Split between four bikes

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hirosama

New Member
Hello everyone.
I'm into buying a new cycle, and I am split between four bikes. In short:
https://www.specialized.com/gb/en/sirrus-x-3-0/p/187462
Specialized Sirrus X 3.0
https://www.orbea.com/gb-en/bicycles/urban/carpe
Orbea Carpe 15
https://whyte.bike/products/portobello?variant=31674238009413
Whyte Portobello Plus V2
https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bikes/hybrid-bikes/fitness-bikes/fx/fx-3-disc/p/28474/
Trek Fx 3 disc

I'm riding in London and about, so a hybrid seems to hit the sweet spot for me. Budget orbits around 800GBP.
Any feedback on these cycles is greatly appreciated.
 

vickster

Legendary Member
Can you get them all in your size
(eg in your Specialized link no size is available, I've heard the same from my SW London LBS, that there are very few Specialized bikes available to order)
and have you tried them out?
How do the specs compare?
Do they have single or double chainsets? Does the gearing suit you? Are you in flat or hillier London?

Personally for me it would be the Whyte or the Trek
 
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Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
Hello and :welcome: to the forum.

My choice would be the Trek or the Orbea. The Trek because it has a double chainset which means a good spread of gears and the 32c tyres will feel faster than some of the fatter rubber on the others while still being plenty comfy. The Orbea because it’s a very complete package with mudguards and dynamo lights included, perfect for all weather biking and great if you intend to commute, nothing else to add.

I’m surprised at Whyte providing a alloy fork on a bike at this price so that would put it out for me. Same goes for the Specialized which looks very overpriced. Unfortunately the Orbea has one too I’ve just noticed.

1x drive trains are very popular right now with a large range rear cassette but you’ll cry when you have to replace it as they can be 3-4 times the price of a conventional cassette. Plus they leave large jumps between gears.

Availability will also be a factor in these times so you’ll have to decide how quickly you need it.
 
I too would be tempted towards the only one with a carbon fork (Trek) but it's interesting to note that the Orbea comes with a dynamo hub and lights
 

Paul_Smith SRCC

www.plsmith.co.uk
Location
Surrey UK
They will all do that role.

Looking at the intended use, it depends your interpretation of “London and about“. The further you want to ride then the more the bike is set up for mile eating efficiency will become more appealing. At a glance in that respect I'd say it would be the Trek that would be top of my list; the Sirrus X and Orbea are a bit more heavy duty and quite similar to each other, note both brands have models closer to the Trek FX Range, those being the Sirrus range (not 'X' mdels) and Orbea Vector respectively. The Whyte is more heavy duty again, their Whitechapel and Shoreditch range look look closer to the others you are considering
 
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Joffey

Big Dosser
Location
Yorkshire
Hello everyone.
I'm into buying a new cycle, and I am split between four bikes. In short:
https://www.specialized.com/gb/en/sirrus-x-3-0/p/187462
Specialized Sirrus X 3.0
https://www.orbea.com/gb-en/bicycles/urban/carpe
Orbea Carpe 15
https://whyte.bike/products/portobello?variant=31674238009413
Whyte Portobello Plus V2
https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bikes/hybrid-bikes/fitness-bikes/fx/fx-3-disc/p/28474/
Trek Fx 3 disc

I'm riding in London and about, so a hybrid seems to hit the sweet spot for me. Budget orbits around 800GBP.
Any feedback on these cycles is greatly appreciated.

Orbea Carpe 15 :okay:
 

Dan77

Senior Member
Location
Worcester
I have a Trek FX2 and it's a decent bike. Been very happy with it although it's not getting ridden now I have a road bike.

Love the look of that Orbea though and the fact it's all set up with mudguards, lights and a rack. Haven't looked through all the spec but if you're riding generally on fairly flat terrain I'd go for that one. As long as you have somewhere safe to store it wherever you are going.
 

mustang1

Guru
Location
London, UK
I haven't looked at any tech specs, but just going by looks and colour, the Orbea. Does that come with mudguards and rack as standard? Sometimes the mudguards get in the way if you're absolutely won't use it in rain. Take note of what @vickster says about getting locks. I would get a minimum of two excellent quality locks, a couple of bike tools and a track pump plus a puncture kit; that'll come to around £200 or £250.

BTW when I'm in town, I use THREE good quality locks for my cheapo Halfords bike, and that was even before the sky-high bike demand in a covid economy.
 

SkipdiverJohn

Deplorable Brexiteer
Location
London
BTW when I'm in town, I use THREE good quality locks for my cheapo Halfords bike, and that was even before the sky-high bike demand in a covid economy.

I can't be arsed carrying a ton of heavy bike locks around. Not needing to do that is one huge benefit t knocking around town on cheapo hack bikes, preferably scruffy ones that look so shite no-one will want to nick them. I just use a four foot length of chain sleeved in an old inner tube and a sturdy padlock. No-one has ever touched mine.
 
I can't be arsed carrying a ton of heavy bike locks around. Not needing to do that is one huge benefit t knocking around town on cheapo hack bikes, preferably scruffy ones that look so shite no-one will want to nick them.

It does seem a bit odd to spend £500 extra on a lighter bike and then immediately eliminate that benefit by carting around 4kg worth of locks.
 

battered

Guru
It does seem a bit odd to spend £500 extra on a lighter bike and then immediately eliminate that benefit by carting around 4kg worth of locks.
It's a simple equation, based on the 50lb principle. The what? The principle that your bike plus lock combination needs to weigh 50 pounds. If you have an old steel Raleigh Shopper with balloon tyres, a basket, a stand and Never Ready lights weighing 50 pounds, you probably don't need a lock, or if you do you get a Poundland special, which will do. If on the other hand your daily ride is a Pinarello Dogma coming in at 10kg wet through, 20lb for cash, you need 30 pounds of Citadel/Fogeddaboudit 15mm forged hardened steel D locks attached to ground anchors to leave it outside a cafe for 5 minutes. All it has to do is add up to 50lb.
 

battered

Guru
I can't be arsed carrying a ton of heavy bike locks around. Not needing to do that is one huge benefit t knocking around town on cheapo hack bikes, preferably scruffy ones that look so shite no-one will want to nick them. I just use a four foot length of chain sleeved in an old inner tube and a sturdy padlock. No-one has ever touched mine.
Erm, if a 4 foot length of chain wrapped up in an old inner tube and a chunky padlock *isn't* a ton of heavy bike lock, I'd like to see what you consider to be heavy!
I've fortunately never had a bike stolen, not left them at risk or always used decent locks. When I was a student in London I had an attempt made on a good quality cable lock, they gave up after chewing the plastic outer. I took this as a timely warning and doubled it up with a D lock. This is now my default if I'm leaving a bike in any urban area for more than a shopping trip. 2 locks through either end of the bike and to 2 different bits of railings. I too favour old bikes for general use. If nobody wants it, nobody will steal it.
 
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