which of these two hybrid/city bikes

NGO

Hey everyone!

Sorry, but this is another newbie thread about what bike to get. I was looking around the forum and I have kind of narrowed it down to two bikes-although I am very much open to suggestions as I dont know anything about bikes

someone gave a link to the great offers at this website and I do like the look of this bike: (Cube LTD CLS Pro 2009)
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=30601
its £400stg which is probably my limit but there is 20% off it. (i can get it delivered free to my aunt in NI too)
I am only around 5'7" so would the 54cm suit me best? the other cube bike on offer was 62cm:eek:

the second papac kindly posted in another thread is: (carrera subway 1 18" hybrid commuter mens bike)
http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_551203_langId_-1_categoryId_212377

do you think the cube is worth the extra 173 euros? or if you think I am overlooking something please let me know.
I will be using this to get to college everyday and anywhere else i need to get. Thanks alot for reading and i really appreciate any help

paddyduc

The first one would be my choice but you should bear in mind that it's going to need a 6 week check up (€20 ish) and you will have some minor assembly to do. The second one has 26'' wheels which are not ideal for a commuter.

papac

second papac kindly posted

No need to drag me into this.;)

Differences between the two as I see it.

Forks.- Subway has rigid-Cube has short travel cheap sus forks.I personally think that a bike used mainly on the road should have rigid forks (even if the sussers have a lockout.). These ones are Suntour 50 euro jobbies anyway and unlikely to set the world on fire in performance terms.

Componentry- Mainly Deore vs Sram x4. On paper Shimano stuff might shade it-I find the Sram x4 good-Not swiss watch precision but reliable so far-(9 months hard use). No huge difference here really.

Wheels and tyres-Cube has 700c with cyclocross tyres. Carrera has 26" (smaller)with road grooved slicks-all other things being equal 26 wheels are stronger(good for pavement hopping:)) and road tyres are best on road-they roll faster..Sounds like you will be on the road most of the time.I have done quite a bit of mild forest track stuff on the Subways original tyres-I have knobbies on it atm since things got muddy.I'll change when it goes back to town in the new year.

Frame- Carrera has a butted frame (tubes thinner in middle-thicker at ends for welding) which I think is great frame at that price level. Cube appears to be plain guage frame-which may make it heavier.

All in all I can't see that the cube is worth the extra. Actually if they were the same price I would still buy the Subway.You could buy quite a bit of extra gear with the 180 euros.Just my opinion.

Edit.

The second one has 26'' wheels which are not ideal for a commuter.

This is an old chestnut-700c vs 26" and everyone has their own opinion. I personally think that the advent of good road tyres in MTB 26" size(I had 28mm gatorskins on mine for a while and it flew) has swung the argument in favour of 26.

blorg

The Cube looks good but really for light off-road, fireroad, dirt paths, that sort of thing. CX tyres are not going to be good on the road at all and neither will the suspension. It does have lockout but even with that Papac is right that rigid is a lot better on the road. Deore 9 speed shifters and front and rear derailleurs though are very good at that price and a fair step up from the Subway's 7 speed X4. (I am sure the latter will still work fine.)

The Subway is probably going to be better on the road but you could always change the tyres on the Cube, not too expensive.

If you want to do any light off-road then the Cube, otherwise if just for the commute on tarmac probably the Subway.

papac

Deore 9 speed shifters and front and rear derailleurs though are very good at that price and a fair step up from the Subway's 7 speed X4

On reflection I would agree.

NGO

papac wrote: »

On reflection I would agree.

Thanks alot for the time guys. GREAT advice here. I am set on the subway so as I will be on road (hopefully) and I am partial to the odd pavement hop
It's actually got really good reviews on the website too and the price is great.
Can you tell me what the 1 18" means? is this a one size fits all bike?

cheers, great help - papac I am glad i dragged you into this;)

papac

Can you tell me what the 1 18" means? is this a one size fits all bike?

I presume you mean 18". This is the seat tube length.

One size certainly does not fit all -but a few sizes fit most with modern sloping toptube (crossbar) frames.
I am 5 10 and I have a 20" so you should be fine on the 18".Halfords staff-while often not great- should at least be able to confirm this. You can always experiment with handlebar stem length later.
Good place for info http://www.sheldonbrown.com/
Best of luck with it-Keep those tyres good and hard.(a track pump with a gauge is a good investment).

Edit. Now I realize its Subway 1- thats the model. The size is 18".

NGO

papac wrote: »

I presume you mean 18". This is the seat tube length.

One size certainly does not fit all -but a few sizes fit most with modern sloping toptube (crossbar) frames.
I am 5 10 and I have a 20" so you should be fine on the 18".Halfords staff-while often not great- should at least be able to confirm this. You can always experiment with handlebar stem length later.
Good place for info http://www.sheldonbrown.com/
Best of luck with it-Keep those tyres good and hard.(a track pump with a gauge is a good investment).

Edit. Now I realize its Subway 1- thats the model. The size is 18".

brilliant, that sounds perfect. thanks very much papac for your advice. im gonna order that and some mudguards and a lock tomorrow:)

BostonB

Bigger thinner wheels are better because of less resistance on thinner tyres and you go futher with one rotation of the pedals on a bigger wheel. They are usually lighter too. It maybe not be a night and day difference but it all adds up.

I don't seen why Kerb hopping would be important you shouldn't need to do that at all.

