Now in its fifth decade of production, the Sirrus remains a stalwart of Specialized’s line-up. While originally created as an entry level racer (designed by Jim Merz no less) its name has been forged over the years as one of the best hybrid bikes - reliable yet sporty. Naturally it’s see plenty of development during this period. But perhaps none quite as radical as the latest redesign.

The new Sirrus, available as the X 5.0 and the 6.0, is built around a frameset that’s quite the departure from the previous model. Built using the brand’s FACT 9r carbon, it features the patent pending Compliance Junction, which does away with the traditional seat tube, instead leaving the Sirrus with a sizable hole between the rear seat stays (which actually start where the seat tube ends) and the bottom bracket. 

The eye-popping design exists to make the Sirrus the smoothest riding bike in class. Specialized describes it as delivering “engineered vertical compliance without sacrificing lateral rigidity", which in turn is said to result in greater comfort and control. 

We’re reviewing the Sirrus X 5.0, which Specialized says is equipped to “excel on pavement, dirt, and terrain in between”. We rode it on a variety of surfaces to test this claim. But first, more on the build.

Specialized Sirrus X 5.0: construction

The Sirrus X 5.0 cuts a distinctive shape to say the least. Unsurprisingly your eyes are drawn to the Compliance Junction. We’re just not used to seeing a seat tube that doesn’t continue its journey south to meet the bottom bracket. But the frame has some other interesting attributes too: a sculpted head tube, a deeper section down tube matched to a narrower, curved top tube, a round seat tube and thin, angular rear stays. 

It’s made using FACT 9r carbon, which combined with the bone white paint job (that’s also reflective), results in a frameset that while entirely modern in appearance also manages to look refined in a way that most hybrids don’t.

Specialized’s Futureshock 1.5 suspension system, a non-adjustable spring ‘hidden’ in the headtube, gives the Sirrus X 20mm of front end travel. Combined with the Compliance Junction and the carbon layup used, it points to an able bike that should be adept at reducing fatigue on rougher terrain.

Other noteworthy details include room for 42mm tires, internal cable routing, an integrated seat clamp and mounts for three bottle cages, a top tube bag and Specialized’s Plug + Play rack and fenders. Suffice to say it's ready for both commuting and light touring duties. 

The Sirrus uses what Specialized calls its ‘fitness geometry’. For a size medium, that means a stack height of 625mm combined with a reach of 380mm. The seat tube and head tube angles are a relatively slack 73.5 and 70 degrees respectively, while the 1065mm wheelbase suggests a stable ride.

To help make the Sirrus X capable of handling both on and off-road terrain it’s been equipped with a 12-speed 1x SRAM groupset that matches a 38t chainring with a 11-50t cassette - certainly enough to handle steep, loose gravel trails but possibly compromised at the other end for faster road riding? As for the makeup of the groupset it uses Eagle NX shifters and rear mech, with a three-piece SRAM S650 crankset and square tapered bottom bracket - not something you’d typically see on a bike with a four-digit price tag.

The tire choice - Specialized’s 38mm Pathfinder Pros - also looks to aid the bike's versatility, with the tread divided between small diamonds on the shoulders for traction and a central slick for reduced rolling resistance. They’re tubeless ready but were set up with tubes throughout the testing period. The wheels are a generic alloy affair, with sealed bearings and thru-axles.

Another nod to the Sirrus X’s off-road credentials come in the choice of bars - alloy, with a 9-degree backsweep, a 15mm rise and, according to my measurements, 700mm wide. Other details include Tektro hydraulic disc brakes and a short nose Body Geometry saddle.

Together it makes for an interesting package. It certainly looks fit for purpose, and the frame is as intriguing as it is striking. But for around $/£2k are the choice of components a little rudimentary? The proof will be in the riding, but it’s clear that the majority of the bike’s total cost is found in that frameset. 

Specialized Sirrus X 5.0: the ride

While it takes a few rides and a good few miles to truly appreciate how a bike performs, the Sirrus X made quite the first impression. It felt lighter and more sprightly than any hybrid I’d ridden before. And far more comfortable too.

It turned out to be lasting. The bike continued to impress with its quick, easy acceleration. It held the speed well too, and despite the upright position it promotes, felt suitably fast. But it was the level of comfort that was most noticeable. There was considerably less chatter through the seat post and into the seat compared to aluminium hybrids I’ve ridden in the past.

The same was true at the front end, though interestingly the Future Shock was barely perceivable. I’d been a little concerned that it might prove to be overkill, but it applied itself with an unexpected subtlety. What was noticeable was the lack of fatigue I felt in my hands and arms after riding. 

This was accentuated when I took the bike off-road. Riding an undulating river path littered with tree roots, sharp rocks and plenty of dirt and grit, the Sirrus proved to be at home. The combination of the rear end Compliance Junction and front end Future Shock appeared to work as an efficient tag team. It’s hard to conclude the degree to which each performed, but given that I was riding 38mm tires run at higher than preferred pressures due to the use of inner tubes, the lack of road buzz while riding and fatigue once finished, suggests they both played their part well.

A 1x 12-speed drive chain makes sense for a bike such as this, and the wide gear range, designed to favour the low gears, worked well in general. The larger sprockets allow you to stay seated on steeper climbs, which makes sense given the bike’s upright riding position. It also means added traction if that climbing is taking place off-road on loose surfaces. 

Naturally, the 38t chainring means that top end speed is sacrificed and during flatter road rides I did find myself occupying the first two or three sprockets for the majority of the time. That said I never felt like I needed more; this is a bike that’s likely to be used around town and along cycle paths and off road trails where there’s a limit to how fast you need to, or should be, going. It should also be noted that the redesigned Sirrus is also offered in a road-focussed build, which uses a 40t SRAM Rival chainset and 32mm tires.

While the Sirrus loved to roll along at speed, with the carbon frame providing plenty of stiffness to ensure that your efforts are rewarded, it also performs well in cruise control. There were times when I simply took it for a spin and here it felt like riding along in your favorite armchair. 

There were a couple of aspects to the bike that were less comfortable however. The wide bars, while helpful on tricker sections trail, just felt too wide for the majority of the time. On road rides I found myself resting my hands inside the grips, which wasn’t ideal. They were also a bit of hindrance when riding in traffic and around town. Admittedly I have spent the last thirty-plus years using relatively narrow drop bars, so those used to riding mountain bikes are unlikely to have a similar problem. Oh, and I didn’t get on with the saddle either.

The more time I spent with the bike, the more I pondered the choice of components. They all worked well. The gears, entry level NX Eagle, were a little clunky at times, but I have yet to drop a chain or skip a gear. Likewise the basic Tektro brakes were a tad grabby but improved over time, and again didn’t cause any problems. But, along with the wheelset, they felt underwhelming when viewed both alongside the frameset and in relation to the bike’s cost. 

As I mentioned earlier, it’s clear that most of your money is going into the frameset - and to be fair I’d imagine that’s what most people are buying when they purchase the bike. But I couldn’t help but feel that the star of the show still deserves an impressive supporting cast - and on the Sirrus X 5.0, while they never fluff their lines, don’t exactly bring the house down either.

Checking the specifications of the more expensive 6.0, I’d likely be inclined to opt for this model. Here you’re getting a two-piece chainset, GX Eagle shifters and mech, SRAM Level brakes and DT Swiss wheels. All are upgrades worthy of the frameset and the extra cost. A quick change of the tires would see it assume off-road capabilities comparable to the X 5.0.

In fact, I ended up spending a fair amount of time on my rides, compiling my dream build for a frameset I’d fallen in love with. An Eagle AXS groupset, some lightweight carbon hoops, a favored saddle - the list went on. 

Specialized Sirrus X 5.0: value and conclusion

At $2,250 / £1,950 the Sirrus X 5.0 is quite an investment, particularly if ‘hybrid’ typically conjures up uninspiring sub $/£500 bikes. But this bike is far from typical and should have plenty of appeal for those wanting a flat bar fitness bike that’s more ‘pride and joy’ rather than ‘workhorse’. Given that the existing 10-speed Sirrus 4.0, with an aluminium frame, carbon fork and Future Shock 1.5, retails for $1,500 / £1,400 the X 5.0’s price tag appears more than reasonable.

