Need a New General Purpose Bike. Tips/Ideas?

[Exile]

Having had my LBS look over the lump of cheap metal I called a bike and pronounce it terminally ill after only four months, it's going back to Tesco's, the money's coming back to me and I'm now looking to get a new bike which will hopefully last me a little longer before bits start falling off in a catastrophic fashion.

Having ridden for a few months now I've realised I'm not exactly built for scrambling up gravel banks, hopping over logs and the like, and so I'm now after something that's as at home popping to the shops/city centre as it is carrying enough camping gear to last a week (don't worry, I travel light). So essentially what I'm after is a work-horse of a bike, decent on both roads and tow-paths, and maybe even able to handle a little bit of unpaved track (about the roughest I see myself cycling is something like this, and even that would be a rare adventure). It also needs to have mounts for pannier racks (rear is a must, front would be nice but not a deal breaker), but other than that I have no idea what I'm looking at when it comes to specs/components.

Budget is up to £250-300. Preferably towards the lower end of that bracket, if the bike is fantastic for the price I could possibly stretch to £350, but that's where I max out. I think I'm looking at either a hybrid or a touring bike, although having glanced at the price of tourers, I think they're a little outside of my price range.

I know I'm probably asking for a lot with such a small budget, but after a quick poke around the interwebs I've seen the B'Twin Riverside 3 from Decathlon which seems to tick the right boxes, a friend mentioned the Dawes Discovery 101 at Evans, and I've also heard good things about the Carrera Subway from Halfords. Anyone have knowledge or experience with the above, or any suggestions aside from them?

Thanks for any help you can offer to a slightly confused Mancunian

 

[Sharpy]

Others would probably disagree with me here, but for everything you're looking for your bike to do I believe the Carrera crossfire 2 ticks all of the boxes (except for front pannier). I rode a friends crossfire 1 recently while my road bike was the LBS for a service and it proved itself to be a pretty solid bike and his was he basic one. To my belief the crossfire 2 comes with Shimano altus all round which is easy to maintain and disc brakes which are a must for the upcoming very british weather. Also for your off the beaton track adventures you've got a light bit of suspension to keep you comfy Hope I helped and Good luck!

Ohh and P.S. If you are going the Halfords route steer well clear of any apollo! Too many friends and family have bought cheap and therefore had to buy again.

 

[HLaB]

My 2p, I'm not keen on the suspension forks on the Btwin but Decathlon have got a good name. The Subway has a good name also, pity the sellers don't. Don't know much about the Dawes but IIRC a few on here have had good service out of them.

 

[Kies]

£350 would/should get you a specialized sirrus. Job done

 

[Exile]

Thanks for the replies, a few more options there to add to the list. Not 100% sure I could stretch to the Crossfire 2 (finances are really rather tight at the moment) but the Crossfire 1 might be worth a look.

Shall have to pop round the shops once the refund lands and try the bikes in person, see which feels/looks the best.

 

[MarkF]

Exile, I can recommend the Dawes although they seem to have increased in cost a lot over the past 2/3 years, tbh I would spend the money on a higher specced "as new" Discovery, they are not as trendy as an FX or Sirrus and bargains are to be had. I've owned Trek, Marin, Sirrus, Dawes and other hybrids, low and high range models but IMO the small component quality of every one but the Dawes has been really poor, you should not have to change screws and bolts on a new bike, even if it is a £300 one. I've ridden C2C on a basic Dawes 201 and across France and Spain on a 501, fully loaded, they are very sturdy machines.

 

[Kestevan]

If you are the right size there's a Dawes Galaxy that would be my choice at this price range in the for sale section...

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/23-dawes-galaxy-super-tourist-touring-with-brookes-saddle.141918/

 

[jay clock]

I had Carerra Subway for years. Ticks nearly every box you asked for. Agreed that avoiding Apollo bikes is a wise move

 

[Exile]

That Galaxy looks tempting, although it might be a little large for me. Definitely something to consider once the money's in, if someone hasn't snatched it up, that is.

Popped round to Halfords yesterday (had to take something back to B&Q, so decided I may as well kill two birds). The Crossfire (1, 2 and 3) and the Subway (in a multitude of variants and editions) were on display. The Crossfire didn't "catch" me in the flesh as much as it did online, but it certainly looked capable of doing what I need. The Subway did catch me, even if it looked a little compact (didn't help the big 700c's were always close on hand to make them look even smaller!).

Evans was today's little trip, and rather than help narrow the field, it just added another contender, the Ridgeback Motion. Looks good, seems to tick the right boxes. Looks like a decent spec for the price (although I could be wrong) and it came recommended by the staff over the Dawes. It would also leave me a decent budget for a rack, mudguards and other bits. Any opinions?

Did plan on visiting Decatlon, but decided as they're a little out of the way I'd call and make sure they had the Riverside 3 in. They didn't, and weren't sure when they'll be getting some. Still, the new bike fund's at least a week or two away from being enough, so I'll probably call them closer to the time and see if anything's changed.

 

[vickster]

Ridgeback looks a good bike, a colleague commuted on one for ages, bombproof

Order from Evans through quidco and get 4% off

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

The Ridgeback looks decent for the money and I have yet to hear anything bad said about them as a brand.

The Riverside 3 though is a better spec as it has 24 speed gears meaning it will have a freehub rear wheel rather than a screw on freewheel (less likelihood of breaking an axle & more choice if you wanted to alter the gear ratios in the future).

Just to throw a spanner in the works, have you looked at the Btwin NeWork 5? Dynamo lights, mudguards, rack and 24 speed gears for £270 looks like a bargain to me.

 

[Exile]

Lots of great recommendations and suggestions, thanks!

Good to know Ridgeback are as good as the bloke in the shop made it out to be, and I hadn't even seen the NeWork 5 despite looking at every bike on the Decathlon site (or so I thought!). Seems like that BTwin offers a lot of bike for the money, moreso as it's only £20 more than their Riverside 3. It's definitely going on 'The List'. Will give the local(ish) store a bell tomorrow and see if they have that one in stock for me to look at.

I think I'm going to have to try and prioritise the (ever growing) list between now and the middle of next week, then try the top 3 (or 4, or 5...) and see which one not only ticks the most boxes but also 'feels' best to me. Having already bought one complete junker, I'd like to think I can trust myself not to buy another one .

 

[jon222]

I have a crossfire, it is a hardwearing comfortable bike. A little heavy tho and a bit of a bugger up the steeper gradients. I have had quite a few punctures with it so tyres obviously not the best.