hey I started to learn bike as an adult, I practiced on a mountain bike and did alot of off road practice then went to try camel trails where if you hire a bike it's a comfortable seat hybrid and that was a very smooth ride on different surfaces. I would like to ask would a hybrid be ok for wheeler groups where they cycle for miles, ive seen it on strava where there's lots of elevation and good 30 plus miles, it's like they make an afternoon out of it. I see where people say hybrid not good for many miles but better at shorter distances on any surface. what would be your advice here and would £300 hybrid work well for cycling group rides? I'm new to this so just getting the ideas at the moment yeah.
best bike for me
- Thread starter darts180
- Start date
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- Location
- Glasgow
Hi and welcome @darts180.
You mean a road bike, I think.
Certainly many members on here and on Strava do long distances on hybrids.
I did my first (and only, to date) 100 miler on a £180 hybrid with no ill effects, was actually great fun!
Hybrids are heavier and have fatter tyres than road bikes, so they are a bit slower (comparing them on the same rider) but then again mostly have a lower gearing, easier for hills.
There are cycling groups that go far and fast, groups that go far slowly, groups go slow or fast not very far, I think try a few to find out what kind of cycling you like before dismissing the bike you have.
You mean a road bike, I think.
Certainly many members on here and on Strava do long distances on hybrids.
I did my first (and only, to date) 100 miler on a £180 hybrid with no ill effects, was actually great fun!
Hybrids are heavier and have fatter tyres than road bikes, so they are a bit slower (comparing them on the same rider) but then again mostly have a lower gearing, easier for hills.
There are cycling groups that go far and fast, groups that go far slowly, groups go slow or fast not very far, I think try a few to find out what kind of cycling you like before dismissing the bike you have.
hey thanks for that, I've been to different places that sell bikes but it's like I can't make my mind up lol almost like a nightmare looking at some many bikes but I definitely like the overall feel of a hybrid I must say. aswel as for rides with a local club I would also use it at home on the setup for zwift thing if the weather's abit crap.
Cycleops
Legendary Member
- Location
- Accra, Ghana
It all depends what type you feel most comfortable on and I don't mean just the saddle. Hybrids now come in a proliferation of styles from fat tyres with laid back geometry to sharp handling types with narrow fast tyres, really a road bike with straight bars. The latter would serve you well for fast day trips. Plus you can choose from a wide choice of gearing.
If you can try as many bikes as possible and see what suits you. Are you in the UK? I ask as others may want go direct you to one particular seller or another.
If you can try as many bikes as possible and see what suits you. Are you in the UK? I ask as others may want go direct you to one particular seller or another.
raleighnut
Legendary Member
- Location
- One of the 'Elite'
this price range, what's the differences there? I remember when buying my eletric guitar there was the ones around 100 pound mark then you had middle range guitars that were around 300 up to about 600, then there was the high end range with guitars of 800 up to over a 1000, but the guy at shop was saying the difference was mostly where your paying for the brand name and better materials and wood and where the buyer has lots of money to spend on a preferred style or colour. the guy at shop said middle range would last just as long. I wonder if this was the same thing with the bike price range where the middle range prices would be a good bike overall yeah.
raleighnut
Legendary Member
- Location
- One of the 'Elite'
To take your guitar analogy then yeah the mid-range one is probably fine but you might want to change the tuners and then there are the pick-ups and you could easily fit a better bridge and a 'bone' nut would be better, same with bikes.
(I had a lovely Japanese Fender 'Squier' Telecaster that was stolen in a burglary, the insurance company valued it at £400 which would have got me a Mexican one but it went towards my lovely 'Corona' Californian Telecaster which was on sale having spent 4yrs as a window display, Is it better than the Japanese guitar, probably not, but when I took it to my Luthier to be set-up he offered me a grand for it as the tone is just fantastic, a real growler of a 'Tele' not a 'twangy' one)
Anyhoo, back to bikes. Basically you get what you pay for and the more 'stuff' they bolt on to it (suspension forks, disc brakes etc.) then either the quality goes down or the price goes up.
