Hybrid or roadbike?

PLUG71

Hi as this post will prove I dont have a clue about bikes!
I want to get into cycling which will in include commuting and also rides out for fitness gains.
I am around 17 stone and would like a bike that I can use mainly on roads and sometimes on light trails.

My question is what would be the most suitable type of cycle/bike for me especially as im not light? :eek:

My budget is not great between €300 & €500.

Im new to Boards.ie too so if this has already been covered I apologise.

Jawgap

Can you access the Cycle-to-Work Scheme?

On your budget, you might be better looking for a decent secondhand bike rather than buying from new.

You could get a road bike, but if you really, really are planning to go on some light trails a decent hybrid would be a better bet.

Somebody will be along shortly with a more informed opinion than mine

Good luck

slideshow bob

PLUG71 wrote: »

if this has already been covered I apologise.

Already covered? Start here...
http://www.boards.ie/search/submit/?date_to=&date_from=&query=%22new+bike%22+advice&forum=410

Summary:-
Buy second hand for that price; make sure the bike fits you; cycle plenty; keep your bike to work until you've figured out if you like cycling or not then spend it plus any other cash you can get your hands on for the best bike you can afford.

PLUG71

Jawgap wrote: »

Can you access the Cycle-to-Work Scheme?

On your budget, you might be better looking for a decent secondhand bike rather than buying from new.

You could get a road bike, but if you really, really are planning to go on some light trails a decent hybrid would be a better bet.

Somebody will be along shortly with a more informed opinion than mine

Good luck

Thanks for your reply.
I see alot of nice secondhand bikes for my money, however i dont know enough about bikes to really check out any bikes I might view.

Jawgap

PLUG71 wrote: »

Thanks for your reply.
I see alot of nice secondhand bikes for my money, however i dont know enough about bikes to really check out any bikes I might view.

Try these people (especially if your concerned about not getting value for money through the ads)

http://www.rothar.ie/

and as @slideshow bob says save your C2W for the shiny new road bike!

slideshow bob

PLUG71 wrote: »

i dont know enough about bikes

Read those posts and you'll get the hang of things. Then phone a friend that does know bikes and bring them along to view, or visit a local bike shop (=LBS here) and get some advice there, particularly around sizing.

If you see something that you might cycle you can post a link here and any specific questions (sizing, things to look for on that particular bike, etc).

Zillah

I went from a mountain bike to a hybrid, and even then I still find myself wanting mountain bike wheels on a lot of roads. Road bike I think would drive me nuts. I picked up a new XL Giant Escape 2 for 500 quid so it shouldn't be too hard to find something in your price range.

Rambling Man

The advice to hold off on the Work scheme until you are better informed / know what you really want, is sound. Jumped into the scheme with 2 feet myself onto a very nice Scott Metrix hybrid, but find myself sometimes wishing it was a road bike.

petethedrummer

PLUG71 wrote: »

sometimes on light trails.

I'm not convinced these actually exist. So I would base the decision on the fact that you will be on roads 99.9% of the time.

PLUG71

Thanks for all the advise so far, much appreciated!

RayCun

If you're going to be cycling long distances and on the open road, a road bike is better. Better positioning, a more comfortable ride once you get used to it.
If you're only riding shortish distances, and in traffic, a hybrid is better. Better visibility in the upright position, and easier to get the hang of if you're new to cycling.
Since this is the Cycling forum, most people on here are experienced, and cycle long distances, so there's a general preference for road bikes

BadCharlie

Could get a Halfords Carrera TDF
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=85734382

Roger Hassenforder

if you bought a hybrid, after a few months you'd probably regret not buying a roadbike. I doubt if you'd regret not buying the hybrid.

and FFS, 17stone is a waif!
big thing to watch out when carrying the groceries, is your rear cassette. try and get around 11-28, you'll be glad of it on hills

PLUG71

Thanks again for all the input.

Does this bike seem like good value?

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_810675_langId_-1_categoryId_212536#tab8

Roger Hassenforder

PLUG71 wrote: »

Thanks again for all the input.

Does this bike seem like good value?

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_810675_langId_-1_categoryId_212536#tab8

this would be better
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-5-road-bike-black-id_8239801.html

apparently if youve an axa you get further 10% off in Halfords

Hunterbiker

Ask in store about the Carrera Tour De France. Im sure someone on her picked one up recently with a better spec than what was advertised on the website. For the money it sounded like a bargain.

As for the hybrid debate...I'm on a hybrid had the bike a while but recently really started using it and gettibg out on it and already I've decided on using the bike to work scheme on a proper road bike later this year or early next.

rollingscone

Count me in the Hybrid regret camp.

It was sheer luck that I was able to get a roadbike in my hour of need.

I blew my btw scheme on a very safe Hybrid, and it was perfectly fine for commuting, but unless you've got the funds for more than one bike you run the risk of outgrowing your hybrid (I modified mine into a more fun form that lets me get under the wind and do silly stuff like go shopping in IKEA).

