Best ~£1000 hybrid bike for 30-40 mins commutes in London?

jlaes

Hi,

What bike should I get for commuting in London? Commute will not be more than 30-40 mins one way. Budget limit is £1000. I don't want a pure mountain bike or a racing bike. Mainly use it for commuting in the city. Comfortability and style are key...

Probably a hybrid. Brakes? Hydraulic disc brakes or rim? Carbon or aluminium frame?

I am 36-year old, casual biker, used to exercise in the gym and ran for a few years until injuries moved me to weight training. A bit heavy 85 kg, but losing weight. 177 cm tall.

Would like something that doesn't need a lot of maintenance and is comfortable on city commutes on asphalt, but allows to get some speed on the commute in fair weather.

Couple of options that I am thinking about are:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... e-ec025011

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/can ... e-ec025252


http://www.evanscycles.com/products/why ... e-ec028973

I know I need to go to a store to test drive the cycles, but wanted to get some initial ideas from the experts!

Thanks,

Jami

bails87

Boardman will probably give you the best spec and lowest weight for your £.

Why don't you want a road bike though?

HamishD

bails87 wrote:

Boardman will probably give you the best spec and lowest weight for your £.

Why don't you want a road bike though?

Seconded.

MrChuck

bails87 wrote:

Boardman will probably give you the best spec and lowest weight for your £.

Why don't you want a road bike though?

Assuming it's urban stop start and not the open road I think the the ones the OP's looking at are better options than road bikes.

Obviously if he's thnking about going out at the weekends too that's different, but I don't get the fixation on road bikes for urban riding.

apreading

The Sirrus is a completely different feel and seating position from the Whyte.

Sirrus is very upright and absorbs the bumps much better - so a far more comfortable ride for a leisurely rider. But the ride does feel a bit bland.

Whyte is more involving and dynamic but you feel much more of the road noise on imperfections. It is much more racey feeling and the ride position is more stretched out so you will want to push harder.

Very different bikes and trying these 2 will tell you what style you want.

The Boardman is very similar to the Whyte but you get a similar spec for less money and slightly more comfortable ride. You do have to deal with Halfords though...

GenevaCamper

A bit under your budget but I love my Specialized Sirrus - commuted on it for 3 years, left out in the rain, snow etc and has required very little maintenance. I love my carbon roadie too but in terms of simplicity, reliability and ease of use the Sirrus wins big time. Even did the Time-Megeve sportive on it a few years ago.

Stiff_Orange

Scott Sub 20.

http://www.scott-sports.com/gb_en/produ ... 667/sub_20

Had mine for about 6 years. Apart from lubing the chain, replacing the brake pads and changing the pedals, I not had do anything on mine.
Tarmac, gravel, canal paths, up and down kerbs, mine gets brutaly treated but still keeps on trucking. Go for 700C wheel options though.

handful

I tried a Stirling last week and loved it and it's very much an option still for me, didn'tt feel rough at all on the bumps. The other one I've narrowed my list down to is a bit of a left field choice, a Moda Chord which is also a credible commuter with mudguard/rack compatability. i'm hoping to leave work early enough today to try it later, will update afterwards on my thread but it has great spec for the money, especially the wheels, is marginally ighter than a Stirling and I think it looks great.

http://www.eurobike.uk.com/details.aspx?p=314#techspec

Interestingly, I have spoken with 3 different LBS and all have said that Moda produce excellent VFM bikes and deserve more credit but people tend to get drawn towards the 'big boys' Spesh, Giant etc. Shame although I'll reserve final judgement until later!

EdZed

Nothing wrong with any of the bikes you're looking at but I suggest that cross (CX) bikes are also worth considering e.g. the Boardman CX Team is within your budget http://www.boardmanbikes.com/cx/cx_team.html

I have a Genesis Croix de Fer for commuting and would recommend it, although it's marginally over your budget, I'm sure you could negotiate a discount somewhere to bring it down to your budget. I prefer the drop bars to flat bars as they give more riding positions and are narrower than flat bars. The disc brakes are better than cantilevers in the wet. If you do get a CX bike, you don't need the wider tyres (32/35Cs) they come with for commuting so I suggest switching to 28Cs for a decent speed/comfort compromise.

If low maintenance is a big issue for you, you might want to look at something with an Alfine hub, although keeping normal gears working well doesn't take too much effort + it's a little more effort to fix a puncture on an Alfine geared wheel. Plus get something that'll take proper mudguards i.e. it has mudguard eyelets, to keep you and the bike cleaner/dryer in the wet etc.

Also worth bearing in mind where you will be leaving the bike while you're at work; I wouldn't want to leave a decent bike locked on the street all day.

