Best budget Hybrid bike from the following

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jonpm

New Member
Location
Devon
Hi all,

I'm an unfit guy who's recently turned 40 and I've decided to buy a new bike to start cycling to work with.
The journey is about 10 miles each way along a tarmac cycle path and a few roads.

I have quite a low budget but can push it a little bit due to being able to treble Tesco points with Evans cycles. Having had a bit of a look around, and doing a little bit of research,I've narrowed down my search to the following bikes:

https://www.evanscycles.com/trek-fx-1-2019-hybrid-bike-EV311936

https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-lithium-1-2018-hybrid-bike-EV275571

https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-neon-1-2018-hybrid-bike-EV275567

https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-lithium-2-2018-hybrid-bike-EV275572

I am rather clueless about which brakes, tyres, forks etc are better so would really appreciate some advice please.... even if you were to suggest an entirely different bike. I'm pretty sure i am going to stick with Evans Cycles though due to clubcard points.

Thanks!
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Evans do test rides. Try for yourself and buy the one that feels best for you :smile:

At any given price point, the components will be pretty similar. A carbon fork always saves some weight but the entry level model won’t usually have one. Alu lighter than steel but still might absorb road roughness better

2019 bikes are coming so you might see a little drop in the 2018s like the trek if you can wait a month

How hilly is your trip if at all, the single chain rings might be harder work
 
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Slioch

Guru
Location
York
Just a thought, but if you're going to be using the bike for commuting you may wish to consider having mudguards to keep you dry, and a rear rack to carry your luggage on. None of these bikes appear to come with them included, so if money is a bit tight they would be an additional cost, unless of course you could do a bit of haggling with Evans?
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
I wouldn't buy any of them. What I would do is buy something cheap and secondhand, and start out on that. For a commute bike, the less money tied up in it the better. The only component I think is worth splashing out for decent stuff is puncture-resistant tyres. Other than that, get the cheapest reasonable quality bike that will get you from A to B.
 

nickAKA

Über Member
Location
Manchester
They're all good starter bikes for folk around our age group. The Trek is heavy in comparison to all 3 pinnacles; personal preference, without having ridden any of them, would be option 3. As vickster says you can test ride them which is the best thing about buying from Evans.
At that price point, Tektro rim brakes are what you're going to get. They work, but you get what you pay for... fitting some quality brake blocks is a cheap & simple upgrade if you decide they're not performing as well as you'd like.
Going down the second hand route, you'd get an excellent hybrid (probably with decent disk brakes) for less money than that but there are obviously risks involved if you're going in blind, so for piece of mind, a warranty & back up you'll be fine with any of those bikes for a good few years.
 

MarkF

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
Agree with @vickster, they are all decent very similar bikes that will do the job for years, the colour scheme would probably swing it for me!

I've had a pile of hybrids but only bought 1 new, that was 10 years ago and I still have it. The others were all bought used, the best deal being a 1 month old Sirrus Sport for a straight £200. Loads of people buy a hybrid to commute and/or lose weight then give up very quickly, I don't know when you are buying but there'll be a lot of used bargains around Jan/Feb, there always are.
 
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OP
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jonpm

New Member
Location
Devon
Thank you all for your replies. I have thought about 2nd hand bikes but I haven't seen anything worthwhile locally.

Perhaps I'll take Vickster's advice and wait a month or two, maybe get a black Friday bargain
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
Thank you all for your replies. I have thought about 2nd hand bikes but I haven't seen anything worthwhile locally.

There's some real bargains out there if you are patient. Prices seem lower during the cold weather months and the choice appears greater. No doubt many cyclists run out of enthusiasm when the sun isn't shining, and get rid of their bikes.
I bought this high-spec 1995 Raleigh Pioneer with Reynolds 501 for £10 last winter, and once I had fitted new Schwalbe tyres and a replacement brake lever, is now my frontline service bike at a total cost of £50.

PIONEER TRAIL OFFSIDE.jpg


Then an unusual 1988 Raleigh Gemini (arguably the original hybrid bike, with a Reynolds 531 touring-geometry frame) turned up fairly locally for £20, so it would have been rude not to buy it, especially as it still had it's original Michelin tyres so clearly had seen little use. All that needed was a drop of oil and another set of new tyres (for puncture resistance, not because the originals were knackered). Rides very nice, although possibly a fraction on the small side, but for another £50 total I'm not complaining
Gemini 18 Offside.jpg


For a total outlay of £100 I've got two nice machines with high quality steel frames, so I've got a reserve bike if one has a problem that can't be instantly fixed. If I'd spent that £100 on a new bike all it would have got me is a low grade BSO. Secondhand gets you more for your money, and better quality for your money, if you are choosy about what you buy.
 

sleuthey

Legendary Member
If it were me, with you commute, and I had to choose one of the 4 I would choose the Lithium 1. Firstly as I am a fan of 1X drivetrains (hate front mechs), secondly the tyres seem like a happy medium size for tarmac and gravel and thirdly it's £25-£50 cheaper than the others so if you did want to replace the tyres or rear cassette at a later date you could use the saving to fund it.
 
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