which bike to pick??

johnson1985
johnson1985 Posts: 38
edited May 2011 in Commuting general
Hello,

I'm new to buying bikes, hence why I'm looking for help on this website! I want a hybrid bike that I can use for travelling to work and leisure, mainly on road, and sometimes maybe on a country path, but nothing too off-road.

I have found two bikes and I'm struggling to work out which is better:

The first is from Halfords (a big bike retailer), the Carrera Subway Limited Edition Mens Hybrid Bike - 18". It is being sold at £280, reduced from £450.

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



The second is a Ridgeback Rapide Motion. Sold at £270.

http://www.ridgeback.co.uk/bike/motion


The Ridgeback bike I have found at an independent retailer. The guy that works there says that big retailers (Halfords) sometimes say a bike is reduced from a larger price when actually it's not, and so it might not be worth the £450 they say it is.

What I want to know is this - is the Carrera bike actually worth £180 more than the Ridgeback? I notice that it has disk brakes, which i understand are more expensive, but what else makes it so much dearer?

Any help would be much appreciated!

steve

Comments

  • That offer at Halfords is not a real sale price, it is halfords regular pricing scheme, many posts on that in various forums. However the Carrera is a better quality bike.

    1 - The Carrera has a better drivetrain, the derailleurs and crankset on the carerra are better meaning it will shift and last better.

    2 - The Carrera has a cassette hub, this is a far better design than the freewheel that you get on the ridgeback, it not only meant shat the hub is stronger, but the bearings in the hub last longer because they are closer to the end of the axle, it also means that you can have a higher high gear as the carrera's smallest sproket will be 11 tooth or 12 tooth instead of 14 tooth.

    3 - The Carerra has double walled rims instead of single walled rims like the ridgeback probably has which means that buckles in the wheel are generally less likely.

    The reason that the Carrera is far better value for money than the ridgeback is down to Halfords purchasing power because Halfords is the distributor and Retailer meaning their overheads are lower than another shop meaning they can retail a better bike for less.
  • johnson1985
    johnson1985 Posts: 38
    Brilliant! Thanks very much for your help.

    Steve
  • purpledobra
    purpledobra Posts: 16
    Got the Subway a couple of weeks back and, touch wood, is running well. I spent months looking at various bikes in various price ranges, and plumpt for the Carerra. Happy so far with the decision.