Help on picking a hybrid for a newbie

cohubs
cohubs Posts: 5
edited May 2012 in Commuting general
Hello all,

Im looking to buy a Hybrid bike for comuting around town with my son on the back in a child seat. Im a total beginner to riding and although i have been looking for a bike for awhile i just dont understand the specs etc and the shop people seem to confuse me more so looking for some impartial advice. Im looking to spend around £300, need a step through cross bar as my son wiggles alot so need to be easy on/off for me. Most of my riding will be on the roads but i want to be able to go on river/canal trails too. My current really cheap bike is impossible to ride with my son as the gears do not seem to help me with the added.... growing weight, i feel i have to pedal consently just to go at a snails pace in quite a high gear on flats!!! Like i said i dont really know anything about bikes but i see people riding with such ease and going at a good pace, im a very active person so fitness isnt the issue i dont think. I look forward to hearing your suggestions.

Thank you for your time.

Comments

  • Initialised
    Initialised Posts: 3,047
    Probably best to pick up a second hand rigid MTB for that money, it'd be better value than anything new.

    Have you thought about a trailer

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    or a tag along.

    wPVS1u7UHhoTFXnY3YJVc7JHJIqtBkaXVPEd5ZzGfz5lDYijZcHK4IKwaD6v0StRl18R6YR5577s2DgnhD6tZAQtpBSQ9Og7AWw_vEaX3pUoTJ8du5kFZU5Pu6La2thLuB7TnzhIV8ss4iZnbRvBjpbyckPxDyAlOMf8X6BEZl4

    I managed a fail bit at Keilder with a five year old on hired a trailerbike I think the wriggling is easier to manage if they are being towed as they are lower to the ground so have less impact on the centre of gravity.

    How old is the kid in question?
    I used to just ride my bike to work but now I find myself going out looking for bigger and bigger hills.
  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    A step through frame hybrid bike with 3x8speed transmission will do the job.You dont really need suspension but it can be hard to find a bike with decent rigid forks.
    You also need a design compatible with the child seat you use. This means a seat-tube that is long and high enough.
    Saracen Urban escape 2 womans seems OK but check that you can attach your seat,
  • cohubs
    cohubs Posts: 5
    Thank you for coming back to me - my son is 15 months. I have looked @ the traliers but we live in london and cars seem to cut far to close for my liking, i feel that with the wide berth of a trailer i would panic too much on every ride. How cool is the tag along though, cant wait till he is old enough to use one. I will have a look at the bike mentioned above and hopefully try it out at the weekend. Perfect weather for a ride :-)

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