Advice on hybrid bike

padyjoe

I would like got get a hybrid bike on BTW scheme. I could stretch even to €1000. It has to be something solid. (Giant Rapid, Escape range quite nice). I'M 187 cm and 107 kgs. I was told to get the quote in Kilkenny city. I feel the options are limited. First goal would be to get fit so probably have to get a bike which doesn't weigh tons. Might want to fit optional accessories as mudguards, lights or the bike has to come with those. All in all I don't want go a cheap way, would like to have something which built to last (or is it impossible to ask these days?) and fan to use plus able to cover long journeys without getting sore. All your inputs appreciated! Thank you!

padyjoe

Or at least what would be the components ( brake, fork, saddle etc.) worth to look out for? I saw for example the Giant Rapid 4 going for 600 rrp it's a nice bike for that money and cash left for accessories as well. Any thoughts?

Jk_Eire

Have had my Rapid 4 for three years and it hasn't skipped a beat.
Great for commuting with a bit of speed and very easy to cycle long distances on. Like any bike, keep it well maintained it will last you.

Frame wise, it's aggressive for a hybrid. It's essentially a road bike with a flat bar which means it's fast. This sacrifices comfort though, and it wouldn't be as smooth as the Giant Escape. Much faster though

Rapid 4 has entry level road parts. Never had a problem with them myself, but I regularly clean and keep them oiled. The Rapid, 3, 2, 1 etc will have better parts and carbon forks which will smooth the ride out a little.

BadCharlie

Most people i see riding Hybird bikes get either Giant or Trek.
I my self have the trek 7.1 which is kind of their bog standard bike if i had more money i would have got the 7.4 or 7.5. Im 95kg's and think the wheels on my 7.1 while cause problems due to my weight. The back wheel all ready is showing strains, but i plan on buying new wheels. Halfords also sell the boardman Hybird which look good and worth checking out.

If i was you, i would buy the best hybird you can afford. It should mean the parts will last longer and you should not need to go upgrading parts because of your weight. Also look at getting 35mm or 32mm tyres with the bike. It will give you a more comfortable ride.

Umiq88

No advice on a hybrid as such but I was in a similar postion to you looking at getting a hybrid but instead bought a proper racer. So glad I bought the racer as cycling is quite adictive. I've gone from 14-20k spins to 50-60k and did the ring of kerry a few weeks ago.

If its something you think you might do regularly and use to get fit then I would advise getting a road bike

padyjoe

Thank you to all! Well the old hybrid vs road bike dilemma!:-) when I was a kid I had a basic road bike and loved it. Still thinking would be better to get one. But there's the weight. The hybrid would be more suitable for handling the load, has more clearence to take bigger wheels too. So it looks like I have to start off with something more all rounder, shed weight then onto road bike to go further.

quozl

Either a tourer or cyclocross bike would take decent size wheels, and mudguards and would be like a sturdier road bike.

Plenty of threads on here about them - check out one called something like 'the ultimate commuter'. It'll be in the first dozen pages of the forum.

jimmyendless

I got a trek 7.3 in the BTW scheme last week. Really light compared to the MTB I used for the past year. Enjoying it so far. Sticking to the smoother roads for my commute as its not forgiving.

Bigus

padyjoe wrote: »

Thank you to all! Well the old hybrid vs road bike dilemma!:-) when I was a kid I had a basic road bike and loved it. Still thinking would be better to get one. But there's the weight. The hybrid would be more suitable for handling the load, has more clearence to take bigger wheels too. So it looks like I have to start off with something more all rounder, shed weight then onto road bike to go further.

I started 18 months ago at 108 kgs on a road bike with a 100 kg limit, never had a problem or a wheel go out of true, down to 100 kg now. I cover up to 200 km a week, leisure, i wouldn't have done it on a hybrid or I would have had to buy twice.

desertcircus

padyjoe wrote: »

Thank you to all! Well the old hybrid vs road bike dilemma!:-) when I was a kid I had a basic road bike and loved it. Still thinking would be better to get one. But there's the weight. The hybrid would be more suitable for handling the load, has more clearence to take bigger wheels too. So it looks like I have to start off with something more all rounder, shed weight then onto road bike to go further.

