Hybrids - Too many to pick from!

[poing]

Due to reaching the age of 40 and being overweight it's time to make more of an effort on my bike. I use a semi-decent mountain bike at the moment but I'm finding myself doing more road stuff and we have a great cycle path linking my town to the next 4 miles away so I have no excuse for not riding more and reducing the belly. The mountain bike is fine but gears and tyres are the problem, I run out of gears around 20-25mph although Strava says I hit 34mph the other day!

I'm leaning towards a hybrid as I do like to chuck the bike around a little and most of my rides mean a good few curbs to hop up and down. I'm still worried about some of the skinny wheels on hybrids but they seem more flexible if I want slightly fatter tyres than full road bikes. My belly also gets in the way on drop bars.

The (good) problem is that there are so many to pick from! I'm only looking at the £400 to £500 range and it seems to be full of good choices. I guess the question I should be asking is if there is anything I should avoid?

So far I've looked at:
Ridgeback Velocity or Element - these are sold by a trusted local bike shop so nice and handy.
Boardman Sport or Comp as sold by Halfords which I also have locally.
There are various Giant,Specalized etc etc if I go mail order which all seem fairly comparable to each other but then I discovered Decathlon bikes and the B'Twin range which chucked a spanner in the works with the great reviews on their Fit 5 or Fit 500 (not that I can see much difference) bikes. Then I spotted their Triban 3 which is amazing value and almost enough to convince me to go for drop bars!

What a great choice of bikes seems to be available, we seem to be in a great age for cycling and although I have no idea which one I'm going to buy I suspect I'll love whatever I go for. Who knew bike shopping was so much fun - if slightly complicated! I even discovered I can buy cycling clothes that doesn't make me look like I'm training for the Tour de France with all the sponsor logos despite what I see most cyclists wearing, especially those road guys - you know who you are

Anyone else having fun bike shopping at the moment?

[TwistingMyMelon]

IF you are running out of gears a lot of the time its because you aren't spinning enough, rather than the bike. When I was unfitter I used to think that now I barely touch the big front ring on some rides. Using lower gears saves your legs , which get sore before your lungs do!

At that price they are much of muchness, Id see which shop offers the best service and deal and go with that

I often commute on a Kona Dew, 8 miles of tarmac then 2 miles of bridleway/gravel and I like it alot for about £300 new. I run wider 38 x 700c semi slick/off road tyres and they protect the wheels well, not all bikes can accommodate wide tyres though

Only issue is that if you like riding on the road a lot, especially open quick lanes you might wish you got a full road bike. Especially if your hybrid is similar to your MTB

[poing]

TwistingMyMelon said:

Kona Dew

Hadn't looked at Kona, did a google and gave me a link evans cycles which I hadn't looked at before. They have a LOT of bikes, I might be on there for some time!

You are probably correct regarding the pedal thing but I live in a very windy and hilly part of the world and like to give it some going downhill with the wind behind, it makes up for the slow uphill headwind area's where I sound like an old steam train and turn purple.
My only problem with all hybrid and road bikes is that I'm not sure I'm grown up enough yet, I still like to launch myself over speed bumps and drop curbs. My hope is that it will force me to grow up and ride like an adult if I have a suitable bike. It might yet end up collecting dust in the garage so no point me spending too much.

[AC43]

poing said:

TwistingMyMelon said:

Kona Dew

My only problem with all hybrid and road bikes is that I'm not sure I'm grown up enough yet, I still like to launch myself over speed bumps and drop curbs.

Was looking for bikes for the wife the other day and cam across a Specialized hybrid with front sus. New combination to me.....

EDIT here it is. No idea if the forks are very heavy and clunky. I'm certainly going to a have a look at one for 'er indoors to find out

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/cr...


EDIT 2 - a review (albeit from someone selling it....) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hih5eY5a4h4

Edited by AC43 on Monday 16th June 17:53

Edited by AC43 on Monday 16th June 17:59

[Watchman]

50 quid over budget but this is fast, light and simple (1x9).

http://whyte.bike/gb/models/commuterroad/r7-fast-u...

[mybrainhurts]

Prius?

[poing]

AC43 said:

Was looking for bikes for the wife the other day and cam across a Specialized hybrid with front sus. New combination to me.....

EDIT here it is. No idea if the forks are very heavy and clunky. I'm certainly going to a have a look at one for 'er indoors to find out

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/cr...

Thanks for that, found a semi local (20 odd miles away) bike shop that does Specialized so will see if they have one of these to look at. Looking at the spec it might actually be the perfect bike for my needs.

