Sorry - A What Bike Thread

[surfymark]

My wife has asked for a bike for her birthday.

We had a look round Halfords and decided to narrow it down to a Hybrid bike and a budget of £300.

She would like a decent gear system (so not twistys).

Where is the best place to look?

Halfords have a Carrera Subway which looked ok but being a girl she decided she didn't like black! In fact any frame colour except black pretty much would do!

Any ideas?

cheers
Mark

[curlie467]

Twistys are excellent gear systems, they are simply an alternative to thumb shifters.

I regularly go out mtbing with varying groups of riders and many of them use twistys simply because they prefer them.

Dont knock them without trying them, dead easy and nice to use.

[Sarkmeister]

The Subways are decent bikes for the money. My girlfriend managed to get the Ltd edition one (white and blue) for about £235 a few months ago in one of their sales. Might be worth seeing if they have any stock left. I know it was fairly low at the time.

[surfymark]

Sarkmeister said:

The Subways are decent bikes for the money. My girlfriend managed to get the Ltd edition one (white and blue) for about £235 a few months ago in one of their sales. Might be worth seeing if they have any stock left. I know it was fairly low at the time.

Yeah I saw that they were selling that a while back but can't find any mention of it on the website now and they didn't seem to have any in the store.

My wife went to a local shop earlier today and they have convinced her that it would be better to go with a mountain bike and put road tyres on. They have more or less sold her a Giant Revel 3 which looks not bad.

One thing that concerns me though is the inability to lock out the front suspension. I have this on mine and find it very useful. Can you retrofit this? The next model up I think has this but not really wanting to pay £200 more just for this feature!

Many thanks
Mark

[surfymark]

curlie467 said:

Twistys are excellent gear systems, they are simply an alternative to thumb shifters.

I regularly go out mtbing with varying groups of riders and many of them use twistys simply because they prefer them.

Dont knock them without trying them, dead easy and nice to use.

I have tried twistys several times and I just don't on with them at all. They seem horribly inaccurate to me compared to the quick click of the thumb shifters that are on the newer bikes these days.

It also seems to me that they are a lot cheaper than a good set of thumb shifters and when buying a new bike are only available on the cheapest of bikes.

M

[Taffer]

For a hybrid bike, front suspension is going to be pointless and will just add weight to the bike ( I assume it will be used for nothing rougher than forest paths and canal towpaths?). If you're buying from Halfords, the Carrera Gryphon is similar to the Subway, and is available in dark/light blue (v-brake/disc) for around £300.

[Spy]

The Specialized Sirrus is one of the most popular Hybrid bikes in the UK. Definitely worth looking at: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/si...

Another option is a Ridgeback, who essentially invented the Hybrid bike:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/ridgeback/spee...

Either way, I would head down to your specialist Local Bike Shop (i.e. not Halfords) where they can advise you on the best bike and also provide decent test rides in the street (not around the store)

Evans are good because they stock such a wide variety of manufacturers but most local bike shops will hand pick a selection of bikes they rate and are happy to recommend to customers.

Also, don't be afraid to ask for a discount if not buying on the Cycle Scheme. 10% should be easily possible.

Edited by Spy on Wednesday 15th June 20:12