Newbie Hybrid Bike Purchaser for commute and weekends

Liquid_Entity · 11 May 2011 at 10:46

Hey everyone,

Was reading the Cycling Essentials thread but got a bit lost not understanding the language in there lol

I am after a hybrid so that I can commute to work (3.5 miles each way) and for fun rides at the weekend. My budget is quite low and also have to consider what extras I require to make my rides safe and enjoyable. Budget for the bike is maximum £350 and say a further £100 for accessories. I am 5'8" tall so not exactly sure which size to go for.

I have looked on Evans Cycles for some Sale bikes and noticed the Trek 7.x models on there but seems the best one for £349.99 is a small frame. I then saw a Specialized Sirrus 2011 which is in all frame sizes for same price. Is this a good model?

Ideally also want something that is lightweight as storing the bike I would have to lug it up some stairs.

I await all your valuable input, thanks.

Liquid_Entity · 11 May 2011 at 23:11

No, no takers. Surely someone must have some say ?

Eric's collar · 11 May 2011 at 23:12

Go on bike radar not a computer forum. They would be a lot more knowledgeable.

Saundie · 12 May 2011 at 08:04

Liquid_Entity said:
I am after a hybrid so that I can commute to work (3.5 miles each way) and for fun rides at the weekend. My budget is quite low and also have to consider what extras I require to make my rides safe and enjoyable. Budget for the bike is maximum £350 and say a further £100 for accessories. I am 5'8" tall so not exactly sure which size to go for.

I have looked on Evans Cycles for some Sale bikes and noticed the Trek 7.x models on there but seems the best one for £349.99 is a small frame. I then saw a Specialized Sirrus 2011 which is in all frame sizes for same price. Is this a good model?

I have a Sirrus, though mine is a 2009 model. It's perfectly adequate for commuting on, and the more upright position may even give you an advantage in traffic. It'll take mudguards and a rack, which will probably come in handy if you're going to commute on it on a daily basis. It's also not bad for those longer weekend rides; the furthest I've cycled on mine is just over 60 miles. Admittedly I found myself wishing for more positions for my hands, but that's probably because I'm used to drop bars now. Whether or not you'll experience this is down to personal preference.

I notice that the 2011 version of the Sirrus has steel forks, which will no doubt make it more comfortable for long rides than the aluminium forks on my Sirrus. Mine is a medium (I'm 5'9") and it fits me very well, but it'd probably still be worth going to the shop and trying it out just to make sure it fits. 11kg isn't bad for this sort of bike, you shouldn't have any difficulty lugging it up stairs.

I'm not sure if there are any better deals on hybrids around this price, but I would suggest staying away from Halford's Carerra range. Mostly due to personal dislike towards Halfords, following from my own prior experiences with them

Eric's collar said:
Go on bike radar not a computer forum. They would be a lot more knowledgeable.

Yes, because users of computers cannot also be cyclists. Did you not see the two huge cycling related threads here?

Caseh · 12 May 2011 at 08:10

Eric's collar said:
Go on bike radar not a computer forum. They would be a lot more knowledgeable.

Just because you are clueless, doesn't mean everyone else is in this forum.

robotSocks · 12 May 2011 at 08:17

Kona Dew

Liquid_Entity · 12 May 2011 at 09:50

robotCocks said:
Kona Dew

Could you narrow it down a bit lol. Any particular version as there's a few all around the same price range. Thanks

Liquid_Entity · 12 May 2011 at 09:51

Saundie said:
I'm not sure if there are any better deals on hybrids around this price, but I would suggest staying away from Halford's Carerra range. Mostly due to personal dislike towards Halfords, following from my own prior experiences with them

Thanks, I always stay away from halfords anyway

booyaka · 12 May 2011 at 10:09

Liquid_Entity said:
Thanks, I always stay away from halfords anyway

i would consider halfords at this this price range - check out the Carrera range - already got 30% off and for another few days - a further 20% off as well!! :eek:

matt_fsr · 12 May 2011 at 10:48

Liquid_Entity said:
Hey everyone,

I am after a hybrid so that I can commute to work (3.5 miles each way) and for fun rides at the weekend.

Define fun rides at the weekend please?

Im sure my weekend rides may be different to yours.... but are you thinking of just tarmac/very light trail fun rides, or slightly more off road type?

If you want to have the capability to do anything a bit off road, it might be worth looking at a mountain bike with skinny tyres rather than a hybrid?

nicks3607 · 12 May 2011 at 10:57

I'd say a Sirrus is definitely a road bike, not for trail use - I wouldn't want to ride it on anything but tarmac, anyway

I looked at one a while back, and really liked it.