Watchman said:

50 quid over budget but this is fast, light and simple (1x9).

http://whyte.bike/gb/models/commuterroad/r7-fast-u...

That is one seriously nice bike! I'm not sure I'm anything like trendy, cool or sufficiently good looking to pull off a bike like that though. Does the slightly nervous looking blonde come with it? I'd be no use to her but she would brighten up the house no end.

mybrainhurts said:

Prius?

Did you see the bit about not being grown up yet?

[PanzerCommander]

Yes I am, having not ridden a bike for over 11 years now (since getting a car all journeys outside of walking distance have been in the car) because my fitness routine switched to the Gym. But I think after many years it has sunk in just how dull going to the gym actually is (other than the women in tight workout gear ). So I am currently looking at getting a new bike (my old British eagle mountain bike sits in the shed but is far too heavy and the front suspension can't be locked) to get out of the going to the gym routine.

Well I went to Halfords to have a look and try a couple out last night, and came away having reserved a Boardman Hybrid Comp Bike 2014. Our cycle to work scheme in association with Halfords gives you 7.5% worth of accessories (on the voucher value not just the bike) if you shop there which on a £500 bike is £37 which should buy me a new helmet or go towards other safety gear (lights for instance). It should be more than enough for the 9.5 mile commute to work where thankfully I have access to decent wash facilities (and a locker to put stuff in if I choose). So I have put the request in for the cycle to work scheme I should be picking up my new bike shortly.

I won’t be riding to work straight away – a few evenings out and weekends to get back into the swing of things and get used to it again before I do that. I aim to cycle in 2 to 3 times a week if I can.

[Mr Will]

poing said:

AC43 said:

Was looking for bikes for the wife the other day and cam across a Specialized hybrid with front sus. New combination to me.....

EDIT here it is. No idea if the forks are very heavy and clunky. I'm certainly going to a have a look at one for 'er indoors to find out

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/cr...

Thanks for that, found a semi local (20 odd miles away) bike shop that does Specialized so will see if they have one of these to look at. Looking at the spec it might actually be the perfect bike for my needs.

I disagree, for your intended use you'll be better off without suspension. Doubly so since you already own a mountain bike.

[AmiableChimp]

I commute on a Ridegback Velocity regularly, fitted with full SKS mudguards, SPDs and Pannier rack and I love it - great bike, reasonably quick and a much more compliant ride on Edinburgh's shocking roads than my Triban 5 roadie with skinny 23c tyres and carbon forks.

I would thoroughly recommend the Ridgeback.

[Watchman]

poing said:

Watchman said:

50 quid over budget but this is fast, light and simple (1x9).

http://whyte.bike/gb/models/commuterroad/r7-fast-u...

That is one seriously nice bike! I'm not sure I'm anything like trendy, cool or sufficiently good looking to pull off a bike like that though. Does the slightly nervous looking blonde come with it? I'd be no use to her but she would brighten up the house no end.

I have an earlier version of this with a 2x9. The 1x9 makes so much more sense and looks cleaner/simpler too.

Not sure about the blonde but does anyone know what helmet she is wearing? My wife rather liked the look of it.

[AC43]

Mr Will said:

poing said:

AC43 said:

Was looking for bikes for the wife the other day and cam across a Specialized hybrid with front sus. New combination to me.....

EDIT here it is. No idea if the forks are very heavy and clunky. I'm certainly going to a have a look at one for 'er indoors to find out

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/cr...

Thanks for that, found a semi local (20 odd miles away) bike shop that does Specialized so will see if they have one of these to look at. Looking at the spec it might actually be the perfect bike for my needs.

I disagree, for your intended use you'll be better off without suspension. Doubly so since you already own a mountain bike.

I think this is quite a subjective area. I have switched to a bike with front suspension for my London commute and really appreciate the massive improvement. Having said that it's a bike with (relatively) light air forks.

It may not be the most energy-efficient way of cycling and I may be losing some upper body muscle tone now I don't get a constant battering through the bars but I'm a convert.

If I am really really knackered I'll lock it out but that's once in a blue moon.

Having said that lightness is key and the cheaper sus front ends are pretty heavy.

I wouldn't discount front suspension - just cheap, heavy front sus.

[mybrainhurts]

poing said:

mybrainhurts said:

Prius?

Did you see the bit about not being grown up yet?

Sadly, no...

But I do know how to spell kerb...

Edited by mybrainhurts on Tuesday 17th June 19:37

[AC43]

AmiableChimp said:

I commute on a Ridegback Velocity regularly, and I love it - great bike, reasonably quick and a much more compliant ride on Edinburgh's shocking roads than my Triban 5 roadie with skinny 23c tyres and carbon forks.