Specs

• Frame: Specialized FACT 9r Carbon
• Forks: Specialized FACT 9r Carbon Monocoque w/ Future SHock 1.5
• Groupset: SRAM NX Eagle w/ SRAM S650 3-piece crankset
• Brakes: Tektro HD-R510, hydraulic disc
• Wheels: 700C disc, double-wall alloy
• Tires: Pathfinder Pro, 2Bliss Ready, 700x38mm
• Handlebars: Double-butted alloy, 9-degree backsweep, 15mm rise, 31.8mm
• Stem: Future Stem, Comp
• Saddle: Body Geometry Power Sport, steel rails
• Seatpost: Alloy, 2-bolt, 14mm offset, 27.2mm

While Boardman bikes will always be synonymous with the cyclist whose name it bears, it’s also become a byword for exceptional value. The British brand routinely releases road bikes and hybrid offerings with spec sheets that others find hard to match at a similar price point.

The Boardman HYB 8.6 is its entry-level hybrid that it says is “designed for fast commutes, urban riding or those longer days out.” Which is pretty much the desired trifecta for most hybrids seeking to straddle the line between workhorse and pleasure cruiser.

Boardman HYB 8.6 - construction

By their very nature hybrids must attempt to provide a balanced ride. To make them suitable for the daily commute as well for leisure and fitness rides, manufacturers need to juggle comfort, stability and speed, delivered in a robust package that can handle day-in, day-out use.

Boardman looks to strike this balance in the HYB 8.6 by borrowing elements from aluminum road bikes and then adding a few tweaks along the way.

The frame is made from triple butted 6061 aluminium. It’s the same material used on the Boardman 8.6 road bike, and should offer a decent blend of stiffness and relatively low weight. Unlike the SLR 8.6, the HYB opts for an alloy fork. It takes a few design cues from its drop-bar brethren too, most notably the dropped seatstays, the tube profiles and the hidden frame welds. 

Sensibly the geometry has been adjusted though, no doubt with the aforementioned comfort and stability in mind. The head tube angle on this size small is 73 degrees. The stack height is 554mm. Reach is 396mm while the chainstays measure 435mm. These numbers suggest that the HYB 8.6 should deliver a riding position that's a little more racy than many hybrids but still upright enough to be functional for the majority of users. They also hint at reliable handling while still being lively enough to make it fun to ride.

While the dropped stays may signify speed due to their use on many of the best road bikes, they’re actually a source of increased comfort; a smaller rear triangle should, in theory at least, allow for the seat tube to flex more thus improving compliance. It’s a good thing for any bike and especially important on a hybrid that could well be ridden everyday of the week. The sloping top tube meant plenty of exposed seatpost too, another sign that the Boardman should, in theory, deliver a pretty cushioned ride.

All of the cables are routed externally. For a hybrid that’s likely to get plenty of use it allows for an easier diagnosis of shifting issues as well as making the required maintenance straightforward too. Being exposed however will likely require this cable maintenance to take place with more regularity.  

As for componentry, the HYB 8.6 is equipped sensibly throughout. Shimano’s Alivio/Acera nine-speed groupset is unfussy and should offer plenty of reliability, with replacement parts affordable too. The 46/30t chainset matched with an 11-36t cassette gives you plenty of range; if you choose to utilise the frame’s pannier rack mounts the better than 1:1 low gear should still get you up any hill fully loaded. As for additional mounts, there are bosses for mudguards as well as two bottle cages.

Stopping power comes courtesy of Tektro HD-M275 hydraulic disc brakes. Like the groupset they’re unflashy but should get the job done and are pretty straightforward to bleed should you be interested in doing your own maintenance. 

Following the same utilitarian approach, the wheels and tyres are both solid choices. The 700c Boardman branded wheels use Formula hubs, which means getting hold of replacement parts should be a breeze. The rims are tubeless-ready too, a nice touch but perhaps one that not too many will actually use. As for the tyres, Boardman have chosen Schwalbe Citizens in a 35mm width. Armed with K-Guard Kevlar protection they place a premium on puncture-resistance, which given the HYB 8.6’s intended use is pretty sensible.

Finishing kit is as you might expect on a hybrid with this price tag, namely a generic alloy flat bar and stem, ergo rubber grips and a Boardman branded saddle with alloy rails and a decent slice of padding.

Boardman HYB 8.6 - the ride

Any hybrid, including this Boardman, is designed to be practical by nature; a bike to get you from A to B in relative comfort. I decided that I’d split my riding time between some shorter trips in and around the city to emulate a typical commute as well as longer rides designed to replicate a leisure ride. First off was a trip into town.

Within a few minutes of my initial journey it’s clear that the Boardman’s riding position, despite being a little lower than many competitors, is still well suited for short journeys such as this, where navigating traffic safely is the priority. It's been a while since I’ve ridden a flat-bar bike and while it feels a little alien it does mean that I can sit up and take in the road ahead without compromise. 

The bike still gets up to speed quickly however. Combined with the relatively narrow (600mm width) bars, the Boardman feels pretty nimble, allowing me to weave my way through narrow gaps and make quick adjustments in response to the ebb and flow of the city streets. 

This stop-start motion requires plenty of braking and unfortunately the Tektros lack a little modulation. It’s to be expected that fresh out of the box they’ll need some bedding in. But here there is a bit ‘all or nothing’, slow to respond before grabbing on for dear life. The two-finger levers are comfortable though and it doesn’t take too long to figure out the braking nuances so I can control my speed safely.

The tires are designed to be bulletproof and ride as such. On short commutes or trips into town such as this their lack of suppleness and comfort is a less of an issue and a willing trade-off for the puncture resistance they appear to offer. I found myself riding over plenty of debris and managed to avoid any unwanted mechanicals. 

While the gear changes could never be described as smooth, the Shimano shifting is as reliable as I’d expected, with the thumb shifters providing a reassuringly loud click. As for the gear range, I deliberately took in a couple of short, sharp hills and the Boardman’s lower gears dealt with these nicely. At the other end of the spectrum the 46t chainring means that you can roll along at a decent clip when needed.

Considering the usual faffing around that precedes my road rides, there’s something liberating about just getting on a bike and going for a cycle. Looking to test out the Boardman’s abilities as a capable cruiser, I did just that. 

The ride to a nearby park involved built-up roads as well as shared access off-road paths, both tarmac and gravel. The HYB 8.6 was well-equipped to deal with the varied terrain as well as the climb up through the park itself. The bike has a claimed weight of just over 11kg but felt pretty sprightly on these gradients, helped in part by those generously low gear ratios. 

The tyres have a tread pattern suited to the mixed road surfaces of this ride but I again struggled with their hard and unforgiving nature. Unfortunately, when I let out some pressure they became pretty sluggish. It’s the nature of the beast and you’ll need to weigh up how much you value puncture protection over ride quality. 

What goes up must come down, which meant the ride finished with a long, sweeping descent on the road that had me easily running out of gears. The handling was pretty assured though with the bike feeling stable through the corners. I would have appreciated a slightly wider bar however to alleviate the somewhat twitchy steering that only became apparent at speed. Fortunately the braking had improved, with the pads now bedded in.

I also took the Boardman HYB 8.6 on a flatter ride following the path of the river. It’s a route favoured by cyclists and runners so it seemed a good choice on which to assess its suitability for those looking for a ‘fitness’ bike.

As mentioned before the Boardman responds well when you press on the pedals, accelerating quickly. Once you’re rolling it’s easy to maintain and its straight line speed is as good as you can expect from a flat-bar hybrid that pays little attention to  aerodynamics. 

It was during these long stretches of flattish, straight roads that I struggled to find a comfortable position on the bike due to the bars. On a road bike you can get on the drops or sit low on the hoods and hold it for long periods but the more upright nature of the Boardman had me fiddling around, trying to find a comfy hand position on the bars. I never really attained this, especially as the ergo grips started to dig into my palms. 

Interestingly, I hadn’t noticed this - or a lack of comfort in general - when I was riding around the city. Perhaps, the shifting of body position and the concentration required to navigate the traffic meant that I didn’t have time to dwell on it? It’s worth adding that grip comfort and handlebar style and width is subjective and my issue won’t necessarily be yours too.

