Hybrid Bike

kelzer

Hi, Can anyone recommend a hybrid bike between 400 and 600 euro for commuting?

Thanks

kona

kelzer wrote:

Hi, Can anyone recommend a hybrid bike between 400 and 600 euro for commuting?

Thanks

if you are commuting in traffic a mtb will be better, the larger wheels of hybrid are a pain in the bollox ta manouver in and out on the gaps between cars, a mtb is more nimble and has better acceleration:D but for 600 youd get a nice hybrid or racer!!! try cycological on the quays

kelzer

ok ill keep that in mind but I kind of like the look of the new hybrids especially the Specialized Crossroads models.

milod

kelzer wrote:

ok ill keep that in mind but I kind of like the look of the new hybrids especially the Specialized Crossroads models.

Specialized are good - have a Sirrus meself. Don't buy an MTB unless you put decent tyres on it - they're lethal in the rain on slippy roads - I'd choose a hybrid anyday!

I've never had manoeuvering probs with 700x wheels - if you're squeezing into gaps that small, you're asking for trouble anyway

kelzer

The sirrus is the model up from the crossroads isnt it? Might be a bit more than I want to spend. Do you think the crossroads would be a good choice?

1380 mini

Hybrids are perfect for going in and around town; I have a rb genesis and am really happy with it. The spesh sirrus and claud butler levante are 2 other good options also, in terms of handling and acceleration I cant imagine any other type of bike being better around citys than a good hybrid, the fact that the vast majority of bike couriers use hybrid means they’re suited to fast town cycling

kona

bedlam wrote:

No it wont, matching a mtb and a hybrid gear for gear, the hybrid will be quicker and the slightly larger wheel size of a hybrid will not be a problem in traffic

actually your wrong a mtb has 26" wheels a hybrid has 700c which are 27" this alone will affect the acceleration, i will agree that in a straight line a hybrids wheels have advantage in speed but NOT acceleration over a mtb.
also a decent cross country mtb has different gear ratios to a hybrid, my kona will out pace a hybrid or racer off the lights.
i see people every day in rush hour traffic in dublin trying to manouver a hybrid with great difficulty in and out of the gaps between cars, on a mtb you dont have to slow down as much, the wider wheels grip more which allows you to carry more speed into corners and so allows you to go faster(if you use the gears properly).

Morgan

kona wrote:

my kona will out pace a hybrid or racer off the lights.

What? On it's own? Your legs might have something to do with it.

dalk

I switched from a 26" wheel "roadified (ie slicks)" cross country hardtail to a 700C wheeled hybrid for a number of reasons. Rolling resistance, gear ratios (mostly this reason) and bike weight.

Comparing the two bikes, with tire widths that are almost equal, in my opinion i think the difference between 26" and 700c is negligable, until you get to higher speeds, when the 700c rides better. I have no problem maneuvering in rush hour traffic... (though it may look more awkward to an onlooker maybe?). The only thing that was more comfortable on the 26" wheel was kerb hoping. (Which i seldom do anyway).

Morgan wrote:

What? On it's own? Your legs might have something to do with it.

Would have to agree with this. Its the rider more than the wheels used.

milod

kona wrote:

actually your wrong a mtb has 26" wheels a hybrid has 700c which are 27" this alone will affect the acceleration, i will agree that in a straight line a hybrids wheels have advantage in speed but NOT acceleration over a mtb.
also a decent cross country mtb has different gear ratios to a hybrid, my kona will out pace a hybrid or racer off the lights.
i see people every day in rush hour traffic in dublin trying to manouver a hybrid with great difficulty in and out of the gaps between cars, on a mtb you dont have to slow down as much, the wider wheels grip more which allows you to carry more speed into corners and so allows you to go faster(if you use the gears properly).

Acceleration is about gear ratio, derailleur, and leg power. To say an MTB will out accelerate a hybrid doesn't make sense...

Acceleration is dependent on the final drive ratio which is a function of gearing and wheel size combined with torque applied to the pedals. So if the same cassett gear ratio is applied to a 26" and 700c wheel, then of course the effective final drive ration is lower on the MTB. So what do you do? You just use a lower gear on your hybrid to start off then, don't you??!!

