which bike is better?

jc0092

Hi guys, I only have £200 budget. commuting 4 miles a day
which is better?

The Halcyon Sonoma - with disc brake
http://www.halcyonbikes.com/bikes/sonoma/sonoma.htm

OR

Carrera Subway Limited Edition Hybrid Bike 2012
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_840919_langId_-1_categoryId_165534

Thanks

tailwindhome

I don't know that I'd spend £200 on a new bike for a 4 mile commute.

I think I'd go second hand and spend less. A quick search on ebay/gumtree will give plenty of options, though avoid old Raleigh racers, the trend for single speed conversions means they are overpriced.

I don't know much about hybrid specs and have never heard of Halcyon, but my gut feeling is that a disc brake on a £200 bike isn't going to be up to much.

I'd go with the Carrera or This from Decathlon

ETA A trip to Decathlon would be a good idea...excellent value to be had

corshamjim

Yes, IME almost anything is fine for a 4 mile commute. The old Raleigh hybrid I bought from my local bicycle recycling workshop for £40 is more than capable.

Of those two though, personally I'd go for the Carrera, as it can be difficult fitting a rear rack to a bike with disk brakes. Those knobbly tyres might be a bit irritating on the road though - I'd probably replace them with a pair of Schwalbe City Jets or similar.

roger_merriman

jc0092 wrote:

Hi guys, I only have £200 budget. commuting 4 miles a day
which is better?

The Halcyon Sonoma - with disc brake
http://www.halcyonbikes.com/bikes/sonoma/sonoma.htm

OR

Carrera Subway Limited Edition Hybrid Bike 2012
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_840919_langId_-1_categoryId_165534

Thanks

I'd be tempted to up the budget up towards £300 since around £200 bikes have no name parts that tend to be made of cheese.
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_810731_langId_-1_categoryId_165534?shouldCachePage=true&msg=

isn't bad really, a 4 mile route shouldn't tax any bike that much. But the £200 bikes tend to be bought and stuck in the shed....

jc0092

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 500wt_1203

Is this old bike worth buying?

EKE_38BPM

jc0092 wrote:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280864046635#ht_500wt_1203

Is this old bike worth buying?

Yes, that is a good bike, but I doubt you'll get it for £200 and there is no way that it is made from carbon fibre.
If you do get it for £200 you can be very happy indeed.

rick_chasey

OP - in future don't cross post!

EKE_38BPM

TailWindHome wrote:

I don't know that I'd spend £200 on a new bike for a 4 mile commute.

I think I'd go second hand and spend less. A quick search on ebay/gumtree will give plenty of options, though avoid old Raleigh racers, the trend for single speed conversions means they are overpriced.

I don't know much about hybrid specs and have never heard of Halcyon, but my gut feeling is that a disc brake on a £200 bike isn't going to be up to much.

I'd go with the Carrera or This from Decathlon

ETA A trip to Decathlon would be a good idea...excellent value to be had

+1 for Decathlon. I would consider this.

greg66_tri_v2.0

EKE_38BPM wrote:

jc0092 wrote:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280864046635#ht_500wt_1203

Is this old bike worth buying?

Yes, that is a good bike, but I doubt you'll get it for £200 and there is no way that it is made from carbon fibre.
If you do get it for £200 you can be very happy indeed.

Apparently carbon tubes bonded to alu lugs. Fork looks metal, not carbon.

Wouldn't touch it, personally.

EKE_38BPM

Greg66 wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

jc0092 wrote:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280864046635#ht_500wt_1203

Is this old bike worth buying?

Yes, that is a good bike, but I doubt you'll get it for £200 and there is no way that it is made from carbon fibre.
If you do get it for £200 you can be very happy indeed.

Apparently carbon tubes bonded to alu lugs. Fork looks metal, not carbon.

Wouldn't touch it, personally.

If it is carbon, as you say, I don't think I would get it either, but you know me and carbon. Especially used carbon.

jc0092

how about this??

Raleigh Urban 1 2010
http://www.discountcyclesdirect.co.uk/p ... s_id=10345

Lightweight aluminium frame with hydro-formed tubeset
Rigid Chro-moly fork
21 speed Shimano gears with EZ-Fire shifters. Shimano 14-28T sprockets and Suntour XCC 28-38-48T chainwheel
Tektro 832 alloy V-brakes
Lightweight aluminium double-wall rims on alloy hubs fitted with city type tyres and puncture resistant band
Alloy adjustable quill type stem with semi-raised bar and Avenir comfort grips
Avenir Sport comfort saddle and micro adjust seat post

jc0092

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

jc0092 wrote:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280864046635#ht_500wt_1203

Is this old bike worth buying?

