which commuter bike?

[red22]

Hello,

Thinking of swapping from a road bike to a fast hybrid for my commute through central London - looking for more control and better braking (mainly due to the crazy antics of other road users!). My options are either a Charge Scourer 2012 or a Boardman comp fi hybrid. Just wondered if anyone had any recommendations on which one to go for?

Thanks

 

[helston90]

Can you explain your reasons for these two? I'm in a similar position and had also included one of the Giant Rapid bikes in my thoughts?
(sorry to not actually be any help!)

 

[mark st1]

Hi there i cant offer any advice on the Charge however ive ridden the mens version of the Boardman Hybrid seemed a nice solid bike on the road and tow path gravel runs etc, not as heavy as i thought it was going to feel and felt quite responsive with good gearing dont know where abouts your commute is through London but the one i rode zipped along on the flat at a good pace. If you can get it on a deal which they are usually doing then its quite good value.

Has to be said though you need yourself or someone with a good knowledge of bikes to go over it before you plan a decent run out on it. Making sure everything is set up correctly and bolts fully tightened etc. Unless you are very familiar with the staff at your local Helfrauds store IMO and previous experiences they are not to be trusted as bike builders.

 

[red22]

Can you explain your reasons for these two? I'm in a similar position and had also included one of the Giant Rapid bikes in my thoughts?
(sorry to not actually be any help!)

I just found these to be the best value. My current road bike is a Giant though and haven't had any problems with it!

 

[red22]

Hi there i cant offer any advice on the Charge however ive ridden the mens version of the Boardman Hybrid seemed a nice solid bike on the road and tow path gravel runs etc, not as heavy as i thought it was going to feel and felt quite responsive with good gearing dont know where abouts your commute is through London but the one i rode zipped along on the flat at a good pace. If you can get it on a deal which they are usually doing then its quite good value.

Has to be said though you need yourself or someone with a good knowledge of bikes to go over it before you plan a decent run out on it. Making sure everything is set up correctly and bolts fully tightened etc. Unless you are very familiar with the staff at your local Helfrauds store IMO and previous experiences they are not to be trusted as bike builders.

Thanks for the feedback. I cycle from SW14 to near Euston. Mainly flat - just one 'hill' in Hyde Park - and the weight listed for the boardman is about the same as my road bike so hopefully it'll still be quite nippy! I've managed to find a Scourer for £360 and a Boardman for £300 but still torn as to which to go for! I'm not so familiar with non-road gearing/components so not sure which represents the better deal.

 

[mark st1]

Your welcome im not too familiar with the tech side of things however im sure someone will be able to give you the pros and cons of each one soon enough. The prices you have sound very good i know me mate spent £550 on his men's Hybrid (we didnt look at the price of the fi lol )

That sounds like a very nice commute you have though.

 

[red22]

It's not too bad - Hyde Park is definitely the best bit. Too many people doing crazy things once you get through there though!

 

[gaz]

More control and better braking? Hmmm a hybrid may give you smoother control with wider bars, but better braking? hmm.

Perhaps taking things a little slower around pedestrians is the key.

 

[thefollen]

Find my road bike more stable than the hybrid; it just glides effortlessly compared to the flat bar, no wobbies or twitches. Hybrid can certainly boast a more responsive emergency stop however, but with a nice degree of awareness, smart riding and hazard perception you shouldn't need it :-) Always choose the road over hybrid providing there's safe storage wherever I'm working.

 

[red22]

More control and better braking? Hmmm a hybrid may give you smoother control with wider bars, but better braking? hmm.

Perhaps taking things a little slower around pedestrians is the key.

i understood that disc brakes were more reactive than caliper?

I cycle extremely cautiously, but I'm sure you'll know if you've cycled through central London that you can't always account for what pedestrians, and other road users, will do!

 

[red22]

Find my road bike more stable than the hybrid; it just glides effortlessly compared to the flat bar, no wobbies or twitches. Hybrid can certainly boast a more responsive emergency stop however, but with a nice degree of awareness, smart riding and hazard perception you shouldn't need it :-) Always choose the road over hybrid providing there's safe storage wherever I'm working.

Hi, thanks for the advice. I do cycle with (a perhaps over heightened!) degree of awareness, however I find my road bike brakes to be highly unresponsive. It's not a matter of changing the pads or tightening - I've done that!!

 

[thefollen]

Hi, thanks for the advice. I do cycle with (a perhaps over heightened!) degree of awareness, however I find my road bike brakes to be highly unresponsive. It's not a matter of changing the pads or tightening - I've done that!!

Which road bike do you have? Ultimately I guess it's whatever you feel most comfortable and in control of. My Hybrid's a Giant (albeit a relatively cheap 2010 Giant CRS 3 Hybrid- discontinued now, but there are similar from Giant.) and has provided a great service over the years. Only had to replace the brake pads and the puncture resistant tyres have only been breached once in 3 years! My mate had an FCR (believe the Rapid has replaced these) which was fairly light and rather nippy.

Have you been riding in London a while? Personally I believe over-caution can be quite detrimental to your ride- sometimes the safest way is just to go for it. Although I don't recommend racing for the closing gap between two busses like Luke Skywalker escaping from the Death Star ;-)

Sounds like you need to be confident in your bike, good luck in finding the correct one for you-- then you can start having fun! It's a great feeling when you're 'at one with the bike', so to speak.

 

[cloggsy]

What about a CX (with disc brakes)?

 

[red22]

I have a Giant too - Defy 2.5. I've been riding in London about 4 years now - when I say over-caution I'm not one of these people who get stuck behind parked cars rather than come out to overtake (hopefully you know what I mean). I just don't do any of the ridiculous things that I see many other cyclists doing, like running red lights, going up the inside of buses/lorries, speeding through junctions when I can see pedestrians looking like they might step into the road.

Part of the problem is that I find the handlebars/gears on my road bike too big for my hands, alongside the other problems with braking I've mentioned. Like you say I just want to be confident in my bike, and at the moment I don't. I do a fair bit of cycling and plan to go to France next summer to tackle some mountains so my plan was to replace my current road bike with a cheaper commuter and then save up for a more appropriate road bike!

 

[red22]

What about a CX (with disc brakes)?

Thanks - I've looked into these, but the prices I've found the two bikes I mentioned in my original post are the best value. Scourer for £370 and Boardman for £300.