Any advice on a £300-500 women's hybrid?

[lolagp]

Hello,

I've just found out the company I work for run the tax-free cycle scheme run by Cycle Surgery (http://www.cyclesurgery.com/) so I'm looking to make the most of it and get a bike for £300-£500, for riding to the train station most days (only a couple of miles away) and at weekends.

Anyway as I'm fairly new to this I just wondered if you have any advice on what sort of thing I should go for in this price range? I'll be riding mainly on roads, but it's quite rural where we live so there will be a few sandy / stony tracks as well.

The work scheme means I have to get the bike from Cycle Surgery to get the discount, so my shortlist is:

Specialized Ariel £350
Ridgeback Velocity £380
Giant Dash 4 £450
Giant Roam 2 £450

Any particularly recommendations for any on this list? Looks-wise I think I like the Dash best but not sure if it's suitable for the rougher terrain near home?

Thanks for any advice

Nicola

 

[BearPear]

I love my Trek 7.2fx wsd. I have had it for a year now and the only problem I have had was after hubby was a bit over-enthusiastic when messing about with the rear-derailleur cable - but it is back running like a dream now! It cost about £350.

I usually ride on the road but it copes well with canal path. I wouldn't take it off road, the tyres aren't ideal and there's no suspension.

 

[AliA]

I love my Trek 7.5fx WSD. Great bike, light weight and fast to accelerate. Using the voucher scheme should bring the cost down to within your budget maybe?

 

[battered]

If you are only talking about gravel paths and the odd track with puddles, then a hybris will cope. You don't need suspension to go down a canal towpath, that was just a wheeze dreamt up by the bike manufacturers to sell MTBs. I would ensure though that your tyres are at least 700 x 25C, preferably 28c (25mm and 28mm wide respectively) so they will cope with a bit of gravel and the odd puddle. Some hybrids have very smooth road tyres, others are a bit knobbly and the former are great on decent roads, the latter a bit slower on road but better on mud.

 

[lolagp]

Thanks everyone for your tips. Cycle Surgery do sell the Trek 7.3 and 7.5 FX but annoyingly don't seem to have the women's models.

In terms of tyres the Giant Dash has Kenda Kwest 700x28mm and the Ariel has Specialized Borough XC Sport 700x45c so quite a big difference... Are there any other technical things I should be looking out for?

Thanks!

 

[HLaB]

My Ridgeback Velocity (mens) has been a reliable/ robust bike and IMO it handles well. Its tyres are fairly wide and weight and gearing are more toward the Mtb end of the Hybrid Spectrum, fine for short rides (around 5-10 miles) and a few longer slow rides but any more than that I would go for something akin a flat bar road bike or or even better dropped bar bike. Narrower tyres, lighter, higher geared, faster, etc.

Edit: I like the look of the Spesh Vita

 

[g00se]

Hi,

Those bikes cover a wide range of the hybrid gamut...

The Giant Dash is more or a road bike but with flat handlebars -and of all the others, you'll be pitched forward the most.

The Ariel is in the most 'relaxed', sit up and beg style.

Between those two are the Velocity and the Dash which are what most think as your more 'regular' hybrid.

Trek use the term 'WSD' to mean a regular frame style bike but with a geometry for women (legs relatively longer) rather than 'Womens' which means a step-through frame. So they do have the 7.3FX and 7.5FX is WSD:

http://www.cyclesurgery.com/trek-7.3-fx-wsd-10/traditional/bikes-components-bikewear/fcp-product/403

 

[dub-no-bass]

I had a Trek 7.3FX (men's version) for ~4 years and loved it. In fact I'm considering getting another one for wintertime (because the brakes are sharper than my road bike, and it has a more upright riding position, so is better in wet/darker weather).
If you're a shorter legged/long body sort of person, a men's bike may fit you OK.

 

[punkypossum]

I'd go for the Trek, but then I'm biased cause I love my treks!