Looking for a cheap Hybrid?

neomoppy

I am looking to buy a Hybrid for up to £150 - £200 which I know is on the cheap side, I have been looking at entry level such as Dawes 101 or Claud Butler 100 which both have o.k reviews, and seem to be well built without having any exra's like suspension, but I have seen the following, and can't seem to find any review for it.
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/camino-mens-p152755
It is a Halcyon Camino, which I cannot find any reviews of any where, it says its RRP is £300?
I basically want to avoid the cheap supermarket bikes, but still spend as little as possible.
Is this bike a decent starter bike?

I intend to use it for and hour or two once a week, so not much usage. And intend to cycle on Roads, Paved paths, and well used dirt walkway/path.

If I land a job closer then my current Job (30 miles one way) I will use it for comuting too.
Also I was wanting lugs for attaching Rack at a later date, and perhaps go on a annual 2-3 day mini cycle tour.

Any advice you can offer would be appreciated, and any feedback on the bike I have seen would be appreciatded.

The Rookie

My LBS stocks Halcyon, they look quite nicely made and well specced for the price, they do a hub braked Alfine for about £350 that looks a good buy, looking at the spec that looks like a darn good buy for that price, but you need to factor in the cost of a card if you haven't got one yet.

Otherwise at that price point don't overlook the Carrera Gryphon, the V-spec is £259 http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165534 the disc braked another £40.

Simon

Berk Bonebonce

Hybrids are crap. They are the thing that people who know nothing about bikes buy. 26" is easily the better format for general use/commuting than 700c.

The Rookie

I'll sort of second that as my HYBRID is on 26" so its crap and the better format - makes sense!

I would ignore the berk, the only right bike is the right bike for YOU and for YOUR usage, anything else is only suggestions.

Simon

mrwibble

Berk Bonebonce wrote:

Hybrids are crap. They are the thing that people who know nothing about bikes buy. 26" is easily the better format for general use/commuting than 700c.

I would love to hear some of your other thoughts on cycling Sir.

Marcus_C

A colleague of mine has the claud butler, it's a pretty good bike although fork judder is quite bad, though that halcyon looks good for the money too. Bear in mind a lot of hybrids in that range are very similar, they all use more or less the same geometry/frameset materials and entry level shimano kit. Most of them come with pretty bad tyres too.

seataltea

Berk Bonebonce wrote:

Hybrids are crap. They are the thing that people who know nothing about bikes buy. 26" is easily the better format for general use/commuting than 700c.

Indeed they are, my £179 Argos Muddyfox Milano Hybrid has been really crap for the last 12 months and 5000 miles of its life on the towpaths, hardpack, cobbles and tarmac of Yorkshire.

jeremyrundle

Berk Bonebonce wrote:

Hybrids are crap. They are the thing that people who know nothing about bikes buy. 26" is easily the better format for general use/commuting than 700c.

A hybrid is anything that transform out of something else, for example a car was once petrol or electric a hybrid is a combination of both, and my cheapest hybrid bike is £800, my best is £2k, and I am not a fool and I do know about bikes.

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

Speaking without thinking is like shooting without aiming :!:

tailwindhome

One possibility (and it's a budget stretcher) is to buy a Carrera MTB from Halfords and put a set of slick tyres on it.

The Carrera Vulcan is currently £259 (watch the prices as they go up and down as Halfords have a MFI approach to sales and pricing - I paid £204 for mine)

The Vulcan Disc looks great value at £299

tailwindhome

jeremyrundle wrote:

I am not a fool and I do know about bikes.

jeremyrundle wrote:

my cheapest hybrid bike is £800, my best is £2k

One of these statement is clearly not true

magic johnson

We recently took on the Saracen brand. I have been really impressed with the value and quality.

Check this one out.....well made and a decent, reliable spec.

http://www.saracen.co.uk/bikes/urban/urban-esc-mens

Ade

Greggyr

Dear Neomoppy
I've got a Claud Butler Urban 300 for sale. It's a few years old, done about 2000 miles and is in great condition. It's just been fully serviced, and would be available well inside your budget.
I'm 5ft 11 inches tall and it fits me, but it was my first adult bike and is probably a tad small in hindsight. Let me know if it ticks any boxes for you.
I've got a picture of it on my phone, I'll send it to you if you want.
Regards Greg