giant rapid 3 or boardman hybrid comp

compostcorner

i"m in the market for a new hybrid bike, i am limited to the options available to me locally, the giant rapid 3 and the boardman hybrid comp are the two available in my price range, i like the look of both of them, so cant decide which one to get, any opinions please,

prophet01

I bought a 2016 Boardman Hybrid Comp last year. It's been and continues to be an excellent and fun bike to ride.
You might find a few helpful comments on my original thread
Accidental hybrid purchase - test ride

The Rookie

The 2017 rapid 3 from Pedalon at £480 looks a bargain - http://www.bikesheduk.com/giant-rapid-3-2017

they are very similar spec, you wouldn't go wrong with either, for road use I think the Claris on the Giant just edges the Acera on the Boardman, but you're only getting 8 speed not 9.

The hydraulic brakes on the Boardman are better than the cable on the Giant, but an upgrade needn't cost much (I'm using Clarks M2 on my fast road Hybrid which cost less than £40 for the full set) if you got the bike at the Pedalon price.

apreading

I would actually try and find a little more money and get the Boardman Hybrid Team. The Carbon forks alone are worth the extra - but it also has Shimano Hydraulic brakes and better EVERYTHING.

Rapid 3 has cable brakes which are poor compared to Hydraulic, even the Tektro hydraulics on the hybrid comp will be far far better.

You can get an extra 10% off everything in Halfords by joining British Cycling for about £20-£30 or by trading in an old clunker bike.

Hybrid Team is fabulous.

The Rookie

Worth what extra compared to the Giants carbon forks?

apreading

I meant worth the extra compared to the Boardman Comp.

The mechanical discs on the Giant are its biggest failing. The gears are much better on the Boardman Hybris Team too.

compostcorner

i just want to throw a specialized sirrus disc hybrid 2018 in to the equation, its in the same price bracket and i like the look of it, so now its either the boardman, giant or specialized

apreading

compostcorner wrote:

i just want to throw a specialized sirrus disc hybrid 2018 in to the equation, its in the same price bracket and i like the look of it, so now its either the boardman, giant or specialized

Steel forks, low end gear bits and no name brakes. Its a great frame but poor value for money - you are paying for the brand.

The Sirrus and Boardman are totally different bikes though . Sirrus is a sit up and beg relaxed cruiser, boardman is more stretched out, lower position and more racy. Giant is I think nearer to the Boardman end of that spectrum too.

So if you are comparing all of these then you probably need to think about what you want from the bike and try a couple out to see what feels good to you - THAT should decide more than value for money or components.

The Rookie

apreading wrote:

The mechanical discs on the Giant are its biggest failing. The gears are much better on the Boardman Hybris Team too.

Agreed, but at that offer price you can stick some hydraulic brakes on and undercut the boardman.

I would disagree the gears are better on the Boardman, they are 9 speed not 8 which is a plus, but I'd prefer the Claris road kit on the Giant over the MTB based kit on the Boardman, very subjective I know.