Test ride as many as you can and decide once you've had a chance to compare them. Only you will know which one you like the most.

mrtuk

jlaes wrote:

Hi,
Couple of options that I am thinking about are:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spe ... e-ec025011

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/can ... e-ec025252

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/why ... e-ec028973

Just over your budget, but might also be worth looking at http://www.evanscycles.com/products/rid ... e-ec025111

quite high spec (ultegra gears; deore hydraulic brakes; alex rims ... etc).

jlaes

Thanks everyone!

I don't want a roadbike, since I've had several and I hate riding them in the cities with cobble stones, curbs etc. Also I like a softer feel and don't ride long distances. I just ride to get somewhere not for exercise.

Good to know about the differences between the Whyte and the Sirrus. I don't mind a more racey position, but noise, shock absorption etc. are better in the comfortable end.

I need to take a look at the Boardmans, test drive the Sirrus and Whyte and pay a visit to Specialized Concept store.

Thanks,

Jami

joelsim

I have the Boardman Hybrid Pro, and wouldn't say it was particularly comfortable.

On good roads, great.

On bumpy roads, it's very harsh at times.

On gravel tracks, it wouldn't be my choice.

Don't get me wrong, as a commuter it is excellent and I love mine, but if you are after comfort then it's not for you, and you should look for something less like a road bike and have some fatter tyres. Mine is very stiff, very responsive, fast but I use my old Trek 7.2fx to potter about with my kids as it's far more forgiving. On the Boardman you will feel every bump and stone through your arms and a*se. It's been designed with speed in mind.

Mind you I do have 100psi Gatorskin hardshells 700x28 on it which doesn't help

apreading

jlaes wrote:

I don't want a roadbike, since I've had several and I hate riding them in the cities with cobble stones, curbs etc. Also I like a softer feel and don't ride long distances.

Then you dont really want many of the Hybrids. Most are road bikes with flat bars. This is the case with the Boardmans and Whytes. The Sirrus is softer (much) so that might work, but based on the quote above I think you may be better off with an MTB and slick tyres or a cyclocross bike with bigger tyres.

You should be able to get a 32c on the Boardman, White or Sirrus but I dont know if you would get mudguards on at the same time.

jlaes

Need to try the Sirrus if it is soft enough. I don't need a cruiser level of softness either, I've had several but those don't feel like cycling anymore and hard to go fast, not enough gears etc.

If it is really light and a bit softer than a road bike I think it could be perfect.

London_Falcon

I bought the Sirrus Sport 2011 model in August for £350. Really enjoying it as its my first non-rubbish bike. Doing a least one bike commute per week (33 mile round trip) and very happy with my choice.

HamishD

jlaes wrote:

Need to try the Sirrus if it is soft enough. I don't need a cruiser level of softness either, I've had several but those don't feel like cycling anymore and hard to go fast, not enough gears etc.

If it is really light and a bit softer than a road bike I think it could be perfect.

It has oft been said about wheels that you can have at most two out of three of the following 1) light b) cheap c) strong. The same applies to bikes as a whole.

I suspect what you really "want" is a top-end XC MTB with slicks. However they are about 4-5k above your budget . . .

To be honest, if you just want to plod along I wouldn't spend anywhere near a grand. Otherwise, get a boardman hybrid if the idea of drop bars really appalls you and MTFU because the ride is just as hard as a proper roadie. Which really isn't that hard.

Any of the big brand hybrids will do you fine but they tend to be overpriced and underspecced.

joelsim

With what you are after I would be tempted to get a Trek 7.6fx and use 700x35 tyres.

bails87

http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtb/ht_teamr.html

£830
Frame Lightweight alloy triple butted, full smooth welding, tapered steerer
Fork Superlight full carbon, tapered steerer
Groupset: Sram X7 2x10 speed
Chainset FSA Comet 2x10 42x27T
Wheelset:
Rims Mavic XM317
Hubs Formula Disc
Spokes Stainless black
Tyres Continental Sport Contact
Weight 23.8lbs

Bi50N

I am, predictably, going to pimp my On-One Pompetamine again as a fantastic do-anything commuter / light tourer

Comfy steel frame, great handling
Disc brakes
8 Speed Alfine (about 7 more gears than you need in London) - virtually zero maintenance, low chain / component wear
Plenty of space for full mudguards / fat tyres if needed
Rack mounts
Drop bars with versa shifters, or you can go flat-bar if prefer
And it's pretty fast too
Oh, and mine glows in the dark. Which is surprisingly useful for London...
And if style is a factor, they look great - classic and individual - see picture in sig

All the variants here:

http://www.on-one.co.uk/c/q/bikes/urban-hybrid-bikes

£800 for the drop-bar 'Versa', £750 for the flat bar, or you can splash out on their fancy 11-speed models...

