Carrera Subway

Chris30381

Hi all,

Firstly sorry if this is in the wrong section as I am still new to this forum thingymagig. I am still on the hunt for a Bike for the Wife for Xmas and after looking at the Rockrider 5.2, although a nice bike the Handle Bars are quite low and I am not sure if this is the right choice. So I am now looking at more upright Hybrids and came across this:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165534

£115 Saving, what are your thoughts? I am not sure if I am a fan of the Non-Mountains from Decathlon...

Any other suggestions for around £200 to £250 would be much appreciated?

Thanks Chris

cooldad

Depends what she wants to ride. Obviously it's not a mountain bike.

But you already have two or three threads on the same subject. Best to keep your questions in one place - you are assuming people will have read and remember your previous threads.

What does she like/want?

Chris30381

Yes I am sorry, its going to be a Xmas Suprise as she wants to start riding next year I thought it would be a nice suprise.

I have no idea what she likes to ride as this will be her first bike since she was a Kid, she will be using the bike purely for leisure with the nippa and family on light trails (paths, woody, gravelly, canals), very little road and no really steep hills etc.

As mentioned I was looking at the Rockrider 5.2 as it good good reviews for the money and I didnt really want to spend much more than £200 really with her being a beginner, but I dont think she will be comfy leaning forward all the time which made me think a Hybrid will be better suited and then I came across the Carrera Subway on Sale at Halfords?

Any advice will be appreciated.

Thanks Chris

jayson

I would buy her an MTB myself, an mtb can be converted to run fast and smooth on the roads with some slick tires but you cant convert a hybrid to a mtb (not well anyways...) if she decides she likes getting dirty( ).

Chris30381

Thanks Jayson to be fair I never knew choosing a Bike for someone else would be so difficult, being a suprise makes it more difficult. But after sitting on the Rockrider I just felt that the Handlebars would be too far forward for her. I dont think she's ever going to be a serious Mountain Biker to be honest but thanks for the heads up. The Subway looks good imo but is Rigid and alot of people have them for commuting and so I wonder if it would do the job on light trails?

The Rookie

The Subway with the right tyres will cope fine with light gravelly trails, or get the Rockrider and fit a shorter stem and riser bars, get one size smaller than you tried to shorten the top tube and push the saddle forward to the limit marks (or any combo of one or more of these) for a more upright stance!

Simon

Chris30381

Thanks for the advice Simon,

I think the Subway maybe the way to go then as it will be just a matter of changing the tyres if anything. Simpler the better for me really as I have no idea about Bikes and changing/fitting parts/components etc. All I want is a good quality bike that isnt gona break the bank for her to open at Xmas, jump on, be happy and not have to worry about it for a few years. I also think she would prefer the look of the Carrera but it seems like a lot of money to me?

Not judging the Rockrider here but on a few other bikes I have looked at the suspension forks I have been told are really poor and many folk say they would prefer good rigid forks to these types if suspension isnt totally necessary. I cant see her riding on rough terrain anyway to be honest but would have preferred a suspension just incase the trails did get a little more bumpy for her.

The other Carrera I was looking at was the Valour as it is Ladies Specific compared to the Rockrider, but the Subway does look even more upright and comfy. I am gonna have another look in Halfords on Friday and then Decathlon again on Sunday. Despite the Halfords Reputation I would prefer to buy from them or Decathlon as the Stores are convenient for me and I don't really want to buy a mail ordered bike incase I have any problems.

Please keep the advice coming..

Cheers Chris

frankspencer1979

The missus has a subway, she loves it. Just for light off road stuff, nowt technical. Halfords are dreadful though. Just awful.

The Rookie

Never buy a Halfords bike at full price, always wait until they are on offer to the real price not the somewhat optimistic RRP then they are good value! Don't get the 2012 limited edition either, its a lower spec than the regular 2011 bike!

Simon

Chris30381

I know I have been looking out for discounts, but again it is a Suprise Xmas Prezzie and I don't mind paying that little bit extra as long as she can open it at Xmas. At present the 2011 Subway is £280 - £20 Saving / The 2012 Ltd Ed Subway is £260 - £115 Saving (apparently yeah right) and the 2011 is better specced as you mentioned Simon.

This brings me to my next question, she wants to take the nippa out on it on occasions. The 2011 on the Website has Disc Brakes, I have read that fitting a child seat to a Bike with Disc Brakes is not recommended and can be difficult. Can anyone fill me in on this please?

Also is the Carrera Valour worth considering, are the forks any good on it (Suntour SF-XCT12-V4) or should I stick with the Subway?

Cheers Chris

hounslow

chris, you can fit child seats to bikes with disc brakes easily. halfords stock hamax models, which mount round the seat tube and 'float' over the rear wheel, otherwise any bike shop (including halfords) can get co-pilot seats which mount onto blackburn racks, who do a disc compatible rack.
blackburn rack: http://www.blackburndesign.com/racks/ex-1-disc-rack.html
copilot seats: http://www.blackburndesign.com/copilot.html
hamax: http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchCmd?catalogId=10151&storeId=10001&categoryId=165476&langId=-1&action=listrefine&constraints=teq||Brand||Hamax||sor||Price||1
the halfords site still shows the previous models of the hamax seats, they are different colours now but the same price.