As Matt says, you really need to think about what riding you'll be doing at weekends - pootling round the parks and trails with your kids? Or road riding? I'd be tempted to get something more mountain-bike-ish if it's the former.

nicks3607 · 12 May 2011 at 11:00

If it's a bit more mixed riding at weekends, have a look at the Specialized Crosstrails on Evans.

Liquid_Entity · 12 May 2011 at 11:38

matt_fsr said:
Define fun rides at the weekend please?

Im sure my weekend rides may be different to yours.... but are you thinking of just tarmac/very light trail fun rides, or slightly more off road type?

If you want to have the capability to do anything a bit off road, it might be worth looking at a mountain bike with skinny tyres rather than a hybrid?

Sorry yeah probably just gravel/tarmac/road riding around the Surrey area, not particularly off road at all.

Showboat · 12 May 2011 at 11:52

Hi there, i started doing something very similar a few years ago.
I went to halfords, and bought an £80 mountain bike (thinking well if i don't like it it's only £80 wasted).
The bike was aweful and never fully worked, after a month of bringing it back every week, i said i wanted a full refund as they couldn't fix it and they agreed.

I then went to my local shop with an idea that i would actually enjoying cycling and use it and weekends / evenings and they advised a ridgeback hybrid.
They had two in stock £200 and £300, they let me take both out of the shop for a ride around the block, the £200 bike was much better, so i went for it.

Last year i got a specialized road bike for about £500-600 thinking that i would take 10mins+ off my hour long cycle, it's much lighter and much thinner wheels, to my horror it didn't catually take much off my time, and it's a little harder to ride.

My advice, get a £200-250 hybrid from your local shop, ridgeback have a good enough reputation and my clunker is still going strong.

You will need:
helmet - £20
Gloves - £10
Pannier rack - £25
Pannier bag - £30
Front / rear lights when the winter approaches.
Carry a spare tube and the tools you need to repair a puncture by the side of the road.
If buying in a shop, negotiate some of the above for free, as part of the bike price!

Enjoy!

Liquid_Entity · 12 May 2011 at 12:16

Great advice there Showboat, thanks for listing the basic requirements as well as the bike advice.

Josh P · 12 May 2011 at 16:11

I ride a Sirrus, mainly in town so the riding position is good. I commute longer distances in the summer and it is fine. For longer rides (30k+) I find it a little uncomfortable, but I don't have padded shorts.

Mine is a 2009 model, and I do ride it off-tarmac but nothing too crazy - it doesn't cope that well.

blueboy2001 · 12 May 2011 at 21:29

I've had my 2011 Sirrus Elite for about 6 months and used it nearly every day.

It's a nice bike for commuting, but regardless what I've tried I cannot stop the internally routed rear brake cable rattling inside the frame for more than a few minutes at a time. It makes an horrendous racket on anything other than silky smooth tarmac and annoys the hell out of me.

Mine is an XL so it's a real big frame and I'm not sure if this is part of the problem. My Dad bought the Sirrus Comp shortly after me and his doesn't rattle anything like as much, but his is a M frame.

tom_nieto · 13 May 2011 at 00:53

I've had excellent experience of my two ridgeback hybrids. Essentially the same bike, the first was a genesis that was stolen and the second which I now ride every day is a ridgeback flight t2. I paid a bit more than your budget, but not much and would highly recommend them.

There are a lot of different hybrids out there too, with different tyre thickness, frame setup and even front suspension on some. If you're just on the road I'd pick a racier setup with thinner racing wheels and tyres every time for a short/medium commute.

Think carefully about tyres too. I was constantly getting punctures until I got hold of a set of schwalbe marathon plus tyres. Heavier, bit worth it IMO.

Judgeneo · 13 May 2011 at 00:59

I got a Carrera Subway from Halfords quite recently for £225. It came with free mudguards too as someone had previously ordered the bike with mudguards and then not collected it.

Top bike all round, although the front brake disc is ever so slightly warped meaning it rubs on every half turn if my weight isn't on the right when cycling.

I do 3 miles to uni and back each day and the occasional weekend cycle, very quick, very smooth.
One of my housemates recently brought his mountain bike down, and on the commute in the morning, he has to cycle down hills to keep up with my free wheeling.

Eric's collar · 13 May 2011 at 01:08

[Cas];19116777 said:
Just because you are clueless, doesn't mean everyone else is in this forum.

I'm not saying everyone is clueless here but there are more people that know cycling on bikeradar therefore you'll get more opinions on there but there seems to quite a few cyclists on here.