Yes, that is a good bike, but I doubt you'll get it for £200 and there is no way that it is made from carbon fibre.
If you do get it for £200 you can be very happy indeed.

Apparently carbon tubes bonded to alu lugs. Fork looks metal, not carbon.

Wouldn't touch it, personally.

If it is carbon, as you say, I don't think I would get it either, but you know me and carbon. Especially used carbon.

So you think it is not worth? any potential problems with used carbon?

optimisticbiker

jc0092 wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

jc0092 wrote:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280864046635#ht_500wt_1203

Is this old bike worth buying?

Yes, that is a good bike, but I doubt you'll get it for £200 and there is no way that it is made from carbon fibre.
If you do get it for £200 you can be very happy indeed.

Apparently carbon tubes bonded to alu lugs. Fork looks metal, not carbon.

Wouldn't touch it, personally.

If it is carbon, as you say, I don't think I would get it either, but you know me and carbon. Especially used carbon.

So you think it is not worth? any potential problems with used carbon?

As Greg says its carbon with ali lugs, but old tech, c2007/8 if you look at the Look archives. Ali forks too. Problem with buying old/used carbon is you have no way to tell if there is any crash damage internally, also there were, alledgedly, some UV deterioration issues with early carbon bikes. Could last forever or disintegrate on the first pothole. Also you really need to see and try before you buy, as bike sizing is important (ok, its only 4miles commute now... but you will go further afield, trust me).

optimisticbiker

jc0092 wrote:

how about this??

Raleigh Urban 1 2010
http://www.discountcyclesdirect.co.uk/p ... s_id=10345

Lightweight aluminium frame with hydro-formed tubeset
Rigid Chro-moly fork
21 speed Shimano gears with EZ-Fire shifters. Shimano 14-28T sprockets and Suntour XCC 28-38-48T chainwheel
Tektro 832 alloy V-brakes
Lightweight aluminium double-wall rims on alloy hubs fitted with city type tyres and puncture resistant band
Alloy adjustable quill type stem with semi-raised bar and Avenir comfort grips
Avenir Sport comfort saddle and micro adjust seat post

Its OK, in a basic bike sort of way. Again is commuting all you plan to do? If so you will soon tire of this. Unless you are desperate to spend money so quickly I'd take the time to figure out what you really want, do some test rides at the local bike shop on a range of types so you can get a feel (and ask there if they are likely to get any secondhand bikes in) and then start looking on eBay etc.

As an example only (sizing and location might be wrong for you) look at this Spesh Allez, there are several other examples on eBay of similar...

jc0092

OptimisticBiker wrote:

jc0092 wrote:

how about this??

Raleigh Urban 1 2010
http://www.discountcyclesdirect.co.uk/p ... s_id=10345

Lightweight aluminium frame with hydro-formed tubeset
Rigid Chro-moly fork
21 speed Shimano gears with EZ-Fire shifters. Shimano 14-28T sprockets and Suntour XCC 28-38-48T chainwheel
Tektro 832 alloy V-brakes
Lightweight aluminium double-wall rims on alloy hubs fitted with city type tyres and puncture resistant band
Alloy adjustable quill type stem with semi-raised bar and Avenir comfort grips
Avenir Sport comfort saddle and micro adjust seat post

Its OK, in a basic bike sort of way. Again is commuting all you plan to do? If so you will soon tire of this. Unless you are desperate to spend money so quickly I'd take the time to figure out what you really want, do some test rides at the local bike shop on a range of types so you can get a feel (and ask there if they are likely to get any secondhand bikes in) and then start looking on eBay etc.

As an example only (sizing and location might be wrong for you) look at this Spesh Allez, there are several other examples on eBay of similar...

Now I have started looking at second hand
specialized Allez, Sirrus
Giant SCR
Carrera tdf

Anymore suggestions? THANKS

EKE_38BPM

It's the usual advice really. If you already have a bike, any bike, ride that for a while.

If its OK then you don't need another bike, but if it doesn't feel right for any reason, then at least you now know what you want from your bike (more carrying capacity, more speed, more agility etc) and you can look for a bike which will deliver that.
I doubt many on here will recommend any new bike for £200 as a first choice as, if you know what you want and you're not in a rush, 2nd hand bikes can offer great bargains, but if you are in a rush and/or you must buy new then any of the bikes that we have suggested will do the job fine.

