Hybrid vs Road bike

[mr_goosey]

Hi all,

I have my eyes set on the Cannondale Bad Boy 700

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/bad-boy-700-2009-hybrid-bike-ec016536

This will mainly be used for a commute from East to West London, every day (around 8 miles each way). I've never commuted on a bike before and am expecting it to be a challenge.

This bike was recommended to me by a bit of a know-it-all friend, but since reading some posts on here saying road bikes are faster, should I be considering a straight road bike ? Would there really be a speed difference (and hence shorten my overall commute time)? And if so - which would be good, for my needs, in the same kind of price category (700£)?

Thanks in advance!

 

[snorri]

You would want mudguards for that price

 

[HF2300]

Ride one before you buy. It's the sort of bike you either love or hate.

 

[bonj2]

should I be considering a straight road bike ?

Yes, you should be considering it. Not to mean you should be looking at that exclusively and not look any further at the hybrid, but you should definitely consider a road bike.

 

[Sittingduck]

Why don't you go for something half the price and see how you get on with commuting by bike? £700 seems a big lump to spend (to me anyway - maybe I am just cheap).

Cheers
SD

 

[bonj2]

yes, you are. £700's not a lot. It's worth spending the extra to get a good bike.
£350 to £700 gives a much bigger jump in quality than, say, £1000 to £1350.

 

[mr_goosey]

thx for the replies. I'll be getting the bike on the ride2work scheme so the cost affter discount will be more like 450 if I understand how it works correctly. I am determined to get regular use from it so I'm not worried about buying a bike and finding it's not my thing. What road bikes in a similar price range would be good? I have to admit I am drawn to the badboy because of it's slick looks, I am definitely after something with style as well as function!

 

[John the Monkey]

There's scads of stuff in that price bracket, and it tends to be where you start to see nice little extras like carbon forks etc appearing too.

8 miles is quite a nice length for a commute, and it's where I started (I bought a £50 2nd hand road bike, and did it on that - far more fun on my Giant SCR2.0 though )

Hybrid is a very wide term, covering everything from what are essentially mountain bikes with road tyres (tough frames, strong 26" wheels, fat (but slick, or semi slick tyres and low gearing) through to bikes that are pretty much racing bikes with flat bars. Have a think about what you want to do with the bike (and be honest with yourself - I see far too many people lugging around the extra weight of suspension etc that they'll never use).

A drop bar bike will give you more hand positions on the bars, and you can get into the drops in a headwind etc. They tend toward higher gearing and lighter frames too.

The best bet is to test ride a few bikes, and see what feels right.

 

[HLaB]

Just another one to think about is the flat bar road bike, a colleague just got the Marin Fairfax through a cycle scheme and IMO it looks good (its got a 52t chainring what I like) and there's plenty of other bikes of this type the Spesh Sirrus, Cannondale Synapse and Ridgeback T1 and Flight spring to mind. I've got/had a flat bar Specialized Sirrus (another bike of this type) and love it. It performed just as well as a dropped bar, perhaps even better in perfect conditions and traffic and over a shorter distance; its 52t chainring allows for great acceleration/ speed, the new ones don't have this ring! That being said I've converted it to a drop bar bike and love it even more.

 

[jimboalee]

If the Road bike and the Bad Boy are comparative weight, there is no reason you can't ride the Bad Boy as fast as a road bike.

Two bikes the same weight and similar riding position will be as fast as its engines can move it.

 

[swee'pea99]

£700's not a lot.

Yes it is.

 

[jimboalee]

£700 = 15 tanks of gas or 1 year's motor insurance for an under 25 year old + 1 year's road fund.

It is also 7 months rail season tickets from Solihull to Leamington Spa ( my commute ).

A £700 bike plus all the clothing and kit to get me to work would just scrape £1000. That is what Chiltern trains want for a 12 month season ticket.

The bike is the 'low cost option'. Always has been.

 

[mr_goosey]

Just to clarify, I'll be getting a discount on the bike...so will cost me a fair amount less than £700. And I currently spend around £30 a week on the tube.

 

[jay clock]

I have a Cannondale MTB with the headshock. It is great to be able to switch off the suspension when needed, partic uphill. And the Bad Boy does look great.

I also have a tourer, 2 road bikes a folder, and the bike I would recommend you look at which is the Carrera Subway 1 from Halfords. A superb commuter bike, well under £200, space for rack and mudguards, and whizzes along fine. I have had mine for 4 years and love it for the "do anything" cycling. To be fair I have changed the drivetrain and wheels but I have still spent tons under £700.

 

[swee'pea99]

Can't speak for the subway, tho' I've seen other compliments in the past - I'm a died-in-the-wool racer fan - but one thing: they come up all the time on ebay (not surprisingly). £100 should get you a good one.

Oh, and I agree with all comments re comparative costs of cycling v alternatives: one of the main reasons I began cycling. But I still say £700 is a lot. A bit of effort and a bit of homework will get you a damn good bike for a helluva lot less than that.