Ok Bikey People - Sort Me Out

[babs]

I'm buying a bike in the not-too-distant future, nothing too extravagant, but I'm looking for a hardtail road or hybrid with a half-decent frame and forks, and looking to go up to about £500 (I don't to get too pricey - yet ). I'm not entirely sure what to go for yet, I've had a bikey friend badmouthing hybrids.

I'll be doing 90% roads, and maybe some trails too, nothing "off-road" at this stage so I don't think a MTB is the way to go.

I've been looking at stuff like...

Marin Muirwoods

Trek 7.3 (also looked at rest of 7.x range)

Specialized Sirrus

Like I said, I don't want to go crazy money yet, but I can well see it being something I'll get into once I start.

So what would peeps recommend? All Scottodutch comments welcome.

(and yeah, I'll be buying from local specialist and trying out first)

 

[Tom]

Its quite possible to buy a MTB and fit it with road tyres. Its not really possible though to do it the other way around.

 

[TdC]

Babsling deary, I must say that I do like the Marin, because most of it is made of steel (cromoly eh), which will make it slightly heavier, but also a smidgin more complient and less harsh than a rigid alu frame.

As Tom mentioned, you can put narrower tyres on an MTB, which will increase the scope of the bike due to you being able to fit chunky tyres and take it off road without too many problems. If you feel like even less hassle, you could try a 29'er On-One Inbred for 499. It "only" has one gear, but you'll be ultra hard core and cutting edge too with the 29" wheels, which will sort you just fine commuting. OO bikes have a history of being low-hassle with reasonably low looking after needed.

Having said all that, I must say that I did like the Spesh Sirrus line when I saw them last year, and the Spesh people do do reasonable spec bikes for reasonable prices, though I would go for an above-baseline spec.

 

[Will]

If you want to do road work with a bit of towpaths and the like, I'd look at a cross bike, or a hybrid. Cross bike are like road bikes, but with canti brakes instead of calipers (a bit more fiddly, but with more mud clearance), generally better mud clearance, and they can take skinny knobbly tyres. They are also a bit more upright, with more relaxed angles. And they are a bit cooler than hybrids.

A Kona Jake is about £650, an On-One Pompino is £400 or so, though its a fix, so maybe not what you are looking for. If you are looking at hybrids, I'd look at Edinburgh Bike Coop stuff. My first bike was a Courier from them, an 8 speed slick tyred mtb without suspension.

 

[babs]

Yeah fixed wasn't really on my mind I'll be honest, not with the amount of cycling i've done in the last few years

Bloody confusing this malarky!

but also a smidgin more complient and less harsh

Could you elaborate my trem-touching friend?

 

[Will]

Steel flexes a bit, which makes the back end of the bike slightly more comfy.

And steel tubes look nicer. :fact:

 

[TdC]

what Will said, though I shall now use "trem-toucher" as my custom title!