Hybrid Bike Help?

[Upbeat]

Hi everyone,

New to the forum here and looking to buy a new hybrid bike to replace my seriously old and decrepit mountain bike. Been trawling the best deals from many, many websites and have come up with a few apparently good deals, but I really do know very little about how to pick out a good bike other than from the price they claim it used to be!

I've read through some of the previous, related posts on this topic and unfortunately I live very far from the nearest decathlon store. My spending power is £200-400 and these are the bikes that I was thinking about:

£300 Corratec B-Drive 8 Bike

£300 Ridgeback Element 2010 Hybrid Sports Bike 29885

£330 GT Traffic 2.0 2011

£300 Scott Sub 40 2011 Hybrid Bike

£200 Carrera Subway Limited Edition Hybrid Bike 2012

Any help would be greatly appreciated, has anyone any experience or knowledge of these particular bikes? Very much aware that sites like to fluctuate their prices to mislead hopeless buyers like me, for instance the Corratec B-Drive 8 Bike has been reduced from £750.


In an ideal world I'd love the sportiest and highest spec that my money will stretch to that is also comfortable on slightly rougher terrain (don't we all I guess!) - lasting performance, a good kick and something that will last me for many years would be fantastic.

Thanks for reading, James

 

[vickster]

I am on my 4th hybrid, after #3 was stolen (a 2010 Specialized Sirrus Sport), I looked at lots of option up to around £600...and ended up with a 2011 Sirrus Elite as I couldn't find anything as light and quick (I got £100 off the RRP as was end of line). I ride it through a park and some of the most rubbish, potholey roads around and it is comfortable and sure footed

On that basis and your budget, I recommend one of these... http://www.leisurewheels.co.uk/products.php?plid=m9b3s18p8847&rs=gb&vid=29601

There are always plenty of Sirruses on fleabay (I have an alert running from when mine was nicked), check the provenance of any local to you and you may get a bargain (mine has carbon forks and deore groupset)

 

[Upbeat]

Thanks vickster for getting back so quickly. Sorry to hear about bike #3 and I'll definitely take a look at that link, cheers.

Do you know anything about the reputation of Schwinn bikes by any chance? Have been perusing ebay and there's a Schwinn Searcher 2010 for sale very near to where I live.

 

[vickster]

Go have a look at it, but I think they are a not very good US bottom end brand

Dawes Discovery worth a look too

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294

This bike is well regarded too for £230 http://www.rutlandcycling.com/30980/Felt-QX65-2011---Hybrid-Bike.html

Where are you based?

 

[Upbeat]

Ahh gotcha, not overly up to speed with the best manufacturers I must say.

Based in lovely Dundee

That Felt looks very tempting, would you say it's £120 worse than the other one in terms of spec?

 

[Cyclist33]

Schwinn were once good but got bought out and now theyre shite. Avoid.

Sirrus wont let you down. Of the ones you listed the GT is pretty good, a guy called Skol on here loves his. Best advice i can give you if you want to buy online is do it the other way round: use your local shops to try out and test ride some bikes over budget, pick the one that suits you best, then hunt for price slashes online.

I just bought a cannondale quick 3 which is over your budget but there might be bargains on the Quick 5.

One thing im not sure but i think your list contains a mix of some hybrids that are essentially for trail with a secondary roadgoing capability, others that are roadish but could be put offroad at a pinch. Have you decided which style of hybrid youre after?

Stu

 

[Cyclist33]

Ahh gotcha, not overly up to speed with the best manufacturers I must say.

Based in lovely Dundee

That Felt looks very tempting, would you say it's £120 worse than the other one in terms of spec?

The felts as good as the rest in my humble opinion its just on a discount.

 

[caimg]

+1 for the carrera subway ltd edition 2012. Got it at the start of this month and only done about 70 miles on it but it's a great ride, and seems to have a rep of being bullet-proof.

 

[Upbeat]

Thanks Stu, yep that makes a lot of sense. I've wanted a road bike for a number of years in all honesty but, when it's finally come to replacing the old relic, I can't help but feel a hybrid type would be far more suited to me. I'll be using it to commute into a city with some dodgy surfaces and do enjoy light trail riding in the summer, but at the same time I'd rather not compensate too far that way and lose the speed and enjoyment that comes with a road bike. I'd shy more towards the road bike than the mountain bike for sure if I had to pick and I do like pushing my bike to the limits, so will be planning to take the new bike out for a fair few miles on the road at the weekends. So roadish but could be put offroad at slightly more than a pinch would be my answer to that haha!

 

[jowwy]

Ahh gotcha, not overly up to speed with the best manufacturers I must say.

Based in lovely Dundee

That Felt looks very tempting, would you say it's £120 worse than the other one in terms of spec?

i've got the QX65 its a nice bike and a great option at that price - i've used it all through the winter and its done me proud - no visits from the P fairy yet neither.

 

[Upbeat]

Throw a spanner in the works caimg why don't you! I'd almost settled on my choice for a second then.

Right, looks like I'll need to get my hands dirty and test a few of these bikes out before I commit then, thanks again for all the advice guys.

Edit: Haha does that wink just keep going like that?! Only slightly perturbing..

Cheers jowwy, if I had to lock in now then I think the pendulum's certainly swinging towards that QX65.

 

[slowmotion]

Try and get a 2011 model of whichevever bike you choose. You may find last year's model in a sale. You will save a lot of your hard-earned cash. Good luck.

 

[vickster]

How tall are you and what inside leg? The QX65 is available from Rutland in a 52cm and 55cm, fine if you are 5'5 ish to 5'10ish ...if you are 6ft+ maybe too small

 

[Upbeat]

Ah I'm 5ft11 on the dot, 32" inside leg

Thanks for the heads up slowmotion, is that due to resale value or just that a newer model generally indicates a higher spec?

Or do you mean as opposed to a 2012 edition? Think I misunderstood that.

 

[Cyclist33]

The shops need to clear 2011 stock to make room for 2012 stock, so that is why the discounts. I hazard that the felt is less roadish than you indicate, although it has the right tyre diameter so would do. Deffo worth you test riding in person. I just bought my third pre-tested bike and all three of those, in my buying history, are hugely more RIGHT for me than any of the better bikes i bought without trying.