Hybrid Road Bikes
Author
Discussion

Little Nicky

Original Poster:

526 posts

259 months

Saturday 30th August 2008
quotequote all
Hi all...

I'm looking at buying a hybrid road bike online (better discounts) and wondered if you could advise me on the size I should be looking at?

I'm 6' 2" and have a 33" inside leg.

Also, if i want to spend around £350 - £500 on one, what would be your recommendation?

Cheers all,

Nick

jimmyd123

371 posts

243 months

Saturday 30th August 2008
quotequote all
Go to a shop and try them out. All bikes ride and fit differently. It's worth taking an afternoon to make sure you'll be happy.

i'm a fan of Marin hybrids.

anonymous-user

77 months

Saturday 30th August 2008
quotequote all
Check out the Carrera Subway 2 from Halfords (also available online!) it's an excellent bike at a very good price. I was a bit sceptical at first with it being Halfords only and my other bikes all being either Specialized or GT but it's definately worth a look.

I've got the 20in frame and I'm 6ft with 32in inside leg

anonymous-user

77 months

Saturday 30th August 2008
quotequote all
BTW there is a pedal powered forum under the Non-motoring section, you may get some better response there.

Pigeon

18,535 posts

269 months

Saturday 30th August 2008
quotequote all
Bluequay said:
Check out the Carrera Subway 2 from Halfords (also available online!) it's an excellent bike at a very good price. I was a bit sceptical at first with it being Halfords only and my other bikes all being either Specialized or GT but it's definately worth a look.
Yeah. Do it. Then you can forget the "subway" bit and post on here about how you had a really hard ride on Carrera 2 biggrin

Little Nicky

Original Poster:

526 posts

259 months

Sunday 31st August 2008
quotequote all
Thanks guys.

I went to Halfrauds in Cardiff this morning and had a chat with (to be fair) a very knowledgeable chap who got me to try a few bikes out, and I am now the proud owner of a...

Chris Boardman - Performance Hybrid Pro bike cool

compared to the others I tried out, this was pretty stunning, and the spec you get for the price is pretty hard to ignore.

I managed to get a couple of mud guards and water bottles / holder thrown in as well, so I'm off out now for a few hours before it starts raining again.

Cheers all,

Nick

ETA: I went a little over budget on this one, hehe but I thing it was worth it...

Edited by Little Nicky on Sunday 31st August 14:14

Little Nicky

Original Poster:

526 posts

259 months

Tuesday 23rd September 2008
quotequote all
Little Nicky said:
Thanks guys.

I went to Halfrauds in Cardiff this morning and had a chat with (to be fair) a very knowledgeable chap who got me to try a few bikes out, and I am now the proud owner of a...

Chris Boardman - Performance Hybrid Pro bike cool

compared to the others I tried out, this was pretty stunning, and the spec you get for the price is pretty hard to ignore.

I managed to get a couple of mud guards and water bottles / holder thrown in as well, so I'm off out now for a few hours before it starts raining again.

Cheers all,

Nick

ETA: I went a little over budget on this one, hehe but I thing it was worth it...

Edited by Little Nicky on Sunday 31st August 14:14
Hi there,

I thought I should give you an update on this as my luck quickly changed soon after my Halfrauds purchase...

All was well for 24hrs or so with my new bike, but it wasn't long before the quality 'fit'manship of the previously helpful staff became apparent.!!

Seat moving, brakes squealing, fluid leaking, tyres deflating.......

Anyway, to cut a very long and painful story short, I got a full refund (and some Halfrauds vouchers - which I haven't brought myself to use to date).!!

I since revised my bike requirements (from hybrid to MB) and subsequently ordered a proper bike - Merlin Malt 4 (in the sale).

Talk about chalk and cheese - I know there is a small differentiation in price (very small to be honest) but the service and quality cannot be compared (we're talking apples and oranges here).

The lesson here is: if you want a quality bike, go somewhere that specialises in what you want - and don't go to a place that I would describe (in metephoric terms) as:

Going to Burger King / McDonalds / Ms Pennys (insert ste food provider names here), when you want a good meal - IT WON'T HAPPEN furious

Look on the bright side - I now have a stunning bike that I wouldn't swap for the world...

Happy days thumbup