Which commuter/hybrid/i don't know what!

MrT

New to this end of the forum and need some help. I need a bit of an all rounder which will also take a kids seat when it needs to. off to Pyrenees with family in summer and would have taken road bike but if i get myself one of these on cycle 2 work scheme it means I can stick 15 month old on back and whole family ( 2 other girls on Islas + the money guardian) can go out. But which one....one of the LBS is pushing Marin/Whyte/Trek. Help i'm in a ball of confusion. :?

jeremyrundle

Can't advise without knowing if you have £100 ort £1000, bit like asking what car to buy and not having a budget in mind.

Mine is a Hybrid, and cost £1.2k, built for me by my local bike shop.

http://sirpatrickmooresales.co.uk/Ourpage.aspx

In fact since the pic was taken a couple of weeks back I have just changed the bars to DMR Wingbars and swarm stem for another £100 and changed the off road wormdrive tyres to puncture proof slicks.

fastbatard

Have you considered a cyclocross? Get some of the benefits of a road bike with extra clearances for bigger tyres, mudguards, rack etc. I use a Specialized Tricross Sport for commuting and love it. I will be trying it with a kids trailer and possibly a kids seat when the weather gets a bit better.

MichaelW

The sportier style of hybrid such as Specialized Sirrus or Trek FX is a good all rounder.
The brand is less important, they all have Taiwanese frames with Shimano or Sram components.
As an alternative you could look at cyclo-cross or touring bikes. Anything with a full set of threaded eyelets, plenty of mudguard clearance and lowish gears.

dilemna

Basically you are going to have to test ride a few bikes and see which is the most comfortable and meeting your needs. Trek/Specialised/Kona/Marin/Giant are all much of a muchness at the sub £600 thresh hold. Good luck.

hfidgen

fastbatard wrote:

Have you considered a cyclocross? Get some of the benefits of a road bike with extra clearances for bigger tyres, mudguards, rack etc. I use a Specialized Tricross Sport for commuting and love it. I will be trying it with a kids trailer and possibly a kids seat when the weather gets a bit better.

+1

I've not got your exact requirements (ie no kids) but for general commuting + eyelets for mudguards / touring panniers + road-like handling + solid build I went for a cross bike. They're well built, quick and have those extra features to make them a bit more adaptable.

Recommend the BMC Crossmachines!

The Rookie

If you want a sporty road bike and don't like drop gears then Boardman do some nice flat barred hybrids (with Hydraulic disk brakes to stop you and toddler) not sure if they will have frame mounts for the dickie seat though as with the weight would will certainly need decent mounts.

Carrera Gryphon is a fairly tough flat barred road bike type Hybrid and has full rack mounts, prices start at £300 ish.

Simon

cjcp

If you're going cyclo-cross, get one with disc brakes - more stopping power than God-awful cantis - fairly important with the nipper on the back.

Personally, I'd opt for a hybrid or mtb with disc brakes (like Beginner recommends). I didn't put the bike seat on my crosser, but did attach the tag-a-long, and found the ride more controlled when it was attached to my mtb.

Oh, and I like your sadistic side: forcing the kids to climb the Pyrenees. :twisted:

MrT

thanks for all the advice...budget up to about £800 as this will come down a bit with c2w.
yes cjcp bug un and she's only 9 is determined to get up Plateau Baille..she ran 2 km last year at 8/9%..she's unstoppable at the mo unlike the old man who can't get going!!!

phillipjohnson

I would go for a Cyclocross... best of all worlds for commuting. I've got a 2010 Kona Jake the Snake and would recommend it... you might find a 2010 model for £800 if you look around. I've seen the lower spec Jake 2010 for about £600 in Evans among other places and that is a really good spec at that price.

fastbatard

phillipjohnson wrote:

I would go for a Cyclocross... best of all worlds for commuting. I've got a 2010 Kona Jake the Snake and would recommend it... you might find a 2010 model for £800 if you look around. I've seen the lower spec Jake 2010 for about £600 in Evans among other places and that is a really good spec at that price.

I spotted the 2010 Jake for £530 in JE James, what a bargain!
http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/kona-jak ... 56943.html

g00se

From experience with a child seat on the back, this really upsets centre of gravity. I've got it on a Kona Dew Plus and it works fine but a few issues.

With short wheelbase and high centre of gravity bikes (off-road style frames - like mountain bike geometry hybrids and cyclocross bikes), you can end up with a fair bit of wobble when the little one gets a bit fidgety. Also, a lot of these bikes have short chain stays so where you may get heel-strike issues with panniers, you may have the equivalent of your little one's toes clipping your heels (my little one thinks this is a great game - and sticks her feet out on purpose to help daddy pedal).

So, you may want to look for more touring-like geometry - long wheel base, low bottom bracket etc.

You said that one of the LBSs had Whyte bikes? The Whyte Portabello is in budget, has good reviews, apparently has a long wheelbase and looks v cool. Might be one to try out.

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/urban/product/portobello-11-42608

Berk Bonebonce

I much prefer 26" as opposed to 700c hybrid for utility cycling.

Lower centre of gravity improves balance, and this is important with your kiddie on the back - see previous post.

Better rolling and more comfort with 26".

Rigid 26" ATBs offer more value over 700c hybrids.

Got me a Dawes Saratoga (rigid version) for £300 and something quid a while ago, fitted Schwalbe Big Apple 2.0" and full length SKS p65 mudguards - excellent all round bike.