Remember that hybrids usually have 3x8 gears minimum which span the MTB and road bike range - hence the term 'Hybrid'

MTBs have a large range of low gears specifically for the sort of manoeuvres they do on hills/rough terrain. A city street is a different environment - and I've always found that wheel size doesn't affect my ability to manoueuvre between road vehicles.

The tyre size is also a red herring - mtb tyres are dangerous on the road! and if you change to slicks, you may have a wider profile, but a 700x has a LONGER profile

Also if you need to kerb hop that often, or squeeze into such narrow gaps, you need to look at the safety issues!

I know you MTB enthusiasts love your bikes but it's like a 4x4 driver telling a car driver how a jeep is so much better for dropping the kids off to school!

Lone Wolf

I changed from a MTB to a hybrid recently - and it's a substantial improvement. You do lose a little bit of manouverability but you gain a lot more power - its much easier to accelerate, the tyres are efficient while still being able to deal with the holes in the road, and the bike rolls much more smoothly.

Overall - a big improvement.

I picked up a second hand orbit orion for €400, but there's lots of good bikes in that range new too - the Specialized one you mentioned, and theres a couple of nice Giants and Ridgebacks in that range too.

I have to admit - I find hub gears excellent for commuting and recommend them if you can find any in your price range.

kona

Lone Wolf wrote:

I have to admit - I find hub gears excellent for commuting and recommend them if you can find any in your price range.

have you ever fixed a puncture on one?? a ****ing nightmare!!!! would not reccomend one at all the cons outweigh the pros.
also acceleration is different to speed

Civilian_Target

Not at all - put it in first and you simply unscrew the gear-cable from the wheel, lift off the chain and fix the puncture as normal. When you're putting the wheel back on you have to make sure the chain is sufficiently tense or it's going to hop, but that's not exactly tricky either. No harder than de-raileur gears really TBH, except that you have to be more careful that everything's secure (although you should be anyway)

Hub gears are incredibly low maintainance, very reliable, more efficient than dirty deraileurs and you can change gears at the lights.
On the flipside they're expensive, and if they break, or you bend your back wheel, it's going to be expensive to put right.

wahlrab

i've got a trek 7.1fx which cost around 450 then i spent like 50 or 70 on a few accessories, its a fast bike, good brakes, gears and easy to control and really light, also the trek have shimano while specialized have their own brand(to save money)

duffs in santry have a lot of trek as do cycleologica blah on the quays

blorg

Don't get an MTB unless you actually want to take it off-road; a hybrid will be lighter and faster for the same money. I currently have a Specialized Sirrus and can't recommend that enough; if at all possible I'd try to get the entry level one of these. Really nice, light, fast bike. The Crossroads I think is a bit heavier, more of a town bike.

Remember to budget for mudguards and a rack; these (generally) don't come as standard.

Specialized use a mix of components accross their range the same as any other hybrid manufacturer; saying Trek is better because they don't is ridiculous; Trek famously have their own brand of wheels (Bontrager) for example, not that this is a negative for them. My own Sirrus is a mix but with including many Shimano (105) components. Having said that I had four Trek hybrids (7200 and 7300FX) before the Sirrus (all stolen) and they are very good bikes. The main difference between the Trek 7xxx series and the Specialized Sirrus is that the Treks are closer to mountain bikes while the Sirrus lean more towards road bikes. I think I'd go for a Trek 7xxx above the Crossroads if that was the choice, I'd imagine it would be a bit lighter and faster.

Avoid suspension if you can, it adds cost and weight and will slow you down (absorbs pedalling power.) It is _not necessary_ (even on our Irish roads) unless you are going off-road.

You might also let us know your commute distance and the sort of route you'd be taking (hilly/flat, etc.)

beans

...trek have shimano while specialized have their own brand(to save money)

This is not the case. I can only speak from personal experience, but both my Specialized bikes used Shimano derailleurs front and rear.