Specs

• Frame: 7005 Alloy, smooth welded
• Fork: Alloy bladed fork, 1 1/8” cromo Steerer
• Cranks: Prowheel, square taper, 46/30t
• Front Derailleur: Shimano Acera T3000, 31.8mm clamp
• Rear Derailleur: Shimano Alivio M3100, 9-speed
• Shifter: Shimano Alivio, 2x9
• Brakes: Tektro hydraulic disc, Tektro 160mm rotor
• Cassette: Shimano HG201, 9-speed, 11-36 Tooth
• Weight: Approx. 11.2kg
• Wheelset: Boardman Alloy 700C Tubeless Ready, Formula hubs
• Tyre: Schwalbe Citizen 700 x 35mm, kevlar guard. Kenda presta tube

Value and verdict

At £550 and coming with a  9-speed Shimano groupset and hydraulic disc brakes, the Boardman is, like many of the brand's bikes, undoubtedly good value. The Triban RC 500 costs £649.99 and like the Boardman is fast and agile by hybrid standards but comes with mechanical disc brakes rather than hydraulic. 

It’s impossible to be down on the Boardman HYB 8.6 despite my minor gripes. For a little over £500 you’re getting a well-specced bike that performed admirably both on the city streets and during longer leisure rides away from traffic. While a short-term review such as this can’t attest to a bike’s durability, all the components here would suggest that this could be used as a year-round commuter without problem. Likewise, it’s well set-up for leisure riding too. The riding position is relaxed but not overly so, while the wide gear range means that it can handle a mix of terrain. Even the tyres make sense from a reliability standpoint, something which all hybrids need to be.

If there has was one positive part of 2020, it was the bike boom. Bike shops were classified as essential businesses when COVID forced most of the economy into hibernation. With gyms closed and summer largely devoid of holidays, festivals, and group activities, the world discovered cycling and cleaned out the bike shops. For months, I would get texts asking what a good bike was for a beginner about once a week. During the summer, I was on speed dial for everything from tubeless tyre installation to gear indexing.

The best beginner bike?

But what is the best bike for a beginner? You want something that is pretty stable and predictable to ride, easy to use and doesn’t take a degree in engineering to maintain. Drop bars are probably out of the question, especially on a budget. As for gearing, 2x or 3x drivetrains have a lot of shifting to manage. A full-on mountain bike will be too slow on the road, and most beginners aren’t going to jump straight into sending the gnar.

I submit that the Marin Presidio 2 might be the perfect bike for the times we live in. It’s billed as a city transit bike, but it’s certainly more comfortable for long rides than the gym bike your buddy was using before. With slick tyres, flat bars, internal gearing, and disc brakes, the Presidio 2 can do anything a beginner would want. If the bug really bites and you decide to upgrade to a road or mountain bike, the Presidio’s reliable build will mean that it will see years of use as a town/commuter bike.

Marin Presidio 2 highlights

There are many bikes with those general characteristics, though, so what makes the Presidio stand out? For one, it has a reasonable frame and fork. At the £745/$800 price point, many brands still opt for a chromoly steel frame, which leaves the whole bike feeling sluggish. Marin has managed to include a butted aluminum frame and fork. The Shimano Nexus hub is also great; it has seven speeds and a 244% range, which gives enough gear for climbing just about anything and riding at a more than reasonable speed on the flats. Yes, you would get smaller jumps with a 2x8 groupset, but the learning curve with a bike like this is so much simpler, and the maintenance requirements are minimal.

Many bikes at this price point include disc brakes, but few are as dependable as the Shimano flat mount hydraulic offerings on the Presidio 2. I’ve lent this bike to friends and colleagues looking to get out more, try cycling, and never once had a phone call about the brakes. (I should note that I do warn them not to pull the lever with the wheel out). With rim brakes or cable discs, I would have been flooded with “I can’t stop” texts by now. These brakes stop when you pull the lever, which is the best one can expect on a bike like this.

The 700x32mm Vee tires seem fast enough on blacktop and have yet to puncture despite many trips down gravel paths and across the remains of someone’s 12 pack of lager. There’s even a saddle that I didn’t hate and a set of ergonomic grips that seem reasonably durable and comfortable. Pedals are basic flats, but they aren’t the super cheap shark bite style that often comes packaged with value bikes.

Of course, for those of us accustomed to riding bikes that cost three times as much, the shifting won’t feel quite as crisp or the wheels as light, but for our friends who grew up on disposable bikes from big box stores, the Presidio will feel like a rocket. One friend I loaned the bike to commented that he didn’t know a bike could be comfortable until he rode this one. Marin’s great dealer network tends to be very beginner-friendly, and even at £745/$800, a rudimentary fit is part of the service. My father-in-law recently purchased a Marin bike, received fit advice, basic mechanical instruction, and a free tune-up. That kind of service will go much further than a slightly lighter wheelset in making cycling fun.

What don’t I like? The Nexus twist shifter is a bit vague and clunky. I’d prefer a thumb shifter. But this one is very easy to explain and use, and it comes as a package with the excellent internally-geared Shimano rear hub. The slightly odd backswept handlebars didn’t feel very stable to me. If this were my bike, they’d be replaced with a decent set of alloy MTB bars like the PRO Koryak bars I keep several pairs of in my shed for review bikes. But these are minor personal preference grips that many wouldn’t notice.

If this bike leads you or a friend deeper into cycling and you end up parting with more money for something higher-end, the Presidio will still have a home in your shed. The frame has plenty of braze-ons for mudguards and racks, making it a perfect commuter. In the event that many of us never return to the office, it’s a fantastic bar hopper and grocery getter.

All in all, if you just want a “bike” and you want it to do what most people expect a bike to do without you having to preen and polish it, this is the bike for you. That is, of course, if you can find one in stock.

Some bikes would look completely out of place without matching spandex. Other bikes look their best covered in dirt and careening down the steepest pitches. If you want a bike that feels at home in the urban jungle instead the Priority Continuum Onyx might be the perfect solution.

>>> Buy Now: Priority Continuum Onyx at Priority Cycles for $1099.00 

Like many of the best hybrid bikes the Priority Continuum Onyx feels comfortable heading through town. If you want to drive less or get some gentle exercise while cruising, it's a perfect companion. It's not just a cruiser though. The Continuum Onyx is a well-rounded bike. It would be perfect for a daily commute and if you feel like pushing yourself a bit on the ride home it's a faithful companion. It does a pretty good job cutting through traffic and It won't be out of place paired with a good bike lock.

Features

Talking about the build of this bike it's best to start with the familiar.  Both the frame and the fork use 6061 T6 Aluminum. Aluminum is a familiar material common at this price point. It's light but stiff and from a manufacturing standpoint it's easy to work with. The welds on the Priority bike aren't quite the works of art you might find on a Cannondale CAAD frame but there's no obvious corners cut here.

Starting with the frame makes sense because it's the only common feature on the Priority Continuum Onyx. The rest of the spec sheet reads like more of a wish list than an actual bike.

Jumping to the opposite end of the spectrum the most unique aspect of this bike is the NuVinci N380 CVT drivetrain. The NuVinci drivetrain is one of those topics that will open a serious rabbit hole and gobble up hours of time if you let it. It's not necessary to understand every nuance though. What you get is roughly the same gear range as a common 7-speed chain driven bike but without distinct gears.

Shifting happens with a grip shift and there is a smooth progression from easy to difficult. Stop anywhere it feels comfortable. Along for the ride is a carbon belt instead of chain and all the shifting components live in the rear hub. The system is silent and requires no real maintenance, which is why it suits a commuting bike so well.

The drivetrain might grab the headlines but it's not the only well thought out feature. A Tektro hydraulic disc system with 160mm rotors front and rear takes care of braking and fenders come as standard. The standard configuration includes WTB 32mm wide slick tires with reflective sidewalls. Keep an eye out in the winter and you might also see the option to choose studded snow tires.

Another big headline feature is the integrated bike lights. You'll find a red rear light and a 400-lumen front light integrated into the bike. The integration means less likelihood of theft and a dynamo front hub means never having to remember to charge the lights.

The Ride

In nature there are certain things that happen as a result of the complex dance between adaptation and the environment. It turns out the same kind of dance exists when riding a bike.

Bikes have chains and gears with distinct steps. The way we ride a bike has a lot to do with how that system operates. No one pays much attention though until you take it away. The belt drive and CVT gearing Priority uses on the Continuum Onyx will change the way you ride a bike.

