Newbie - Which budget bike?

[rob2900]

Size medium for me unfortunately, thanks for the link though!

I agree, the Giant Escape 1 does look good, and I'll likely go with that.

Having ran through the specs (albeit briefly with an untrained eye) they look similar to the entry level Boardmans we've discussed - would you agree?

Are there any plusses/minuses between the two?

Thanks for your continued help, I think we're close to making a decision! :-)

Edit: Just seen 2nd link Vickster, I'll check it out.

 

[vickster]

The biggest differences between the Boardman Comp hybrid and the Giant are

Disc brakes - better in the wet, no rim wear but can squeak and need adjustment/servicing
Carbon fork on the Giant - absorbs road buzz, lighter than steel
SRAM gearing (27 gears) on Boardman; Shimano 27 speed on the Giant - not much difference in operation

The Boardman is a bit more mountain bikey and rugged, the Giant a bit more road oriented imo...both good options, making sure they fit well and feel good

 

[Cycleops]

The finish on the Boardmans is excellent. Bear in mind that the Giant Escape has a triple chainset which will give you much lower set of gears than some of the Boardmans. Please please don't be tempted to get something with sus forks. I have a Marin hybrid with them and I wish I hadn't, they will just add weight and little extra comfort.

 

[raleighnut]

Before making your decision, you need to be frank with yourself about what sort of riding you intend to do. At a 60/40 split you need to think a bout the weight of the bike. Halfords and others all use the term "lightweight" and the bikes with suspension you link to are all about 14 kg. that is NOT light I'm afraid. I have a full suss bike that weighs 13.5 kg, and I can promise you that is a hefty thing to throw around, let alone ride any distance for fun. (It serves a pretty specific purpose though!)

On those MX bikes the bulk of the weight comes from the suspension fork. ( the DS in the fork blurb means disc specific by the way, otherwise the fork isthe same) . If you intend to ride on rutted and bumpy tracks or bridle ways, then yes, a bit of suspension will help, but the weight penalty may well outweigh the benefits of a fatter tyre and better line choice. S, my argument would be, if you intend to ride on green ways and canal towpaths, suspension is not worth the extra heft. If you want to ride on proper off road routes with rocks, steps and drops, then 63 mm of poorly damped suntour fork travel is not going to help much anyway, and yu need to consider better suspension.

I suspect you mean canal towpaths and greenways, forest fire roads and the like, in which case I would steer you towards the rigid forked sport hybrids. The Hybrid comp has 28 mm road biased tyres, which are designed to run at high pressures, and ridden fast on urban streets, so will suffer on a towpath a bit. you may be able to upmthe tyre size to 32 to give a fatter, softer ride. However, in your list you include the Hybrid Sport. This lists 32mm randonneur tyres, ideal for gentle off roading. It also has good quality rim brakes, a good sit up and beg riding position, and will be quick on the road. The clincher for me is that it weighs 11.4 kg, and given that the list of components is good solid Shimano and FSA, that ain't bad at all in today's market.

+1 for the Hybrid. plus when upgrading that bike due to replacing worn components you can tailor them more to your own taste/riding preferences.
i.e. My own Hybrid. once a commuter hack is now a flatbar tourer with rack and mudguards 52-42-30 / 12-28 gearing 28 Schwalbe Marathon tyres and I still use it to commute and the odd gravel path crops up as well, but you could just easily take one down the 29er route as well and bias it toward knobblier tyres and lower gears.

 

[rob2900]

Thanks for the replies folks, you're being a huge help. I certainly won't buy one with suspension, I can assure you of that!

Just checking the Evans site for deals and came across the following bike, which seemingly comes with rave reviews:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/trek/72-fx-disc-2014-hybrid-bike-ec040355

It's marginally cheaper than the Giant Escape 1, are the components as good (or better?).

Lastly, regarding the Boardman bikes - the Hybrid Sport seems out of the question, I can't find one in any local store.

With that in mind though, is it better than the Trek 7.2 FX Disc 2014 and the Giant Escape 1? If so, why?

