Help needed purchasing a hybrid

[Mike-van1]

Hi All.
I am looking to purchase a hybrid through the C2W scheme. I have a budget of £400. I will be using the bike for leisure rides on roads and cycle,walking paths, no serious off road. I haven't owned a bike in many years and it can get a bit complicated nowadays choosing the right one. I have been to Halfords and seen the Boardman Race and the Carrera Crossfire 3. Has anyone got any other recommendations on other bikes that I have missed.
I am 5'10 tall.

 

[vickster]

I'd skip the Crossfire with suspension if mainly road, tarmaced surfaces. 5'10, probably looking at a medium

You could also look at Ridgeback, Specialized Sirrus, Giant Escape, Trek 7.x . Evans usually have a good selection. Halfords service and bike building skills are hit and miss, so you may want to bear that in mind and get it checked by a local bike shop if not confident

 

[Bobby Mhor]

I got the Marasa from the big orange rectangle and am most happy with it..Been lots of out the road places ...

 

[Cycleops]

The Boardman Race looks good with a great spec for the price. There must be a Halfords near you so easy to check out, and you have the confidence of buying from a large retailer. Also see what your LBS has to offer.

 

[Learnincurve]

With hybrids it's about weight. People say don't go for front suspension and comfort seats because they add unnecessary weight to them but that becomes meaningless if they are the lightest option.

You want one that weighs no more than 14kg. My ridgebacks are both under 13kg for example. The Carrera 3 is 13.8kg with suspension and disc brakes. The boardman race is 12.3kg.

Given the choice between those two I would go against everyone here and get the Carrera because it will be fine on the roads, be nicer to ride on tow paths/railway lines, you can lock the suspension on it turning the fork in to a normal one, you can't do the same on one with a rigid fork, it has disc brakes, and most importantly of all it has SRAM X4. SRAM is the alternative to shimano that does not get mentioned much, which is a pity because shimano is a bit microsoft in that they have got to be the biggest name because of market saturation and not because they are the highest quality.

 

[Cycleops]

With hybrids it's about weight. People say don't go for front suspension and comfort seats because they add unnecessary weight to them but that becomes meaningless if they are the lightest option.

How can bikes with front suspension be the lightest option?

 

[Learnincurve]

How can bikes with front suspension be the lightest option?

Ah but shocking as it is, people are using the banner of "hybrid" to put out some appalling hunks of junk.

Terrible hybrid with a ridgid fork £250 16kg http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/raleigh-edale-mens-hybrid-bike#tab2
Ok hybrid with front suspension £230 14.5kg http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bik...ossfire-1-hybrid-bike-2011-2012-large-19#tab3

Of course if the second bike had a normal fork it would weigh about 13kg but between the two it's still the better option.