Road bike - very light, ‘drop’ (curvy) handlebars, teeny tiny slim tyres and a thin saddle. Made for speed and most usually seen at the weekends being ridden by the lycra-clad.
Hybrid - typically a cross between a ‘tourer’ and a mountain bike. Flat handlebars, thick but not chunky tyres, solid and dependable and can do roads and ‘paths’ easily. Not as good as a mountain bike for going up and down hills, not as fast as a road bike on the roads.
Not sure what ‘cross’ bike is (just another name for a hybrid?).
I cycle on roads, cycle paths, and the occasional gravel path/grass path and my hybrid handles them all.
e-bikes are definitely becoming more popular, so it depends on your ability to tackle those hills? If your commute is mostly roads I’d go for hybrid setup though, those chunky tyres just add needless resistance. And remember, if you are doing it every/most days, you’ll soon get used to those hills!
I really like the look of the Specialized, and my friend who is a keen cyclist has recommended the brand - but the Trek has the Disc Brakes so think that longevity wise the Trek may be the better of the two (but unsure).
I’ve gone for the £450 price point as it gives me a kitty to get some good lights, lock, helmet etc so not just getting the bike out of the scheme voucher - I’ve started the salary sacrifice so shouldn’t be too long until I have the voucher.
Yeah I had the same decision, I think they are much of a muchness tbh. Are you able to go and try them first? Just sitting on them might help (with adjustments).
Unfortunately not as both are order in only atm. I just need an opinion as to whether the disc brakes will actually be of that much use/ is the Specialized better than the Trek (or vice-versa).
I live in Manchester so it’ll get pretty wet so there is a case for the disc brakes and I don’t want the V-brakes to burn out really quickly, even though the Specialized looks fantastic.
Road: Usually with drop handlebars and 25-28mm tires, but will vary depending on the intended use --there’s subtle differences in geometry between a race bike and a touring bike, but will look similar to the untrained eye. Chainrings vary from 34/50 to 36/52. Hybrid is the same, but with flat handlebars.
A cross bike is a road bike with wider tyres (35mm), a slightly more upright geometry and usually a 36-46 chainrings --designed primarily for the sport of Cyclocross, but makes for a useful jack-of-all-trades.
There was a time when the differentiator between road and cross was the disc brakes, but now most seem to have them.
For commuting, a road bike with eyelets for mudguards and a relaxed geometry is probably best (a tourer, basically).
Depends what sort of insurance you are looking for. Liability insurance can be obtained by joining CyclingUK for about £40 a year. If it is theft or injury cover you are looking for, Cycleplan or Pedalsure are good options.
Always worth registering your bike on Bike Register as well, so there’s some hope of getting a stolen bike back.
Mine is covered, with Halifax, on my house insurance.
I think, and I’ve done that horrible thing of auto renewing for the last few years so can’t be sure, that I have an add on for high value items outside of the house. This covers both my bikes, my laptop, phone etc.
It was brilliant when my car was stolen two years ago with about £2k of camera equipment in the back. This wasn’t covered by my car policy, but was on the house insurance
It might, as active travel is certainly devolved in Wales and probably is in Scotland too. More specifically, it’s usual down to your local council to implement any measures using funding from Welsh and Scottish governments.
