hybrid choice - trek vs cube

EDit

Hi All...trying to decide between Trek FX 7.5 (http://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bikes/city-bikes/fitness-bikes/fx/7-5-fx/p/1341000-2016), which has carbon fork and v-brakes
versus
Cube SL Road Pro (http://www.cube.eu/en/products/trekking/sl-road/cube-sl-road-pro-grey-black-flashgreen-2016/) which doesn't have the carbon fork but has hydraulic disk brakes


the Trek is €200 more expensive, but I cant make up my mind whether the disc brakes are a must, or the carbon fork/components on the Trek are more important. Use is going to be short commute and weekend trips on roads/gravel towpaths with family


Any advice appreciated

10 Carrolls

I'd go for the trek all day, carbon fork and 10 spd tiagra enough to swing it for me anyway. Had a trek 7.2 a few years ago and I loved it, a lovely bike to ride, changed to a road bike with carbon fork and believe me it makes a big difference to comfort.

Fian

Cube imo.

Hydraullic discs would swing it on their own, but the gear ratios are also much better. 50/11 > 48/11. And 34/34 on the trek is mad, the 34/32 on the Cube granny gear is more than enough. For short trips the carbon fork won't really add anything, it shines when you are going on long trips and it reduces road buzz fatigue. More important on a road bike than a hybrid even on a longer trip since you are putting less weight on the handlebars in a hybrid riding position (more upright and less weight on arms).

I would rather have hydraullic disc brakes than carbon fork, with irish rainy weather disc brakes shine.

macnab

My advice is buy the cheapest Hybrid you can find.
Because if you get the bug you will soon want a road bike and the money you didn't spend on the Hybrid can now be spent on a better road bike.
There are plenty of low use Hybrids for sale 2nd hand as a lot of people buy them as a first bike then move on to a road bike.
If you already have a road bike then I would buy the one with Hydraulic breaks.

Hrududu

macnab wrote: »

My advice is buy the cheapest Hybrid you can find.
Because if you get the bug you will soon want a road bike and the money you didn't spend on the Hybrid can now be spent on a better road bike.
There are plenty of low use Hybrids for sale 2nd hand as a lot of people buy them as a first bike then move on to a road bike.
If you already have a road bike then I would buy the one with Hydraulic breaks.

I see this advice a lot on Boards so just to chip in from the other side. I bought a Trek hybrid a number of years ago for commuting. Its a great bike. All I use it for is commuting and I have no desire for getting a road bike.

smacl

EDit wrote: »

the Trek is €200 more expensive, but I cant make up my mind whether the disc brakes are a must, or the carbon fork/components on the Trek are more important. Use is going to be short commute and weekend trips on roads/gravel towpaths with family

Disc brakes can be nice in the wet, but not a necessity. The trek is a bit lighter, but unless you're going up a lot of hills its not really going to be noticeable. It also has more gears and a slightly better drive-train, but again I doubt you'd really notice the difference. I'd tend to go for Cube on the basis that it'll serve your needs as well as the Trek and is €200 cheaper.

BailMeOut

My Trek 7.2FX must be 9 years old and is as good as new. I also bought a proper road bike around 3 years ago but still love getting out on my Trek and would never part with it.

smacl

Hrududu wrote: »

I see this advice a lot on Boards so just to chip in from the other side. I bought a Trek hybrid a number of years ago for commuting. Its a great bike. All I use it for is commuting and I have no desire for getting a road bike.

Use is going to be short commute and weekend trips on roads/gravel towpaths with family

Also have road bikes and hybrid. For the usage listed, hybrid is the better option as road bikes on gravel surfaces are no fun. FWIW, was out in Massey's wood yesterday on the CX bike, and saw a young lad of primary school age getting great use out of a junior Cube bike on the muddy slopes.

inc21

FX.
Good solid and fast bikes bikes. Have ridden many hybrids but hard to beat FX.

Tilikum

You could go for a cyclocross bike and have the best of both worlds