A typical chain driven bike with gears doesn't respond well if you change gears at a stop then try to ride up a hill when you start pedaling. The NuVinci system is different and doesn't need to be moving to change gearing. Coast to a stop at a light and if you want easier pedaling to get going again twist the grip while stopped. Start riding and the gearing will change with only a small delay and no complaining.

Along the same lines, the way I handle changing gears for hills has a lot to do with the steps between gears. If I'm in the middle of a short, steep, hill I will often pedal a bit harder and not bother shifting when the end of the hill is close, to avoid the unavoidable 'clunk'. When you've got a system without steps the equation is a bit different. There's no need to consider if it's worth changing gears when a small adjustment dials in easier, or harder, pedaling.

On the Priority Continuum Onyx you never have to pre-plan gearing for a stop light. It also makes sense to be constantly adjusting how difficult the gearing is. Everything is quiet and smooth and you start to wish every bike rode like this. The constant lights are a nice safety feature too. It's exactly the kind of bike that invites leaving the car at home.

Value

Pricing considerations are a matter of comparison. With the Priority Continuum Onyx there is no real point of comparison on the market. It's possible to get other hybrid bikes in the same price range with a focus on different features. It's also possible to find cheaper bikes but if you want something with this unique mix of features this is it. There's simply nothing else out there that's quite the same.

The built-in lights, included fenders, and unique drivetrain make a perfect commuter or city bike. Everything is well made and backed by a great company. If you were to ever have an issue Priority will be there to help. Given what's on offer the price is downright reasonable.

On the face of it, hybrid bikes and mountain bikes can look quite similar. Both have flat handlebars, wide tyres, disc brakes - and many hybrid bikes also come with front suspension.

Although hardtail mountain bikes (those without rear suspension) bear some resemblance to hybrid bikes, the riding that they are suited to is a lot closer to that of full suspension mountain bikes than hybrid bikes.

Mountain bikes are designed for tackling steep descents and technical climbs. Roots, berms (steeply banked corners) and sheer drop-offs of around one meter can all be dispatched on a hardtail. This kind of riding can be found in trail centres across the country, but many local woods are also home to this kind of terrain.

Hybrid bikes are best suited for riding in the city and along canal towpaths or disused railways lines. They are designed to be comfortable and efficient for cycling along broken roads and light trails. Many commuters also opt for this style of bike because of the robust components and ability to mount mudguards and panniers.

>>>Read: Best hybrid bikes: A buyer's guide

If you can only have one bike but want to hit the trails as well as commuting, there's nothing stopping you from using a mountain for multiple purposes. But a hybrid bike will perform better at the type of riding it is designed for.

We'll run you through the many differences between mountain bikes and hybrid bikes and explain exactly what it is that makes them suited for these different purposes.

The differences between mountain bikes and hybrid bikes

Boardman is the in-house bike brand of Halfords and is known for high quality and affordable bikes. The range is quite extensive, including both hybrid bikes and mountain bikes. We'll take a look at their midrange offerings (£500–£650) for an overview of their differences and then take a plunge into the details.

Boardman's HYB 8.6 is an up to date - but typical - hybrid bike. It has flat handlebars and hydraulic disc brakes for controlled steering and stopping. The tyres are 35mm wide, offering a good balance between cushioning and rolling resistance.

The drivetrain is 2x10, offering a wide range of gears, but without massive jumps between them. This means that you're unlikely to find yourself stuck between too hard a gear and one that's too easy. There are mounting points for full length mudguards and a pannier rack, making it easy to carry loads in all weathers, without getting covered in silty water.

Mountain bikes have undergone a lot of development in the last few years and Boardman's MHT 8.6 is no different. Hydraulic disc brakes are ubiquitous as are large tyres; these are 29x2.25 inch for increased grip and a greater ability to roll over obstacles.

A 120mm air suspension fork is specced to better soak up rocky descents and knotted roots. Almost all top end and mid-range mountain bikes come with a 1x (pronounced one-by) drivetrain. By dispensing with multiple chainrings, shifting becomes simpler as you only have to change gear at the rear. And, thanks to cleverly designed chainring teeth, 1x drivetrains all but eliminate dropped chains.

Tyres

On the left we have the Schwalbe Big Apple - a popular choice for hybrid bikes - whilst on the right is the venerable Nobby Nic, a mainstay of mountain bike tyres.

What’s immediately obvious is that the hybrid tyre is essentially slick, as opposed to the mountain bike tyre which has a far more aggressive tread. This provides mechanical grip on soft trails, where the knobs dig into the dirt to provide traction.

On hard surfaces - such as on roads or hard pack paths - knobs aren’t able to dig in and thus don't provide mechanical grip. In these cases, the type of grip is ‘adhesive’ and is determined by how soft the tyre’s compound is and the size of the contact area.

Due to the extra rolling resistance knobs add - and because hybrid bikes aren’t designed to be ploughed through the mud - slick or semi-slick tyres are what you’ll find on a hybrid bike. They also tend to be narrower than a mountain bike tyre as this too reduces rolling resistance and is also lighter.

Hybrid bikes don’t demand the same levels of grip as a mountain bike and - with narrower, slick tyres - they are a lot more efficient for traveling on roads and light trails. If you do want more grip from your hybrid bike, you’re better off getting a wider tyre than going for one that’s the same size with knobs, as adhesive grip is more important than mechanical for this type of riding.

Suspension

Mountain bikes have suspension for absorbing big hits from drop-offs and roots. This improves control, as the bike isn’t being pinged about in every direction. Many hybrid bikes also come equipped with front suspension, with the aim being to smooth out the bumps and produce a more comfortable ride.

However, suspension on a hybrid bike doesn’t do a particularly good job at its intended purpose. Telescopic suspension forks are notorious for suffering from stiction. This means a large initial force is needed to overcome the static friction of the fork in order for it to start to move through its travel.

Super high-end forks (costing over £1,000) minimise this issue, but some degree of stiction is always present. Lower end forks, such as the ones that tend to be specced at a mid-range price point, tend to suffer from significant degree of stiction.

This isn’t too much of an issue for mountain bikes, which will be subjecting the forks to large enough hits to get the suspension to move through its travel. But for hybrid bikes and the high frequency - but small - bumps they’ll be hitting, the suspension will barely move and offer little in the way of cushioning.

Wider, more supple tyres combined with lower pressures is a far more effective way to improve comfort when travelling over smaller bumps and potholes. Added to that, without a suspension fork, the bike will be significantly lighter and also cheaper. Meaning you can either save some money or get a bike with better components for the same price.

Geometry

One of the most major differences between a hybrid and a mountain bike lies in the geometry of the frame. It is this that determines the rider’s position on the bike, the way it handles, and just generally, how the bike feels to ride.

Most of the measurements are different between hybrid bikes and mountain bikes, and it the way all these angles and lengths interact that determines how a bike will feel. Nevertheless, there are some ‘headline’ measurements that stand out as particularly important. A slacker head angle, longer top tube and a lower bottom bracket all combine to make a mountain bike more stable on steep rocky descents, but also improve steering around tight and twisty corners.

Gears

In the past, both hybrid and mountain bikes had triple cranksets, but that has changed now. Mountain bikes (apart from the very cheapest) have all moved over to 1x cranksets, combining only one chainring with a wide range cassette. This gives better chain retention, is makes gear changes more intuitive, and allows frame designers to be more innovative around the bottom bracket because space isn’t needed for a front derailleur and bunch of sprockets.

You’re still left with a small enough gear for the steepest of climbs and a large enough one to push the pace on the descents as the cassettes have greatly increase in size. Rather than 8-speed 11–28 tooth cassettes that previously dominated, 10-speed 11–46t and even 12-speed 10–50t cassettes are now common.

Although these cassettes do have fairly large jumps between the gears but this isn’t really a probably with the undulating terrain meaning that you rarely settle into a specific cadence for any length of time.

Hybrid bike will tend to use a double or triple crankset to provide a wide range without large gaps between the gears. But increasingly, higher end hybrid bikes are being specced with 1x drivetrains due of the ease of use and maintenance. You don’t have to think about changing gear at the front and there isn’t a front derailleur to go out of alignment and start rubbing on the chain.

Carrying capacity

Lower end mountain bikes will generally have mounting points for a rear mudguard and pannier rack (although none will have mounting points for a front mudguard due to the suspension fork). But once you spend over a certain threshold these will no longer be present, as there is no place for panniers on the trails.

