Budget Hybrid Bike - Opinions please

[Kirby Wurm]

Hi all,

I'd appreciate some advise on getting a cheap hybrid bike. I'm not looking to spend much as it'll mainly be to accompany my kids (6 and 9) on rides (they're far too fast to keep up with on foot any longer), with occasional rides to work (1 day a week if that, only about 2 miles away) and with a friend.

Due to my height (6' 4") and having tested a large frame it looks like I'll need an XL frame, which limits second hand options.

There's a second hand 2016 Boardman Hybrid Team someone's selling for £300 locally in good condition.

The other bikes that look decent enough without breaking £500 (which itself would be hard to justify with my use case) are the Carrera Subway 2 for about £390, and a Giant Escape 3 Disc for £454.

Do these look like reasonable options, and if so what would be your pick?

 

[UTmaniac]

With hydraulic brakes these days, the Subway 2 is a solid budget bike.

I've got a '20 Voodoo Marasa, originally bought as my commuter replacement for ~£300 with British Cycling membership discount, still going strong. Been used mainly on my turbo for last 18 months, but it still gets the odd trip out, when I don't fancy using the road bike.

 

[Kirby Wurm]

With hydraulic brakes these days, the Subway 2 is a solid budget bike.

I've got a '20 Voodoo Marasa, originally bought as my commuter replacement for ~£300 with British Cycling membership discount, still going strong. Been used mainly on my turbo for last 18 months, but it still gets the odd trip out, when I don't fancy using the road bike.

Thanks, it's well reviewed on the whole. I wonder if there's any benefit to getting the Giant that's worth the slight premium?

 

[silvagti]

I quite like the look of the Specialized Sirrux X as a commuter hybrid and can usually be found on sale for around £500. Has hydraulic disk brakes (which are worth paying a bit more for safety) and a single chainring for simplicity of maintenance/reliabiiity. Worth the extra monies over the Giant/Subway you mentioned IMO

Sirrus X 2.0

Sirrus X is your ticket to riding more, and to places you never imagined possible. It's a comfortable, capable, "let's do stuff" kind of bike that will ...

www.specialized.com

One thing I would say is if you have young kids you might find most of your time is spent off road and on woodland trails/parks so maybe worth considering a similarly priced hardtail Mountain Bike rather than a hybrid for yourself incase you want to go off road with them as some hybrids can be quite harsh on rough terrain.

 

[Kirby Wurm]

One thing I would say is if you have young kids you might find most of your time is spent off road and on woodland trails/parks so maybe worth considering a similarly priced hardtail Mountain Bike rather than a hybrid for yourself incase you want to go off road with them as some hybrids can be quite harsh on rough terrain.

That has crossed my mind, they mainly ride on paved areas (off the main road) but do also go on paths and trails such as that next to the canal. It's generally very smooth, but you raise a fair point as if we take the bikes when I visit my parents the kids will want to ride and the terrain is more variable.

The Sirrus looks good but ideally I want to get one ASAP and I can't find an XL for under £500 ATM.

 

[Kirby Wurm]

Ended up getting a second hand Specialized Crosstail Sport; having the option of front suspension seems a decent compromise.

Now to learn to ride properly again! At low speed I wobbled a lot at first on the initial ride, but that's improving. Relaxing my grip was important too, at first my arms and shoulders were knackered from gripping way too tightly, which in turn was causing me stability issues.

Thanks for the suggestions all.