I was between 105 and 110 kilos for the first year I had my road bike, and had zero weight-related problems. You should be fine. Plus: using your tax break on a hybrid and realising a couple of months later that you should have gone roadie is unbelievably annoying...

padyjoe

Big question would be now: how much(€1000 budget should be enough) to spend on a decent road bike & which one gives me the best value for the money? You got me drifting towards a roadie!

robertxxx

You will mainly get comments like "get a road bike" on here as the vast majority are roadies.

I have a hybrid giant which is great for what I need.
I was on a mountain bike the other day and there is a lot to be said for comfort, these bikes just eat up the rough ground, and I'm not talking about off road.
To me if your doing mostly city centre cycling I'd get a mountain bike with full suspension as you can cruse in comfort and have a great looking bike.
Road bikes and thin tyre hybrid bike are like pogo sticks on rough surfaced roads which are now the norm in broke Ireland and the roads are just getting worse and the budget to repair them has being cut by exactly half, so no maintenance.

who_ru

for what it's worth I have a hybrid with front suspension which can be locked out or 'on' so to speak.

The suspension set up adds weight to the bike, in fact a nice bit of weight, and is totally unnecessary unless you intend to go down the side of mountains.

if you're only going to do road cycling then pass on the suspension bit, you won't need it at all.

a good helmet is essential, good lights, mud guards, solid lock - i find side bars also handy for uphill as well as just being able to put you hands in different positions.

And get a proper fitting, have a look at the video from the guardian website - very informative

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/video/2013/jul/10/how-to-set-up-bicycle-pro-video

desertcircus

robertxxx wrote: »

You will mainly get comments like "get a road bike" on here as the vast majority are roadies.

I have a hybrid giant which is great for what I need.
I was on a mountain bike the other day and there is a lot to be said for comfort, these bikes just eat up the rough ground, and I'm not talking about off road.
To me if your doing mostly city centre cycling I'd get a mountain bike with full suspension as you can cruse in comfort and have a great looking bike.
Road bikes and thin tyre hybrid bike are like pogo sticks on rough surfaced roads which are now the norm in broke Ireland and the roads are just getting worse and the budget to repair them has being cut by exactly half, so no maintenance.

Disagree strongly with this. Comfort isn't just about how hard the saddle bounces; it's about ease of pedalling and handling, both of which will be vastly superior on a road bike. Using a full-suspension mountain bike on city streets is like driving around the middle of Dublin in a Humvee. It's simply not designed for it. In addition, road bikes aren't nearly as uncomfortable as you'd think.

aFlabbyPanda

I switched from having 2 hybrid to a road bike and its way more comfortable to ride. I was sorry I wasted so much money on the hybrids. I'd have a much better road bike if I'd bought one the first day.

padyjoe

I was about to get a Giant Defy 3 but it's late now, the local bike shop is sold out(only has xs, my size l at least). What other bikes would you recommend in the same value/price bracket? Thank you!

It has turned out I can order in any participating shop.

Jk_Eire

Jk_Eire wrote: »

Have had my Rapid 4 for three years and it hasn't skipped a beat.
Great for commuting with a bit of speed and very easy to cycle long distances on. Like any bike, keep it well maintained it will last you.

Frame wise, it's aggressive for a hybrid. It's essentially a road bike with a flat bar which means it's fast. This sacrifices comfort though, and it wouldn't be as smooth as the Giant Escape. Much faster though

Rapid 4 has entry level road parts. Never had a problem with them myself, but I regularly clean and keep them oiled. The Rapid, 3, 2, 1 etc will have better parts and carbon forks which will smooth the ride out a little.

Despite everything I said above... I regretted not getting a road bike. The Defy is a great range by the sounds of it.

BadCharlie

Ya i have a Hybird for 2 years now. And i hope to also get a roadbike soon just trying to save the money. I will use the Hybird for my commute to work and roadbike at the weekends.

AdMMM

I bought the Giant Escape with the Bike to Work scheme last year and it has served me well so far. Now I'm getting the itch to move up to a road bike so I'm frustrated that I've missed out on all the tax-free goodness on the more expensive bike.

When I get my road bike I'm just going to fit mud guards to it. Maybe this might be a route you could explore instead of becoming frustrated like myself and so many others?

padyjoe

Guys, any sensible choice to make here?
http://www.bikestore.ie/all-road-bikes-1/road-bikes-mens.html

padyjoe

Sorry for posting on myself! I'm getting lost among the choices. It's still a road bike, doesn't have to be state of the art, or rocket science, just something which handy and fun in everydays. Or better off to wait until September new the new stuff arriving?