Panniers are a great way of carrying weight on the bike. Shoulder straps don’t dig in and you don’t get a sweaty back. For commuting, as well as for carrying what you need on a trip out to the countryside, a hybrid bike with set of panniers is a significant benefit.

The Ribble Hybrid AL e was selected for an Editor's Choice award in 2020. This year's list contains 78 items which scored a 9 or 10/10 with our tech team - this gear is the best of the best, and has received the Cycling Weekly stamp of approval.

In our original review, we marked the handlebar grips down as a 'con' - but Ribble clearly took the criticism on board and changed these. 

Hot on the heels of Ribble's Endurance SL e-bike comes the Ribble Hybrid AL e, a bike designed to handle the daily commute with ease as well as weekend jaunts in the countryside.

Ribble's custom Bike Builder program and dedicated direct to consumer approach mean that as well as versatility, this bike offers superb value for money and the ability to create an almost true custom build.

Frame

Ribble's 6061 aluminium alloy frame is an example of one of the neatest and most seamlessly integrated e-bike frames to date. Showing it off to housemates and work colleagues alike, all were taken aback that this is an electric bike at all.

The Hybrid AL e features elegantly shaped tubing profiles including pencil-thin, dropped seat stays for added compliance and a distinctive dropped drive-side chain stay design. This allows Ribble to keep the back end as short as possible for nimble handling whilst still retaining decent tyre clearances without fouling chainrings.

>>> Best women's hybrid bikes

The rest of the geometry and tube sizing keeps it on the more relaxed end of the spectrum. The 190mm head tube length is accompanied by a full 45mm of spacers (including 15mm conical headset spacer) to keep the front end high. It also has a reach of 415mm which is pretty short giving the Hybrid AL e a pretty upright riding position.

Ribble has specced a full carbon fork on the Hybrid AL e to help keep weight down whilst still retaining a good level of steering stiffness and much needed vibration dampening.

A full complement of bottle, rack and mudguard eyelets are of course present and on this Fully Loaded test model Ribble has added full mudguards, a rack and lights. A special mention has to go to the classy paint job and decals, it's a great looking finish.

>>> The best e-bikes reviewed for 2020: all you need to know

Motor system

Ribble has opted to use a Mahle Ebikemotion X35 motor system. This ensures a slim frame profile thanks to the rear hub based motor,  but also a minimal weight penalty when accounting for all the additional electronic components needed for such a bike.

The complete X35 system boasts an all-in weight of just 3.5 kilograms, which makes even the benchmark Fazua's Evation 1.0 system seem a little portly. The Ebikemotion X35 still provides up to 250 watts of additional, pedal-assisted power, over three distinct power settings. The 250w/h battery is what I would class as small capacity but Ribble (and Ebikemotion) still claim a potential range of around 100 kilometres (around 60 miles) off a fully charged battery.

My experiments have shown the battery life estimate to be pretty accurate. Like most riders I have obviously been preferring the full power mode and over a 20km mixed terrain ride with a couple of hills, and taking into account my 74kg weight, I have been finding it drains around 25-30% of the battery. When mixing up the power modes and sticking to the factory power settings, the battery drain is much less - around 20%. If you are a sufferer of 'range anxiety' the accompanying Ebikemotion app has a couple of clever tricks that can help alleviate your issue; we'll come on to those in a bit.

The system is operated using a discrete top tube mounted button that illuminates with one of four colours to display battery status and, with an additional press, changes and displays which of the three power settings you are in.

The assistance is noticeable almost as soon as you begin pedalling and a big plus to this system is how well it operates over a large cadence range, so for riders new and experienced will find it easier to stay 'on the power'.

It's not the most powerful system as you could imagine owing to the small capacity battery but it has a power assistance equal to that of Fazua's Evation 1.0 (pre Black Pepper edition) and is pretty impressive given how discreet it looks.

Integrated App

One aspect of the Ebikemotion system is the incorporation of a specific smartphone app that has been adapted specifically for Ribble's e-bikes. It links to your bike via Bluetooth and can be used as a neat cycle computer displaying your speed, distance and general ride data.

The app also includes a navigation option but you will need to purchase the base maps at £3.99 per year for each continent, in order to enable this feature.

A neat touch is the way you can manage the three power settings to really fine tune how much power is delivered and therefore how much range you can eke out of the system. What was interesting about playing around with this is that a drop of 10% in power equated to very little difference in real world feel when pedalling, so a quick tip is to drop the full power (Setting 1) to 90% to make it more efficient but still give a really decent level of power. You can also program the app to give you a warning when the battery reaches a certain level or the range drops below a certain point.

One thing that was super annoying was the contextual and summary audio advice mode. When enabled each press of the power button is accompanied by your phone shouting out your current speed, elevation etc. Bear in mind you might need to do three or more button presses it repeats the audio commentary FOR EVERY BUTTON PRESS. Luckily you can of course turn it off.

Components

Ribble always punches well above its weight when it comes to speccing its bikes, thanks in part to it's direct to consumer business model. It also gives you the option to customise some of the parts and the colour through the Bike Builder section of its website.

>>> Best women's electric bikes

Ribble has opted for a sensible eleven speed SRAM NX drivetrain to give a decent spread of gears whilst still keeping things simple. It has a solid and chunky shifting performance that isn't the most refined but has been reliable and has yet to miss a beat. The 42 tooth chainring and 11-42 cassette mesh well together and it has an easy enough low gear selection to prevent undo strain and range reduction on hillier rides.

Ribble has laced the Ebikemotion hub into a set of Mavic Aksium Elite EVO wheels and that's a sensible step. These are solid and reliable and perfectly suited to the job in hand. Tubeless compatibility is a bonus, especially if you come to rely on the bike for daily commuter miles, but unfortunately Ribble doesn't spec the tubeless version of the really rather good Schwalbe G-One Allround tyre.

The finishing kit is all Ribble's in-house Level kit, including a sensibly wide riser style handlebar to provide a decent amount of control. I've also been impressed with how comfortable the Ribble Classic saddle has been, even going as far as completing 20km rides without using cycling shorts without issue.

The alloy Level seatpost is looking decidedly scruffy after being raised and lowered a few times so be aware that this can happen quite quickly.

I did not get on well with the grips, at all (NB: these have been improved since the review was first published - the images show the new style). Superficially they look great and have a pleasant amount of cushioning but after the first ride they began spinning on the bars - something that seems to be difficult to rectify.

As this is the Fully Loaded version it comes with a decent aluminium rack and mudguards already fitted. The rack is rated to 25 kilos and is really solid and the full mudguards are genuine SKS examples.

The front mudguard did have a habit of coming loose especially on rougher road surfaces and it did fully go flying one time. Fortunately it features safety clips so didn't cause an accident and despite riding over it i could bend it all back and it still functions perfectly. It would have been good to see an extended mudflap on the rear guard to really protect the rider.

Performance

The Ribble Hybrid AL e is really quite a joy to ride in most respects. It has an engaging handling feel that and a build quality that turns it into a bike you look forward to riding rather than a dead and dreary commuter. It doesn't encourage you to go fast however and as with most pedal-assist bikes it is one that works best when tickling around the assistance limit.

The light overall weight means it isn't an anchor to pedal when you do inevitably find yourself increasing the speed. Something that this bike does better than many of it's rivals is it's capabilities off the beaten path on forest tracks and tow paths when the tyres and handling make it pretty fun to ride. I would recommend taking off the mudguards if you are to spend a lot of time on this type of terrain as they do make a racket.

What I did find to be a slight issue was the sizing and the impact of the short reach of the frame. At 183cm/6'1" I am right at the top of the Ribble suggested large frame size and it felt like I needed to raise the handlebar as my weight was pushing down a little too much for this style of bike. Ideally I would want to ride the XL size and would recommend that if you are within a few centimetres of the border between sizes it would be best to go up to the next size if possible.

Buy now: Ribble Hybrid AL e from Ribble Cycles from £1999

Value

At less than £2k for a fully loaded electric bike with a superb frame, quality motor system and really decent parts the Ribble Hybrid AL e certainly offers almost unbeatable value when compared to its rivals.

When a brand uses the name 'Commuter' for a range of bikes you can be pretty assured as to whom it is aimed at. Comprising of six models split over two very different frame designs, Canyon's Commuter range has high spec and high reliability at its core to ensure the regular rider won't be let down. The Canyon Commuter 4.0 on test sits near the middle of the range and represents probably the best value for money of the lot.

