Looking for a hybrid, for use on mainly road.

mapexmbirch
mapexmbirch Posts: 7
edited May 2013 in Road beginners
Hi, I am looking for a bike between £400 and £600 for commuting on roads and the occasional cycle path. I heard that a hybrid is what I looking for. I want at least 21 gears, mechanical disc brakes (they seem easier to maintain) and something not too heavy. I am 6 ft 3.

I have been looking at these bikes:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/sco ... e-ec042461 and
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/can ... e-ec042937
Thanks

Comments

  • gimpl
    gimpl Posts: 269
    Don't know about disc brakes being easier to maintain - can't really see that myself as normal pads seem pretty simple to me.

    Anyway We're about the same height and if you mainly want a light road biased hybrid (that can handle a cycle path) I thoroughly recommend the following http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/2013.giant.rapid.4/11834/56812/#features

    I have one which is now my wet weather bike in XL and I still really enjoy riding it.

    Always try before you buy though with any bike as you may find you hate it !
  • mapexmbirch
    mapexmbirch Posts: 7
    Thanks
    I mean mechanical disc brakes are easier to maintain than hydraulic. I want disc brakes just simply because they look cool.
  • Ouija
    Ouija Posts: 1,386
    +1 on the Giant. You don't need suspension forks on a hybrid. Just adds kilograms of unneeded weight and slows the bike down.
  • Neil_aky
    Neil_aky Posts: 211
    Not sure why you say a hybrid, if it is for the cycle paths then Decathlon do some good road bikes with flat bars which with 25 - 28mm tyres would be ok for the odd cycle path if they are not too rough e.g. the Fitness 7 has carbon forks and carbon stays is light and would be ideal - no cool looking disc brakes though!

    http://www.decathlon.co.uk/fit-7-road-bike-black-id_8239799.html

    The Sensa Catena is a nice bike for the price with suspension forks (with lockout) and disc brakes but is 4 KG heavier than the Fitness 7.

    http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/bikes/mountain-bikes/sensa-mountain-bikes/sensa-catena-tnt-special-29er-2013.html

    Anyway, the bikes above are just alternative thoughts, the bike that I think meets your criteria is the Ridgeback Dual Track:

    http://www.cycle-heaven.co.uk/bikes/type/hybrids-sporty/ridgeback-dual-track-x2-3-2013/

    It would be ideal with decent tyres and has disc brakes - good review in Cycling Plus recently.

    Hope this helps and maybe gives you food for thought!
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    edited May 2013
    mapexmbirch wrote:
    Hi, I am looking for a bike between £400 and £600 for commuting on roads and the occasional cycle path. I heard that a hybrid is what I looking for. I want at least 21 gears, mechanical disc brakes (they seem easier to maintain) and something not too heavy. I am 6 ft 3.

    I have been looking at these bikes:
    http://www.evanscycles.com/products/sco ... e-ec042461 and

    Thanks

    Both of those bikes are mainly for off road - you don't need one of those or any sort of suspension, even for quite gravelly paths.

    I'd suggest the Trek FX 7.4
    http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec040365
    listed as £600 but my LBS would do that for £540, good for trails and road riding, and you get a carbon fork to soak up some of the road buzz.

    That has 27 gears - but you should know, it's not the number of gears which is the important thing, but the range. You can have 100 gears but if all of them are too high to get up that hill then they won't do you any good. That being said getting a hybrid generally won't leave you with gears which are too high. The 7.4 has 26/32 which is a ratio of 0.81 which will get you up anything!

    You can get disc brakes for £75 on top of that, but, trust me, you don't need them. If you are doing serious off road mountain biking going down a sheer drop and need to brake heavily into the 90 degree corner or fall off a cliff, then ok. But for this bike you don't need them, the linear pull brakes are very powerful and will stop you on a spot. Plus they are way way way easier to maintain than disc brakes, as there's nothing much to maintain :)

    PS. Although I think a hybrid is the right choice for you - I should also mention you can get a proper road bike for £600.
  • avoidingmyphd
    avoidingmyphd Posts: 1,154
    Stop worrying about hydraulic v cable. Especially if it's just to look cool. Cable discs have many virtues but they are not cool. And stop looking at bikes with front suspension. You don't need to carry that around with you.

