Which flat bar bike

alexandramj

I don't know where to start. Any advice appreciated!
I currently commute around 70 miles a week in the city on a Specialised Vienna Globe which is 5yrs old. I would like something lighter, faster etc for commuting and longer charity rides. Budget £700. I'm 5"3, female. Can only use flat bar's due to a wrist problem. Any idea where to start. Is it worth building my own (I have no experience but willing to give it a go).

e17blade

My commuter bike is a Giant Rapid and it has served me well for a few years now. Fast, comfortable and pretty reliable

Oddly though I find my hands and wrists more comfortable on my road bike due to the increased positions available.

oxoman

Giant Rapid is one of the better, as somebody elsewhere mentioned it's basically a defy with straight bars.

exlaser

try a trek fx7.4, that comes in under the 700 pound mark. my wife has just got the 7.3 model and loves it.

markp80

MrsP has a Specialized Vita and it flies along. They do this in a number of specs at different price points, I think here is the Vita Comp and was around your budget. Definitely worth a look at, it's very road-orientated for a hybrid compare to many others.
The Boardman hybrid is worth a look too, and they do a female-fit version if that suits better.

Cheers,
MarkP

maddog 2

+1 Boardman

There are plenty of flat bars these days - just have a browse on, say, Evans website.

francis666

Either Boardman Hybrid or Specialized Sirrus.
You get more for your money with the Boardman. Don't let the anti Halfords rubbish put you off, its only sold by them (after allegedly doing a pre-sales check) and Boardman head of R+D is Boardman himself (can you think of any one more qualified - thank you for GB Team). The two top models Hybrid comp and hybrid pro comp are really good. The 28c standard tyre will handle both fast road and commute and the discs will stop you in the rain. Don't get caught up in the "female bike size" thing. Both have quite low frames and if the handlebars are too long a reach, a new short stem for £15 will sort that out. The Specialized Sirrus is on sale in most bike shops now. Like all Specialized, great build quality but you pay extra for the name and definitely get less kit for the same price as the Boardman (But like I said, a big sale now on with Specialized). Building bikes is great fun, but such an important build may be a bit too much.

oxoman

As an ex Sirrus owner i can concur they are well put together and you do pay a premium for the name, however they are pretty heavy compared with others ie Rapid, Boardman. Get a few test rides in and see which you prefer.

markp80

The Specialized Vita is the female version of the Sirrus. Besides the supposed female geometry, it has a female-fit seat, which is a lot different to a normal seat as far as I can see, and the Mrs tells me it's very comfortable, so if the OP is looking at the Sirrus then I would suggest it's worthwhile having a look at the Vita. They're not hard to find in the shops.
At 10kg, I don't know how MrsP's Vita compares to the competition, but that sounds reasonably light to me, and I certainly wouldn't call it heavy.

Cheers,
MarkP