The frame

Durability and comfort are key aspects of the Commuter 4.0's frameset. Both frame and fork have been constructed using an unspecified grade of aluminium alloy and have been designed to be simple, plain and unobtrusive, therefore allowing the bike to blend into the background rather than attract unwelcome attention when locked up.

Geometry is relaxed with a tall head tube and short reach creating a safe and comfortable upright riding position that provides clear vision in traffic. The dropped top tube increases standover clearance making it easy to mount and dismount in town. Tyre clearances are plenty big enough to cope with the 35mm Schwalbe tyres and included guards without causing any issues. The frame also bucks the trend for internal cable routing opting instead for maintenance friendly external routing under the downtube. Full complement of eyelets for mounting guards and racks are included as well as two bottle cage mounts.

The best commuting bikes for 2019: a buyers guide

Components

Canyon has opted for reliability over lightweight with the spec of the Commuter 4.0. The 1x11 speed drivetrain is based around Shimano SLX, Shimano's third tier MTB groupset. This means it's solidly built, reliable and should last a good amount of time before needing to be replaced. One neat touch with the under bar shifter is the ability to shift down the cassette using either a finger pull or push so avoiding any confusion and pretty useful when riding with gloves.

It has a single front chainring fitted with a chain guard to protect your clothing. The gearing is ideal for flat to rolling commuting with the 44 tooth chainring combining well with the wide range 11-46 tooth cassette. Giving a spread of gear that can easily suit the rider who wants to take it easy and cruise as much as the commuter who wants to get there as quickly as possible.

Fitting a Shimano dynamo front hub means the Commuter 4.0 has powerful lights available to it at any time without the need and hassle to fit and charge lights. The Supernova E3 lightset provide a good constant spread of light at the front. It's listed as producing 205 lumens that, although might sound low, is actually more than enough to create excellent visibility and is capable of safely lighting the way along a dark road or lane. It is also fitted with a set of Tubus Wingee full mudguards. Solidly built and with zero rattles, these are proper high quality items. The rear guard can also take a set of panniers. This does look to be limited to a specific set from Ortlieb but the good news is for once these don't seem to be the most expensive set on the market.

The rest of the componentry is focussed around comfort and durability. Two standouts of which are the comfortable Iridium Fitness saddle and the ergonomic handlebar grips that provide a decent platform to support the hands whilst riding.

Which Canyon bike is right for you?

The ride

As expected, the Canyon Commuter 4.0 is a really easy bike to get along with and use on a daily basis. The riding position puts you in a commanding position keeping your head and shoulders nice and upright. Ideal for visibility in traffic and also to aid rider awareness during a ride. Canyon has adjusted the geometry based on the style of riding this bike is suitable for and it has a very relaxed approach to handling. Steering is certainly more St Bernard than Greyhound and that is reassuring on the early morning commute when your brain isn't quite up to speed.

The alloy frame and relatively heavy overall weight create a rather muted ride that does a good job of shielding the rider from poor road surfaces. The larger volume Schwalbe tyres also offer a good level of grip with the all-over tread pattern enabling the Commuter 4.0 to deal with riding on a variety of surfaces admirably.

One area that does hinder the Commuter 4.0 is the front dynamo hub. Although it does provide the bike with full-time lights it has the downside of creating a large amount of drag at the front wheel. This obviously has the negative aspect of making it harder to maintain speed during a ride without exerting more effort than necessary. This drag will reduce in time as the hub wears in but it will take you a few months of riding before this happens.

Buy now: Canyon Commuter 4.0 for £999 from Canyon

Value

Just one pound shy of a thousand and the Commuter 4.0 does seem quite a lot of money for a bike that is designed to be locked up and vulnerable for the majority of its life. However what you are getting is a bike designed to give reliable service for many years and to be relatively enjoyable to ride during that time. When you look at the actual quality of the components then the Commuter 4.0 does represent pretty good value for money. The Supernova lights and front dynamo hub, for example, would set you back nearly three hundred pounds just on their own. When you add in the fact that there is really nothing you would need to change or add then it does become a pretty good package.

B'twin's previous flat bar bikes offered a no-nonsense approach to bike design that was as bomb proof as they were good value. Now, the French brand - re-branded in recent years as Triban - has re-worked the aluminium frame, and updated its design.

The result is a sporty looking machine that appear designed for both leisure rides and weekday commutes, just as many of the best hybrid bikes are.

Triban RC500 Flat bar - the construction

Decathlon offers the Triban RC500 with both flat and drop bars, and this decision tells us plenty about the bike in question.

Ostensibly what we have is an entry-level endurance road bike fitted with flat bars. The frame is made from 6061 T6 aluminium and is paired with carbon forks and an alloy steerer. It features QR dropouts and boasts mounting points for mudguards (fenders) and a rear rack. This is a major plus, elevating the bike’s versatility to that of a true hybrid, at home on the daily commute or a short tour rather than only having a singular purpose.

Perhaps with this in mind, the RC500 is built to deliver comfort as well as speed, with geometry that's well-suited to those new to cycling as well as anyone who prefers to sit a little more upright on the bike. There’s not a geometry sheet available but you’ve got a generous stack height and plenty of stability too thanks to longer chainstays and overall wheelbase.

Triban has incorporated a couple of tried-and-tested design elements to deliver comfort, namely dropped rear seat stays and a sloping top tube. There’s also plenty of tire clearance too, allowing for tires as wide as 36mm. However, the bike comes equipped with 28mm Triban Resist+ tyres fitted to tubeless-ready Triban wheels. These look pretty rudimentary but that’s often the case on a bike in this price range.

The ProMax mechanical disc brakes are pretty basic too, although they are fitted with compressionless housing, which should improve the braking. Again, it’s a component choice that's made with budget in mind rather than improved performance. That can’t be said of the transmission, though. 

Shifting comes courtesy of Shimano Sora components, with a compact double chainset matched to a 9-speed 11-32 cassette. And while it’s not a pricey option it’s one that can be trusted to work reliably while at the same time being durable, too.

It all adds up to a bike that’s not exactly light, 10.7kg for my medium. That said the wheelset alone weighs close to 2.5kg so there are clearly opportunities here to reduce the RC500’s overall weight should you be inclined to do so.

Triban RC500 flat bar - the ride

It doesn’t take long to realise that the Triban 500 is a well designed bike. The sensible geometry makes it instantly comfortable, promoting an upright riding position that’s suited to its broad range of uses. On busy streets it makes it easy to navigate your surroundings. On longer journeys it allows you to settle in and enjoy the ride. Granted it’s not aerodynamically efficient but that’s not important here - and the Triban doesn’t exactly feel sluggish either. 

The comfort gained from the riding position, which can be tweaked somewhat thanks to the inclusion of a +/- 7 degree stem and plenty of headset spacers, is matched by the compliance of the frame.

You wouldn’t ordinarily associate aluminium, even half-decent 6061 tubing used here, with delivering a plush ride. But reviewing bikes made from all sorts of materials has made me realize that we fixate too much on what we believe are a material’s inherent properties, rather than appreciating that how they are used has just as much impact on how the bike will ride.

As mentioned, Triban has used both dropped rear seat stays and a sloping top tube, which means there’s plenty of exposed seat post, to build in some rear end compliance. And it really works. Even with the 28mm tires and on some pretty ropey road surfaces it absorbed much of the chatter. Rolling along at speed this became less so but I’d still describe it as a comfortable ride.

The alumimium frame is matched with a carbon fork. This probably has a dampening effect too, adding to the bike’s overall forgiving nature, but I wouldn’t say it was perceptible. The choice of material does help shave a few grams off the bike’s weight though and helped to make the front end feel pretty sprightly - the bike was a blast to ride in traffic due to a responsiveness that belied its overall weight.

However, the Triban 500 felt at its best when it was rolling along an open road. The aforementioned comfort, coupled with 700c wheels, fast-rolling tires and a compact road chainset meant that it accelerated quickly and then could hold the speed. I took in an ‘out and back’ shared access path that’s popular with runners and leisure cyclists and it felt right at home.

On climbs it did become a bit of a deadweight however and I was reminded that, at this price point, something has to give. However, the gears help to negate this somewhat.