It may be that Wahlrab may have heard this from a Trek dealership? :rolleyes:

I think the following should be on your checklist regardless of which brand you choose. You want something that's comfy and speedy but tough enough to take some knocks. If you get these right then you're laughing IMO:

- Light frame
- Wide road tires (700 x 28), kevlar-banded tires
- Road-bike style gear ratios
- Triple font rings
- Road-bike rear derailleur (Shimano Sora, 105?)
- Handlebars? Straight-bars with bar-ends have worked for me, but i'm going to switch to moustache bars in the near future.
- V-brakes or cantilevers are good enough, I dont personally you need disc-brakes, too weighty

Dont forget to get it kitted out with mudguards. Everything else is just dressing unless I've missed anything?

wahlrab

nah dude didn't hear it off a trek dealership, read it in that magazine cycling weekly a good while back they were comparing some hybrids and that's one of the advantages they mentioned trek had over specialized,

they didn't put it in a defamatory way like may statement may seem

blorg

You might also ring around and see if anyone has models from last year at a discount (bit late in the year but the new range seems to come in around March-April so you might still do well here.)

Also, if you know what to look for, consider buying second-hand. I got a _perfect_ condition Trek 1000 road bike for half retail (from a shop in fact) and a Dawes Discovery hybrid in pretty decent condition for a third retail.

For example, someone in Clare has an 05 Trek 7500FX hybrid for €500 on Buy & Sell at the moment. You will not get anywhere near that good a bike for that price new (retail on that bike AFAIK is around €1,000.)

beans

I was only kidding, but it's the kind of stuff I've heard a fair bit. 'Campagnolo make rubbish drivetrains, they just skip all the time' was the most recent one from a shop that exclusively sells Shimano gear

comet

Hi I'm thinking of going hybrid myself and would like an opionion on the Giant CRS 4.0. Anyone have one? It's priced at 319euro in most shops

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=32&idproduct=11315


MODEL CRS 4.0
SIZES 15", 17", 19", 21", 23"
FRAME ALUXX aluminium
FORK CroMo, rigid
SHOCK N/A
HANDLEBAR Steel
STEM Adjustable, a-head
SEAT POST Aluminium
SADDLE GIANT
PEDALS Resin, anti slip
SHIFTERS Shimano EZ Fire 21 speed
FRONT MECH Shimano C50
REAR MECH Shimano Tourney
BRAKES Tektro linear pull
BRAKE LEVERS Shimano
CASSETTE Shimano TZ37 14-34 freewheel
CHAIN KMC Z51
CRANKS Suntour 28/38/48
BOTTOM BRACKET Cartridge
RIMS LM aluminium
HUBS Formula
SPOKES Steel
TYRES Kenda 700x35mm
WEIGHT 12.2kg/26.8lb

blorg

I don't have one, but that looks like a good bike for the money. From Giant, however, I'd consider paying the extra €80 for the CRS 3.0, slightly better components and, most importantly for me, 24 speed with a better gear ratio - 28/38/48 11-28 rather than 28/38/48 14-34; this means you will be able to go 25% faster at a given cadence in top gear (of course you are also losing the low 34, but you probably wouldn't use that as much anyway, presuming you do not live on the top of a mountain ;-)

milod

blorg wrote:

I don't have one, but that looks like a good bike for the money. From Giant, however, I'd consider paying the extra €80 for the CRS 3.0, slightly better components and, most importantly for me, 24 speed with a better gear ratio - 28/38/48 11-28 rather than 28/38/48 14-34; this means you will be able to go 25% faster at a given cadence in top gear (of course you are also losing the low 34, but you probably wouldn't use that as much anyway, presuming you do not live on the top of a mountain ;-)

Have to agree with that. Although Giant do give you a lot for the money, it's well worth paying the extra €80 for good front and rear Shimano mechanicals - you'll really notice the difference after a few months usage - less adjustment, sprocket wear, chain slippage etc. And the higher final ratio is good to have if you're using it on the road a lot...

comet

Thanks for the helpful replies guys, i'll consult the bank manager and see if I can stretch the budget so