Which hybrid?

andtmas

Hi,

I'm seeking advice on which bike to purchase for commuting to work (only about 5 miles each way) and for leisure use. I’ll use the bike on tarmac roads and gravel & mud paths (on common, canal tow paths, etc.) so have therefore decided that a hybrid bike is the best option.

My maximum budget is £300 and as I will buy using the cycle to work scheme will need to get the bike from Halfords or Evans Cycles.

I prefer a more upright riding position and have shortlisted the following bikes with alloy rather than steel frames. Some have front suspension – it seems that the benefit of this is questionable?
I would be grateful for opinions on these and any other suggestions.

1. From Halfords
a. Carrera Crossfire 1 Hybrid 2011/2012 @ £249.99 http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165534
b. Carrera Crossfire 2 Hybrid 2011/2012 @ £299.99 (reduced from £449.99) http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165534
c. Carrera Subway Hybrid 2011/2012 @ £279.99 (reduced from £399.99) http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165534

2. From Evans
a. Dawes Discovery Trail 2013 Hybrid @ £199.99 http://www.evanscycles.com/products/daw ... e-ec050666
b. Mongoose Crossway 150 2012 @ £229.99 (reduced from £299.99) http://www.evanscycles.com/products/mon ... e-ec030515
c. Dawes Discovery 101 2013 Hybrid @ £259.99 http://www.evanscycles.com/products/daw ... e-ec050859
d. Claud Butler Urban 100 2013 Hybrid @ £269.99 http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cla ... e-ec048988
e. Ridgeback Motion 2013 @ £269.99 http://www.evanscycles.com/products/rid ... e-ec043394
f. Dawes Discovery Sport 1 2013 Hybrid @ £279.99 http://www.evanscycles.com/products/daw ... e-ec050657
g. Norco VFR 4 2013 @ £290 (reduced from £320) from Evans http://www.evanscycles.com/products/nor ... e-ec041286
h. Claud Butler Urban 200 2013 Hybrid @ £299.99 http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cla ... e-ec048990

Thank you

Ouija

Owned loads of Hybrids (got four at the moment). The first rule is.... LOSE THE SUSPENSION FORKS. Seriously. You don't need them as much as you think you do (even off road). The ones that come with entry level hybrids are seriously heavy, do practically nothing off road, increase the price of the bike or force the maker to cheap out on all the other components to include it and tend not to be all that configurable compared to a decent mountain bike fork (which hybrid bike suspension forks are not). Fatter tyres will do a better job of suspension off road than those forks (it's arguably the big, low pressure tyres on mountain bikes that smooth out the ride off road, with the forks only really kicking in on the larger stuff you wouldn't even be riding through on a hybrid).

Do go with Disk brakes if you can get a model with one. Hydraulics are preferable, but some mechanical disk brakes are ok if you know how to set them up (Avid BB7's are probably the best).

The Carrera Subway seems like the best bet of those lot. The larger tyres make it better for off road stuff but fitting a set of skinny road slicks can be done for less than £20. A modern headset (all the others you've posted seem to be quill types) gives more options for fitting different stems (if you want the bars higher, for instance) and the ability to add suspension forks later, if you really get into the off road bug. Also got relatively good entry level 24 speed gearings (the rest all seem to be ancient 18 speed or less systems) and, of course, disk brakes.

My runner up in that lot would be the Norco VFR 4. Double butted 7005 frame (light), Aheadset (modernish), 21 gears (3x7) with bigger 700c road wheels and tyres (compared to the Subways smaller 26" wheels and fatter tyres).

andtmas

Thanks for that Ouija - the Subway then is top of the list, followed by the Norco with all bikes with suspension removed!

My concern with the Subway was that after sitting on one I would have preferred the handlebars a bit higher - so as its got a 'semi integrated' headset I could change the stem for a longer one? The Subway has Tektro mechanical disc brakes - none on the list have hydraulic discs - presumably this would be on much more expensive bikes.

