New Hybrid it is then ! but which one ?

[Midsrider]

Hi guys,

Thank you for the recommendation. I did look at the 920 and to be honest - that does tick 100% every box.
It is taking me above my budget a little - can you guys let me know what the main difference to why the Riverside 920 is not far off double the price of the 900. I do see that the suspension is done by a cable now, but im not too fussed with that, i don't mind just leaning down and changing it on and off on the fork.

Love the colour of the 920! good choice.

 

[Racing roadkill]

If you are sure you want a suspension fork then the Riverside 920 recommended by @Racing roadkill above is by far the best choice, air suspension, good hydraulics and decent kit bolted on to the frame.

The suspension fork locks out from the bars, and I personally really rather like having the option of suspension forks when on trails and paths.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Hi guys,

Thank you for the recommendation. I did look at the 920 and to be honest - that does tick 100% every box.
It is taking me above my budget a little - can you guys let me know what the main difference to why the Riverside 920 is not far off double the price of the 900. I do see that the suspension is done by a cable now, but im not too fussed with that, i don't mind just leaning down and changing it on and off on the fork.

Love the colour of the 920! good choice.

The extra cost is mainly down to the far superior groupset, and wheelset.

 

[Smudge]

Hi guys,

Thank you for the recommendation. I did look at the 920 and to be honest - that does tick 100% every box.
It is taking me above my budget a little - can you guys let me know what the main difference to why the Riverside 920 is not far off double the price of the 900. I do see that the suspension is done by a cable now, but im not too fussed with that, i don't mind just leaning down and changing it on and off on the fork.

Love the colour of the 920! good choice.

Air suspension fork on the 920. 900 is just coil spring.

 

[Midsrider]

Brilliant - thanks guys.

Just been and had a look at several hybrids at RedKyte bikes in Solihull and Halfords again! I do think I would need to have the handle bar with a different stem to make it a little higher to get to where I am more comfortable.

I know Decathlon have dedicated ones in stock for Riverside.
I am going to Decathlon tomorrow to go and have a look at their bikes etc.

 

[12boy]

I have no idea what is available to you in the UK as your brands are not generally available here unless you are talking giant companies like Trek or Specialized, but I can say:
Test ride several bikes. When I've done that the bike I loved on the internet wasn't what I loved on the ride. Having a bike fit right is more important to me than a few pounds. Having said that, saddles, stem length and handlebars can gotten that can tailor a bike to your preferences.
I ride on unpaved roads and paths and my only bike with a suspension is my Brompton and that's a rubber bung in the back. I find larger tires with flexible sidewals at low pressures adequate to smoothing out most things. These tires tend to weigh less than rigid ones, and that, coupled with nice wheels with cartridge hubs will give you easy riding with zero hub maintenance.
I always buy the best frame I can, because I keep my bikes for a long time and upgrade stuff as needed. Tires and wheels, as above, are the exception. I much prefer a quality steel frame, but a nice light steel frame, unless you are comparing refurbished to new, will cost a lot more than a light Al frame.

 

[Pale Rider]

The extra cost is mainly down to the far superior groupset, and wheelset.

It comes to something when budget SRAM is 'far superior'.

The 920 is about a kilo lighter, which is worth having.

Same frame, which goes to prove what @SkipdiverJohn said about frame weight making a limited contribution to the overall weight of the bike.

At least there's some magnesium in the fork, which is a good sign.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I always buy the best frame I can, because I keep my bikes for a long time and upgrade stuff as needed. Tires and wheels, as above, are the exception. I much prefer a quality steel frame, but a nice light steel frame, unless you are comparing refurbished to new, will cost a lot more than a light Al frame.

Every time I look at new bikes I keep coming back to the same conclusion; namely that there is nothing much on the market being made with a decent steel frame today that I couldn't get the equivalent of secondhand for a fraction of the cost. I now have four Reynolds 531 framed bikes, with an average age of approx. 33 years, all bought used for an average purchase price of £33 each.
I have been rather underwhelmed by the aluminium frames I have tried, as they have never ridden as nicely as my steel frames. The trouble with ali, is the manufacturers don't dare build the frames with much flexibility in them, because of the risk of fatigue crack failures, so what results is a bike that feels like a bucking bronco to ride if run on hard tyres.
I'm convinced one reason why there is such an obsession with suspension these days even on tame gravel hybrids, is because the modern genre of welded ali frame with big diameter tubes are inherently harsh and don't "tune out" the high frequency, low amplitude vibration coming off the surface to anything like the extent that more flexible steel frames can.

 

[Midsrider]

Hi again!!!

Well finally went to Decathlon (and Halfords again) today to have a look at the Riverside and I was very impressed. Yes I can see its all pretty basic on the Riverside 500 and 900 does improve a lot. The 920 which they did not have in stock - and was shocked them both staff who have been there a few years both said they have never actually seen the Riverside 920, to build or in store ever! I did repeat the question as I was sure people have bought this bike from this store and they have said they have never had the Riverside 920 in! which was a little of a surprise and they said nearly anyone who wants to spend more are more than happy with the 900, but they did know of the awards and great write up the 920 has had and said they would love to get one in ! - they have mentioned due to the popular sales of the Riverside 900 that new colours are due out....a darker grey and orange, and a green colour.

