Am I right to buy a hybrid?

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phil73

New Member
Location
Norfolk UK
Hi, I'm new here and need some advice, I think I'm on the right path but please correct me if I'm wrong....
I need a bike...good start right.....but I need a bike that I can ride for fitness and one that can handle a weekend away fully loaded with camping gear. I popped into my local bike shop and after checking out tourers, MTBs and hybrids it felt like a hybrid was right for my needs.

Next question I asked was can I fit a full front rack to a bike with suspension? the reply was yes but only on certain bikes, not all have the butts (?) required.

So my dilemma is this, do I buy a rigid fork and put up with the odd trail shaking my arms to jelly (easier to put on a rack) or do I find a suspension bike that'll take a front rack and give me better comfort?

Bikes I've looked at so far......

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Lapierre-Cross-400-Pack-2014-Hybrid-Sports-Bike_67695.htm

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Scott-Sub-E...aign=Adwords&gclid=CN3OofbdlcQCFTPKtAodNGsAbA

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-Crosstrail-Sport-Disc-2015-Hybrid-Sports-Bike_73409.htm

Or is there a much better bike out there suited to my needs? I can tell you now that I've not considered weight so I have no idea how heavy the above are and being a novice I'm not 100% sure whether I'm looking at the right bikes, they just look the part and are in my budget. Come on guys, can anyone help me before I go spending money on something that's nor right for me?
 

the snail

Guru
Location
Chippenham
I'd go for a rigid fork anyway, and go with fatter tyres if you're worried about comfort. If you need front panniers for a weekend away then I reckon you're carrying too much stuff!
 

Kestevan

Last of the Summer Winos
Location
Holmfirth.
Forget the suspebsion for a start, unless you're planning to ride properly off-road (in which case forget the hybrid and buy a mtb).

As stated above a decent rigid fork and larger tyres will give a good ride and be lighter than the crappy sus fitted to most hybrids.
 

screenman

Legendary Member
A decent pair of front suspension forks would likely cost £300, that does not leave much for the rest of the bike. Go rigid of the front.
 

Onyer

Senior Member
Go multiple bikes - one for commuting/fitness, one for touring. If you try to get a bike for all occasions you may be disappointed. How many times will you go touring? Compare this to how many times you will get on a bike for a quick blast around your local area or to/from work? If it were me I would look for a good lightweight bike for fitness and a touring bike for the weekend away. Maybe second hand so that you can change them in the future without spending too much.
 

lee1980sim

Senior Member
Location
South Yorkshire
I have suspension on the front forks and I've lost count on the amount of times I wish I hadn't, I permanently have them locked, wider tyres are good enough, they're just extra weight for no gain, the replacement for this bike will be rigid forks, so in essence what I'm saying is go rigid
 

Kestevan

Last of the Summer Winos
Location
Holmfirth.
If I was looking for a "do it all" fitness/commuter/tourer I'd find it very very difficult to look past the Planet X London Road.....
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLDNRDTIAFB/planet-x-london-road-argento-tiagra-flat-bar-bike
I don't think there's much out there at the moment that comes close for the price - They also do a drop handle version which would be more my choice, but that's personal preference,

However, as you're new to cycling I'd hesitate to recommend buying online if you're not in a position to get to Sheffield to try one (although may be worth the trip).
If there is an Edinburgh Bike Co-op near you they have several models in the Revolution lineup that may be ideal, both flat bar and drop handle.
 

Cyclist33

Guest
Location
Warrington
A decent pair of front suspension forks would likely cost £300, that does not leave much for the rest of the bike. Go rigid of the front.

I agree, for the intended use suspension is unnecessary, although you don't need to spend anywhere near 300 to get a decent pair for bombing around on.
 

Cyclist33

Guest
Location
Warrington
If I was looking for a "do it all" fitness/commuter/tourer I'd find it very very difficult to look past the Planet X London Road.....
http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLDNRDTIAFB/planet-x-london-road-argento-tiagra-flat-bar-bike
I don't think there's much out there at the moment that comes close for the price - They also do a drop handle version which would be more my choice, but that's personal preference,

However, as you're new to cycling I'd hesitate to recommend buying online if you're not in a position to get to Sheffield to try one (although may be worth the trip).
If there is an Edinburgh Bike Co-op near you they have several models in the Revolution lineup that may be ideal, both flat bar and drop handle.

Like that, I'd have one if I was in the market. Well, it would be on my shortlist anyway!
 

w00hoo_kent

One of the 64K
What sort of distance are you looking at doing when you go away? Agreed, don't get suspension by the way. It feels like you're coming in to riding fresh, rather than adding to existing bikes, in which case you might find the best start is to get a hybrid and use it to get fitter and have some fun, then once you've got some miles under your belt and have worked out how involved you want to be start looking for something to tour and either sell the first bike to part fund it, or end up with two. Trying to suit all cases with no real idea what you enjoy is going to be a tough ask to do straight away.
 

mikeymustard

Veteran
I agree with everything said above re: suspension, but I would say that when I first got back into cycling a coupla years ago, I struggled with comfort on flat bars even on quite short journeys because there's only one position to put your hands. Some decent bar ends will help this somewhat though.
However, I'm also very happy I bought a light-ish road bike to ride this year, the few times I've been out so far I've been loving it, I feel a lot more "involved" with a kind of "man and machine" vibe.
If I was starting out again I'd go for a road bike for fun (a big heavy hybrid doesn't make you smile), and look for a more touring-suited bike later when I know exactly what I want - a good 2nd hand one or end of season bargain can be had come September time.
I still have my flat barred bike but it doesn't see daylight very often at the moment!
 

w00hoo_kent

One of the 64K
Agreed, allegedly my Sirrus frame is based off of the Allez one. I realised today that I've not commuted on the Synapse yet this year and am yet to miss it because I'm enjoying the ride on the Sirrus. I don't have bar ends, but equally don't do big mileage on it (maybe 15-20 miles max for a trip) but if you were intending to spend the day out on it then bar ends would be a worthwhile addition (all of the Sirrus manufactured after mine came with bar ends I believe) the different riding positions are worth having.

The wider, but not overly wide, bars are handy for confidence and control and the more upright riding position gives you better vision which was nice when I was getting used to riding a bicycle again.
 
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