First bike advice please!

[pete146]

Driving myself mad reading reviews etc for my first bike purchase in 20 years!

I'm looking for a hybrid, around £400. It will be used for bridle paths, country lanes, woodland paths, fields - but also on the roads (a bit) to get to these places. I would like sit quite upright as I have some back trouble (which has stopped me buying a bike in the past).

My mind was made up - I was going to wait for the price to reduce and buy this (I know it's Halfords, but it gets well reviewed):
https://www.halfords.com/bikes/moun...s-hybrid-bike----18in-20in-frames-445471.html

And now I've seen this:
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/900-hybrid-bike-water-green-id_8578872.html

So my question is - Which is the best, basic bike that will be reliable and comfortable to get me back into cycling?

Thanks

 

[NorthernDave]

The best bet is to try them both for size and see which suits you best.

Also at Halfords and frequently on offer at well below your budget, the Carrera Subway range consistently gets positive reviews and would suitable for your needs.

Don't believe all the horror stories you hear about Halfords.

 

[Dwn]

It's always a very personal thing, but for what it's worth the last 3 bikes I have bought have been from decathlon and they have each been tremendous value for money. After sales service has been poor - instead I use a local, independentndent, shop for servicing and repairs.

 

[vickster]

Usually I wouldn’t countenance suspension on a £400 bike but it sounds like you’re going to be riding on some rough off road? What %’will be on roads?
Comfort will be very much down to yiu really.
I’d perhaps look for a second hand Specialized Crosstrail or similar, one that was top of the range. Make sure it has a good lockout on the front fork
or something like this new

https://www.discountcyclesdirect.co.uk/catalog/product.php?CI_ID=18625&Item='Marin San Anselmo DS3 Hybrid Commuter Bike - Purple'
or https://www.discountcyclesdirect.co...='Marin San Anselmo DS4 Hybrid Commuter Bike'

 

[OldShep]

Difficult choice, for me I’d choose the Halfords because it’s got a triple and no suspension. The Decathalon might be appealing if I wanted the simplicity of a 1x system and felt suspension might be needed.

 

[biggs682]

At £400 I would look at the second hand market just the wrong time at the moment though

 

[pete146]

Usually I wouldn’t countenance suspension on a £400 bike but it sounds like you’re going to be riding on some rough off road? What %’will be on roads?
Comfort will be very much down to yiu really.
I’d perhaps look for a second hand Specialized Crosstrail or similar, one that was top of the range. Make sure it has a good lockout on the front fork
or something like this new

https://www.discountcyclesdirect.co.uk/catalog/product.php?CI_ID=18625&Item='Marin San Anselmo DS3 Hybrid Commuter Bike - Purple'
or https://www.discountcyclesdirect.co.uk/catalog/product.php?CI_ID=18626&Item='Marin San Anselmo DS4 Hybrid Commuter Bike'

I won't be going out to ride the bike on the road at all. Any road riding will be no more than 1 mile to get to the fields and woods nearby. I was favouring the Voodoo because I worried that suspension on a £400 bike would be useless!

No you've got me interested in the Marins though Do you know the difference between the San Anselmo and the San Rafael?

Also (noob question) - What does 'Good lockout on the front fork' mean?

 

[vickster]

I won't be going out to ride the bike on the road at all. Any road riding will be no more than 1 mile to get to the fields and woods nearby. I was favouring the Voodoo because I worried that suspension on a £400 bike would be useless!

No you've got me interested in the Marins though Do you know the difference between the San Anselmo and the San Rafael?

Also (noob question) - What does 'Good lockout on the front fork' mean?

It has a little knob you can twist that turns a bouncy suspension fork into an (almost) rigid fork

The red one has better fork and group set (I think another rung up the Shimano ladder, Deore rather than Alivio)

 

[Grant Fondo]

I won't be going out to ride the bike on the road at all. Any road riding will be no more than 1 mile to get to the fields and woods nearby. I was favouring the Voodoo because I worried that suspension on a £400 bike would be useless!

No you've got me interested in the Marins though Do you know the difference between the San Anselmo and the San Rafael?

Also (noob question) - What does 'Good lockout on the front fork' mean?

San Rafael is mens frame, sweet bike

 

[vickster]

San Rafael is mens frame, sweet bike

The link says the San Anselmo is unisex? Although the interweb generally has it as a women’s model

 

[Grant Fondo]

The link says the San Anselmo is unisex?

I guess they both are these days

 

[pete146]

And typically, I can only find the San Rafael in a 15" frame anywhere!

What real world differences am I likely to find between the Voodoo, the Decathlon and the Marin? Is it really just tiny personal preferences, or does 1 of them just have a killer feature that trumps the other 2?

Another serious consideration - given the current climate, I will likely have to build this myself and then take it to a bike shop when isolation is over in the future. Is it realistic that I will be able to build one of these bikes (with hydraulic disks etc) with pretty much no knowledge? Am I likely to totally balls it up and have an unridable bike sat at home until I can get to a bike shop?

 

[pete146]

Oops - I stand corrected!
So I can get a 2020 Marin San Rafael DS2 for £400 - delivered to me pre built, and in my size!
Is that the better option than the Marasa?

 

[vickster]

Most bikes should be pretty much built by the retailer, usually it’s just a matter of turning bars, fitting pedals and adjusting saddle. PDI should be done by shop. That was certainly the case with a recent Rutland cycles purchase. You’ll need Allen keys, maybe a pedal spanner
I’m not sure about Halfords in a box though, just call their customer service number on Monday if it’s not clear from the website.

If you can’t try any, buy the one with the best spec for the budget in the colour you most like!
When you order, get some inner tubes, tyre levers, a track pump and a mini pump, maybe a saddle bag, bottle cage, bottle, just the basics but will cost you £50-100

 

[vickster]

Is this the £400 Marin?
https://www.cyclerepublic.com/marin-san-rafael-ds2-men-s-hybrid-bike-2018.html
CR are Halfords
The site says it’ll come built and checked. Remember bike shops are still allowed to open, there’s probably one near you that is if you’re not in the middle of nowhere if you have real issues (and a car to transport)