Which of these Hybrids should I choose?

[drkash]

Hi,

I currently have a 8yr old cheap Apollo mountain bike which is quiet heavy. I'm looking at getting a new hybrid bike for road cycling 20-30km on weekends and also need something when causally going on trails and in the woods with the kids. The bike will not be used in winter or when raining. Budget around £400-700. Looking for flat bars and without suspension. Also something which is low maintenance and reliable as I'm not much of a DIY'er!

I've narrowed (sort of) down to the following:

TREK FX2 DISC
£460
https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bike ... c/p/27991/

TREK FX3 DISC
£700
https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bike ... c/p/28474/

BOARDMAN HYB 8.6
£550
https://www.boardmanbikes.com/gb_en/pro ... -grey.html
https://www.halfords.com/bikes/hybrid-b ... 28064.html

GIANT ESCAPE 2 DISC
£475
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/escape-2-disc

GIANT ESCAPE 2 CITY DISC - wasn't really looking at the City but a local shop can get one in stock in 5-6 weeks
£525
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/escape-2-city-disc

GIANT ESCAPE 1 DISC
£649
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/escape-1-disc

WHYTE WHITECHAPEL
£599
https://whyte.bike/collections/fast-urb ... 6775696442

WHYTE SHOREDITCH - can get hold of one locally in 3 weeks
£699
https://whyte.bike/collections/fast-urb ... shoreditch

What would you recommend? I appreciate many bikes are not in stock currently but I can wait for the right bike and price if needed.

Many thanks!

[drkash]

Anyone?

[JohnI]

I don't really have an answer, but I've been trying to get my wife to buy a new hybrid for ages and this is a pretty useful list for us as well. They all look like good bikes, but I think the more expensive ones are a little bit better - as you'd expect.

One interesting thing is that there's a mixture of triple chainrings, doubles and singles, which says something about how gearing is changing on bikes. If you're likely to do any steep hills and/or with luggage at any point it might be worth checking the range of gears available in each case. We actually do some light touring so it would be an issue for us, but might not be for you by the sound of it.

[Bonefishblues]

The length of your shortlist is an issue. People won't trawl through each and every one of the 8, I think.

[printedland]

I only looked briefly at the bikes on your shortlist, but some initial thoughts are:

Disc brakes are incredibly useful, particularly if you're interested in off-tarmac riding.

It's very hard to tell the comfort and geometry of a bike when online, but some of those companies (I'm thinking of trek particularly) specialise in mass-market bikes for leisure riding, whereas the Boardman range are often a bit more 'sporty'

I think any of the ones you've identified would be good quality, easy to ride and comparable on maintenance. They are all big brands, so the prices are kept quite low. I think there is an element of 'you get what you pay for' here.

None of them (except one) have mudguards - is this something you'd want to consider? The one exception is the Giant City Disc, which has mudguards, pannier rack and kick stand - all of them very useful if you're likely to take the bike down to the shops or around town

The Whyte Whitechapel is a single chainring, and might be frustrating on those trails in the woods. The Trek FX2, by comparison, has a triple chainring at the front, giving you the biggest possible range of gears

I hate to throw more options into the mix, but be aware that some smaller suppliers build up their own models at good prices. If you can stretch to £750, this has a much better spec: https://spacycles.co.uk/m1b0s225p4009/S ... ar-8-Speed

and Bristol Bicycles do some interesting options, where you can change the spec to suit your own requirements. Their 'sport' range is here: https://www.bristolbicycles.co.uk/product/sport/

hope that is of some help

Ian

[Jamesh]

I think we need a sticky of what to look for in a new bike.

Thinking spec, materials, and geometry

one for road, hybrid and mtb?

Perhaps at £300 £500 £1000 price points.

Would give new posters a easy to understand guide to new bikes.

Cheers James

[TrevA]

My wife has the FX2 Disc Ladies version and she’s very happy with it. It’s used for leisure rides on roads, on canal towpaths and we’ve even started riding bridleways on it. It’s a bit bumpy on rutted bridleways, as it doesn’t have front suspension, but it’s fine otherwise. We’ve also done the Sherwood Pines Blue route on it (with me on my MTB).

It all depends on type of riding you want to do. Roads, gravel tracks and towpaths, the Trek will be fine. More technical off road and it starts to struggle and you may wish to consider a bike with front suspension. Do you want to go fast? Then the Trek is probably not the bike for you, but if you want to ride along admiring the scenery, then it’s fine.

More expensive bikes tend to have more gears and better groupsets, which in theory last longer, but there is a down side, in that parts are more expensive to replace. Google the price of 8,9,10 and 11 speed chains and cassettes and compare, you will see what I mean.

If you go for the Trek, consider a tyre upgrade. We found the Bontrager tyres prone to punctures. We swapped for some Vitoria Randonneurs that we already had hanging around.

[drkash]

Thanks for the replies. Yes I agree having a sticky for newcomers would help, especially with the terminology and what to look for.

I don't really need mudguards as not needed them in the past and won't be riding when its been raining etc.

I'm leaning towards the Whyte Shoreditch as is available soon and Whytes have a good reputation.

Cheers

[djnotts]

FWIW the Trek FX series have been long term base market for the brand, always good value. My 7.5FX has stayed with me longer than any other bike has (although much modified!) and while many others have come and gone. Do anything, go pretty well anywhere. A fellow CTC friend bought a newer model on strength of trying mine and has used it for long distance touring.