Which Hybrid would suit my needs?

[Melanie Armer]

Hello - first time caller, long time listener! I am desperately in need of a new bike and as I live in the Highlands of Scotland it has to take heavy weather and hilly conditions. I am looking at Hybrids as my route to work is a mix of tarmac and kerbs along a cycle path. There are a couple of bike stores up here but are quite expensive for what I need, they seem more specialised.

I have picked a couple but I haven't got a clue if they are worth my hard earned cash, so would be grateful for some opinions.

1 - http://www.evanscycles.com/products/saracen/urban-esc-2013-womens-hybrid-bike-ec043455#features
2 - http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pinnacle/lithium-one-2012-womens-hybrid-bike-ec035871#features
3 - http://www.evanscycles.com/products/kona/dew-city-2012-hybrid-bike-ec034477#features
4 - http://www.evanscycles.com/products/scott/sub-solution-40-2012-hybrid-bike-ec030906#features
5 - http://www.evanscycles.com/products/fuji/sunfire-30-2012-womens-hybrid-bike-ec031244#features

The other point to this is that it has to be an easy ride as I have Arthritis and on cold days this can play up and cause problems.

Hope you can advise and thanks for your time.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

I know a guy on another forum lives on the Black Isle north of Inverness and does a 20+ very hilly commute on a roadie. If it is just kerbs and cycle tracks you're worried about then it'll be robust enough to cope and slogging up hills and into Northern Scottish winter winds sat up and begging on a hybrid with the wind battering you full in the chest will be far harder than having a set of drops to tuck down onto.

Dunno how bad your arthritis is but maybe consider a CX bike with the frog leg levers on the bar tops (e.g. Edinburgh Bikes Revolution Cross - cracking bike for commuting) or even a straight roadie & riding on the hoods will give you better aero and protection.

I broke my neck a long time ago and as a result can't cope with a proper stretched out road bike or a long time on drops so tend to use my hybrid exclusively (always have done for shopping and pottering) but more so because my CX commuter was nicked when my son was borrowing it and funds are a bit short to replace it. That was the best of both for bad weather riding and my rolling Pennine commute on roads and country parks/gravel tracks

 

[Melanie Armer]

The wind is hard going on my way home, always a head on wind and can be gale force. I have a hybrid and you are right about the weather beating on my chest. I have been looking at road bikes but when discussing this with bike sales assistant in Inverness, he said a hybrid would be best for commuting. The arthritis isn't that bad but in cold weather it can be difficult to pedal down in heavy weather. I like the Edinburgh bike though.

 

[Robwiz]

It's important to be really clear about your needs for the journeys you will be cycling. How long is your commute? If it's only a few miles then pretty much any bike would do the job for you.

When looking at hybrids, make sure the gear ratios are low enough for the hills you will ride – some have gearing suited more towards sports/road cycling.

Many of the women's geometry hybrids have a very upright riding position, so not very good into wind and less comfortable over longer distances.

A slightly left-field suggestion is that recumbents are more aerodynamic than diamond frame bikes so cope better with headwinds. Their seats provides more support and comfort and are popular with riders who suffer with back pain. They require a different technique going uphill – spinning patiently, as it's impossible to get out of the saddle and use body weight to help. Kinetics in Glasgow and Laid Back Bikes in Edinburgh are very highly regarded and might be worth a call or a visit.

 

[Melanie Armer]

I ride between 4 to 10 miles a day depending on my journey needs. When going to work or going in to town, is mostly down hill but traveling home is all up hill, some with a steady climb but areas are quite steep. Traveling to Glasgow or Edinburgh isn't as simple I am afraid as it would have to be public transport and it's over 200 miles away. I do ride on the pedals sometimes but my bike is old and can't take the abuse any more When chatting to the bike guy I was told I could change the handle bars to make it easier to cycle through the weather.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Hi Melanie, welcome to the forum: you will get good advice here

 

[shouldbeinbed]

The wind is hard going on my way home, always a head on wind and can be gale force. I have a hybrid and you are right about the weather beating on my chest. I have been looking at road bikes but when discussing this with bike sales assistant in Inverness, he said a hybrid would be best for commuting. The arthritis isn't that bad but in cold weather it can be difficult to pedal down in heavy weather. I like the Edinburgh bike though.

Did he give a reason for this advice, or did they have a few in the shop that needed shifting off the stock list

Short of adding bar ends, I'm not sure what you could do in terms of bars to change your position significantly and TBH they would be a sticking plaster for a broken leg, you'd still be sat up and begging. It would be possible to retro fit drop bars on a flat bar bike but you'd definitely need new brake levers and gear shifters, front derailleures work differently with the different type of shifters so you'd most likely have to change that too, it would add up to quite a bit of money, particularly on an old bike.

If I'm honest, your bike guy doesn't inspire me with a lot of confidence.

 

[Robwiz]

I agree with shouldbeinbed – swapping from flat bars to drops (or vice versa) is never cost-effective – swapping the brake levers and gear shifters is just too expensive.

If you're open to riding a bike with drop bars, that's probably the better way forward for you. Given the hills on your route, you'll want a compact or triple crankset and wider ratios in the cassette – a 32 or 34 tooth bottom gear. A touring bike rather than a high-fashion road bike would be good. Check out the Dawes Vantage as an example of the spec/features to aim for.

As always, the most important thing to get right is the fit, so that your bike is comfortable. So be prepared to change the stem length and swap to a more comfortable saddle. (You can search the forum for recommended female-specific saddles).

 

[Cyclist33]

Did he give a reason for this advice, or did they have a few in the shop that needed shifting off the stock list

Short of adding bar ends, I'm not sure what you could do in terms of bars to change your position significantly and TBH they would be a sticking plaster for a broken leg, you'd still be sat up and begging. It would be possible to retro fit drop bars on a flat bar bike but you'd definitely need new brake levers and gear shifters, front derailleures work differently with the different type of shifters so you'd most likely have to change that too, it would add up to quite a bit of money, particularly on an old bike.

If I'm honest, your bike guy doesn't inspire me with a lot of confidence.

Add bar ends; inboard bar ends; tri extensions; butterfly curves... There are plenty of ways of adding hand positions. It's not something that is exclusive to drop handlebars.