New Bike (Hybrid?)

chrism_scotland

Folks,

I'm looking for some advice, I've previously had great advice a few years back when buying a Giant Defy 2 but I'm looking for something different now and a friend is using the Defy.

My wife and I like to go out and cycle together mainly on the many cycle paths in Edinburgh which are mainly paved but some are rougher and generally her bike (not a pure road bike) copes much better with this, there was also the issue that my Defy was much quicker which meant I shot ahead!

I'm looking to get out cycling again to improve my fitness and hopefully lose weight but again looking at mainly paths, but a load of them are unpaved and more gravel like.

I've had a look at the Boardman Range in Halfords and quite like the look of the flat bar Hybrids (didn't really like the drop bars) but with them all being purely slick tyred I'm half wondering if one of their hardtails might better for rougher surfaces (and give me the option of going proper off-road if I want!)

apreading

If you want proper off road and suspension then not much a hybrid can do about that. The Boardman Hybrids are fantastic though, still the benchmark and incredible value. They will also take much wider tyres and nobblys if you want - certainly 32mm and possibly 35mm (depending on how nobbly). Would be spot on with the right tyres for the paths that you mention. Every couple of weeks they have 10-15% off on some offer and if you are a member of or join British Cycling (around £24 for a year) you get 10% off at Halfords too - so could get as much as 25% off if you play your cards right.

RobSomerset

Sounds like the dilemma I had a couple of weeks ago except I wanted a bike that was mostly going to be used on roads and good cycle paths. I think the best bet is to get a hybrid that has suspension on front forks with a lockout function. My previous bike had this and I used 700x35 Schwalbe Land Cruiser tyres on it. This combo meant I had a tyre for all seasons and terrain. Boardman do a Cyclocross bike with drops that doesn't have slicks on it if you went the drop option. We have cycle paths with gravel on here but I decided to go for a flat bar roadie and use Marathon Plus tyres on it as they will cope quite easily with gravel tracks but give me some decent speed for my commute on the roads. Check other bike shops for deals and look online for voucher codes. I used the RIDE15 code at Tredz and got 10% off all my kit. I had a budget of £600 and got a bike I like the look of which felt good and had a decent spec. If you're in no rush look around. With the summer looming upon us there maybe some good deals to be had on last years models. Say hi to Edinburgh for me, lived there between 90 and 94.

w00dster

Had a similar dilema last autumn. I wanted to ride off road, gravel tracks and forest trails. I also wanted decent disc brakes. The bike had to be good enough for winter club rides as well.
I opted for a cyclocross bike that would have clearance for 35c tyres run at low pressure. This to me gives me the best options, I can put on 32c semi slick tyres for the road or for proper off road I use my cx knobbly tyres (34c).
After 6 months of heavy use in all conditions I would say that if I was doing more serious off road riding I would ensure the bike at least had front suspension, possibly a 29er. But for moderate off road and road use the CX bike is perfect.

dj58

This would do you, you don't really need a suspension fork for the type of riding you describe.
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/h ... 13-2014-18

Monty Dog

Suspension forks are pretty well pointless on a bike of this type IMO - forks add weight and rob energy for little effect. If you want cush, fit fatter tyres and run them at lower pressures. Most people are over-biked for basic trail riding - you don't need to follow the herd.