared to a road bike. After riding my Spesh Roubaix the Sirrus was like riding on stilts! And even the Roubaix is supposed to have a relatively high front end. My upper body was acting as a wind breaker!

    Ridgeback make some fantastic flat and drop bar road bikes, built for the 'british weather'. With mud-guard and pannier fittings. My ridgeback has full tor-tec mudguards with 25mm tires. Long-drop calipers(hated the mini-v brakes on the Sirrus).

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