Hybrid Bike Help?

[Soltydog]

see my review of the corratec bike http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/corratec-b-drive-8-2008.85431/
HTH

 

[caimg]

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

Haha sorry pal! If the carrera subway 2012 is still £200 then that's a great price for it and I can't see it dropping (and general consensus is that you'd be hard pressed to find more bang for your buck).

Like I say I haven't had it long but it's been a pleasure to ride so far, and I think as an entry level hybrid it's fab. I'm another one of those that is already thinking about a road bike at some point in the future but the thought of having a lovely road bike that's essentially a one-trick pony is a bit of a commitment in my eyes at the mo and I haven't been riding long enough to justify it. This carrera subway is like dipping a toe in the water

 

[slowmotion]

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.

Sorry, I should have been clearer. What I mean is that last years' model is probably pretty much identical (compared to the 2012 one) but will cost about 25% less in an end of season "old stock" sale. Bike shops, like all others, rely on suckers paying a premium for the latest releases. Quite often the difference is purely cosmetic. Don't be taken in.

 

[wiggydiggy]

............
£330 GT Traffic 2.0 2011

£300 Scott Sub 40 2011 Hybrid Bike

£200 Carrera Subway Limited Edition Hybrid Bike 2012.............

I'd have any of those with the Scott being my fav, I'd also look at the 'Pinnacle' range from Evans as they seem to be on sale ATM

 

[david k]

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

i have the subway 2 and love it

 

[mickle]

Schwinn are no better or worse than other brands.

And there is no such thing as a hybrid.

 

[david k]

Schwinn are no better or worse than other brands.

And there is no such thing as a hybrid.

but i have a hybrid

 

[jowwy]

Schwinn are no better or worse than other brands.

And there is no such thing as a hybrid.

Whether you like the word hybrid or not - that's what they are called - it maybe a sales gimmick it maybe not - but people are buying them, riding them and enjoying them

so please dont p**s in their pilsner - let them enjoy them.

 

[Cyclist33]

Schwinn are no better or worse than other brands.

And there is no such thing as a hybrid.

Yes there is, there are just different types. You might just as well say there is no such thing as a road bike or mtb!

Stu

 

[mickle]

Yes there is....

I disagree very strongly. There was a lot of resistance to the term in the industry when they first started bandying it about, but the name took hold, unfortunately, because the marketing people who write the copy for bike manufacturers brochures often don't know what they are talking about. And the protests of the people on the shop floor were not heard.

So we've ended up with a catch-all word when there is always a more accurate way of describing a particular bike. So many different bikes now fall under the 'Hybrid' misnomer that the word has no meaning. You might as well call them all mongrels. It means the same thing, but actually gives us a clearer idea, because then it becomes necessary to ask; 'What kind of mongrel'? Rottweiler/Shizu or Poodle/whippet?

'Hybrid' makes buying a bike more confusing. 'Hybrid' means that many people end up buying a bike which is less than optimal for their needs.

There is no such thing as a hybrid.

 

[mickle]

but i have a hybrid

No you don't.

 

[wiggydiggy]

<SNIP>

Mickle please don't undo the good work you did by pointing me and others at 'The Method' by derailing this chaps request for help!

More that happy to have a 'Hybrid Debate' with you elsewhere though, I'm just not biting here

Sent from the saddle of my latest Hybrid

 

[smutchin]

Just to throw another spanner in the works, I would recommend having a look at cyclocross bikes, eg the Specialized Tricross:
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/tricross-2012-road-bike-ec030752

Cyclocross bikes definitely fit the bill for sportiness (they're designed for racing, after all), and can also handle a bit of rough stuff with no problem. They don't have suspension but they do have generous frame clearance so you can fit 32C or even 35C tyres, which is all the suspension you'll need if you're only riding on light trails.

d.

 

[albion]

Hybrid = 700c fat wheeled bike with no suspension.

Simple enough for some.

 

[Cyclist33]

I disagree very strongly. There was a lot of resistance to the term in the industry when they first started bandying it about, but the name took hold, unfortunately, because the marketing people who write the copy for bike manufacturers brochures often don't know what they are talking about. And the protests of the people on the shop floor were not heard.

So we've ended up with a catch-all word when there is always a more accurate way of describing a particular bike. So many different bikes now fall under the 'Hybrid' misnomer that the word has no meaning. You might as well call them all mongrels. It means the same thing, but actually gives us a clearer idea, because then it becomes necessary to ask; 'What kind of mongrel'? Rottweiler/Shizu or Poodle/whippet?

'Hybrid' makes buying a bike more confusing. 'Hybrid' means that many people end up buying a bike which is less than optimal for their needs.

There is no such thing as a hybrid.

Well done for blindly stating the same opinion again at the bottom of this email. Doesn't make it fact.

Call them mongrels or hybrids, both terms lead to the question "what kind of...?" which is precisely what should be asked of a hybrid. You seem to be rebutting your own argument!

There again, as I said, you might equally discuss mtbs or road bikes in the same terms; I mean you only have to browse this forum to find discussions on variations in road bike geometry, gearing, tyre width, sportive-type bikes, carbon, titanium, flat-bar, single-speed, etc etc. Perhaps I'm wrong, and all road bikes are perfectly well-defined by that term, and all mtbs are similarly confined? Maybe, then, "hybrid" means any bike which is neither a road bike nor a mountain bike. Er, hang on...

A slightly different angle to the hybrid experience comes when holding a casual conversation that isn't necessarily bike-obsessed. (Sorry if I've offended anyone there.) Like a lot of my mates don't want to know that I've just bought "a flat-barred road bike with wider tyres and a low-riser handlebar, and a comfort-oriented rear triangle". But if I say I've bought a hybrid they get a rough picture of where I'm at.

Have you had a bad experience buying a hybrid? I haven't. Can't see why the term itself would make purchasing more confusing. Certainly, if you know what sort of riding you do/want to do, and the bike shop is worth its salt, then picking the right hybrid should be simple enough. Wrong bike = bad choice or bad supplier, but don't blame the terminology.