C2W - Hybrid - £500

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tctwc

New Member
Hello everyone,

I am looking to purchase a new hybrid bike for my daily commute through Halfords C2W scheme.

Must-haves:

Flat bar
Disc brakes
Halfords/Cycling /tredz stock
Resilient/low-maintenance drivetrain

I had Carrera Subway One before (stolen) and Voodoo Marasa now. I am happy with Marasa in general, but I had to replace the chain and the cassette after 7 months and now I am getting some shifting issues again.

Willing to top up the £500 a little bit, but definitely won't go higher than £600

My current candidates are :

Voodoo Agwe - a step up from Marasa and Deore mech. But concerned about quality after the issues with Marasa and not sure value for money is good

Boardman MTX 8.8 - seems like great value for money but I know I don't need suspension forks. Also, seems like there are no mounts at all?

My commute is 15 miles round trip, London streets, but a lot of potholes and sometimes mounting the curbs. I am really looking for resilience rather than comfort.

Any expert advice is greatly appreciated.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
There are also plenty of independent shops which take Halfords C2W vouchers which might open your choices up a bit (to Giant, Trek, Whyte etc)

https://www.cycle2work.info/bg_C2WStoreMap?sfdcIFrameOrigin=null

If you have a shortlist, get to Cycle Republic and test ride.
Isn’t there a non suspension Boardman flatbar?

Edit, yes there is and it's reduced under budget
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/boardman-hyb-8-6-hybrid-bike-grey

You’re right, you absolutely don’t need suspension for riding around London

Look at the 1x10 or 11 drivetrains (Whyte R7 flatbar series bikes are great)

You could also look at single speed

Don’t forget to budget for a couple of good strong d locks if leaving anywhere in London as you are surely aware already

I'd say a Subway is as resilient as they come at least frame wise, get another of those and save a load of cash
 
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tctwc

New Member
Thanks - definitely

Another contender is Cannondale quick disc 4 - to be had at Evans for £520 and Tredz will probably price match. Is it worth considering?

I definitely need a wide range of gears as there are some pretty steep climbs on my commute

What are the other shops that accept Halfords C2W vouchers?
 

vickster

Legendary Member
What are the other shops that accept Halfords C2W vouchers?

I posted a link, you need to put your postcode in. Where in London are you? North can be hilly, also SE around Crystal Palace
Go try the Cannondale at Evans and see what you think. Trek 7.3fx disc a top bike too
 

Sixmile

Veteran
Location
N Ireland
My local Halfords store told me that they can order in any of the following brands...

IMG_20190607_175246.jpg
 

Bonefish Blues

Banging donk
Location
52 Festive Road
If you want simple, easily maintained, plenty of gear range, then as V has already mentioned, do take a look at 1x bikes. She & I are Whyte fans, and the Whitechapel is a great ride, with gears from 31 to 103 inches. £599 at the moment, but leave iit a week or two and they will be clearing 2019 stock at close to £500. Worth a ride.

My other though was a hub geared bike, but they tend to be North of your price range, unless you'd consider this one from Evans? Bit short of gear range, perhaps, and I have no knowledge of the quality of the Sunrace IGH.

https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-chromium-2-2019-hybrid-bike-EV306264
 

rivers

How far can I go?
Location
Bristol
Hello everyone,

I am looking to purchase a new hybrid bike for my daily commute through Halfords C2W scheme.


I had Carrera Subway One before (stolen) and Voodoo Marasa now. I am happy with Marasa in general, but I had to replace the chain and the cassette after 7 months and now I am getting some shifting issues again.

Have you had your bike serviced recently? All bikes need to upkept. A service should sort your shifting issues. You might need new cables or it just needs to be adjusted. It's something you can easily do yourself if someone competent shows you how. And if you're doing a lot of miles, you will go through chains. I generally go through 1 per year, per bike, if not 2 on my summer bike. If you go too long before replacing the chain, you can knacker the cassette. A chain checker shouldn't cost you much. A more expensive bike isn't going to cut down on having to do maintenance and replace chains. I would get your marasa serviced, and ask the mechanic to show you how to adjust your cable tension.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
There are also council or bike organisation maintenance sessions in some London boroughs where you can go along and learn how to maintain your bike with supervision

Evans also run courses on basic bike maintenance
 
Boardman hybrid 8.6 is pretty reliable and currently £480 at halfords which is cheapest it generally gets. If you are doing 1000s of miles the front rings cant be replaced so you have to get a complete drivetrain for about £70.
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
Have you had your bike serviced recently? All bikes need to upkept. A service should sort your shifting issues. You might need new cables or it just needs to be adjusted. It's something you can easily do yourself if someone competent shows you how. And if you're doing a lot of miles, you will go through chains. .

Exactly this, intensive all-weather use imposes lot of wear & tear on any sort of machinery, bikes included. Replacing the bike is not really the answer, more attention to maintenance is, and accepting that things like tyres, brakes and drivetrain parts have a running cost per mile attached to using them.
You've had one bike stolen already, and the current one is now declining in value and therefore desirability to a thief. Buying another shiny new bike to commute on is just offering the bike thief scum richer pickings. I knock around in London on a worthless 1990's era Apollo rigid MTB, that cost me virtually nothing. it's got enough gears to get up hills and the wheels are strong enough to survive potholes and kerbs. I don't worry about it getting stolen. Now and again, I put some oil on the chain and brake cables and that's about all I do apart from pumping up the tyres and checking them for embedded flints/glass fragments..
 
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