    I'd get a road bike. But if you insist on a hybrid I'd get this http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... ro-disc-13
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,163
    Any particular reason why you feel you need a hybrid? A road bike or cyclo cross bike would be fine for road and cycle path use (possibly go for something with decent clearance to allow for slightly wider tyres if opting for a road bike). I think a lot of people buy hybrids when starting out but then end up getting a road bike as they get more into riding and want a quicker position. There's nothing wrong with the hybrid option but I just thought I'd mention it as the sort of riding you mention doesn't really need anything more robust that a road bike and considering a road / cx bike opens up more options.
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    Pross wrote:
    Any particular reason why you feel you need a hybrid? A road bike or cyclo cross bike would be fine for road and cycle path use (possibly go for something with decent clearance to allow for slightly wider tyres if opting for a road bike). I think a lot of people buy hybrids when starting out but then end up getting a road bike as they get more into riding and want a quicker position. There's nothing wrong with the hybrid option but I just thought I'd mention it as the sort of riding you mention doesn't really need anything more robust that a road bike and considering a road / cx bike opens up more options.

    Depends on what sort of cycle paths he wants to do I guess. If it's just a bit of compacted gravel he'd be fine with a road bike and 25c (or even 23c) tyres, he'd probably be no faster than a hybrid on that sort of surface but will be a lot faster on the road.
  • mapexmbirch
    mapexmbirch Posts: 7
    Thanks for all the replies.
    I wanted front suspension because the cycle paths around me are quite rough. I won't be going on them that much, but I thought it would be better to have some suspension than not. Is it really that much heavier to have them than not?

    I will have a look at some road bikes you guys suggested.
    Cheers
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    mapexmbirch wrote:
    Thanks for all the replies.
    I wanted front suspension because the cycle paths around me are quite rough. I won't be going on them that much, but I thought it would be better to have some suspension than not. Is it really that much heavier to have them than not?

    Yeah weight does make a difference on the road especially and you said you wanted not too heavy. The link to the hybrid I posted, that is decent with gravelly paths, the type any bike can deal with is down to the tyres first and foremost. With a hybrid you'll still have reasonable speed on the road -- you just won't be able to keep up with someone on a road bike unless you're way fitter than they are.
  • mapexmbirch
    mapexmbirch Posts: 7
    The 7.4 looks nice.
    My LBS does it for £600 and the one with the disks is £75 more like you said. I think I can do without the discs as it goes out of my budget.
    I think I might go for that one, I will pop into the store tomorrow and see what they say. Is a lot of difference between the 7.3 and the 7.4?
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    £75!
    * Carbon instead of aluminum fork - Better 'suspension' - Speedtrap compatible (you can put a speed sensor in the fork)
    * Better shifters
    * Better rear mech

    Worth the extra just for the fork IMO.
  • mapexmbirch
    mapexmbirch Posts: 7
    I'm looking at the 7.2 and it is a whole £200 less! What is the difference? I can see the gears for the 7.4 are 26/32 and the 7.2 are 28/32 so not as low. Which I think I would need as low as possible because I live on a very steep hill. But the frames are the same and there are some differences in the derailleurs etc, but I don't know what the difference is between them.

    My LBS website
    http://cyclecentre.net/complete_bikes/h ... disc/p685/
    and the 7.2
    http://cyclecentre.net/complete_bikes/h ... disc/p584/

    And they don't say carbon forks, just aluminium. Might be a mistake.
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    mapexmbirch wrote:
    I'm looking at the 7.2 and it is a whole £200 less! What is the difference? I can see the gears for the 7.4 are 26/32 and the 7.2 are 28/32 so not as low. Which I think I would need as low as possible because I live on a very steep hill. But the frames are the same and there are some differences in the derailleurs etc, but I don't know what the difference is between them.

    The main difference is the fork is steel instead of carbon or alu, steel forks are almost as good as carbon, but heavier.
    The wheels aren't as good, the saddle isn't as good, the shifting isn't as good, the handlebar isn't as good, but as you point out - a lot cheaper!