**** One thing I could do with some advice is - the sizing !!! *****

I am exactly 5ft 9 and my mountain bike at the moment is what Btwin class as a medium. I do find this a little cramped up for me to ride and much prefer my wife's Large Orginal Btwin 500.
on the Riverside - the medium was comfortable, but felt a lot better on the large - but he guy in store said medium would suit me better and maybe change the stem and saddle to suit more....
I guess its all a personal feel to what size is best, or is there a right and wrong way?

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I guess its all a personal feel to what size is best, or is there a right and wrong way?

I'm sure there is, but to me it's personal, only thing I would point out is the height of the crossbar, just be careful if you come off the bike, be aware hitting the crossbar can painful if it's too hight

 

[Midsrider]

yeah, i did the ball drop test !..haha....will do it again soon as I will be going to try some more bikes before I buy, I want this one to last me a long time. I tend to buy a lower spec and a year later regret.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

If it was me I'd buy the absolute base spec Riverside 100 for less than a quarter of the price then put some decent puncture-resistant tyres on it like Schwalbe Land Cruisers, as tyres tend to be one of the things manufacturers try to save costs on as they think the customer won't notice . It would probably still end up lighter than the aluminium frame model with a suspension fork.
As regards sizing, a lot depends on your body proportions, not just height. You are well within the nominal size for a Medium, whereas I am borderline Large and would buy Large. Stem lengths will affect bike fit, but a saddle swap isn't going to alter the length of the top tube, or the overall reach. Saddle choice is very personal to the rider; I have an old Apollo MTB saddle that is all bodged up with duct tape to keep the foam inside and it is still one of my most comfortable saddles despite it's appearance.

 

[Racing roadkill]

If it was me I'd buy the absolute base spec Riverside 100 for less than a quarter of the price then put some decent puncture-resistant tyres on it like Schwalbe Land Cruisers, as tyres tend to be one of the things manufacturers try to save costs on as they think the customer won't notice . It would probably still end up lighter than the aluminium frame model with a suspension fork.
As regards sizing, a lot depends on your body proportions, not just height. You are well within the nominal size for a Medium, whereas I am borderline Large and would buy Large. Stem lengths will affect bike fit, but a saddle swap isn't going to alter the length of the top tube, or the overall reach. Saddle choice is very personal to the rider; I have an old Apollo MTB saddle that is all bodged up with duct tape to keep the foam inside and it is still one of my most comfortable saddles despite it's appearance.

The Riverside 100 is cheap for a reason. It really is aimed at people who just want a bike to occasionally ride a couple of miles, and neither know nor care about things that make the difference between a BSO and a bike. The 100 isn’t exactly a BSO, but it really has got the bargain basement parts, and nutted axles. The shifter on the 100 is weird as well. Anyone with half a clue about bikes probably wouldn’t bother with buying a 100 and upgrading it.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Hi again!!!

Well finally went to Decathlon (and Halfords again) today to have a look at the Riverside and I was very impressed. Yes I can see its all pretty basic on the Riverside 500 and 900 does improve a lot. The 920 which they did not have in stock - and was shocked them both staff who have been there a few years both said they have never actually seen the Riverside 920, to build or in store ever! I did repeat the question as I was sure people have bought this bike from this store and they have said they have never had the Riverside 920 in! which was a little of a surprise and they said nearly anyone who wants to spend more are more than happy with the 900, but they did know of the awards and great write up the 920 has had and said they would love to get one in ! - they have mentioned due to the popular sales of the Riverside 900 that new colours are due out....a darker grey and orange, and a green colour.

**** One thing I could do with some advice is - the sizing !!! *****

I am exactly 5ft 9 and my mountain bike at the moment is what Btwin class as a medium. I do find this a little cramped up for me to ride and much prefer my wife's Large Orginal Btwin 500.
on the Riverside - the medium was comfortable, but felt a lot better on the large - but he guy in store said medium would suit me better and maybe change the stem and saddle to suit more....
I guess its all a personal feel to what size is best, or is there a right and wrong way?

At 5 foot 9 you’re right in the sweet spot for the medium. The Large frame would almost certainly be too large to give maximum confidence if you had to make any turns on a course, or trail. I have a few Decathlon bikes ( including an old Riverside 5 Hybrid ) I’m about 5 foot 11, and I found the Large size was a bit too big. You’re current bike is the Rock Rider, the Geometry is different, and the Medium in that, could feel a little cramped in comparison to the Medium Riverside.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

As you say though, it isn't a BSO - nor is anything else Decathlon sell either. They just do good value for the price.
For the OP's stated use, basically pootling around on cycle paths and some tame gravel tracks, pretty much any flat bar bike with strong tyres is going to do the job. The 6 speed gearing on the 100 is low with a 38T front and 14-28 rear, but leisure riders just out for a bit of fresh air are unlikely to ever do more than 14 or 15 mph on a clear road, so the gearing is adequate. A lot of people get some idea in their head that they need this and that feature on a bike in order to even venture as far as the end of their road. It's not the case, and low end, simple and basic stuff works fine, and those rigid steel forks are never going to wear out or have their seals fail.