Pinnacle Neon 4 2020 - any good?

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JonGapes

New Member
Location
London
Hi all,

I'm looking to upgrade my ancient heavy bike with something new and light. I'm a fairly experienced cyclist I would say, who enjoys getting out 2 - 3 times a week for 20 - 30 mile cycles along a mix of the Thames path, some canal cycle paths (light gravel) and a bit of road. I like to ride fast for fitness and pleasure, not commuting. I live in South London so although there are a few hills around they're not huge ones and most of my cycling will be on the flat.

I've been looking with interest at the Pinnacle Neon 3 and Neon 4 2020 models. Has anyone experienced these and how would you rate them? There is a considerable price difference of £130 between the two models but both already have the main features I'm looking for - disc brakes and carbon forks. Is the Neon 4 worth the extra? I see the '3' has thinner 28mm tyres which I'm not a fan of, but I assume I could always fit 32s (if they would suffice for canal path type surface?) or above.

https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-neon-3-2020-hybrid-bike-EV339932
https://www.evanscycles.com/pinnacle-neon-4-2020-hybrid-bike-EV339958

The other model in contention was the Trek FX 3 Disc although that's out of stock until November and to be honest, the colours (Rage Red) or plain white don't look particularly attractive to me. It does seem to have similar components to the Neon 4 though and was previously priced at £650, now having somehow crept up to £700 at Evans).

https://www.evanscycles.com/trek-fx-3-disc-2020-hybrid-bike-EV364594

To note, I am somewhat locked in to buying from Evans as my company's Cycle to Work scheme is with them. Also last time I called Evans, test rides were not possible, which is not particularly helpful when making a decision to invest ~£750 on a bike.

Thanks in advance,

Jon.
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
Pinnacle is Evans in-house brand and represent good vfm, there are quite a few owners on here and they have a great rep.
The more expensive pinnacle has one more speed cassette and one grade up brakes. As you noticed it also has 32c tyres which will give you a plusher ride and better puncture protection compared to the lower model. Buy with confidence. Shame about the test rides but you should be able to calculate your size from your experience with your current bike. Can you a least throw a leg over it?

BTW welcome to the forum.
 
Very surprised to hear about the test rides, (Covid related perhaps?), because Evans have always offered test rides for a refundable deposit IME.

In fact I ordered a £2.5k Pinarello a few years ago with Evans which they had to order it into stock, then when it arrived I paid for a test ride, didn't like it, got my deposit back and walked away :okay:
 
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JonGapes

New Member
Location
London
Very surprised to hear about the test rides, (Covid related perhaps?), because Evans have always offered test rides for a refundable deposit IME.

In fact I ordered a £2.5k Pinarello a few years ago with Evans which they had to order it into stock, then when it arrived I paid for a test ride, didn't like it, got my deposit back and walked away :okay:
Yes it seems to be because of Covid 19 but seems a bit silly as I could sanitize hands and even wear gloves should they ask.

I'm wondering how the Neon 4 compares to other bikes in its price range, particularly the Trek FX 3 Disc. There doesn't seem to be anything else in stock or with an expected date even if I wanted a Cannondale, Specialized, etc
 
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JonGapes

New Member
Location
London
The more expensive pinnacle has one more speed cassette and one grade up brakes. As you noticed it also has 32c tyres which will give you a plusher ride and better puncture protection compared to the lower model.

Thanks. I imagine any hydraulic brakes would give got stopping power, so I have to question if the '4' is really worth £130 more? It seems a big jump in price for not a huge amount of difference.
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
It's Shimano over Tektro Jon, the former are perceived as better quality than the budget brand. In reality there's little in it. As with a lot of these things the law of diminishing returns kicks in s some point, but that point is determined by you I guess. I'm sure the cheaper bike would do you fine.
 
I'm wondering how the Neon 4 compares to other bikes in its price range, particularly the Trek FX 3 Disc. There doesn't seem to be anything else in stock or with an expected date even if I wanted a Cannondale, Specialized, etc
Is the '4' is really worth £130 more? It seems a big jump in price for not a huge amount of difference.
A quick look of the two bikes and the price difference is down to the groupset, (Tiagra vs Sora), the brakes as you've mentioned, (definitely Shimano over Tektro as Cycleops said above), and marginally the tyres, (WTB vs Kenda). So perhaps a bit more than you might have thought?
I generally to believe in buying the best you can at point of purchase, this often negates a lot of upgrade desires creeping in too soon after getting it home, so if I was contemplating these two bikes then it would have to be the 4.

One query I do have. The 3 states the bottom bracket as a square taper with a Prowheel Ounce 421 chainset, the 4 says it's Hollowtech with a Prowheel Ounce 621 chainset, but both pictures show a square taper chainset fitted on both bikes, (granted the one on the 4 has polished edges to it, but it's still a square taper and not Hollowtech)???
Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with square taper, (in fact many still prefer it over the newer BB set ups), but the fact is Hollowtech is more modern and may therefore allow for more chainset options if/when you do decide to start throwing a few extra ££'s at the bike later on.
 
