Cheaper yet lighter ? Advice please

mr_eddy

Hopefully someone can help, I am in need of a fast commuter bike after my Hoy hybrid frame cracked, I know I could get it repaired but I just don't have confidence anymore.

I have been looking for something sub £300 and maybe the Gatorskin 25c tyres from my Hoy. I was drawn to the BTWIN range as they get good reviews and are good value for money. The thing I can't understand tho is that the cheaper '500 Road' is over half a kilo lighter than the more expensive '500 Road SE' model. I am not sure why ? The more expensive bike has a carbon fork with the same components so I am not sure why its 600g heavier ?

Anyway With the above in mind are there any obvious drawbacks to the cheaper bike ? I am keen to save money where I can and if the only concession on the cheaper bike is a steel fork and its lighter than the more expensive bike (10kg vs 10.6kg) then i am tempted to go for that. I get that a carbon fork will be more comfortable over longer distances but my commute is only 8 miles and I will be putting on my 25c gatorskins anyway so comfort should not be an issue.

I don't think either bike would take guards with the 25c tyres fitted but that is ok I have a Swan seat tube rear guard and a decent long drop front crud catcher guard that worked really well on the Hoy so that should be all I need.

Here are the two bikes:

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-500-r ... 31913.html

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-500-s ... 06187.html

Any advice would be appreciated.

Ta.

pazzar

The weight difference is due to them comparing two different frame size's and also one is being weighed with pedals and the other without.

fenix

Take every bike weight with a large pinch of salt anyway.

Even if there is a weight difference of 600gr - thats about a full bottle. Now add yourself into the mix -if you were 60kg then you're talking less than 1% of weight. You'd never notice the difference.

buckmulligan

mr_eddy wrote:

Hopefully someone can help, I am in need of a fast commuter bike after my Hoy hybrid frame cracked, I know I could get it repaired but I just don't have confidence anymore.

Err, what? Did you crash it?

If not, I'd be contacting the retailer and demanding a replacement, it can only be 3 years old max! Even if it's outside of whatever warranty they offer, you'd have a very good case under the Sale of Goods Act.

animal72

Why don't you just buy a frame and swap the Parts over from the Hoy?

mr_eddy

Thanks for the info - pedals and frame size difference makes sense, I will probably go for the SE model then as £20 extra for the carbon fork is a good deal.

Re the Hoy - I bought it second hand so not sure if warranty would transfer to me anyway, I did not crash but I did drop the lawnmower on it - Never thought too much of it until I heard a ping whilst cycling home.

Thanks for the advice.

mr_eddy

Re the frame - I could buy a new frame but the parts to swap over are a bit worn out so I would need to get a new chain / replace 2 broken spokes, BB is grinding and also the rear freewheel is skipping. . My old cheap Dawes lasted 10x longer than this. Granted I don't clean the Hoy every day as its a commuter / beater bike but even still it should not be this fragile.

I really can't be bothered chasing Hoy about this - For the money I paid for it its just not worth it, I paid £150 for it about 8 months ago. I will salvage the bits I can and keep them as spares or stick em in the classifieds.

Cheers

fenix

You've been riding a bike with two broken spokes and only the frame breaking stopped you?

Bobbinogs

Fenix wrote:

You've been riding a bike with two broken spokes and only the frame breaking stopped you?

To be fair to the OP, with the BB grinding and the freewheel skipping as well, the broken spokes probably just added a little "je ne sais quoi" to the whole ride experience