Hybrid recommendations

[Pale Rider]

I agree suspension is not necessary - the added weight is a bigger negative than the boing you will get from what will be a cheap fork on a bike in your budget.

However, a Cannondale Bad Boy might suit, slightly over budget, but it has Cannondale's trademark single leg 'leftie' front suspension fork.

That should cure the added weight problem, and still provide some give up front.

https://www.evanscycles.com/cannondale-bad-boy-4-2018-hybrid-bike-EV280376

Oops.

I think the fork on the Bad Boy is rigid.

Still, I quite like it for being a bit different, and my weight point still stands - it should be a bit lighter than a similar spec bike with a traditional two-legged fork.

 

[bonzobanana]

I think you actually believe this

I'm sure he does because its actually very good advice. What problem do you have with it? Keeping a commuting bike simple and strong keeps the bike reliable and means less problems with means a bike you can depend on. Even a decent full suspension bike is still a bike more prone to issues, suspension wears out, hydraulic disc brakes can be problematic you wouldn't use one for anything other than off road surely.

That's why the Carrera Subway is one of the most popular and recommended hybrid bikes. It's pretty much an old style fully rigid mountain bike except updated with mechanical disc brakes and a very strong reinforced aluminium frame and uses proper double wall mountain bike wheels not weaker 700c wheels. However a good chromo classic fully rigid mountain bike is pretty much the same thing and can be purchased sub £50 secondhand. The Subway and old style mountain bikes can take wide and deep profile tyres that not only negate the need for suspension but make potholes and pavement drops much more acceptable. I guess its a choice between fun, all-terrain/weather accessibility, greater fitness gain/weight loss and reliability vs speed and slightly less exertion.

 

[Spambotbot]

Id dependents on route, source custom parts & assemble, like a tatty looking bike bad paintwork, but actually quite nice, like sum rat bikes.

 

[midliferider]

Conflict of interest- I have one for sale

I will recommend a Boardman Hybrid Pro.
It is a true hybrid bike that you can use for the purposes that you have described. It is light weight, has carbon forks and and can achieve good speed on the road.
It can take wider tyres, mudguards and use for "off road" riding.
It comes with the disk brakes.
That was my thinking when I bought this bike which is in excellent condition. However it is too big for me, it is size Large.
It cost me £400. It is just hanging in the garage. Happy to consider an offer as it is of no use to me.

 

[hoppym27]

I got the Pinnacle Lithium 2 on the C2W scheme in the summer, Ive done over a thousand miles on it now commuting on some grotty towpaths and cycleways and tarmac too, doing 50 odd milers on long days out and it hasnt let me down yet. Good solid bike. The only thing I changed was I put some narrower scwalbes on it but I only put them on cos I ripped one of the originals.

 

[the snail]

Oops.
it should be a bit lighter than a similar spec bike with a traditional two-legged fork.

Not sure that holds true, in a single-sided design the tube needs to be much stronger to avoid flexing, so it may be as heavy or heavier than a traditional fork. I think that was the case with single-sided swing-arms on motorbikes - more about fashion than anything. Still looks like a handy bike though.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

in a single-sided design the tube needs to be much stronger to avoid flexing, so it may be as heavy or heavier than a traditional fork. I think that was the case with single-sided swing-arms on motorbikes - more about fashion than anything. .

Having a large diameter wheel attached to a single fork blade as a cantilever imposes massive bending loads on the fork and the axle. Very poor engineering practice. No sound design reason, just a gimmick. I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion a lot of so-called "serious"cyclists these days are essentially fashion victims; for example they buy endless new bikes and take huge depreciation hits each time, just because the latest year's model has a different colour frame to last year, on an otherwise identical machine. You've got middle aged blokes with bits of their less-than-perfect bodies bulging out making themselves look ridiculous dressed up in all the tight-fitting garishly coloured gear just to commute a few miles down the road to their office. Then the latest fashion weirdness I've heard of now is refusing to fit valve caps to road bikes because apparently having an unprotected valve that can fill with dirt is better than suffering the disapproval of fellow fashion victims who also leave theirs unprotected. The fact that you can't even see your tyre valves from the saddle seems completely lost on them, along with the fact that 99% of bystanders wouldn't even notice if a tyre valve has a cap fitted to it or not. You really couldn't make up some of this stuff, it's utterly absurd.

 

[Hodgey1968]

What you guys think of Trek bikes ? I’ve seen this https://www.trekbikes.com/gb/en_GB/bikes/hybrid-bikes/fitness-bikes/fx/fx-3-disc/p/1327610-2018/

 

[Bonefish Blues]

It's a nice bike and will do everything you want to do.