Even if you decide that a hybrid is all you want, don't blow your budget or your BTW until you know a little more. You can get a bike like my hybrid (Giant Escape) for under 200e second hand, people can tell you what to look out for in terms of wear and damage.

There are tons of choices of bike out there, and for all the light trail riding you're likely to do you might as well hold off, or do like I did and pick up an old old steel framed mountain bike later on that you can lash around non-technical trails for free.

This way if you don't get the bug, no harm done, if you do you won't be left tearng your hair out.

Lepidoptera

Hunterbiker wrote: »

Ask in store about the Carrera Tour De France. Im sure someone on her picked one up recently with a better spec than what was advertised on the website. For the money it sounded like a bargain.

I'm one of the ones who recently picked up a Carrera TDF. A lot of them now have the new Claris shifters instead of the old 2300 ones (and you can just ask them to make sure you get one with the new stuff, which is what I did).

It's a really great entry level road bike.

PLUG71

Thanks everyone for all your help and advise, its greatly appreciated!

Road bike it is then which is sound because without help/advice my head was wrecked trying to decide.

Now I just need to decide which bike to buy and im away. :cool:

Hunterbiker

That's a whole new thread!
Good luck.

SilverLiningOK

Never had inclination to own a road bike myself. They seem all about lycra and speed. Potholes and poor roads must do them no good at all.

I have a 20 year old hybrid with a 531 frame, which is about the only original part left. It was principally bought to do long tour of several weeks, which it did very well with a full complement of panniers. For everyday commuting it was also excellent and very reliable. Today it is still a very good bike for travelling around the city, as my touring days are long over. When I bought it, it was expensive compared to most of bikes around back then.

It really does depend what you want a bicycle for. One bike may not do everything you need it to do. You can have more than one. Hybrids are a sort of compromise between the road bike and the upright city bike. Going for a modern equivalent of my old one with light frame, good tyres etc. could surprise a lot of people. On the hand if you want to compete in daily time trials on your commute, then it won't really deliver.

Try out various types of bikes from shops (most will let you take a spin around the block) and friends. If you have very little cycling experience and live/work in Dublin city, why not give Dublin Bikes a go ? It's only 10 euro for the year and that fee is doubling next year. It has given many people an opportunity to see if cycling is for them without forking out for a new bicycle.

Do the research, assess your needs (not necessary the same as wants) and do yet more research before even putting your hand in your pocket.

PLUG71

SilverLiningOK wrote: »

Never had inclination to own a road bike myself. They seem all about lycra and speed. Potholes and poor roads must do them no good at all.

I have a 20 year old hybrid with a 531 frame, which is about the only original part left. It was principally bought to do long tour of several weeks, which it did very well with a full complement of panniers. For everyday commuting it was also excellent and very reliable. Today it is still a very good bike for travelling around the city, as my touring days are long over. When I bought it, it was expensive compared to most of bikes around back then.

It really does depend what you want a bicycle for. One bike may not do everything you need it to do. You can have more than one. Hybrids are a sort of compromise between the road bike and the upright city bike. Going for a modern equivalent of my old one with light frame, good tyres etc. could surprise a lot of people. On the hand if you want to compete in daily time trials on your commute, then it won't really deliver.

Try out various types of bikes from shops (most will let you take a spin around the block) and friends. If you have very little cycling experience and live/work in Dublin city, why not give Dublin Bikes a go ? It's only 10 euro for the year and that fee is doubling next year. It has given many people an opportunity to see if cycling is for them without forking out for a new bicycle.

Do the research, assess your needs (not necessary the same as wants) and do yet more research before even putting your hand in your pocket.

I was just thinking as this post came in that the roads where I live in Mayo are ****e and how durable would a road bike be?

Anyway I will try out both types and see which I prefer and assess my needs further.

Once again thanks for the help guys, im pretty sure I will be asking lots more questions once I take the plunge and buy .

I would look terrible in lycra anyway!:eek::D

BadCharlie

If the roads are bad just get wider tyres. I have 35mm on my Hybird, 23mm came on my road bike but im changing them to 25mm done the back all ready. Carbon bikes damper the bumps some what i have been told "would not know my self never had the pleasure of a carbon". I find gloves and good bartape or gel grips also help with the bad roads.

petethedrummer

PLUG71 wrote: »

I was just thinking as this post came in that the roads where I live in Mayo are ****e and how durable would a road bike be

Perfectly durable as long as you don't go clattering into potholes. Put a 25mm or 28mm (if it will fit) tyre on the bike for added comfort.

Brian?

You could do well 2nd hand. A lot of people buying bikes on the BTW scheme and then upgrading.

Do you know what size you'd be looking at?

Something like this would be ideal:

http://www.adverts.ie/road-bikes/giant-defy-2-5/3879125

outfox

Just to really confiuse you, have you considered a cyclocross? All the advantages of a road bike, but with wider tyres for sh1te roads. You can fit up to 35 mm tyres, depending on the bike. You can always put on narrower tyres if you'll be exclusively cycling roads. As far as I can make out, the geometry of the modern cyclocross is the same as the road bike. Sturdy enough to take 17 stone no bother too.