If say two/three bikes are very similar in price and all suit my needs perfectly - then I simply want the one that gives me more value for money, i.e better specs. That's my thought process right now so if you can give me your opinion on which you'd choose (and why) it'd be appreciated.

Thanks again for the help, I'm slowly learning here!

 

[vickster]

Unless you want disc brakes although I like Trek bikes, I'd go for the Giant as the carbon fork will make it more comfortable in terms of road buzz. The Trek, although the weight isn't stated, will almost certainly be heavier than the Giant due to the disc brakes and steel fork

The 7.2 is also a more basic model in the scale than the Escape 1, although they both have the same mid range Shimano groupset. Spec wise, this Trek would be more akin to the Giant but the next level up on gearing

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/trek/74-fx-2014-hybrid-bike-ec054487

Best thing - go ride them and see which makes you smile more

(Personally I'd discount the 7.2 Trek on colour, or lack of, but that's me )

 

[0bsirus]

Test ride test ride and test ride again, everyone has a different body so every bike will feel different.

I recently brought a new bike but with a slightly higher budget and very different need. But I had a ten bike short list and out of all those bikes, after a day of test rides I was left with only one bike.

It wasn't the best spec for the price but it felt good and comfy to ride.

Get the bike that feels good for you as your the one gonna be sat on it.

Ps, avoid boardman bikes, they look great but frames are poor quality and hidden parts like wheel hubs and bottom
Bracket and cheap and fragile.

 

[rob2900]

@vickster : Thanks, I think i'll likely choose between the Trek 7.2 and the Giant Escape 1. That said, I do actually like the look of that 7.4 you linked to, Aarghh!

Why is the 7.4 so much more expensive (reduced from £600)?
Regarding the disc brakes, are they much better?

@0bsirus: I know, I will test ride the bikes - just want to ensure I'm getting decent value for money. Perhaps I should change my forum username to Scrooge, hehe :-)

 

[vickster]

Lots of things on the spec from what I can see, which the 7.2 has made way for due to the cost of the disc brakes

The carbon fork
Better front and rear mech
3 more gears
Better shifters
Better wheels and tyres
Ergo grips which are actually definitely worth the extra

And it's available in a colour other than black, priceless

In terms of value, Specialized and Trek tend to offer the least spec component wise, but good frames with a lifetime warranty

 

[rob2900]

Ha! I actually quite like the black/charcoal, looks sleek..

OK, so assuming both bikes felt great to ride - would you go for the Trek 7.4 over the Giant?

Love how my budget started off at £250 and is now at £550. If I don't buy one soon I'll be taking out a mortgage for a bike!

 

[vickster]

I couldn't say, I've not ridden either. Only you can tell what you want

If I wanted the Giant, I'd hunt around for an online deal probably if paying cash. Trek only sell through shops so that doesn't work

Black = boring

 

[rob2900]

Sorry, I meant specs-wise?

There's a Giant dealer pretty close to me, as well as an Evans, so I will try both.

What's annoying is (from what I've gathered anyway) you can't walk into one shop and have a big choice and try different ones, the main/best brands appear to be exclusive to individual outlets/chains only!

 

[vickster]

The Trek is better specced but whether that means anything to you in reality, hard to tell. I think components probably mean less on a hybrid as you go up the range than on road groupsets. I didn't get on with Deore on a Specialized Sirrus, but then I never liked the bike generally and kept it for 6 months. I find the SRAM on my Whyte very good (now Whyte, that's a super brand )

Evans sell pretty much everything except Giant, their big shops have a vast range!

 

[rob2900]

OK thanks. I do like the look of the Trek, but as you say it might not mean anything - especially until I start trying the bikes out.

I've got a £5 voucher for Evans, and due to my line of work I've got an affiliate partnership with them which gets 4% commission on sales, so that'd knock another £20+ off the bike if I went for that one.

Appreciate your help, I think we're getting somewhere. Time to go try them out!

 

[vickster]

Enjoy - if the weather there is like here, you'll want to take a brolly!