BigBlackShed

On One Pompetamine

Charge Mixer

Both are steel framed = less harsh ride than aluminium / carbon.

Both can do alfine hubs, disk brakes, mudguards and large 35/38 tyres.

The Charge wins in the style department.

Bi50N

BigBlackShed wrote:

The Charge wins in the style department.

I would call that subjective.

...If it wasn't so obviously wrong of course

All the Charges I've seen just seem a bit plain and graceless, with big fat tubing. Plus they're common as muck in London. So personally, I think the On-One wins that hands down.

Eye of the beholder and all I guess.

BigBlackShed

Bi50N wrote:

BigBlackShed wrote:

The Charge wins in the style department.

I would call that subjective.

...If it wasn't so obviously wrong of course

All the Charges I've seen just seem a bit plain and graceless, with big fat tubing. Plus they're common as muck in London. So personally, I think the On-One wins that hands down.

Eye of the beholder and all I guess.

And my opinion is right, at all times.

Common as muck might be a good thing. If there is more than one in the rack, some scumbag might nick the other one or the rarer On One by the side of it.

True, the Charge is a bit plain, but black is the new black. And always will be.

I've got a snot green Kona, amonst other things, and it stands out like a sore thumb. Way too bling and pimp for London streets.

CrackFox

BigBlackShed wrote:

some scumbag might nick the other one or the rarer On One by the side of it.

Especially if the Pomp's glowing in the dark, like some Scooby Doo phantom just parked it. Zoikes!

BigBlackShed wrote:

True, the Charge is a bit plain, but black is the new black.

Sparkly glitter black though (at least the 2012 11 speed model). Shiny.

Bi50N

Ha, the glow in the dark is actually pretty subtle

I think the On-One is not so much bling, but...

classically understated.





Kinda the opposite of my other bike. Which is an original orange Trek District...

Millnerpa1

I ride a Scott Scale 30 carbon hardtail about 5 miles each way in Leeds.
Mix of back & mainroads. Find the front suspension exellent on uneven surface (backroads of Leeds are almost = offroad) and the carbon frame means it's still light.
But I really like the hydraulic discs; they've saved me more than once when needing to stop quickly and they're a godsend in commuting style riding. Absolutely instant even in the wet. I'm 100 kg bythe way - so an even bigger lad than you!

jonny_trousers

Yep, if it's comfort you are after then steel is your friend.

If you have tried drop bars and do not like them then that's fair enough. If, however, you are just making assumptions that anything with drop bars will be stiff and unforgiving on rougher surfaces - like many of us do when getting into cycle commuting - then you are mistaken.

Never tried one, but have researched similar bikes enough to say the On One Pompetamine with 8 speed Alfine hub and discs might be just what you are after.

redhanded

I recently switched from Spec Sirrus to Pompetamine Versa Alfine 8 for my London commute.

+ points for the Pompetamine are the disc brakes and hub gear... I think the steel frame of the Pompetamine does feel smoother than the Spec Alu/Carbon but then I'd read that about steel bikes beforehand so it may just be the power of suggestion.

- point is that for me personally, I'm still not sold on drop bars for commuting in heavy traffic. I have been really used to flat bar bikes having ridden nothing else for 20 years so I will give things more time. AFAIK the dropbar and flatbar Pompetamine have exactly the same frame so if I am still not convinced I can convert the bike to flatbar and flog the Versa shifters.

fyi for the Pompetamine, a shop called Bicycle Magic off Brick Lane had a number of Planet X and On One bikes on show so you could at least see the bikes and try them for size, but Bicycle Magicseem to have just gone out of business so I don't know anywhere else in the London area with On One bikes on show.

bikeboon

bails87 wrote:

Boardman will probably give you the best spec and lowest weight for your £.

Their carbon forks are not sufficiently rigid.

PS If the question is re: city commuting: Why commuting in the city on a road bike? Low position, worse visibility, wide handlebars for filtering through traffic, 120psi tyres on potholed roads?

janwal

How about something different and ata good discount down to £699
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/nor ... co%20ceres
Made in Canada,steel, mechanical discs,Alfine 8 speed hub but CARBON BELT DRIVE.Quiet,clean and very little maintenance.
Full test here
http://www.ecovelo.info/2011/04/11/road ... rco-ceres/
Belts availlable from USA but all other stuff is Shimano.Didn't ralise they were were so big in other countries especially off road.Lots of youtube stuff about the gates belt drives,which are supposed to be good for 12000 miles as they don't stretch like a chain.
I know Evans have 2, 16" one in the warehouse and 1 ,18" in the Nottinghill store
Taking mine out tomorrow for first ride.Simplicity really appealed to me for something to ride over the winter instead of my road bike.