SkipdiverJohn
Deplorable Brexiteer
- Location
- London
If you buy new that's true. The alternative of course is to buy secondhand, in which case you typically get at least two or three times as much bang for your buck - so you either get a budget bike dirt cheap or you get a high quality used bike for the price of a new budget bike. I haven't bought a bike brand new for over 30 years and have no intention of doing so ever again.
Reynard
Guru
- Location
- Cambridgeshire, UK
If you're new to cycling full stop, then a hybrid would probably be the best bet until you are a) confident on a bike, b) know what sort of cycling you really want to be doing and c) get "bike fit". As you're in a hilly area, then d) lower gearing which makes it easier to do the "up" bits.
At your budget, I'd avoid anything with suspension (see above post) and go for a simple but sturdy bike.
If you want to buy new, your £300 would get you a Carrera Subway, which is a good starting point - there's a fair few bods on here who ride them. Otherwise I'd suggest looking at something secondhand, which will give you way more bang-for-buck if you want to max the budget. Otherwise, you could buy a cheaper used bike and spend the rest on the other bits and bobs of cycling kit.
If you're buying secondhand, would suggest enlisting the help of a friend who knows a bit about bikes and what to look for.
At your budget, I'd avoid anything with suspension (see above post) and go for a simple but sturdy bike.
If you want to buy new, your £300 would get you a Carrera Subway, which is a good starting point - there's a fair few bods on here who ride them. Otherwise I'd suggest looking at something secondhand, which will give you way more bang-for-buck if you want to max the budget. Otherwise, you could buy a cheaper used bike and spend the rest on the other bits and bobs of cycling kit.
If you're buying secondhand, would suggest enlisting the help of a friend who knows a bit about bikes and what to look for.
Cycleops
Legendary Member
- Location
- Accra, Ghana
If you want a fast hybrid you'll have to a long way to get better value than this:
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-520-flat-bar-road-bike-sora-id_8322799.html
Light weight and wide gearing will help conquer those Cornshire hills. Bit above your budget but a quality bike at a bargain price, plus you've got the backing of the world's biggest sports retailer.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-520-flat-bar-road-bike-sora-id_8322799.html
Light weight and wide gearing will help conquer those Cornshire hills. Bit above your budget but a quality bike at a bargain price, plus you've got the backing of the world's biggest sports retailer.
Many year ago now I started with a Dawes Galaxy and gave up, bought road bike and gave up, bought a hybrid and from the first ride there was no stopping me. 
I didn't really know what I wanted just that I quickly got bored on one surface, with the hybrid I was soon doing road/trail/towpath 50 mile jaunts, still do.....I now have a road bike and a tourer but for fun I usually take out a hybrid.
I didn't really know what I wanted just that I quickly got bored on one surface, with the hybrid I was soon doing road/trail/towpath 50 mile jaunts, still do.....I now have a road bike and a tourer but for fun I usually take out a hybrid.
if i can do up to 44 miles on a mountain bike with loads of hills on my fat ass i do not see why a hybrid would not and im guessing a hybrid would be even lighter, also even lighter if it has a rigid fork
thats a road bike with out the drop bars though, i always think of a hybrid as between a road and a mtb
quality bike though i cannot fault my 2 btwins the old orange grey rock rider 540 with over 3000 miles on it and my triban 500se with about 600.
raleighnut
Legendary Member
- Location
- One of the 'Elite'
I built my hybrid from a donated (hybrid) frame to 'fast flat bar' spec, makes a fantastic touring bike.thats a road bike with out the drop bars though, i always think of a hybrid as between a road and a mtb
quality bike though i cannot fault my 2 btwins the old orange grey rock rider 540 with over 3000 miles on it and my triban 500se with about 600.
Although those 28mm Marathons look a bit 'lost' in there
