I would like a Hybrid (but with a front shock)

Before we offer advice (and/or harp on for ages in an annoying way about hybrids vs road bikes), what kind of cycling do you plan on doing with the bike?
 
Sorry ...that's a good point.

I just ride for leisure and exercise purposes.

I ride on road, paths and parks (but one of the park's I go to has gravel / stones etc..)
 
Okay. I think most of us here would probably recommend a road/cx bike for that kind of riding. Can I ask why you want shock absorbers at the front?

What is your budget btw? Also, I'm guessing from the bike you linked to that you're female? That will affect the bike models to choose from slightly.
 
Sorry - No, I'm not a female - lol

Shock has lockout ...so I wouldn't use it all the time only if I needed.

Budget is under £500
 
Ah :p Linking to a ladies bike was a tad confusing :)

For your budget you'll be hard pressed to beat this:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/felt-f95-sora-wiggle-exclusive/

It's not what you asked for but you're getting a far better bike. The shock absorbers would be useless in all of the scenarios of riding that you have described. In addition to that, you'll need to put in a ton more effort to go at the same speed on the hybrid/mtb style bike so you'll be less comfortable.
 
FrenchTart said:
Ah :p Linking to a ladies bike was a tad confusing :)

For your budget you'll be hard pressed to beat this:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/felt-f95-sora-wiggle-exclusive/

It's not what you asked for but you're getting a far better bike. The shock absorbers would be useless in all of the scenarios of riding that you have described. In addition to that, you'll need to put in a ton more effort to go at the same speed on the hybrid/mtb style bike so you'll be less comfortable.
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This looks like a great spec ...but it's a road bike.?

I need a hybrid with flat handle bars and fatter tyres please ....as I don't think this would handle gravel or stones very well?


Thanks
 
It would handle them just as well as a hybrid, if not better. You can also get fatter tyres on there if you desire.

Someone else will be along with a hybrid recommendation soon enough I'm sure.
 
yes it is a good brand :) and I'd say go for 2014 version.. http://www.merlincycles.com/felt-f95-road-bike-2014-72331.html

problem with a lot of people is that they assume that road bikes are unsafe, have no grip.. can't handle rain, dirt etc.. which is utter tosh because I've been riding one over snow, rain etc for years and thousands of miles and I love it.

you don't need a hybrid.. hybrid has no place anywhere.. its just a confused bike that has no real purpose.

and a lot of people buy them because they look attractive but generally have little to no benefits.. wants off-road? get mtb full-sus or hard-tail.

but for the rest road bike or CX is perfect.

for a little bit more -;

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/norco/threshold-a3-2014-cyclocross-bike-ec053834
 
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Guys....

I know a couple of you are a tad obsessed with recommending road bikes over and above anything else ;)

But consider: How good a cyclist is the OP? Personally I consider myself not too bad on a bike (see bikes in sig) but I just cannot work with a road bike's seating position. It just feels unstable, unnatural and I'd hate to ride one - yet I can jump between a hardtail MTB with skinny tyres, an all rounder and a DH bike with no significant problems.

For a £500 budget bike, yes a hybrid will be beaten in pure road speed by a dedicated road bike, but I'd be fairly safe in saying that on mild off road a hybrid would wipe the floor with a road bike.

Also, I occasionally ride a local gravel disused railway line ... never seen a road bike on it yet!
 
matt_fsr said:
Guys....

I know a couple of you are a tad obsessed with recommending road bikes over and above anything else ;)

But consider: How good a cyclist is the OP? Personally I consider myself not too bad on a bike (see bikes in sig) but I just cannot work with a road bike's seating position. It just feels unstable, unnatural and I'd hate to ride one - yet I can jump between a hardtail MTB with skinny tyres, an all rounder and a DH bike with no significant problems.

For a £500 budget bike, yes a hybrid will be beaten in pure road speed by a dedicated road bike, but I'd be fairly safe in saying that on mild off road a hybrid would wipe the floor with a road bike.

Also, I occasionally ride a local gravel disused railway line ... never seen a road bike on it yet!
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so you need to be a good cyclist to ride a road bike? I've jumped from a BMX that I couldn't keep on a ground.. to a road bike and I'm fine:) same with my brother?
 
A road/cx with appropriate tyres (i.e. not some ridiculous 19mm crappola) will deal with anything a hybrid can do as well or better. I pretty much only ride a CX which is basically a road bike with disc brakes and the option for fatter tyres should I want them. It can go fast and can deal with offroad and it doesn't suffer from the issues you get with hybrids - lower spec for the same money, less comfort due to the inherent issues with flat handlebars and doesn't weigh 300000000 tons.
 
A CX with fat tyres probably is better than a hybrid for most stuff, but the trouble is CX bikes cost a fortune.

Still, there is no getting away from the fact that some people are intimidated and put off by drop bars, and that's always going to push them away from road/CX bikes.
 
Vonhelmet said:
Still, there is no getting away from the fact that some people are intimidated and put off by drop bars, and that's always going to push them away from road/CX bikes.
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This is what pushed me towards getting my first hybrid. As you say, drop bars can be intimidating when you're new.

However, it really is worth learning how to deal with drops. It's not as hard as it looks - not even close :)

Fair point about the price of CX too.
 
I wouldnt really fancy taking my road bike on a gravel path. I do think that suspension forks are probably overkill though. Cheap suspension forks on low-end bikes dont tend to handle the small bumps of gravel roads very well anyway - you still get the same vibration as rigid forks. You only start to see the benefit when things get rougher and there are bigger hits to soak up.
 
matt_fsr said:
but I'd be fairly safe in saying that on mild off road a hybrid would wipe the floor with a road bike.
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Tell that to my bridle path KOMs. I'd be fairly happy challenging any hybrid bike rider to a race on "mild off road" with my regular old road bike.
 
Vonhelmet said:
A CX with fat tyres probably is better than a hybrid for most stuff, but the trouble is CX bikes cost a fortune.

Still, there is no getting away from the fact that some people are intimidated and put off by drop bars, and that's always going to push them away from road/CX bikes.
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I disagree.

My CX bike has flat bars and was priced with the C2W scheme in mind.
 
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