Choosing a hybrid - Am I a cycling snob?

[JWPT29]

First time visitor to the forums, bear with me!

I'm in the market for a hybrid bike and would appreciate some advice. I bought my first road bike last year and although it's very much an entry level machine, I love riding it and want to keep it for long rides and so on, rather than subjecting it to commuting. I did my first sportive on it last September and it served me very well over 50 miles worth of County Durham hills, so the idea of splattering it with mud, rain and the abuse of motorists in traffic isn't too appealing! I'd like a hybrid for commuting purposes and for the occasional short hop 10/15 miles out of town and back.

I went searching for a bike last weekend in the local shops (I'm in Cambridge, there are a lot of them...) and have narrowed down my search to a few choices. The two main contenders are the Ammaco Cosmopolitan from Cycle King: http://www.cycleking.co.uk/AMMACO-COSMO ... t-105.html

...and the Giant Escape 3, either from the Giant store in Cambridge or from elsewhere: http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bik ... 980/66558/

Normally I'd go for the cheaper one, particularly as it already has mudguards (the rack I can take or leave). However, I don't entirely trust the Ammaco, partly because the supposedly huge discount looks suspicious and partly because of attitudes online towards these cheaper brands (a bit like the Apollos you get at Halfords). Although the Giant is more, I think the brand is more trustworthy and I'd hope to get a more durable, enjoyable bike for my money.

If you have any suggestions for other bikes that would be great, but my main question is this: am I turning into the worst kind of cycling snob - a very amateurish one who's done one sportive and thinks he knows everything - by sneering at the Ammaco in favour of the Giant, even when it is cheaper and seemingly equally equipped? Should I just buy the Ammaco and be done with it? I'd appreciate any advice.

[The fat commuter]

First thing I'd do is to see which of the two feels best to ride. The Ammaco looks like a 'sit up and beg' bike whilst the Giant seems to offer a more stretched position.

One thing that I didn't like about the Ammaco is the full length chain guard. If you're going to be using your bike in all weathers then you'll need decent access to the chain for lubrication and cleaning. I now clean and lube mine once a week and find it easiest to do with the chain off. That chain guard may hinder cleaning for you.

[CJ]

Well I think the £230 Btwin Hoprider 300 from Decathlon beats both of them into a cocked hat. That one really IS fully equipped. The other two just pretend to be. And for the snobs: the rear mech is Alivio rather than Tourney.

[Mark1978]

Hope you enjoyed The Beast. I didn't finish as my seat post had other ideas.

[gaz]

I wouldn't buy the Ammaco, call me a snob if you like.

If you have a Decathlon store near you then pop in and see if they have any Hoprider 500s's left on sale, warehouse is out of stock. CJ's posted a current model whilst I've been typing.

There's a post from Brucey to remind us that some of the hidden components aren't everything they could be but it makes the Ammaco look poor value to me.

[Brucey]

In looking at the two hybrid bikes you mention you are looking at machines with an inferior mechanical spec and yet you say you want to use this machine in foul weather etc . This doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

I think that if you use either machine very much in foul weather you will soon find that the cheap transmission (screw-on freewheel, poorly sealed hubs, cheap derailleurs) will clap out. Also they are not necessarily cheap machines once you factor in the mudguards and other bits and pieces that you will need in order to make them truly practical.

So if I were you (wanting to buy in Cambridge) I'd suggest that you spring for a better version of the Escape, (one with a cassette hub). If you have not done so already you should go to University Cycles in Victoria Avenue (just over the bridge). There I expect you to get a good price and some straight talk.

cheers

[Elizabethsdad]

If you want something for all weather commuting then hub gears should be on your radar. Although they will cost more eg:-
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cha ... e-ec073768
also has disc brakes - again a better option for being out in all weathers.

[JWPT29]

Hope you enjoyed The Beast. I didn't finish as my seat post had other ideas.

It was awful and brilliant at the same time, and definitely more of the latter than the former! I may have caught the sportive bug from it. Have you done it before? I hope the seat post didn't mess up a first attempt at it.

One thing that I didn't like about the Ammaco is the full length chain guard. If you're going to be using your bike in all weathers then you'll need decent access to the chain for lubrication and cleaning. I now clean and lube mine once a week and find it easiest to do with the chain off. That chain guard may hinder cleaning for you.

I have wondered about the effectiveness of chain guards. Sometimes they seem like they'd get in the way more than they'd protect, but they must exist for a reason, right?

