B'Twin Hoprider 900 Urban Hybrid Bike for sale at £550

[chrismisterx]

This looks to the novice eye a lot of bike for the money, would this bike be a good choice for touring in the UK, the reviews seem good but warn its on the heavy side.

If its not so good, whaat would you suggest, need to buy 2 bikes ( his and hers ) kitted out for touring and have a budget of around £600 for bike with racks etc ( might be able to push that a touch higher for the right bikes )

Being a novice I am really not sure what I am looking for in a touring bike, we would be wild camping / camping at sites, mixed in with B&B stays.

Thanks for the advice and hopefully recommendations.

 

[Racing roadkill]

This looks to the novice eye a lot of bike for the money, would this bike be a good choice for touring in the UK, the reviews seem good but warn its on the heavy side.

If its not so good, whaat would you suggest, need to buy 2 bikes ( his and hers ) kitted out for touring and have a budget of around £600 for bike with racks etc ( might be able to push that a touch higher for the right bikes )

Being a novice I am really not sure what I am looking for in a touring bike, we would be wild camping / camping at sites, mixed in with B&B stays.

Thanks for the advice and hopefully recommendations.

It is a bit of a beast, but ( as is typical with Decathlon bikes ) you get a whole lot of bike, for not much money ( relatively speaking). As far as ‘bang for the buck’ goes, with this type of bike, the Hoprider 900 is pretty good. It also has a lifetime frame and forks warranty, so if you want this type of go anywhere bike, I’d say you would be hard pushed to find better VFM.

 

[chrismisterx]

It is a bit of a beast, but ( as is typical with Decathlon bikes ) you get a whole lot of bike, for not much money ( relatively speaking). As far as ‘bang for the buck’ goes, with this type of bike, the Hoprider 900 is pretty good. It also has a lifetime frame and forks warranty, so if you want this type of go anywhere bike, I’d say you would be hard pushed to find better VFM.

thanks for your reply

So for a trip to Scotland ( hills and such ) do you think the weight would be a massive problem or has it the gears to cope well for the bike and luggage in your option. trying to balance affordability but still get something fit for purpose and then in a few years time when I am not such a novice with bikes maybe upgrade, but also want to be able to ride it and not have to push it up every hill

thanks for your reply

 

[alicat]

It's got suspension forks - are you planning to do serious off road cycling? If not, you would be better to look for something like this if it has eyelets for a rack?

 

[RichK]

I've looked at these a couple of times as a potential replacement for my commuter bike which I'm not totally happy with. However, it's the weight that has put me off (the unnecessary suspension fork doesn't help but that's not all of it).

 

[Racing roadkill]

thanks for your reply

So for a trip to Scotland ( hills and such ) do you think the weight would be a massive problem or has it the gears to cope well for the bike and luggage in your option. trying to balance affordability but still get something fit for purpose and then in a few years time when I am not such a novice with bikes maybe upgrade, but also want to be able to ride it and not have to push it up every hill

thanks for your reply

It’s got a granny ring up front, so it will go up steep hills quite well. It’s a good all rounder, but I wouldn’t deliberately choose this type of bike for steep hills.

 

[Racing roadkill]

I've looked at these a couple of times as a potential replacement for my commuter bike which I'm not totally happy with. However, it's the weight that has put me off (the unnecessary suspension fork doesn't help but that's not all of it).

The suspension fork hasn’t got much travel ( relative to a MTB ) so it’s really there for helping with maintaining front wheel contact on rough surfaces ( which makes the ride less ‘fraught’ if your riding it loaded up on trails). A lot of people mis understand this type of front suspension set up, and what it’s purpose is. It isn’t to allow you to ride ‘sick burms’ flat out, it’s there to help you maintain speed and balance if the surface your riding on gets loose, especially if the bike is laden.

 

[Racing roadkill]

It's got suspension forks - are you planning to do serious off road cycling? If not, you would be better to look for something like this if it has eyelets for a rack?

A drop bar, fixed fork, roady with rim brakes? If you want a drop bar roady for the OPs sort of intended riding ( I definitely wouldn’t advise it ), I’d go for this

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-rc-520-disc-road-bike-navy-105-id_8554421.html

 

[chrismisterx]

It's got suspension forks - are you planning to do serious off road cycling? If not, you would be better to look for something like this if it has eyelets for a rack?

I am unsure of now bad the cycle paths will be heading up to Scotland, we are think about looking to follow the cycle network as much as possible, i would think its going to be mainly tarmac and gravel type paths? thats just a guess from what i have seen on the cycle paths where I live.