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JonGapes

New Member
Location
London
Good evening,

Does anyone else have any other opinions on the bike being a good purchase for a hybrid bike in general (compared to others in similar price range ~£750).

If anyone owns or has ridden one, I would be keen to hear your thoughts too - there's very little in the way or reviews or write ups for Pinnacle bikes and seemingly no social media presence.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Are there no reviews on the Evans website?
The Pinnacle bikes get good feedback from those on here who have/had one...eg @ianrauk @rivers perhaps?
The only way to know if it’s the right bike for you is to ride or at least sit on one if that’s feasible?

one thing I would say is that they seem quite heavy, the 3 is a kilo more than the 4 and that’s over 11kg. I’d go for the better spec and lighter weight of the 4, the price difference isn’t that much for a bike being bought on C2W where you save a good chunk anyhow. (Just make sure it’s insured at least until you own it yourself especially in London)

Shame you can’t access the Whyte R7s which are great and light
 
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JonGapes

New Member
Location
London
Are there no reviews on the Evans website?
The Pinnacle bikes get good feedback from those on here who have/had one...eg @ianrauk @rivers perhaps?
The only way to know if it’s the right bike for you is to ride or at least sit on one if that’s feasible?

one thing I would say is that they seem quite heavy, the 3 is a kilo more than the 4 and that’s over 11kg. I’d go for the better spec and lighter weight of the 4, the price difference isn’t that much for a bike being bought on C2W where you save a good chunk anyhow. (Just make sure it’s insured at least until you own it yourself especially in London)

Shame you can’t access the Whyte R7s which are great and light

There's 19 reviews on Evans site but only 1 from 2020 and 5 from 2019. The older ones would be for what I assume is a rather different bike as I believe multiple components have been changed from 2018 onwards.

I'd love to test ride one but Evans say no, not allowed, not that they have any stock to test ride anyway - I can't even see one in the flesh, that's the problem. Whatever they get in from July will likely sell almost instantly through pre-orders then I may have to wait several more months (likely August) to get one again. So essentially I'm buying blind - something I would never normally do without some recourse.

I think I'm already leaning towards the '4' anyway, but now I'm concerned you think 11.38kg is heavy. Ok, it's no 9kg road bike, but is it really that heavy for a mid-range hybrid? Most brands I've looked at in this price range all seem to be around the 11kg mark. Trek FX 3 Disc is actually marginally heavier at 11.74kg. I do wish I could get the Whyte at 10.7kg, but sadly Evans don't stock it, and it hasn't been available anywhere for several months anyway.

I guess I don't know whether it's worth waiting 2 to 3 months for bikes from all manufacturers to come back in stock, perhaps even new 2021 models, then have a decent selection of hybrids to choose from. Right now the Pinnacle seems all that's available from July - no Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, etc. I don't want to make a mistake buying an inferior, heavy (?) bike and want to swap it out in just a year or so.

Thanks for the replies so far all.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
There's 19 reviews on Evans site but only 1 from 2020 and 5 from 2019. The older ones would be for what I assume is a rather different bike as I believe multiple components have been changed from 2018 onwards.

I'd love to test ride one but Evans say no, not allowed, not that they have any stock to test ride anyway - I can't even see one in the flesh, that's the problem. Whatever they get in from July will likely sell almost instantly through pre-orders then I may have to wait several more months (likely August) to get one again. So essentially I'm buying blind - something I would never normally do without some recourse.

I think I'm already leaning towards the '4' anyway, but now I'm concerned you think 11.38kg is heavy. Ok, it's no 9kg road bike, but is it really that heavy for a mid-range hybrid? Most brands I've looked at in this price range all seem to be around the 11kg mark. Trek FX 3 Disc is actually marginally heavier at 11.74kg. I do wish I could get the Whyte at 10.7kg, but sadly Evans don't stock it, and it hasn't been available anywhere for several months anyway.

I guess I don't know whether it's worth waiting 2 to 3 months for bikes from all manufacturers to come back in stock, perhaps even new 2021 models, then have a decent selection of hybrids to choose from. Right now the Pinnacle seems all that's available from July - no Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, etc. I don't want to make a mistake buying an inferior, heavy (?) bike and want to swap it out in just a year or so.

Thanks for the replies so far all.
I just think 11.4kg is heavy for a £750 hybrid. I bought a Cannondale Quick reduced after Xmas for £275 (RRP £500 odd) that was the same weight (albeit with rim brakes but an alu fork).
 

GraMac

New Member
Hello all,
I realize I am joining this late, but I am looking to buy a Pinnacle bike also. My Lithium got stolen a few weeks ago much to my annoyance. I went to Evans yesterday in Clapham and the guy in the shop said there is a real backlog still. But I do see a Neon on their website. Did you end up buying one JonGapes? This is my first post here so apologies if I am not formatting it correctly. I may buy a Neon if I can as I cannot seem to find the Lithium. Do any of you have any recent experience with the Evans scheme? This is the only company that mine works with so am constrained. But I have heard some horror stories of orders just being cancelled after several months.
I greatly appreciate any thoughts.
Best regards.
 
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