Help lease on a hybrid bike for women

Ader1

My friend intends buying a hybrid bicycle. She says that she'll be riding it around 12 miles per day. Six miles return to her parent's place. I understand that there's quite a rough lane leading up to her parent's place and doesn't think a purely road bike would be suitable...hence the hybrid.

She has shown me two bikes she's interested in. The first is a Boardman MX Comp bike which is £500 +. The second is a Carrera Subway which is around £250 cheaper. Here they are:

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/boardman-mx-comp-bike-2014

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/carrera-subway-ladies-hybrid-bike-2011-2012-medium-16#tab3

My first question would be why is there such a difference in price for these two bikes? Secondly, would the extra £250 for the boardman make a great deal of difference in the cycling experience? Finally.....would you suggest another bike or something more expensive but second-hand if you know what I mean? Any help much appreaciated.

Norman_Castle

Both links are the same.

Ader1

Thanks Norman....changed it now.

Norman_Castle

The Carreras got quite a positive review







Like a dream
02 September 2014

emzg

fromLondon, UK
Age Group: 25 - 34
Gender: Female


I bought this bike couple of weeks ago, I haven't had a lot of time to ride it, but all I do is dream about riding my bike. If I could ride it all day every day I would. I wish I didn't have to work so I could ride it all the time. I even like riding it in the rain.
I would recommend this bike, it feels like riding on a cloud! And it is so beautiful. Lovely dark matt aluminium frame. I was riding it home and two boys shouted how good a bike it was. I was so pleased. My sister likes it, and she doesn't like many bikes. I would marry this bike if it was a person.
Please buy this bike and we will be like bike family.


Bonkers :rotfl:

PasturesNew

I bought a bike for £250 some years ago .... could kick myself as I could get one now for £30-50 on ebay. Have you searched for those models on ebay?

Johnmcl7

There's quite a few big differences, the Boardman has a suspension fork, hydraulic disc brakes and 2x10 gears instead of 3x8.

I don't normally think a suspension fork on a hybrid is that useful as frequently they add a good chunk of weight and you pay for it with a reduced spec elsewhere but the Boardman doesn't look too heavy and the rest of the spec is reasonable. Depending on what rough track she needs to ride, it would help to smooth it out a bit. I have a hybrid with a rigid fork and semi-slick tyres and although traction is fine on the likes of a canal tow path I find the vibration from the rough surface hard going on my wrists.

Hydraulic disc brakes are similar to a car, when you pull the brake lever the braking force is amplified so you get a lot more braking power. It's very useful on mountain bikes as it gives you a lot of stopping power for little effort but it's not as useful on hybrids particularly when the Carrera has brake discs as well. The mechanical brake discs on the Carrera work by simply pulling a cable although having said all that I don't find the brakes the Boardman uses that 'grabby' compared to the Shimanos which need a bit of time to get used to how quick they apply the brakes.

The Carrera has 3x8 gears which means it has three rings at the front and eight at the back while the Boardman uses 2x10 so that's just two at the front and ten at the back. 2x10 is more popular these days as it means less moving up and down at the front.

It's hard to tell from the tyres but it looks like the Boardman has slicker tyres which should roll better, probably not that much worse off for grip either.

Has the friend had a look at the bike instore? Sometimes people get a better feel for a bike compared to another one.

John

Ader1

Thank you all and John expecially. :-)