Which Hybrid Bike c. £500 for 90% commuting, 10% light XC?

[youngsyr]

Am looking for a replacment for my Halfords bike that I managed to break within 40 miles of riding. Will mainly be used for daily commute (2 miles) on tarmac, but might get some use off-road in the spring/summmer and I'm 16st so need a fairly rugged bike.

The commute does include a fairly steep hill, so I'm guessing the lighter the better for the upward leg!

Currently looking at Cannondale Bad Boy Disc 2009 Hybrid Bike

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/bad...

and Dawes Discovery 501 2009 Hybrid Bike, but am a bit concerned that it'll be too fragile to take off road?

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/dawes/discover...

Am a bit of a noob to bikes, having only got back on one a couple of months ago, so can anyone give any pointers or confirm I'm on the right track?

Thanks.

[anonymous-user]

given its a short commute, you might be better getting a more off road specfic bike and running slick tyres and swopping to knobblies when you go offroad. if you use folding wall tyres, you can change a pair in less than two minutes.
although you say "light xc", you dont know what the trail might lead to, and if you cant turn back you are forced to push on over what might be tougher terrain than first expected.

an mtb will be fine for two miles a day, you should cover that in less than 15 minutes so the extra weight wont be too much of an issue.

hybrids dont ride well off road and are not designed for it, although the frames arent too bad in terms of geometry, htey arent designed for big knocks and neither are the components designed for riding whilst under load (eg off road climbs etc).

your off road fun will be compromised on a hybrid far more than your commute will be compromised on a mountain bike (with approrpiate tyres). i am also not sure how a dealer would view a warranty claim on a hybrid if it was evident the bike was used off road.

for £500, have a look at giant, scott and boardman range of mountain bikes, they should have something which will suit. if it has lockable front suspensionm all the better.

[youngsyr]

Thanks.

My brother pointed me in the direction of this Scott hybrid

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/scott/sub-20-2...

and this Felt QX85

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/felt/qx85-2009...

I prefer the look of the Scott and it appears more "rugged" than the Felt for any off roading that I might end up doing. Is there much of a difference between the two?

[anonymous-user]

i still think given the length of your commute, an off road specific bike and a set of road orientated tyres will be a better long term purchase. get up close to a hybrid and you will see what i mean with regards to their ability to cope offroad. sure people ride them off road but its like taking a formula one car on a rally, it might get you round but who wants to "just get round"?

some alternatives.

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

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/f5-...

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/scott/aspect-3...

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/felt/q620-2010...

unless you get really lucky with the right size cropping up, you are better looking for 2010 bikes now or doing some good digging. buy a few magazines and look at the back for the adverts from smaller shops shifting stock. dont rely on evans as they are the first point for online purchases and used by everyone.

wiggle might be a good bet for a focus, or try hargroves, sunset mtb, chain reaction, merlin.....

[youngsyr]

pablo said:

i still think given the length of your commute, an off road specific bike and a set of road orientated tyres will be a better long term purchase. get up close to a hybrid and you will see what i mean with regards to their ability to cope offroad. sure people ride them off road but its like taking a formula one car on a rally, it might get you round but who wants to "just get round"?

some alternatives.

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

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/f5-...

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/scott/aspect-3...

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/felt/q620-2010...

unless you get really lucky with the right size cropping up, you are better looking for 2010 bikes now or doing some good digging. buy a few magazines and look at the back for the adverts from smaller shops shifting stock. dont rely on evans as they are the first point for online purchases and used by everyone.

wiggle might be a good bet for a focus, or try hargroves, sunset mtb, chain reaction, merlin.....

Cool, thanks for the info and links. I chose Evans because of them being eligible for the cycletowork scheme and being reasonably close by to go and try the bikes, but I'll do some more digging.