Which make of hybrid?

[David Reason]

I'm looking to buy a hybrid bike - for a mixture of road and canal path riding - and I've seen
Marin, Dawes, Ridgeback and Gary Fisher models that look good. But...... which of these are the best
makes, are there any alternatives in the UK, and is there anything specific to look for. Advice
gratefully received as I'm getting more and more confused after reading brochure after brochure!
Thanks - Dave Reason

 

[Dan Daniel]

On Wed, 25 Jun 2003 21:31:29 +0100, "David Reason" <[email protected]> wrote:

>I'm looking to buy a hybrid bike - for a mixture of road and canal path riding - and I've seen
>Marin, Dawes, Ridgeback and Gary Fisher models that look good. But...... which of these are the
>best makes, are there any alternatives in the UK, and is there anything specific to look for.
>Advice gratefully received as I'm getting more and more confused after reading brochure after
>brochure! Thanks - Dave Reason
>

Maybe things are different in the UK, but in the US I would shop for the dealer more than the bike.
Find the dealer that will help you get set up properly, is willing to change stems, etc. to get the
proper fit, exchange tires or saddles......

All in all, most bikes at a similar price point are, well, similar. It's the dealer that makes the
difference.

You can also go to these two sites and check out the bikes that you are considering:

http://www.mtbreview.com/reviews/

http://www.roadbikereview.com/reviewscrx.aspx

If you have the specific components listed, also look them over.

 

[Garfinkle]

I just bought a hybrid tonight.
I did a few things before I did.
First I listed the major components on each bike (derailleurs, shifters, etc.) and looked them up at the Shimano and SRAM websites to determine where they fit in in terms of quality. Obviously, the bike makers frame etc. have a lot to do with the quality/cost of a bike, but by doing this I was able to determine what bikes appear to be good values and which are overpriced.
I then called my wife's friend's husband who just sold his bike shop to get some objective advice. He advised me that I would notice little difference between bikes with higher quality parts vs. lower quality during the test drive. He said all Shimano derailleurs work fine but the higher quality ones will be lighter and last longer. I would never notice any difference during a test drive. He also said he preferred rapidfire shifters than gripshifts due to their precision. This is, of course, a personal preference. I had never used either but when I test drove one with the grip shift, I thought it was great...until I tried a rapidfire. He also suggested I try a bike with a front suspension. Some people on this board think it just adds weight but you have to remember that bikes with suspensions are generally higher quality meaning the frame and components are probably a little lighter.
I test drove a bike over cobblestones and pot holes and it did make a difference to me but it all depends where you plan to ride.
Also, frame sizes vary by manufacturer. Some bikes may just fit you better. I would be more than happy to tell you what I bought, but what I think is right for me may not be right for you, plus I think some of the US models are not available in Europe and visa versa.
Good luck.

 

[Jasper Janssen]

On 1 Jul 2003 12:01:12 +0950, Garfinkle <[email protected]> wrote:

>front suspension. Some people on this board think it just adds weight

#INCLUDE <std_usenet_newsgroup,_not_a_"board".rant>

>but you have to remember that bikes with suspensions are generally higher quality meaning the frame
>and components are probably a little

Even a very crappy suspension fork is $50 more expensive than a rigid one, so that's $50 *less* that
is spent on the rest of the bike. In a given price class, rigid bikes will be better and lighter.

Jasper