4 miles is easily doable on any well maintained bike.

I don't know your commute, but I hope you don't fall into the trap of thinking more is better. The Decathlon bike I linked to only has 6 gears, but that is probably enough for you. 21 gears just means you'll be carrying lots of gears that you don't use (you'll probably only use the middle 5 gears).

DO NOT BUY A DOUBLE SUSPENSION BIKE!
Cheap suspension is heavy and unnecessary on the road and so rubbish as to be pointless off-road.

For you, for any bike, I would recommend slick tyres if your ride is all on the road (not knobbly as they just slow you down and sap your energy), well maintained (buy a tool kit and learn how to do the basics yourself), a comfortable saddle (if you're a novice cyclist any saddle will feel iffy for a week or two, so commute for a fortnight to see how it goes and then if your bum still hurts come to us for recommendations) and well set up (saddle at the right height, handlebar height/reach correct etc).
No need for Lycra, clipless pedals, wrap around glasses etc at the moment, but as you ride more (and you will), you may want this stuff.

Has no one welcomed you to BikeRadar yet? Whether or not, welcome.

tailwindhome

jc0092 wrote:

Now I have started looking at second hand
specialized Allez, Sirrus
Giant SCR
Carrera tdf

Anymore suggestions? THANKS

Brands to look for Giant, Trek or Specialized.....like buying a Ford, Volkswagen or Vauxhall. Plenty to chose from and you'll not go far wrong.

Keep an open mind. BUT. If it can be bought from a catalogue, a supermarket, Argos, JJB (or similar) or a TRAX/Apollo from Halfords avoid like the plague.

You want something simple for avoid full spension/ disc brakes.

Also avoid anything with down tube shifters (road bike) or once decent brands such as Raleigh, Dawes or Viking.

jc0092

Thanks for the advice, Now I have started looking at second hand
specialized Allez, Sirrus
Giant SCR
Carrera tdf

Anymore ~£200 second hand bike you would recommend?

I used this bike, which was stolen recently. I think it sucks overall, I spent something like £70 repairing
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165534

and why is Down shifter so bad? cheers

tailwindhome

jc0092 wrote:

Thanks for the advice, Now I have started looking at second hand
specialized Allez, Sirrus
Giant SCR
Carrera tdf

Anymore ~£200 second hand bike you would recommend?

I used this bike, which was stolen recently. I think it sucks overall, I spent something like £70 repairing
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165534

and why is Down shifter so bad? cheers

Cause you have to take your hand off the bar to change gear.

If you're looking at a newer bike I would see it as a indicator of cheaper components

(the exception being a bit of expensive retro)

tailwindhome

You could also try the classified section of the forum

EKE_38BPM

TailWindHome wrote:

jc0092 wrote:

Thanks for the advice, Now I have started looking at second hand
specialized Allez, Sirrus
Giant SCR
Carrera tdf

Anymore ~£200 second hand bike you would recommend?

I used this bike, which was stolen recently. I think it sucks overall, I spent something like £70 repairing
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165534

and why is Down shifter so bad? cheers

Cause you have to take your hand off the bar to change gear.

If you're looking at a newer bike I would see it as a indicator of cheaper components

(the exception being a bit of expensive retro)

Are bikes with DWTs still being made?!?

I would guess the OP knows what he(?) wants from a bike and was happy with the type of bike the Apollo was (I'm sorry for your loss), so it hybrid heaven (hell, really).
Did you use all of your gears?
Do you think you'd be OK with thinner tyres? You'd be faster on 23/25/28mm tyres than 38mm tyres.
Do you need panniers?
Was the weight of the bike OK?

I'd definitely be looking at a 2nd hand bike.
Happy with the frame size?

Yukirin

have you looked on your local freecycle? Or asked at the local uni? Uni student go home soon and will not take their bikes with them.
Seriously, nearly anything will do for 4 miles. A couple of bikes were given away from this block of flats last month when a family moved out, one being a decent diamondback hybrid. Save as much of the ££ for a pair of Armadillo tires, spare tubes, pump, waterproof bag, tire levers and what not.

jc0092

EKE_38BPM wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

jc0092 wrote:

Thanks for the advice, Now I have started looking at second hand
specialized Allez, Sirrus
Giant SCR
Carrera tdf

Anymore ~£200 second hand bike you would recommend?

I used this bike, which was stolen recently. I think it sucks overall, I spent something like £70 repairing
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165534

and why is Down shifter so bad? cheers

Cause you have to take your hand off the bar to change gear.