I would thoroughly recommend the Ridgeback.

Interesting - I'll have a look at one of them too.

It was living in Edinburgh that first got me into MTB's (springy, steel framed ones to be precise)

[Watchman]

AC43 said:

I think this is quite a subjective area. I have switched to a bike with front suspension for my London commute and really appreciate the massive improvement. Having said that it's a bike with (relatively) light air forks.

It may not be the most energy-efficient way of cycling and I may be losing some upper body muscle tone now I don't get a constant battering through the bars but I'm a convert.

If I am really really knackered I'll lock it out but that's once in a blue moon.

Having said that lightness is key and the cheaper sus front ends are pretty heavy.

I wouldn't discount front suspension - just cheap, heavy front sus.

I totally get this. I ride my skinny-tyred teeth-vibrator for a few months and glory in the sheer speed. Then I switch to my hardtail for a few months for the plush ride and the fact that I can still feel my fingers after 10 miles. After the rigid bike, the hardtail is like a limo but my times point-to-point drop significantly, so I switch back to the buzz-bomb again and enjoy the relative lack of any intertia.

There are some lightweight 700c bikes with air sus but not too cheap. I wonder whether a carbon fork would be a better option as they're supposed to iron-out some of the road-buzz. Whyte does a more expensive version of the one I previously linked to with carbon fork, but I think it loses some of the appeal (colour, more expensive, ugly-looking crankset):

http://whyte.bike/gb/models/commuterroad/r7-fast-u...

And they do "all terrain" versions of the commuter bikes but again, they're a bit expensive and probably not as good at any particular type of riding as one dedicated to its purpose:

http://whyte.bike/2014/product.php?xProd=132&x...

Of course the answer, as always, is n+1.

[Deanno1dad]

Check out the Scott sub range..I had one..great bike

[AC43]

Watchman said:

AC43 said:

I think this is quite a subjective area. I have switched to a bike with front suspension for my London commute and really appreciate the massive improvement. Having said that it's a bike with (relatively) light air forks.

It may not be the most energy-efficient way of cycling and I may be losing some upper body muscle tone now I don't get a constant battering through the bars but I'm a convert.

If I am really really knackered I'll lock it out but that's once in a blue moon.

Having said that lightness is key and the cheaper sus front ends are pretty heavy.

I wouldn't discount front suspension - just cheap, heavy front sus.

I totally get this. I ride my skinny-tyred teeth-vibrator for a few months and glory in the sheer speed. Then I switch to my hardtail for a few months for the plush ride and the fact that I can still feel my fingers after 10 miles. After the rigid bike, the hardtail is like a limo but my times point-to-point drop significantly, so I switch back to the buzz-bomb again and enjoy the relative lack of any intertia.

There are some lightweight 700c bikes with air sus but not too cheap. I wonder whether a carbon fork would be a better option as they're supposed to iron-out some of the road-buzz. Whyte does a more expensive version of the one I previously linked to with carbon fork, but I think it loses some of the appeal (colour, more expensive, ugly-looking crankset):

http://whyte.bike/gb/models/commuterroad/r7-fast-u...

And they do "all terrain" versions of the commuter bikes but again, they're a bit expensive and probably not as good at any particular type of riding as one dedicated to its purpose:

http://whyte.bike/2014/product.php?xProd=132&x...

Of course the answer, as always, is n+1.

Ah yes, n+1.

Just about to spec some rigid carbon forks for my 2005 Hardrock pub bike to turn into a lightweight teeth-shaker.

Love the idea of those Whytes - for town who needs more that one front chain ring?

n+2.......

[Magic919]

I like my Whyte hybrid. They moved to a carbon frame the next year, but overall weight went up by about a kilo. Only thing I'd change is the chain stays. They flare out a bit much and my heels just about scrape by.

[JimmyTheHand]

poing said:

Anyone else having fun bike shopping at the moment?

Just retrieved and had fixed up a mountain/trail bike that's been in storage for a decade+ (probably 20+ years old) now I have somewhere convenient to keep it.- seem to be out on a lot atm so been thinking of something with suspension (either dirt tracks have got rougher or I have forgotten the vibrations) and better brakes.

Trek dual sport was suggested by one shop. (Though I suspect I'll probably go for something more off road orientated )

[richardxjr]

I think you should get a road bike but on the original subject I bumped into one of these the other day, the '3' looks fantastic in the flesh, similar to the Whyte but with low maint hub gears either 3 speed or 7 speed.

http://dawescycles.com/product/urban-express-3-gen...

http://dawescycles.com/product/urban-express-7-gen...