Which Hybrid bike for ~£250

[oli_ramsay]

I currently have my eye on this:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/..._productId_551221_langId_-1_categoryId_165534

But is there anything better I can get for my money?

http://www.bikemagic.com/reviews/bikes/rigid/carrera-subway-1/reader-reviews/23202.html#review16141

This review is putting me off. Says that a lot of the parts are unservicable and it's not a very reliable bike.

All suggestions much appreciated, the bike will only be used on roads and getting to work. I want something reliable and lightweight

Thanks

 

[oli_ramsay]

I'm also considering this:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/gt/transeo-50-2009-hybrid-bike-ec016398

 

[oli_ramsay]

Or maybe even this:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/dawes/discovery-101-2009-hybrid-bike-ec018588#BVRRWidgetID

 

[g00se]

Carrera is a Halfords brand - as is Apollo. The Carreras have a decent reputation for budget bikes (unlike the Apollos) but Halfords themselves do have a bad reputation for setup and customer service. Some are fine, some aren't (search these forums for Halfords for examples).

The best thing you can do is head off to the local bike shops, let them know your budget and see what they suggest. You really need to try the bike out before buying it (if you were thinking of mail-order). Try out as many as you can - it'll be a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon

 

[Cab]

The bog standard, bottom end of the range Giant Expression is a decent bike for 200 notes or so.

 

[upsidedown]

My first bike was a Dawes Discovery 201, great bike around £200.

 

[bauldbairn]

The Edinburgh Bike Cooperative have a sale on - with three trusty own make Hybrids in your price range.

1. Revolution Trailfinder 09 - full mudguards - 21 gears - 9/10 from What Mountain Bike for Value. Reduced from £280 to £200.

2. Revolution Courier Classic 09 - 8 speed - What Mountain Bike 10/10 for Value. Reduced from £300 to £225. (Got one myself,)

3. Revolution Pathfinder 09 - 21 speed - full mudguards. Reduced from £300 to £230.

I've did 2000+ miles on a Courier this year with no problems whatsoever.
The staff are friendly, professional and all bike enthusiasts. Their bikes are no thrills, basic, fitted with good quality components for the money. A better choice than Halfords in my opinion.

If you have one near you that is?

Good Luck, let us know how you get on - what you finally choose?

 

[cyberknight]

I have a subway and it has done over 3000 miles with no problems apart from normal wear and tear.
The only things i changed were the tyres for swcable city jets and put some spd pedals on.

A+ point is that its got mounting points for racks/guards which i fin very handy .

This is a link to my bike pic set up

http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=51492

 

[brokenbetty]

I got a subway 1 third hand (at least!) for £80 in September. I do 12 miles a day and have had no real problems.

The front gear didn't work when I got it but it turned out someone had mounted a bottom pull mech as top pull! I wonder if it was one of the previous owners or if Halfords set it up like that when it was new

The saddle was evil - a great big armchair of a thing that rubbed me raw. I swapped it out as soon as I got the bike.

The handlebar clamp does work loose and has to be retightened which is annoying. And it could do with a couple of higher gears. However for an urban short commuter bike it's great and hopefully not attractive to bike thieves either.

 

[ianrauk]

+ another 1 for the Subway 1. Has lasted 4 years and many miles now as a hackbike. Has needed very little fettling. Rock solid bike.

 

[Gareth]

I am very fond of my Falcon Explorer; had mine almost 4 years now and it meets all of my current cycling needs.

I have covered in the region of 12,000 miles on it, and with the exception of a few visits from the P******e fairy, and only an occosional lubing it has been the most reliable bicycle that I have owned.

I recently rode it on a 19 mile journey with; 25kgs in the front panniers, 18kg in the rear panniers, and with close on 35kgs loaded on my 10kg trailer, which with me at 79Kgs makes it one tough bike.

http://www.cyclecentreuk.co.uk/prod...v=FALCON_Explorer_LEISURE_BIKES_Leisure_Bikes

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

The review mentions Halfords Staff, and poor PDI as the main problems, rather than so much about the bike itself.

Riveted on jockey wheels. Obsolete chain rings that last 7 months. Halfords staff. Wheels need constant trueing. Original assembly/pre-delivery inspection was poor. Chain jumped into spokes the first time I selected lowest gear.

So long as (a) you get a decent branch with a good technician, or as I found with my carrera, ( you're happy to set the bike up properly yourself when you get home (had the same issues with limit screws not set and more) then it should be OK.

However, though my Carrera is the Virtuoso and with narrower wheels, I did find the wheel quality to be a little poor, with a weak rear wheel in need of constant attention. I may get it on a jig and re-tension and true the whole thing up again properly and see if that makes a difference.

Re: the mech - well, I would say "so what". For a commuter/general purpose bike it should be fine. If the j/wheels wear out eventually, then perhaps the replacement mech would be an upgraded unit if you so desired...but I have done many miles on cheap bikes without needing to replace jockey wheels every 5 minutes anyway.

If the reviewer is having so much trouble, I would suggest they either alter their riding style or their regular maintenance schedule. Or maybe stop looking (as it reads to me) like just any excuse to slate a cheap or lesser-branded bike for the sake of it.

 

[johnr]

I got a great sub-£200 bike from my lbs a few years ago. I needed it to commute and it did me proud. I'd gone in prepared to spend more, but the guy said that was all the bike I needed for my commute. It needed regular servicing and (as I've since found) the cassettes and chain rings wore more quickly than more expensive kit. But if was more than enough to get me into cycling and the lbs was an invaluable source of information and support.

I'd go local, if there's a decent shop near you.

 

[cyberknight]

The newer subway 1 jockey wheels were not riveted .

replaced mine a few months ago , 10 minute job once i had been to the lbs and bought the parts.They were held on with an allen key bolt.

I think its all down to the staff at halfords you get in from tbh.

Wheels do go out of true eventually even on the best kit , its called regular maintenance

 

[Plague]

Can I jump in on this one please? I have been doing a lot of reading around on various websites for a good "hybrid" bike to use for work (in truth, I just want something light, sturdy and with a good gear range as Lancaster has some pretty mean inclines). Have been looking at the GT Transeo 5 which is going for £250 from Evans, the Kona Dew Plus (2009) which is going for £299 from winstanleysbikes.co.uk or the Dawes Discovery 301 which is on at £237 from Bikes2udirect. My gut tells me to go for the GT for some reason (I really dont know, it just seems a really good bike at a good price at the moment) but the Kona Dew Plus also looks tempting. I only want to do about 50 miles a week for going to and from work and the odd ride out at weekend and so dont want to spend a fortune just yet. Anyone have any advice or experience on those bikes (or even new suggestions ?)