Advise for a Hybrid in the 300-500 price range

[MichaelW2]

Not all cycle insurance policies have an excess and it can be low on a home contents policy too.
Why do you absolutely need slick tyres, plenty of people ride happily on tyres with tread?
If buy second hand from a bike shop or charity, it will have been serviced

You need reliable , puncture protected tyres that are not rotted with age or worn out. Tyres that will get you to work on time, every day. If you are outfitting an old bike for commuting, you almost certainly need new tyres and they may as well be suited to your commute.
Slicks can be taken to mean "not knobbly", rather than totally treadless. Bog std Marathon is ideal for a reliable, short urban commute

 

[vickster]

You need reliable , puncture protected tyres that are not rotted with age or worn out. Tyres that will get you to work on time, every day. If you are outfitting an old bike for commuting, you almost certainly need new tyres and they may as well be suited to your commute.
Slicks can be taken to mean "not knobbly", rather than totally treadless. Bog std Marathon is ideal for a reliable, short urban commute

Why do you assume they would be if buying used from a charity/bike shop?
Slicks to my mind are treadless and that's what are sold as slicks. YMMV

 

[Reynard]

Mmmm, riding on knobbly tyres on tarmac is akin to riding through treacle. It is not a pleasant experience. DAMHIKT...

A good commuter tyre - basically anything by Schwalbe - should do the job admirably. Got Duranos (slicks) on the hybrid and Land Cruisers (a light tread) on the mtb.

Been racking my brains but I can't think of anywhere in Cambridge that does S/H bikes. There's a place near here in Littleport, but their opening hours are limited and I've not been overly impressed when I have popped in. But that doesn't mean there aren't any, given there are bike shops every which way in some places. The OP did specify new on a CTW scheme though.

 

[vickster]

Mmmm, riding on knobbly tyres on tarmac is akin to riding through treacle. It is not a pleasant experience. DAMHIKT...

A good commuter tyre - basically anything by Schwalbe - should do the job admirably. Got Duranos (slicks) on the hybrid and Land Cruisers (a light tread) on the mtb.

Been racking my brains but I can't think of anywhere in Cambridge that does S/H bikes. There's a place near here in Littleport, but their opening hours are limited and I've not been overly impressed when I have popped in. But that doesn't mean there aren't any, given there are bike shops every which way in some places. The OP did specify new on a CTW scheme though.

There are a couple if you Google.
There‘s a Cambridge stolen bikes group on FB, nuff said. indeed a lady on a sales forum I follow has had her Liv road bike stolen in Cambridge today

 

[Jameshow]

That would still be £200-£300.
The days of old steel mountain bikes going cheap are long gone.

Rubbish you often pick up steel MTB on gumtree Facebook eBay for £50....

 

[chris667]

Adding on locks etc and slicks and a service,= will be £200 plus.

No need to do that.

There are enough decent bikes out there.

I will do a picture of the one I bought recently. I wish I hadn't spent the £15, really, it is too big. I just hate to see things like this going to waste.

So, £15 for bike, £30 for tyres and tubes and £20 for cables. Nowhere near £200.

My bike is an Emmelle Classic. The top of the range one. Boring, but competently made Taiwanese 4130 frame, and lowish range Shimano parts (200GS, probably). Perfectly serviceable. And the gold and black paint job makes it even harder to steal because it would embarrass any kid.

I had a look through my ebay sales history and it was actually £12. I don't think that's unusual.

 

[8mph]

The FX gets my vote, you can't go far wrong with a Pinnacle Lithium either.

 

[choffan]

,

Theres the bike, slicks, locks and a service etc. It will come to more than buttons. OP also you do realize that if a new bike gets stolen you will have to pay the excess so you wont get the full £500 back?

I think the insurance connected to cyclescheme is with no excess, but you have to commit to a lock of a certain quality (e.g. silver band for a bike up to a 1k bike or so)

 

[choffan]

Going back to the origin of the thread, anybody had experience with the Boardman HYB 8.6 2023? It is slightly lighter than the FX 2 disk and much cheaper, with a £100 gap or so

 

[cyberknight]

Going back to the origin of the thread, anybody had experience with the Boardman HYB 8.6 2023? It is slightly lighter than the FX 2 disk and much cheaper, with a £100 gap or so

im not familiar with that particular model but i have 2 boardman road bikes, one from 2011 that is still going strong and i have always found them great to ride and decent spec for the money

 

[chris667]

Boardman HYB 8.6 2023

Providing it fits you there will be nothing wrong with it. Although if you want to use it for commuting factor in lights, a lock and mudguards. So the price is going to be more than the ticket. Commuting is not as nice without mudguards - you end up getting wet, and you need to do more maintenance on the bike.

Have you tried a Carrera Subway? Great town bike.

 

[choffan]

Providing it fits you there will be nothing wrong with it. Although if you want to use it for commuting factor in lights, a lock and mudguards. So the price is going to be more than the ticket. Commuting is not as nice without mudguards - you end up getting wet, and you need to do more maintenance on the bike.

Have you tried a Carrera Subway? Great town bike.

Thanks for the input. I saw a few Subways around and the price was enticing. However, given the price, and that for a slightly higher price I can get the Boardman (which is about 3 kg lighter) I thought to focus on that one

 

[chris667]

However, given the price, and that for a slightly higher price I can get the Boardman (which is about 3 kg lighter) I thought to focus on that one

The thing is, by the time you start adding lights, locks, etc the weight difference is smaller.

If it was me, I would spend a bit less and get the Subway, then get some really good handbuilt wheels, with a dynamo hub up front. You will not have to worry about lighting or replacing spokes then and your lights will always "just work".

Factory bikes almost always have dreadful quality wheels, it's the obvious place to skimp on quality if you're a manufacturer.

 

[Reynard]

Thanks for the input. I saw a few Subways around and the price was enticing. However, given the price, and that for a slightly higher price I can get the Boardman (which is about 3 kg lighter) I thought to focus on that one

TBH, just try out both and see which feels best. Don't go purely on spec alone. My vintage steel MTB is the heaviest of my bikes by some margin, but it's got the most comfortable ride. Light is all very well and good, but if the ride is bone-jarring...

 

[tom73]

Theres the bike, slicks, locks and a service etc. It will come to more than buttons. OP also you do realize that if a new bike gets stolen you will have to pay the excess so you wont get the full £500 back?

I don't have to pay an excess with mine.