Boardman MX Sport / Race

BristolRuss

Hi all, just signed up and I am a still very new to cycling (well, since my childhood) so please excuse any lack of knowledge in what I'm about to ask.

Right then. I am thinking of taking advantage of my works cycle to work scheme and would like to get a nice Hybrid bike as I'm really not a fan of the lower riding position that a road bike offers.

I've set myself a limit of £500 and I've got my eyes of these two bikes.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165534

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165534

So I was wondering if you guys could help me a little please. First off, they look almost identical to me. Is there a difference between them and if so which would you recommend?

Secondly do they actually look like decent spec for the price or would you suggest looking at something else? My commute isn't very far at all and will be entirely on tarmacked surfaces. So I won't need a mountain bike and as I said before I'm not keen on a full road bike.

Lastly, what would you recommend for accessories? I know very little about bikes so I have no idea if those tyres are any good etc. Would you recommend changing them at all?

Thanks for the help guys and sorry if I come across as a bit of a newb! (I originally posted this in the MTB section but was told I would likely get better answers here).

The Rookie

Very little to choose between them.

The Spec is OK for the money, but your paying for suspension forks which you don't need for a road based commute unless your roads are truly aweful, they also add weight.

The obvious choice for you would be a flat barred hybrid, so perhaps a boardman such as http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... 65534#tab2
Consider also the Fit-5 from Decathlon (amazing value, quite racy for a hybrid, road type rim brakes not discs), Carrera Gryphon (pretty quick, slightly cheaper alternative, can be had with MTB V-brakes or discs) from Halfords or the Voodoo Marrasa (more a roadised mountain bike, great value and a comfy ride, can be made faster with some narrower tyres) from Halfords all of which have slightly different positives and negatives (Which scheme does your company use?). A bit more about your commute would help, distance, how fast your likely to cycle (or how hard you will 'push' yourself), how much you'll have to carry etc would help.

Accesories that are a must
Multi-tool, spare tube, some self adhesive patches (in case you get a second puncture), and a set of tyre levers. For winter you'll need decent lights based on your needs for your commute. After that anything else you carry is more from personal choice (I carry a lightweight waterproof and some chain powerlinks).

Clothing wise I have some baggy shorts, base layer T-shirts, mitts/gloves (to season), a helmet and a softshell with hi-vis gillet over for winter (dark country lane commute).

My bike (out of date photo in Avatar) is set up with a rack and pannier to carry the stuff I need (no sweaty back from a backpack) which is also something you may want to consider if your commute is longer/energetic.

snowster

For me I would go for the boardman comp hybrid as above great bike very fast and great spec for the price been commuting for a couple if weeks now and have never looked back great bike

tatakai.tony

Had the MX sport for a few weeks now, I have a Carbon road bike and was commuting on an old MTB with no suspension, I used to have a carbon hardtail with 160mm travel that I used to play in the woods on. that's just for back ground.

Difference between the 2 bikes is hydraulic brakes and a compact double 2 x 10 speed on the Race and mechanical brakes and 3 x9 on the sport.

The real question is what sort of riding do you want to be able to do. My old commute was 5 miles on roads during rush hour in the morn an evening and my new commute on the MX sport is 7 wonderful car free miles off road (300m section on road) and is a real blast, the bike is super fast, the suspension whilst only 63mm does the job well and you can definitely tell when it is locked out or working, I have been surprised at how good it is over roots, mud and gravel.

If you like going off road and want a little comfort then go with either, although where I go there are some nice hills so the triple chain set suits me. The mechanical disks are excellent and to be honest with 37mm tyres off road hydraulic brakes are over kill (although you do need to set them up).

Its a good bike go for it.