Also hoping the bike would be future proof so we get a few years out of it while we learn.

 

[alicat]

You don't need suspension forks for that sort of terrain.

 

[chrismisterx]

It’s got a granny ring up front, so it will go up steep hills quite well. It’s a good all rounder, but I wouldn’t deliberately choose this type of bike for steep hills.

a good all rounder sounds good, is there anything you would change or swap out to improve the bike that wouldn't break the bank? I read a review of the bike that said swapping the peddles was a good idea, i have no idea why apart from the weight? Also could i ask your opinion on tubeless tires, are they worth getting for this kind of bike, are they really as bomb proof as the reviews suggest?

thanks again for your advice, your comment of being a good all rounder makes me happier that this could be a good starter bike for us to learn on.

 

[Cycleops]

With that budget you might find some useful alternatives second hand like this Boardman:
https://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/boardman-hybrid/1320093850
Or this Giant:
https://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/mens-bike/1321309655
Leaves you a bit more to add the rack, panniers etc plus a bit for replacing parts.

 

[Racing roadkill]

a good all rounder sounds good, is there anything you would change or swap out to improve the bike that wouldn't break the bank? I read a review of the bike that said swapping the peddles was a good idea, i have no idea why apart from the weight? Also could i ask your opinion on tubeless tires, are they worth getting for this kind of bike, are they really as bomb proof as the reviews suggest?

thanks again for your advice, your comment of being a good all rounder makes me happier that this could be a good starter bike for us to learn on.

I’d swap the pedals it comes with, as they are cheap resin numbers, with questionable bearings, and put these on instead.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/100-clipless-dual-platform-leisure-bike-pedals-id_8298318.html

They have a flat side for riding with normal shoes, and an SPD side for riding with 2 bolt type cleats.

I wouldn’t bother with tubeless tyres, they would be an absolute liability on this type of bike. I’d go for these.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/schwalbe-marathon-plus-smartguard-rigid-road-tyre/

( it comes with them already ).

With this type of inner tube.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/slime-self-healing-mtb-29er-inner-tube/

 

[Vantage]

20kg is a heck of a lot of weight to be lugging around but there are cheap ish remedies to bring it down a bit.
The tyres are almost a kg each which is mental. Those Marathons especially are known to be very 'lifeless'. Too slow and harsh.
Also from Decathlon, these are about half the weight.
You could afford to lose that stupid chain guard.
The supplied saddle on that thing is 790g
My couch doesn't weigh that much!
This is again, half that weight and probably comfier.
I'd have a wander into the store and see if that rear wheel lock can be taken off as it's completely useless. You'd be better off with a reasonable cable lock so the bikes can be secured together or locked to something.
Do you need the kickstand fitted? I like mine but some folk are happy to do without so more potential weight saving there.
I wouldn't worry about the suspension fork for now. If after a few moths you decide you can live without it, it can be replaced for a lighter non suspension type. That could save you another 2kg ish.

If you're careful about your touring gear purchases when that time comes, the weight savings made there can make up for whatever excesses the bike has.

I think alot of cycle tourists would agree on one thing, weight only really matters when going uphill and in that case, you can just go slower. It isn't a race. Take your time and enjoy being free of the time constraints that suck the fun from life.

 

[chrismisterx]

20kg is a heck of a lot of weight to be lugging around but there are cheap ish remedies to bring it down a bit.
The tyres are almost a kg each which is mental. Those Marathons especially are known to be very 'lifeless'. Too slow and harsh.
Also from Decathlon, these are about half the weight.
You could afford to lose that stupid chain guard.
The supplied saddle on that thing is 790g
My couch doesn't weigh that much!
This is again, half that weight and probably comfier.
I'd have a wander into the store and see if that rear wheel lock can be taken off as it's completely useless. You'd be better off with a reasonable cable lock so the bikes can be secured together or locked to something.
Do you need the kickstand fitted? I like mine but some folk are happy to do without so more potential weight saving there.
I wouldn't worry about the suspension fork for now. If after a few moths you decide you can live without it, it can be replaced for a lighter non suspension type. That could save you another 2kg ish.

If you're careful about your touring gear purchases when that time comes, the weight savings made there can make up for whatever excesses the bike has.

I think alot of cycle tourists would agree on one thing, weight only really matters when going uphill and in that case, you can just go slower. It isn't a race. Take your time and enjoy being free of the time constraints that suck the fun from life.

Thats some fantastic advice, I think you have just made my mind up for me.

I could use the bike like it is while training, extra weight to act like some luggage and when it comes to then trip make the changes as suggested!

thank you for your reply, this could be the middle ground I was looking for!