    My LBS website
    http://cyclecentre.net/complete_bikes/h ... disc/p685/
    and the 7.2
    http://cyclecentre.net/complete_bikes/h ... disc/p584/

    And they don't say carbon forks, just aluminium. Might be a mistake.

    You don't need disc brakes. I used to have a 7.1FX and the gears are more than low enough for anyone, so don't worry about that.
  • mapexmbirch
    mapexmbirch Posts: 7
    I just copied the disc brake one because the price difference is the same. Don't worry, I am not going to get the disc brakes.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Please do not get suspension :shock:
    It does not matter how rough the cycle paths are, you do not need suspension. Guessing you just like the look of it, but trust me, its a big mistake.
    Suspension is heavy, and cheap suspension is even heavier and pretty ineffective . Its not needed so is just dead weight. I think most cyclists would say it looks silly on that type of bike, rather than good/cool.

    Disc brakes on the other hand are worth having in my opinion.
    I would be straight down to Halfords to get a Boardman hybrid. The comp has £100 off and is £450.

    A CX bike would be good too but a decent one will take you over budget.
  • djm501
    djm501 Posts: 378
    Get a road bike mate. I started off with just the same criteria as you (but with less clue) a year ago and bought a Trek 7.5FX with hydraulic discs brakes.

    Whilst it is a cracking bike - and I LOVE the hydraulic disc brakes (other types of brake are sheet in comparison) - I bought a second - road - bike after six months. So will you if you get into it. My road bike has 23c tyres and can do the same gravelly towpaths and stuff as the Trek and is *much* more fun to ride.

    An yes, let me reiterate - DON'T get a front suspension, waste of money, waste of weight you only need that if you're really doing PROPER off-road mountainbiking - and a hybrid cannot do that anyway. My hybrid makes a half decent roadbike and a terrible mountainbike.
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    djm501 wrote:
    Get a road bike mate. I started off with just the same criteria as you (but with less clue) a year ago and bought a Trek 7.5FX with hydraulic discs brakes.

    Whilst it is a cracking bike - and I LOVE the hydraulic disc brakes (other types of brake are sheet in comparison) - I bought a second - road - bike after six months. So will you if you get into it. My road bike has 23c tyres and can do the same gravelly towpaths and stuff as the Trek and is *much* more fun to ride.

    An yes, let me reiterate - DON'T get a front suspension, waste of money, waste of weight you only need that if you're really doing PROPER off-road mountainbiking - and a hybrid cannot do that anyway. My hybrid makes a half decent roadbike and a terrible mountainbike.

    Have to say I agree with the above. I got a Trek FX 7.1 and while it was a great bike I was looking at road bikes within a couple of months of getting it!

    I've been riding my Trek 2.1 for a few months now, but still wary of gravel paths.. (My FX was written off after being hit by a car which is when I decided to get the road bike with the compensation)
  • Neil_aky
    Neil_aky Posts: 211
    Going back to one of my original recommendations the Decathlon Fit 7 is a road bike but without drop bars.

    Good Spec <10kg and would work much better than drop bars on cycle paths etc (more control).

    This bike would seem to have been designed with your type of use in mind...

    If you fitted to 28mm tyres I think it would be perfect for you.

    http://www.decathlon.co.uk/fit-7-road-bike-black-id_8239799.html
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    .....or save yourself £100 + cost of tyres (£40?) and get the Boardman with the disc brakes that you like :wink:

    You can use the Boardman every day of the week too, not just 3 days per week like the Decathlon one :)
  • Neil_aky
    Neil_aky Posts: 211
    LOL, yes, I love the way Decathlon describe their bikes as suitable for a certain distance / number of rides.

    e.g. for the Triban 3 it states: " Outings on the Triban 3 should be between 30 to 60km"! What is that about...

    But on a serious not, the warranty and Decathlon's generous interpretation of the warranty should not be overlooked.

    Actually, I'd be happy with any of the bikes recommended but would steer clear of suspension forks.

Categories