As expected the Shimano Sora components delivered faultless performance. The bar end shifters require a reassuringly firm push, so you know when you’ve shifted a gear, but the trim facility means there’s no rubbing even when the chainline is less than optimal. It’s not a complete Shimano groupset, with the cassette manufactured by Microshift, but it didn’t cause any issues.

As for the gear range, the compact Sora chainset with its 50/34t chainrings matched to the 9-speed 11-32t cassette seems about right for a bike that might be required to get you to work as well as be used for a family cycling holiday or a regular weekend ride. If you plan on using the rear rack mounts and end up carrying a full load, either touring or commuting to work, you may wish for something a little lower that the 34-32t combination but for most users the gearing should suffice.

While the dependable Sora didn’t surprise me, there were a couple of components that did. Firstly, the tires were better than expected. While you may wish to fit some 30 or 32s for improved comfort, a more aggressive tread pattern for better grip, or some bulletproof rubber for a daily commute, the Triban Resist model that comes as standard is perfectly capable. 

Stock tires, matched with stock wheels, can often lead to a wooden ride feel but not here. Without any testing to prove it, the tires did feel like they had a pretty low rolling resistance. Equally, they didn’t feel too rigid or lifeless. I haven’t ridden the bike enough to attest to their long term durability or puncture resistance but they do feature a 1mm anti-puncture band and I've had no issues during my time with the bike.

The wheels also deserve a mention. They’re nothing to get remotely excited about but equally they rolled along nicely, with enough stiffness to aid acceleration rather than hinder it. They’re tubeless ready too, although the tires aren’t, which seems like a missed opportunity perhaps. Having not had to deal with a puncture I can’t comment on how tricky the tire and rim combination is.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Pro Max disc brakes, too. Cheaper mechanical disc brakes, of which these are, can be unreliable at best and a down right nuisance at their worst. While the Pro Max lack the sophistication of hydraulic brakes, and can’t match the overall stopping power either, they functioned adequately and didn’t knock my confidence when it came to braking. If I owned a Triban RC500 I’d still swap them out but wouldn’t necessarily feel the need to do this immediately.

The list of dislikes is far shorter, and none of them are even close to being dealbreakers. The grips are pretty awful; too hard, too small and pretty uncomfortable after a few miles of riding. The pedals would also need to go, but this is to be expected.

I’d also swap out the saddle but this is only to fit one that I’m used to rather than because the stock one isn’t up to par. I’d be inclined to replace the tires with something a little wider too, but again this is more of a personal preference rather than a knock on the tires. If you’re using the bike for fast fitness rides on smooth surfaces then the 28mm width is likely a good fit.

Triban RC500 Flat Bar - Value

The Triban RC500 retails at £649.99. The Boardman HYB 8.6 is a similarly specc'd hybrid but costs £50 less. Given that the Boardman also benefits from hydraulic disc brakes and the Triban starts to seem a little overpriced , at least in comparison to the excellent HYB 8.6.

The Pinnacle Lithium 4 is a women's hybrid bike. However, its capabilities go far beyond what that title would denote to most cyclists.

After one ride to the shops, I was smiling like a child that's eaten too many yellow skittles - but it was a mixed terrain road, gravel and forest track outing which really ignited my appreciation for this simple but competent machine.

• Buy now: Pinnacle Lithium 4 women's hybrid bike at Evans Cycles for £575
• Buy now: Pinnacle Lithium 4 men's hybrid bike at Evans Cycles for £575

At the heart of the Lithium is an aluminium chassis, with a double butted top and down tube plus a Hi-Ten steel fork. Double butting means that the tubes use two different degrees of thickness, allowing the creators to drop weight where possible, without negatively impacting stiffness.

Pinnacle, the in-house brand at Evans Cycles, offers the bike with men's or women's spec - the female version comes in smaller sizes, with a women's saddle and 640mm bars as opposed to the 680mm's specced on the men's models.

My first few riders were simple errands normally assigned to a hybrid - slinging a backpack on to collect ingredients for dinner, riding to the gym, and other essential life missions.

In these instances, the bike bombed along merrily, handling felt secure and the Shimano MT200 hydraulic disc brakes stopped me quickly when I asked them to.

I could roll up and over curbs on the 40c Continental Contact Speed tyres without a second thought and rutted roads were flattened out to near Spanish tarmac consistency. I barely noticed minor potholes or lumps that would send my jersey pockets flying on a road bike.

However, with its wide, sweeping handlebars and beefy tyres, I had the immediate sensation of being aboard a mountain bike, as opposed to a nimble city slicker. Though not ideal for sidling through narrow gaps in traffic,  I could immediately see the worth of this high riding quality on lumpier terrain.

Evans Cycles says that the Lithium is as at home on the trails, ridden like a rigid 29er mountain bike, as it is on the road - and my first impressions certainly backed that claim. So I waited until a dry and dusty day before fitting clipless pedals and hitting the trails.

Exploring the territory I usually save for cyclocross excursions, the Lithium was more than capable with the specced tyres run at a low pressure. Not only that, there's space for up to 2.2" mountain bike tyres, so plenty of capacity to fit knobblies that would cater for wet days in the mud, too.

The alloy frame and steel fork create an overall package that isn't exactly lightweight when compared with road bikes we usually test - coming in at 12.5kg for a size medium with pedals fitted.

However, the triple chainset (44-32-22) and 11-32 cassette negated the extra heft whilst riding, so it was only really when carrying the bike up the steps to home that the weight was an issue.

Perhaps if I'd wanted to go for a QOM I might have felt disgruntled by those extra kilos, but for a non-competitive joyful spin, it was no bother.

Shifting comes from a largely Shimano Alivio groupset, which was sharp enough for my needs, though admittedly in traditional 'roadie on a trail' fashion, I wasn't going anywhere particularly quickly.

Coupled with the high volume tyres, this ample gearing made tracks that are sometimes a bit testing on a CX bike seem easy, leaving me grinning and greedy for more of the rocky, gravely stuff.

Flitting between lines, dipping into mini gravel ravines, thundering over roots and even slamming on the brakes for some squirrel induced wheel skid all felt natural.

When on the tarmac, I noticed a little flex when getting out the saddle, but this was only really on the steep slopes required to get out of Caterham Valley, many of which hit 20 per cent at times and aren't likely to be on the average commuter route.

The steel fork did feel more clatterey than the carbon I'm used to on my 'cross bike - I was more aware than usual when I hit hard rocks, despite the wide tyres. However, this is a bike that's built to be price conscious and that is reflected in this choice.

There were moments where I did find myself longing for the squish of a little front suspension as per a standard hardtail mountain bike, but in reality this would either heavily add to the weight or cost. Plus, it could well remove a little bit of the childlike fun which comes from taking a bike somewhere conventional wisdom would suggest you shouldn't.

Notably, I wasn't able to bunny hop the Lithium like I could a lighter 'cross bike. The wider volume tyres should make the movement easier, but the weight just meant I couldn't pick up the momentum in the air.

The Lithium has mounts for panniers and luggage, so its road and off-road capabilities, comfortable geometry and bombproof alloy/steel make-up mean it could make a pretty nifty touring bike for someone who wants to go multi-day exploring.

At £575, the Lithium is competitively priced, offering a full Shimano groupset where big brand competitors provide a more haggled together mix.

Opting for quality Continental tyres in the original build spec again demonstrates that Pinnacle's designers know which components matter the most, and won't be tempted to scrimp there.

For a beginner to cycling, this price tag will seem like a big outlay, and you can be rest assured you'll get a reliable bike you can use to explore many different styles of riding.

For long term riders, this is likely to represent a relatively small spend - from which you'll find you get a lot of bike, with the potential to reignite your love of the paths less explored.

Pottering about by bike is one of the finest things in life, but deciding between either a road bike or off-road bike can be a real dilemma, especially if, like me, you're more of a free range rider who likes to dabble in both.

Buy now: Carrera Subway 1 from Halfords for £240

The hybrid Carrera Subway should then be music to your ears, as with it's lightweight frame, wide range of gears, disc brakes and mix terrain tyres, like many of the best hybrid bikes it has been designed to be the perfect cross over from tarmac to trail.

Construction

There are three Carrera Subway bike's in the range, a men's and women's specific Subway 1 and a male/ unisex Subway 2.