Revised list then is
1. From Halfords
a. Carrera Subway Hybrid 2011/2012 @ £279.99 (reduced from £399.99) http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165534

2. From Evans
a. Norco VFR 4 2013 @ £290 (reduced from £320) from Evans http://www.evanscycles.com/products/nor ... e-ec041286
b. Dawes Discovery Trail 2013 Hybrid @ £199.99 http://www.evanscycles.com/products/daw ... e-ec050666
c. Dawes Discovery 101 2013 Hybrid @ £259.99 http://www.evanscycles.com/products/daw ... e-ec050859
d. Claud Butler Urban 100 2013 Hybrid @ £269.99 http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cla ... e-ec048988
h. Claud Butler Urban 200 2013 Hybrid @ £299.99 http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cla ... e-ec048990

Ouija

andtmas wrote:

I would have preferred the handlebars a bit higher

The Subway and Norco have a modern Aheadset on them. That means replacing the stem with a high rise stem or adjustable one is as simple as taking the top cap and old stem off with an allen key and plonking a new one on (takes less than five minutes). Only technical part is to remember to tighten up the top cap enough to stop the forks rocking back and forth when you have the front brake on (but not so tight that you crush the bearings and can't turn the forks) and then clamp the stem to the steerer with the two allen screws on the stems side (in that order, never clamp the stem to the steerer BEFORE tightening up the top cap).

Avoid the Dawes Discoveries (had a top of the range Discovery 4.01 disk... was an absolute brick).

andtmas

Thanks Ouija - you've been really helpful - I'll have a try on both the Carrera Subway and the Norco at the weekend.
Changing the stem seems a very simple job.
I assume the stated 'Tyre size' of 1.95" is the width of the standard tyre on the Subway and the 32c is the width of the standard tyre on the Norco (i.e. 1.25"). What tyres (make and size) would you suggest for the Subway for riding on tarmac and compacted gravel / stone surfaces that would fit the existing rims?

Ouija

andtmas wrote:

Changing the stem seems a very simple job.

It is. Actually had this conversation with a guy who works in the local coffee shop in Dalby forest today (i gave him a riser and a adjustable stem to play with because his handle bars were too low on a hybrid bike i built for him after he'd raised the seat to accommodate his 6 foot 3 height).



(he raised the seat up another four inches or so until the handle bars were now considerably lower in comparison)

We agreed that it's always better to buy a bike on how well it's specified as seat height and handle bar height can always be adjusted to suit the rider, weather you want a head down, arse up stance or vice versa.

As for tyres, it depends how much money and extras you want. For cheap, you can pick up a set of 26x1.00" tyres with tubes for £15 + £5 p&p, or without for £9 + £5 p&p. Or, if you prefer something chunkier, then a set of 26X1.5" tyres for £22 and free delivery or even the ubiquitous Schwalbe City Jets

Those are all basic tyres. You can start to spend silly money on slicks if you want extra puncture protection without added weight (the weight at the rim of the bike has a significant effect on how fast and agile the bike feels and a lot of tyres with puncture protection strips can be quite heavy... try and keep the weight below the 500g range for a fast rolling feel). Look out for tyres with names Like Schwalbe Durano and Durano Plus (more puncture protection) as well as Continental Gatorskins or Sport Contacts. Schwalbe Kojaks can be quite fast too, though not as puncture resistant as others.

andtmas

Thanks again Ouija - so you can fit 1" wide tyres to rims that were originally fitted with 1.95" tyres?

Ouija

Yes. But i always feel that 1.35" or 1.5" look better as too skinny a tyre can just look wrong on a mountain bike rim. And if the rim width of the wheel is more than 22mm wide i'd probably avoid a 1.00" tyre altogether as you don't really get a circular shape to the tyre once inflated (the tyre can be a little hard to get on too).

1.35 Kojaks on a 22mm rims




Continental Sport Contact 1.3" (32mm) on 22mm rims


Continental Sport Contact 1.5" on 22mm rims





Schwalbe Durano Plus 1.35" (35mm) on 22mm rims

andtmas

Ouija wrote:

Yes. But i always feel that 1.35" or 1.5" look better as too skinny a tyre can just look wrong on a mountain bike rim.

I would agree with that - I won't go below 1.35"

Thanks for all your help - now to check out the Subway & Norco!

chinc

Hi

As I'm a newbie I wasn't sure if to post a new thread or not. Hope you don't mind me posting on this thread, but I am in the same predicament. I too am looking to buy my 1st ever hybrid bike in the hope I can re-ignite my love of cycling after many years of couch surfing!

