hybrid bike

[damocool]

Hi

I'm looking for a hybrid bike, I'm a complete beginner and looking to do a cycle to work scheme.

I've been looking at a Specialized Crosstrail 2014 - Thoughts?

http://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk/crosstrail-sport-disc/27469/14crosstrail

I have a £600 budget including accessories but would welcome some opinions on the brand and any others.

Thanks

 

[vickster]

Where are you going to be riding?

 

[damocool]

Mainly roads and a little off road, just to get fit. I want a comfortable ride.

 

[vickster]

Cross trail good, you may get a better spec with a different brand, like giant. Suspension not a great asset on roads, make sure you get a lock out fork. So that one will be fine

 

[damocool]

Cross trail good, you may get a better spec with a different brand, like giant. Suspension not a great asset on roads, make sure you get a lock out fork. So that one will be fine

Ive read the frames on the Specialized are good but the spec is a lower end. Are disc brakes better performing?

 

[midliferider]

You will be riding mainly on the road. I assume, "little off road" does not mean mountain biking. Therefore you don't need a bike with suspension.
You want to get fit could mean many things. It may mean that you will enjoy the ride and would like to extend it beyond work commute.

For that budget, you have a wide choice.
Consider how many gears, what kind of gear ratio would you like. Perhaps go for a minimum of 24 gears, 3 in the front and 8 in the rear with a rear cassette big cog with 32 teeth. That will be very helpful when you start climbing.

Perhaps ypou could look at Evans website as it let you narrow your selection. Bike, Hybrid, hard tail (no suspension), gears 24-30.
Then you get a good selection. Then order them on price ascending order (lower first).
Now the choice is yours.
I recently bought a Specialized Sirrus Elite. So far so good. Comfortable and it is very fast, almost like a road bike with flat handle bar.

 

[Profpointy]

At the risk of repeating what I posted to someone else's similar question and indeed being "you don't want this, you want that", I do have to ask, why not drop handlebar style bike, rather than hybrid?

They give you a choice of hand positions (on flat bit, on hoods, or on the drops proper), and if the flat bit is around level with the saddle, or even a bit higher if you prefer an upright position, there's a lot of options.
With drops, you can tuck down out the wind, which can be demoralising on the flat if there's a headwind, quite apart from going faster. It's a mistake to regard drops as a "racing" or "lycra boys" thing - flats just mean no choice of position, and putting more effort in to go slower.
If you've a bad back or whatever, then none of the above may apply of course, and you may already have thought it through.

And providing you have reasonable wheels, you don't want a mountain bike, nor suspension on canal path type tracks - a standard road bike, ideally the medium weight or tourer style is fine.

All that said, the one snag with many many of the drop bared bikes are geared too high for sense, whilst hybrids tend to have "triple" chainsets, and lower gears - though for £600 I would hope you can demand what you want. Likewise you have to shop around to get a pannier rack and mudguards on the lower priced drop barred bikes - and I imagine you'll want both (quite sensibly).

 

[vickster]

Op is looking for comfort. Suspension will give that on what pass for roads in the UK. I assume he has considered no suspension and has decided to sacrifice speed for comfort

A cross trail will be more cushioned than a rigid bike of any material, be it alu, steel, carbon. I've had them all. Cross trail bouncy but relatively slow, that's the compromise

However, if not already done, he should get to Evans and use their free test ride facility

 

[Profpointy]

yebbutt OP is a "complete beginner" and appears to think suspension is needed for the road - which simply isn't true. It's not even slightly desirable for the roads - it's simply wrong. And being harder work to pedal is particularly demoralising for a beginner, or for the rest of us for that matter.

Drop bars is a personal preference - so I was merely raising the question - but suspension on the road -no

 

[vickster]

I don't disagree, but the suspension will add comfort on the road, just less speed...which is fine. He does mention off road, I am not sure a beginner commuter really needs drops. Doesn't mention length of commute, it could be two miles on the worst roads in the uk (i.e. Hounslow)

Comfort is subjective, however for me, suspension does make the ride more comfortable with my myriad ails, but I am prepared to compromise to get a cool looking bike, that doesn't have specialized on it, and goes faster

 

[damocool]

Guy's thanks for all the advice, I'm guessing with the locked forks i get the best of both worlds?

 

[vickster]

No it'll still be slower than a road bike (flats or drops) due to the weight and fat tyres. And even locked, the forks won't be as solid as rigid forks IME

The weight and resistance will get you fitter quicker though

 

[Profpointy]

well. ... not really. No more than sticking a couple of bricks in your luggage.
I don't go off-road, but on road, you really don't want em, locked or otherwise.

Perhaps a contrived analogy might be 4 wheel drive in case you need it in a car.
If you don't need it, then it's just weight and encumberance, and despite what Chelsea tractor drivers maintain, the roads are not that bad that you need it.

Off road, others can better advise, but on road, no

 

[Pale Rider]

I wouldn't worry too much about a lockout on the bikes you are considering.

Basic suspension forks - which is what you will get for the money - don't have enough travel for a lockout to make much difference.

Where a lockout can be of use is climbing hard with a long travel downhill fork.

It will travel several inches in those conditions, sapping climbing energy.

 

[tudor_77]

I won't hesitate to suggest the Giant Roam, which would be perfect for your needs OP and extremely well specced for the price:

http://www.giant-liverpool.co.uk/en-gb/bikes/model/2014.giant.roam.1/14992/66580/

I do a lot of the type of riding that you describe and this bike is perfect. I had the 2013 Roam 2 and utterly loved it, when the missus got into cycling she fell in love with it too so I gave it to her. When it came to buying a replacement I looked around at other brands like the Specialized, Cannondale similar 'Sport Hybrids' then I went straight out and Bought the 2014 Giant Roam 1 you see in the link there! No regrets either, its a fantastic bike which is why I have bought two of them.

I am not exactly a noob either and own/have owned various bikes. Started off on a Cube Mountain Bike. Big Mistake... So slow and heavy, the Giant Roam is a completely different Beast and I had also been riding Road Bikes exclusively for a couple of years before getting the Roam so feel I am in a good position to give you a good balanced opinion on this style of bike.

The problem with Road bikes is that you are literally tied to the Road which is not necessarily a good thing and they are not exactly comfortable either. They are great for extremely long distance rides on tarmac only but for general riding the Roam is far better in my opinion.

The Giant Roam has 700c wheels like a Road Bike and has larger gears like a Road bike too, so its a very fast, nimble and comfortable ride even with the suspension forks which can be locked out. My Boardman road bike is only about 2 mph faster (according to my Garmin) and to be honest its barely noticeable and I frequently overtake the roadies when I am out and about on training rides.

In my opinion the Roam is the perfect blend of speed and comfort, definitely worth look if you are considering the crosstrail.