1st proper bike for leisure use

Daneel

Hi,

I'm just getting into to cycling after a long brake (last time I did much I was 16, I'm now 31!), and I'm looking for a hybrid (I think!). There doesn't seem to be a forum for hybrids, and most of my riding will be on roads, so I thought I'd try this forum (please point me in the right direction if I got things wrong).

I'm 5'6", 29" inside leg, and so thought about a 17" frame would be right for me. When I went into Evans Cycles today however, I ended up on a Trek 7.1 FX 15" frame. I took it out for a ride, and it seemed pretty good. The price is £300. Although the bike seemed felt good, I have nothing to compare it to, so I thought I'd find a friendly forum to ask on before parting with my cash.

I'll mostly be using the bike at the weekends, for leisure. If I do go off road, it won't be anything demanding. I expect I'll want to add mudguards, get a lock and helmet of course. Not sure what else I might need, but I want to bear these things in mind when working out the total cost.

Any suggestions on other bikes I should look at, or should I just go with the Trek FX?

night_porter

If the Trek felt good and the price is what you are happy to pay then go for it!

Trek, Giant or Specialized are all good name brands and will have similarly priced bikes but you could spend ages riding them and comparing them and get more confused.

If you get on with this bike you will probably need to move onto a higher specced bike and the Trek should be easy enough to sell on or cheap enough to keep as a run around.

Get the bike and learn how much fun it is to ride again and come back and ask when you need something more expensive to bleed your bank account dry like the rest of us.

garrynolan

Have you looked at Boardman Hybrids? Good bikes and great spec for the money. I had a Team (small) - I'm 5'4" and had plenty of leeway so sizewise it should be a perfect fit. The Comp version would be a good starter bike. Be aware that only Halfords sell them and their service can be patchy to say the least. If you go down this road, a local LBS would probably be better for any work that may need doing during ownership. Do you have Cycle-to-work at your employer? A lot of them use Halfords. Good luck.

Daneel

Thanks for the replies guys.

The boardman hybrids seem to start around £500 which seems a bit high given the use I intend for the bike.

I've noticed that I can pick up with FX 7.2 for the same price as the FX 7.1. I'm a bit concerned about the change of saddle and post though, the former looking less comfortable and the latter lacking any suspension. I find it strange that manufacturers seem to remove features as you move up the model range, I guess it could be due to weight?

night_porter

The suspension seatpost is just a gimic really I doubt it would add or detract much from the comfort once you are back into riding and your seat has become accustomed to the saddle.

Proper mountain bike suspension is for serious offroading but it is technically very different from a suspension seatpost and you would be amazed at how many people prefer "hardtails" (bikes with no rear suspension) because of the weight penalty.

Road bikes do not come with suspension as it really is not needed.

As for the "upgrade" the 7.1 has 21 gears and the 7.2 has 24 so it is probably worth going for the 7.2.