Foffa Urban vs Charge Grater 2 vs Bobbin Dark Star

[Wandy]

Hi all,

I recently had my dogged about-town pootler stolen (it's heartening that someone would want to seduce my grisly but loyal late-90s Saracen). Now, I need a practical replacement for everyday stuff, such as carrying home the shopping - as well as superficial stuff, such as poncing about. I have already built a fast road bike but found it's not much use on a trip to Hackney Lidl (yes, I'm middle-class). I'm also paranoid about leaving it locked outside to be stripped (RIP my Ultegra shifters).

So, assuming the cycling purists have tuned out by now, I'm looking for something that's:
- nippy, especially when pushing off at traffic lights
- not too flash/sporty, but stylish/classic-looking
- takes pannier rack/mudguards and is durable/reliable
- not too much of a thief magnet
- most of all, FUN to ride

My insurance will pay out £300 cash or I can opt for a bike up to the value of £500 from Bikereplacement.co.uk. On that site, two bikes caught my eye:
- Bobbin Dark Star (£500): steel, 16 speed, disc brakes http://www.bikereplacement.co.uk/p77913/Bobbin-Dark-Star-2015-Hybrid-Bike.aspx
- Charge Grater 2 (£600): aluminium, 18 speed, disc brakes, mudguards http://www.bikereplacement.co.uk/p83286/Charge-Grater-2-2016-Hybrid-Bike.aspx

...However, I've also seen that Foffa Urban 7-speed bikes (steel, hub gears, durable tyres) are on offer, down from £500 to £350. I like the look and simplicity of this bike and am edging towards it... but the Lidl shopper in me screams I'd be a fool not to take the £500 offer.

So, any thoughts on any/all of these bikes? Many thanks for your advice!

 

[mjr]

I was looking enviously at the Foffa Urban until I got my Dutchie Dapper, so no contest among those IMO

 

[Wandy]

Really nice - but I think I want something a bit more streamlined, with a straight handlebar.

 

[Specialeyes]

I shall also be interested in folks' thoughts here, as I was seriously looking at the Foffa earlier this week - it does look great for riding around town, and the hub gears and steel frame make it a viable winter commuting bike

 

[Wandy]

Hi,
Update: I opted for the Foffa. After three months of use, here are my initial thoughts:

- It's a decent-looking bike, if nothing mind-blowing, with attractive saddle, handlebar grips and wheels.

- The Kenda tyres are "puncture-resistant" in name only. In just three months of very short (10-minute) commutes, I've had a puncture on both front and back tyres. The puncture protection is only a slightly thicker strip up the middle of the tyre, which is scant protection. You'd be much better off switching to some Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres straight off, if you're worried about getting stranded with a puncture. But this is an annoying additional expense I will have to incur, as puncture-resistance was a factor in my purchase decision.

- It's not that quick. As someone who is used to regular gears rather than hubs, I find that it takes a while to switch up through the higher gears. This makes a difference when trying to get away quickly from the traffic lights, away from traffic and picking up speed. My crappy old Saracen mountain bike felt a lot nippier (even with heavier Marathon Plus tyres). But maybe this is something I can get used to or tweak to improve.

As a bike fitted with a pannier rack for going to and from the shops, or short distances to work, the Foffa is fine (at least for the £350 sale price), but £500 seems steep. Still, it's a sturdy enough bike that I don't have to worry about getting knocked about in public bike racks.

Hope that helps.

 

[mjr]

- The Kenda tyres are "puncture-resistant" in name only.

Ah I didn't notice they're Kenda. I used to use them but I feel they've been surpassed by most of Schwalbe's range, not only the M+ but also the Performance and Active Lines if you want to save a few pounds at the expense of not being quite as heavy/bulletproof.

As someone who is used to regular gears rather than hubs, I find that it takes a while to switch up through the higher gears.

I suspect that's more of a spacing difference than a derailleur/hub gear difference. Current popular derailleur setups are typically 7 or 8% steps between the higher gears (1 tooth difference 13-14 teeth) but up to 17% step at the bottom end (24 to 28 teeth), whereas the hub is something like 14% fairly uniform across the range. So you do get used to being able to flip between gears more readily at the high end of a derailleur, whereas it takes a while to learn that the optimal shifting cadence on most hubs doesn't vary as you go faster. See how you feel after deliberately waiting until you hit a higher cadence before shifting - it may even work out slightly faster overall due to having to ease off through fewer shifts.