Hybrid bike £800 budget - Whyte vs Boardman vs Riverside

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trient

New Member
Location
W.Mids
Hello all,

Can you help me please, I'm in decision paralysis. I'm looking for a hybrid bike in in the £600-900 range (C2W ideal) for road (reasonably hilly area) & light off-road (canal paths, the occasional park gravel paths etc - no proper mountain terrain but could encounter the odd rough patch).

I've narrowed down my selection to the following models:

Whyte Pimlico V3 Women's Hybrid Bike 2022 (assuming this is the same as this) £787
Whyte Stirling 2023 Hybrid Bike (again assuming it's this) £799
Whyte Caledonian V4 Hybrid Bike 2023 (this) £665
Riverside 920 Grey £700
Boardman HYB 8.8 £765
Boardman MTX 8.8 £600

You can tell like many others I am torn between front suspension/rigid. Unfortunately I can't try any of them (not in stock nowhere close) so all I can hope is I would make a reasonable choice then hope for the best. Here's where I stand on each of the above:

Pimlico - love the colour, a bit afraid of the compact size (I'm almost 5-10 so on the cusp between M/L)
Stirling - apparently Pimlico is slightly better?
Caledonian - specs look great, better tyres, FS though so heavier, can't find any reviews
Riverside - seems great VFM although a bit on the heavy side
Boardman HYB - not particularly happy with the all black and only 1x10 speed
Boardman MTX - looks better than the HYB although heavier due to FS, but best price

I've read all I could find here and I'm leaning towards a Whyte as there seems to be general consensus they are better... but I've got 3 models that I'm really torn between. Should I ditch the options with front suspension for starters? But the Caledonian (and Riverside) look really good. Should I pick the Pimlico over the Stirling? Any reason I should pick any of the Boardmans over the rest?

Many thanks in advance - any help would be greatly appreciated as I'd like to order something this week if possible (C2W voucher cutover).
 

Kingfisher101

Über Member
Hi There, Do a search, top right button as this gets asked all the time about hybrids.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Go for a Whyte. The Stirling is the best specced model, top of the range.
The Pimlico is a women’s model with I believe shorter wheelbase. So at 5’10 I’d think a L unless you’re very short of reach and long of leg.
I’ve had 2 Whytes, the medium always felt cramped, Large better. I’m just under 5’10 and female, long of leg.
Check the geometry charts.
Not sure if Evans do any sort of returns or refunds if they get one in for you and it’s no good, although you could presumably swap.
The Pinnacle models they sell are good vfm.
As it’s presumably for commuting, make sure whatever you choose can take full length fixed mudguards and potentially a pannier rack.
For light off road, you don’t need suspension and you may curse the extra weight and bounciness (even with lockout) on road.
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
trient

trient

New Member
Location
W.Mids
Right, unfortunately it turns out the Stirling is out of stock everywhere in L. I could get the Pimlico (5'10 79cm inside leg looks like a good match), but can I throw in a new option I seem to have missed before - what about the Trek FX 3 Disc? Whytes seem better and cheaper but Trek is the bigger brand with supposedly better aftersales.. anything in particular that could tip the scale between these two?
Bike isn't mostly for commuting, just leisure riding so definitely more light trails than road.
If I go with one of these two it would probably be from Balfe's so hopefully easy to swap/refund.
 

daneferrari

New Member
Hello all,

Can you help me please, I'm in decision paralysis. I'm looking for a hybrid bike in in the £600-900 range (C2W ideal) for road (reasonably hilly area) & light off-road (canal paths, the occasional park gravel paths etc - no proper mountain terrain but could encounter the odd rough patch).

I've narrowed down my selection to the following models:

Whyte Pimlico V3 Women's Hybrid Bike 2022 (assuming this is the same as this) £787
Whyte Stirling 2023 Hybrid Bike (again assuming it's this) £799
Whyte Caledonian V4 Hybrid Bike 2023 (this) £665
Riverside 920 Grey £700
Boardman HYB 8.8 £765
Boardman MTX 8.8 £600

You can tell like many others I am torn between front suspension/rigid. Unfortunately I can't try any of them (not in stock nowhere close) so all I can hope is I would make a reasonable choice then hope for the best. Here's where I stand on each of the above:

Pimlico - love the colour, a bit afraid of the compact size (I'm almost 5-10 so on the cusp between M/L)
Stirling - apparently Pimlico is slightly better?
Caledonian - specs look great, better tyres, FS though so heavier, can't find any reviews
Riverside - seems great VFM although a bit on the heavy side
Boardman HYB - not particularly happy with the all black and only 1x10 speed
Boardman MTX - looks better than the HYB although heavier due to FS, but best price

I've read all I could find here and I'm leaning towards a Whyte as there seems to be general consensus they are better... but I've got 3 models that I'm really torn between. Should I ditch the options with front suspension for starters? But the Caledonian (and Riverside) look really good. Should I pick the Pimlico over the Stirling? Any reason I should pick any of the Boardmans over the rest?

Many thanks in advance - any help would be greatly appreciated as I'd like to order something this week if possible (C2W voucher cutover).

I would choose Boardman HYB, but if color is important to you, Pimlico is really not bad
 
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