I commute on a mtb with road slicks and while it's better than mtb Tyres it's still more effort than a hybrid IMO. I had a fcr1 for a while and the difference in effort was huge.

papac

Bigger thinner wheels are better because of less resistance on thinner tyres and you go futher with one rotation of the pedals on a bigger wheel. They are usually lighter too. It maybe not be a night and day difference but it all adds up.

I don't seen why Kerb hopping would be important you shouldn't need to do that at all.

Rolling resistance is lower on thinner tyres.The thinnest tyres you would sensibly put on either of those bikes would be a 28mm.(Cube comes with 36mm tyres so it should have at least a 17mm rim-28mm tyre minimum imo.)All other things being equal rolling resistance difference will be negligable.(Super narrow lightweight high tpi tyres are faster and generally not available in559 mtb size but you would not be putting them on that Cube imo.)
How far you go per pedal rev is a function of gearing and wheel size-if you are in a slightly higher gear you will go the same distance per revolution. on a 26.-Top gear on Subway is plenty high enough for most commuters.
For any given tyre a 26" will be lighter of course.
All things being equal a 26 wheel will be lighter and stronger.
Pavement hopping is a lifestyle choice and as long as we don't harm anybody I think we should be allowed to enjoy it. I am out as a pavement hopper and I am not going back to pavement hopping in the middle of the night around public toilets.:D

blorg

Rolling resistance is actually lower on wider tyres, at the same inflation pressure. Now you will not inflate a wider tyre to the same pressure but it does mean you can have more comfort/grip on the wider tyre with lower pressure for the same RR.

To be honest though I think rubber compound and tread pattern (the less the better) make far more difference, I recently changed my road bike from 23 to 25 and my commuter from 25 to 35 and don't notice them going any slower.

papac

Rolling resistance is actually lower on wider tyres

I reckon if both tyres are at the correct pressure for their size narrower profile is probably marginally better. The weight of the casing has a large bearing on rr and narrower profile have lighter casings generally so the faster rolling is maybe not purely down to profile.

.As you say Blorg-Difficult to tell in normal everyday use unless you compare a heavy ,wide, treaded tyre to a lightweight slick.

@Blorg--In any case 700c v 559 doesn't really come into it.Would you agree.??

blorg

My only 26" wheel bike is my hardtail so difficult to make any comparisons, too many other variables! I don't imagine it would make any serious difference one way or the other. All else being equal (which it never is) 26" wheels are probably a bit stronger I would imagine but 700c are fine if you aren't going crazy with them.

Schwalbe have a page on RR here but honestly for a commuter I doubt it will make any difference- 700c cyclocross tyres will however roll like pants on the road compared to 26" slicks- but it's easy to change the tyres so either could be a good choice.

Summary: 700c vs 26" in and of itself really doesn't matter on a commuter IMO, there are more important variables.

nightster1

article on today's Times on which hybrid bike is best

papac

there are more important variables

Agreed.

BostonB

You can obviously choose fat and heavy tread tyres for a hybrid and pick a heavy hybrid, and spend a fortune on a light MTB with slicks. But thats not going to be typical, and its not the situation here. As a sweeping generalisation, a MTB will be not have road tyres and a hybrid will not have heavy treaded tyres. Likewise a MTB will be lower geared, and a hybrid higher geared for roads/commuting. If I was looking for a lighter bike. I bet its more likely to be a hybrid then a MTB. As for weight in tyres, all I know is a 700x23~25 tube on my FCR and tyre was much lighter then the slick 26" and tube on my MTB. The MTB tube is noticably heavier and bulker in the saddle bag.

While you can get bikes which are mix of both, as a sweeping generalisation, a hybrid is going to be better for road commuting. Not that you can't commute on a MTB, (I do it myself), but a hybrid is better suited. It will make neligable difference in commuting time other factors like fitness, wind, and lights (for some of us) would have bigger impact. But it takes less effort to maintain a faster pace on my hybrid then the MTB. Thats my experience.

That said, I do find my MTB being heavier is a little steadier and perhaps more comfortable, especially if your not used to cycling. Though you do feel the weight and low gearing at times. As for the orignal poster question. I would go into a few shops and sit on a few bikes, see which ones you like. Very hard to judge that from a webpage.

blorg

They are both hybrids, one is 700c with front suspension and semi-knobbly cyclocross tyres, the other is 26" with rigid fork and possibly slicker tyres (they are unlikely to be knobblier anyway.) Neither is a mountain bike.

BostonB

Doh, I'll have to stop speed reading threads....my bad.

One commuter I liked was the Giant CRS very comfy.
http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=32&idproduct=30425

papac

possibly slicker

Subway has slicks with a few (imo) pointless grooves.26x1.6. At about 80psi they roll well but comfort suffers. They are not bad tyres actually- as stock tyres on cheap bikes go..
As I said before I put 28mm gatorskins at 100 psi on and the difference was clear. (My daughter didn't appreciate having no tyres on her bike so I had to give em back:))

Subway is definately a hybrid with a nod to mtb styling.
Imo that Cube doesn't know what it is.

Monkwood

BostonB wrote: »

Doh, I'll have to stop speed reading threads....my bad.

One commuter I liked was the Giant CRS very comfy.
http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=32&idproduct=30425

What size frame is this do you know? I'm quite tall and find it difficult to find a decent road bike that's big enough; preferably about 22" and jack up the saddle works for me.

BostonB

You can get it in different frame sizes. You'd have to ring/visit some shops to get an idea of size.