I've decided to splash out (in my terms) on something fairly decent as I've only ever bought cheap £50 second hand bikes in the past. I made this decision whilst visiting my local halfords and clapped eyes on the following:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_875971_langId_-1_categoryId_165534
Priced at £429 less 10% atm so £386.10

So once I got over my infatuation and excitement over this bike, I thought I'd better shop around to see what is on offer. I've come across the following so far:

Bike Shed Wales: http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/town/recreation/fx/7_2_fx/#
Priced at £425

Evans Cycles:http://www.norco.com/bikes/urban/urban-performance/vfr/vfr-2/
Priced at £340 (reduced from £380)

I love the Boardman, how it looks, the build quality, looks really good (sporty), however, I am unsure about buying from halfords as I fear the quality and level of aftercare service might not be on par with local independent or specialist shops. The Norco looks and feels really good, offers a saving and I'm impressed with Evans Cycles as a company. I can't comment on the Trek yet as I have only had a glace at it and plan to do a full test of all 3 bikes this weekend.

I would be really interested to hear what any of you have to say about these bikes as I am not familiar with them or the brands, specs etc. and totally out of touch with what is good & bad.

I will be using for my daily commute to work of less than 2 miles (fairly flat) and attempting longer road runs and the odd cylce trail of an evening and weekend.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks
chinc

wandsworth

chinc wrote:

I love the Boardman, how it looks, the build quality, looks really good (sporty), however, I am unsure about buying from halfords as I fear the quality and level of aftercare service might not be on par with local independent or specialist shops.

It won't be. So take it to your local bike shop for a once over when you buy it and for ongoing service. Don't let Halfords be the the reason to not buy the Boardman.

markhewitt1978

The Trek 7.2 is a good bike - I used to have a 7.1 myself. So you can't go far wrong with that. You should be able to get 10% off that from most decent bike shops - if you can't get 10% off try another bike shop

Only thing to say there is that when I got my bike I bought it at the end of July and because I'd waited one extra week than planned I got the 2013 model instead of the 2012, so if you are prepared to wait you could get a 2014 model - no guarantees it'll be better of course!

Ouija

The Boardman is essentially a racing bike with straight bars. It has two large racing chainrings (50/34) at the front and a slightly wider selection of gears at the back. Probably has a faster top speed than the other two bikes but will be a bugger to climb up some of the steeper hills with. The Norco and Trek both use smaller touring gears up front (26/36/48). While the 48 tooth big ring is only marginally smaller than the Boardmans 50 tooth, giving a slightly slower top speed, it's the inclusion of that extra 26 tooth third ring on the Norco/Trek that will make climbing up the bigger hills more manageable.

I'd deduct points from the Trek for using older 8 speed drive trains while the Boardman and Norco are both 9 speeds (2x9 & 3x9). Also the Trek is using a combined break lever/shifter while the Boardman and Norco are using seperates, which allow for better positioning for optimal operation (just tried the 9 speed incarnation of the Acera all in one unit and can't angle it in such a position that the up/down and brake levers are easy to manipulate).

The Norco looks like it might have lighter wheels (28 spokes to the Boardmans 32) and have a lighter carbon fork to the Boardmans alloy one. That, combined with the greater gear range would put the Norco first on my list, the Boardman second and the Trek last.

supersonic

Nb it is the vfr 3 at that price - http://m.evanscycles.com/products/norco ... e-ec041287

andtmas

Been down to Evans and test rode the Norco VFR-4 and on the advise of the sales guy also test rode the Pinnacle Lithium 1 (which is apparently Evans own make). Both seemed good with the Norco slightly more comfortable with better saddle and hand grips (although the Lithium 1 was not uncomfortable). The salesman said that the Lithium 1 had a better spec with lifetime frame guarantee, 'racing wheels', better rear derailleuer and was lighter - what do you think ~ links http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pin ... 92#reviews and http://www.evanscycles.com/products/nor ... e-ec041286.

I was also thinking whether it would be worthwhile spending another £50 and going for the Pinnacle Lithium 2 or the Norco VFR-3 - links http://www.evanscycles.com/products/nor ... e-ec041286 and http://www.evanscycles.com/products/nor ... e-ec041287 ??

still to check out the Carrera Subway............posting.php?mode=reply&f=40052&t=12925234#