If you're looking at a newer bike I would see it as a indicator of cheaper components

(the exception being a bit of expensive retro)

Are bikes with DWTs still being made?!?

I would guess the OP knows what he(?) wants from a bike and was happy with the type of bike the Apollo was (I'm sorry for your loss), so it hybrid heaven (hell, really).
Did you use all of your gears?
Do you think you'd be OK with thinner tyres? You'd be faster on 23/25/28mm tyres than 38mm tyres.
Do you need panniers?
Was the weight of the bike OK?

I'd definitely be looking at a 2nd hand bike.
Happy with the frame size?

Gears: I never switch the 3-speed gear, and I only use the 3,4,5 speed on the right side.
I am okay with thinner tyres and I don't need panniers.
The apollo was a bit too heavy.
Actually commuting around 5-6 miles a day

EKE_38BPM

jc0092 wrote:

Gears: I never switch the 3-speed gear, and I only use the 3,4,5 speed on the right side.
I am okay with thinner tyres and I don't need panniers.
The apollo was a bit too heavy.
Actually commuting around 5-6 miles a day

The Decathlon I linked to is heavier than your Apollo was, but otherwise it looks like a winner. I would definitely go 2nd hand though. As TWH said, go for one of the big brands and you can't go far wrong.
The Specialized Allez that Optimistic Biker linked to looks good. The bids are coming in fast though (£160 as I write this). If I were you I would bid my maximum and not look at it again until tomorrow when the auction is finished.
If I win then I get it but didn't pay any more than I wanted to, if I lose then I didn't get sucked into a bidding war.

jc0092

EKE_38BPM wrote:

jc0092 wrote:

Gears: I never switch the 3-speed gear, and I only use the 3,4,5 speed on the right side.
I am okay with thinner tyres and I don't need panniers.
The apollo was a bit too heavy.
Actually commuting around 5-6 miles a day

The Decathlon I linked to is heavier than your Apollo was, but otherwise it looks like a winner. I would definitely go 2nd hand though. As TWH said, go for one of the big brands and you can't go far wrong.
The Specialized Allez that Optimistic Biker linked to looks good. The bids are coming in fast though (£160 as I write this). If I were you I would bid my maximum and not look at it again until tomorrow when the auction is finished.
If I win then I get it but didn't pay any more than I wanted to, if I lose then I didn't get sucked into a bidding war.

Thanks. Any other brand and models are £200 second hand? I will keep looking around

EKE_38BPM

Where do you live and how tall are you?

jc0092

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Where do you live and how tall are you?

I live in Scunthorpe, North lincs. 173 cm tall, ~5'8" I think

EKE_38BPM

Old school cool. 10 speed Peugeot racer (with down tube shifters). Looks in very good condition. £150. Collect from Scunthorpe.
Cheap, but not really that cheerful Crappy Raleigh hardtail MTB. The pic was taken in 2008 and I doubt it has been miraculously transformmed into a dream machine in the intervening 5 years. Currently ~£11. Collect from Eastoft.
Womans Raleigh Pioneer. Currently £30. Looks in good nick. Collect from Broughton.
No name MTB. A shed clear out special, so it will need some love. Currently £10. Collect from Gainsborough.

That should be enough to keep you going.

tailwindhome

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Old school cool. 10 speed Peugeot racer (with down tube shifters). Looks in very good condition. £150. Collect from Scunthorpe.

How much something is worth can be very subjective and bottom line it's worth whatever the market says its worth but I think £150 for that bike is bonkers.

jc0092

Cheers. Is that 10 speed Peugeot racer really good? Would there be any problem as it is an old bike.
Is it overpriced?

EKE_38BPM

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Old school cool. 10 speed Peugeot racer (with down tube shifters). Looks in very good condition. £150. Collect from Scunthorpe.

jc0092 wrote:

Cheers. Is that 10 speed Peugeot racer really good? Would there be any problem as it is an old bike.

TailWindHome wrote:

How much something is worth can be very subjective and bottom line it's worth whatever the market says its worth but I think £150 for that bike is bonkers.

There shouldn't be any problems with the bike just because it is old. I kind of like the bikes from the 80s/90s. They seem to be made to last and are repairable rather than thrown away and replaced if something goes wrong. Maybe £150 is a bit steep, but it does look in very good nick.
Perhaps I'm still jealous as my mate Matty had a brand new one when we were kids and I was riding a 2nd hand 5 speed Raleigh!