Well I think the £230 Btwin Hoprider 300 from Decathlon beats both of them into a cocked hat. That one really IS fully equipped. The other two just pretend to be. And for the snobs: the rear mech is Alivio rather than Tourney.

I did get mighty tempted some of the BTwins, and didn't come across this one. Do you know how often Decathlon typically take to replenish stock? It's a shame I don't have a store nearby, they do seem to have lots of bargains. And I definitely not calling you snobs

In looking at the two hybrid bikes you mention you are looking at machines with an inferior mechanical spec and yet you say you want to use this machine in foul weather etc . This doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

I think that if you use either machine very much in foul weather you will soon find that the cheap transmission (screw-on freewheel, poorly sealed hubs, cheap derailleurs) will clap out. Also they are not necessarily cheap machines once you factor in the mudguards and other bits and pieces that you will need in order to make them truly practical.

So if I were you (wanting to buy in Cambridge) I'd suggest that you spring for a better version of the Escape, (one with a cassette hub). If you have not done so already you should go to University Cycles in Victoria Avenue (just over the bridge). There I expect you to get a good price and some straight talk.

cheers

I popped into University Cycles on Monday. I'm used to shopping in bike stores like Halfords rather than indies, so I admit to getting a bit intimidated when walking into a shop where the one staff member is buried by a mountain of bikes in a dark room! That's something I have to get used to though, they do have the good stuff there. I'll visit again, they did mention Giants. Regarding the weather I'd be using it in, I might have stressed the foulness a bit too much. I'd probably leave it on a really god-awful day, but I'd want it to stand up to a bit of the rough stuff. I'm by no means after a really spiffy machine, I'd just like the best possible on a budget, even if the best isn't all that much.

[Tonyf33]

In looking at the two hybrid bikes you mention you are looking at machines with an inferior mechanical spec and yet you say you want to use this machine in foul weather etc . This doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
I think that if you use either machine very much in foul weather you will soon find that the cheap transmission (screw-on freewheel, poorly sealed hubs, cheap derailleurs) will clap out. Also they are not necessarily cheap machines once you factor in the mudguards and other bits and pieces that you will need in order to make them truly practical.

So if I were you (wanting to buy in Cambridge) I'd suggest that you spring for a better version of the Escape, (one with a cassette hub). If you have not done so already you should go to University Cycles in Victoria Avenue (just over the bridge). There I expect you to get a good price and some straight talk.

cheers

↑ Bike snob alert , there's nothing wrong with Alivio or Tourney for day to day commuting in foul weather, if you maintain the bike as you should anyway they'll give you years of good and inexpensive service..don't listen to bike snobs about 'needing' higher spec kit to keep you going.
Sick to death of hearing so called informed people spouting on about the absolute need to have higher spec kit and that it's a false economy, yes and in places like Cambridge higher spec kit also means targeting from bike thieves. A no name bike with low spec attracts little if no attention comparatively.
Get some decent tyres, make sure you inflate to the right pressures, wipe your chain after it rains, clean your rear mech and sprockets/chainrings every so often, adjust the hubs if need be out the box and ensure your pads are set right.
Do just that and you'll be fine.

IF I had to choose I'd go for the Decathlon, but there's nothing wrong with the Ammaco either, probably both frames came from factories near to each other anyways.

[John_S]

Hi JWPT29,

I'm not an expert and so please don't make any decisions based on my thoughts and there are loads of other really helpful people on this forum with greater knowledge than me who will send you plenty of good advice & options for you to consider.

The reason that I thought I'd post a message is because reading that you're in Cambridge I thought I'd mention a shop that might be worth going along to to try some bikes to see what you think of them & get some advice. The reason that I've heard of this shop is because I'm also saving up for a new bike for commuting duties and one on my shortlist is made by VSF.

I'm not sure that these bikes are extensively available so if you went along to see them you'd maybe see something a bit different from other brands plus the VSF bikes seem highly regarded for commuting duties by the people who own them judging by the bits I've read online so far. However the VSF bikes might be a bit over budget but another reason for mentioning the Chris Bikes shops is because when I've been looking at VSF bikes on their website I also saw that they sell Giant bikes and with you having a Giant bike on your shortlist they may have that Giant bike there so you could compare & contrast to others and get some advice.

Anyway if any of this is of interest a link to their website is below:-

http://www.chrisbikes.co.uk

I hope that some of this helps and good luck in your search and for finding the right bike for you!

John

[Brucey]

↑ Bike snob alert ..blah blah blah

I don't mind if other people want to call me a bike snob (actually it makes me laugh; the machine I was riding today cost me £40.... ) but if you bother to read what I wrote you will see it mostly concerns screw-on freewheels and the hubs that take them. These things break often and wear out quite quickly in any event. It isn't that often that you get through more than two chain/freewheel replacements on machines like this without the rear axle breaking and/or the rear mech wearing out.

Parts of this sort really are very cheaply made these days and simply don't last very long if you actually use your bike that much. Buy cheap, buy at least twice.

I've not looked at the Ammaco in person but I don't expect it to be a very good bike. Sorry if that makes me a bike snob, but the last time I went in that shop I struggled to find a bike at any price that was actually worth having; the OP is quite right to be suspicious of the 'discount' . The Giant is at least reasonably well specced and reasonably well put together, but it still has a screw-on freewheel and that is a definite weak spot on these machines. CJ's recommendation has a cassette hub IIRC and that instantly elevates it above most of the dross you will find for sale around this price point.

cheers

[meic]

I will admit to being a bike snob.

I am not the sneering sort who has any wish to impress people with my possessions, I am perfectly happy to ride my rusty 34 year old Holdsworth and my 30 odd year old rusty Raleigh as well as my new titanium bike. All of my other serious possessions in life are of little financial value. Yet I do enjoy really high quality items when they are available afford-ably.

So to some it may seem extravagant to pay £2,000 for a bike, yet this same person is still driving the same car which he bought ten years old, ten years ago for £450. The savings there rather dwarf the cost of my bike.

I will not say that anybody should not buy any of the bikes discussed here, if they do and are happy with them then great but I admit that I would not be happy with them (bikes are not like cars where any old one will do).

I have a similar view about Dawes, I think the old Dawes Audax was pretty much an ideal bike for the sort of riding that I do and just one of those would have served all my cycling needs, reliably and efficiently, but I wouldnt have one.
So I am a bike snob and sometimes (if anybody is foolish enough to ask about my bike) my enthusiasm for the bike I have made and spend my time perfecting can be mistaken for bragging or one upmanship but I dont realise that until too late.
I dont quite get how so many people have to take enthusiasm for a quality machine as an affront to their ability and come out with such defensive remarks as "it is not the bike it is the rider", so how does that stop a chain rusting?

So if all you want to do is ride and dont care what you do it on then why waste money on something fancy. However if you really want to have something fancy then I dont see why not but be careful about who you enthuse about it to.

Some of the forum members are justifiably proud of their machines on this forum, we all know MickF's Mercian and many other bikes and appreciate them, I have never seen anybody bragging about how much it cost (except when they got it at a bargain price) as that isnt what is important.

If you are not a bike snob in the same way you probably will not understand a word of this post.

PS Acera and Tourney are fine and the mech itself will last me about the same 10,000 miles as an XT derailleur but the pulleys on the XT will be due for a service at that point and on the Acera they would be so worn you can see through the pivot hole (with the pivot still in).

[Thomas125]

4 years ago when I started ccommuting to work I bought a £120 bike from Halfords. It weighed a ton, was slow due the very heavy cheap tyres.

The rims werent true to start with and they wouldnt stay true. The v brakes were hopeless and couldnt be adjusted properly due to the wheels not staying true.

After having it back in the shop twice in the first week they took it back and I bought a 350 quid Voodoo Agwa hybrid. Alivio drivetrain and cheap tektro hydraulics On 38c slicks.

What a revelation compared to the other bike. It gave me 4 years commuting in all weathers, and put a huge grin on my face every time I rode it. Personal best of 34mph downhill on it too

I sold it and took advantage of the cycle to work scheme and Im now on a 700 quid hub geared bike with Alivio hydraulics this time. Again its a fantastic bike and I expect to get years of use from it.

Perhaps a 2nd hand bike might be better for your budget? Otherwise Id look for a slightly better spec to start with.

Particularly with you already having a good bike the difference will be night and day and you won't enjoy the commute.

[mjr]

I was thinking Chris Bikes sounds like a good idea. Giant, VSF and Dawes is a good mix. He seemed to know his stuff.

[NEvans]

Like everything it comes down to how much dosh you can afford to spend. Decide that amount, then look at what has the best spec for the price. You go in a shop or look on the web, there's always one that has a better this or better that, but it will always cost that bit more...

I have a friend with a £300 hard tail and he absolutely loves it. Try it against another mates 3 grand machine, and it is so heavy and low spec, but it gets him out the door doing what he wants.