All three Subway's share the same lightweight aluminium frame, with the women's frame getting a subtle frame geometry tweak with a dropped top tube. The men's and women's Subway 1 frames are teamed with a steal fork, with the men's/ unisex Subway 2 getting a lighter weight alloy one.

The other key differences between Carrera Subway 1 and Subway 2 is in the specification of component parts, which can be summed up as gears and brakes, with Tektro Aries mechanical disc brakes and 8speed (24 gears) Shimano Torney fitted to Subway 1 (men's and women's) while the Subway 2 gets Clark M2 hydraulic disc brakes and 9speed Shimano Altus (27gears).

The rest of the Carrera Subway finishing kit is similar across the range, with aluminium seat post, flat bars and shared 27.5 wheels and Kenda K841 tyres, designed with a balance of grip and reasonable rolling resistance in mind, as well as providing puncture protection.  It's good to see that all three also share the same mud guard and pannier mounts too, making the Carrera Subway a pretty versatile bike.

For this review I rode the women's Subway 1, so worth bearing in mind that there will be a slight difference in terms of performance for the other two in the range.

The Ride.

Having recently ridden the B'Twin Riverside hybrid bike, I was keen to put the Carrera Subway 1 through a similar testing environment, with a mix of road and trail like terrain. However, even on the tarmac roads of south Manchester, it was clear that I was in for a bumpy ride as it feels like the bike transmits any road surface blemish directly to the rider.

It's not on a bone rattling level, just significantly greater than the afore mentioned B'twin, which to be fair does have 60mm of front suspension, but it's felt more noticeable than the out and out carbon race bikes that I've also been riding recently.

A slight decrease of tyre pressure helped soften the buzz enough to take the Carrera Subway 1 on minor bits of off road, and it coped pretty well, nimble enough to navigate tight slow corners, while being predictable to give a rider handling confidence, especially when descending at a reasonable speed or, when riding slowly in traffic, something that the B'Twin Riverside lacked due to it's twitchy nature.

The other confidence inspiring aspect of the Carrera Subway 1 was the mechanical disc brakes. I have to admit to be being pretty dubious about how effective they would be, but even on a delightful rain soaked ride, they were top notch and in all honestly I actually struggled to tell the difference performance wise with hydraulic ones, although over time with cable stretch and general wear and tear I suspect the performance will tail off, but it's only a matter of keeping up with bike maintenance.

Unlike most bikes, the Carrera Subway 1 does come with pedals, but these would be something I would replace immediately as in the wet they're grip is more or less zero. Even with reasonably grippy trainers on, I could hardly stop my feet from slipping off the pedals, annoying at best, dangerous at worst in terms of bike control.

Value

For £300 the Carrera Subway 1 is a good bike, it will certainly get you out rolling and enjoying the world by bike. With it's mudguard and panner rack mounts, it also offers a good deal of opportunity to be reasonably versatile, although I wouldn't want to ride it over any real distance as it's just not quite comfortable enough to be on it for a long period of time.

Selecting a hybrid bike is one of the best, but often hardest decisions to make. It can feel like a minefield trying to navigate through all the choices to be made. Which is why the B'Twin Riverside 920 hybrid bike stands out, its versatility giving it near 'go anywhere' ability means all the decisions are taken care of.

Buy now: B'Twin Riverside 920 now from Decathlon for £649.99

Construction

Made from a lightweight 6061 aluminium the unisex B'Twin Riverside 920 hybrid is impressively light for a hybrid, weighing just over 12kg, depending on size, with our small coming in at around the 12.2kg mark.

The bike comes equipped with a Suntour NCX Air suspension fork, with remote lockout, allowing you to either take advantage of the 63mm of travel on rougher terrain, or take the suspension away when on smoother tarmac when you want to convert all energy into forward motion.

>>> Best women's hybrid bikes

The air cushioning suspension system also has adjustable stiffness, allowing you to ensure that you option the maximum benefit based on the weight you put through the front of the bike.

The B'Twin Riverside 920 also comes with Promax DSK 908 hydraulic disc brakes. It's an impressive find on a hybrid bike at this price point, ideal for giving riders stopping power and speed modulation in all weather and on all terrain.

Another impressive find on the B'Twin Riverside 920 is the SRAM NX drivetrain. Not only because of its 11 indexed gears, but because of its interchangeable compatibility. The 11/ 42 spread at the rear cassette, should allow you find a gear capable of getting you up most hills, but should you find the spread too wide ranging (the jump from one gear to the next making it too hard or too easy), there's always the ability to fit either a  34-tooth or 38-tooth range cassette options as an after market option, which would make the jumps between gears a lot smaller.

The B'Twin Riverside 920 really does just keep on giving and discovering it rolls on a pair of  Mavic Allroad Aksium wheels is outstanding. With wheels often taking the hit when it comes to spec'ing a bike in order for a brand to hit a certain price point, I was expected to see a pair of no-name budget options.

Mavic on the other hand is the go to wheel brand for many bike riders, and an exceptional find on a bike at this price point. Shod in a pair of 38mm B'Twin TrekkingSpeed Protect+ tyres, these should be pretty bomb proof in terms of dealing with hits and nicks on either road or off road.

The Ride

I'm fortunate to live in an area of the UK that is blessed in terms of riding options. I'm based in Stockport, so have the benefits of all worlds in terms of being on the edge of the hill Peak District and flat Cheshire plains, as well as a brilliant gravel trail network with canals, disused railway lines as well as a significant number of bridal ways to choose from.

It's basically a great test bed for all bikes, and meat that the B'Twin Riverside 920 got a through airing to test its capabilities.

And it didn't disappoint. With the suspension locked out, it rolled rapidly on the road, it's by no means a road bike, with the geometry giving you a upright position, but I was able to feel 'pushed' around rather than 'pulling' a heavy bike along. There was a bit of a big jump in gears, but was always able to find one that suited eventually. If I was going to use it consistently for the same rides I would be temped to get a cassette that suited the sort of terrain I was using to iron some of the jumps out, but it's a minor personal preference.

Taking the bike off the beaten track was just as successful. As expected the wheel and tyre set up was perfect for all but the muddiest of routes, and with the suspension unlocked and wide ranging cassette, there wasn't a lot the B'Twin Riverside 920 isn't capable off.

It's a very comfortable ride, the position, lightweight nature and overall set up means that you can easily spend a lot of time on the bike without suffering from aches and ailments, or feel like the poor relation in terms of keeping up with friends and family who are perhaps on flashier more expensive bikes.

The only down side was that I did notice that the front end was a bit twitchy at low speeds in traffic though. Looking at the B'Twin Riverside 920 you can see that the head tube angle and the forks are almost in a straight line, so any movement you make with the bars are directly converted to the wheel direction.

This isn't an issue when peddling and riding at reasonable speeds, but when it comes to navigating traffic at under 5mph, the direct handling is very noticeable and something to be aware of if you are thinking of using the bike on a daily busy commute when you have to negotiate a fair amount of go slow.

Value

In a word the B'Twin Riverside 920 offers outstanding value for money. It's so versatile, and even compatible with a child seat, rear pannier rack and mudguards. It's high level of components will be hard, if not impossible to match else where and means that the bike is ready to roll straight from the shop.

Bristol Bicycles was founded in 2015 by Jake Voelcker with the idea to sell hybrid bikes designed for commuting in the UK. It says its goal is to get more people cycling by making it easy, fun, reliable, affordable and normal to cycle every day.

The company assembles its bikes to order in the UK with an emphasis on rideability, reliability and light weight without being too expensive. As well as the Park Street hybrid, the company also makes the Burrington tourer complete with front and rear racks and an e-bike version of the Bristol Park Street.

>>> Best hybrid bikes: a buyer's guide

Bristol Bicycles offers 0% finance, try-before-you-buy test rides and bike hire from its Bristol base along with free mainland UK delivery when you buy a bike.

Frame

The Bristol Park Street hybrid has an aluminium alloy frame with a steel fork. Its bottom bracket is quite high which, along with its high bar position gives good visibility of the road ahead. Bristol Bicycles says that its frame is UK designed, although it is made in the Far East.

As you’d expect, you get a full set of mounts for mudguards and front and rear racks, so the bike can be set up for all-weather use. You can specify mudguards as a £40 option and add front and rear racks when you order the bike. The frame has mounting points for disc brakes, which can be specified as an upgrade from the base model which we’ve tested.

>>> Best cheap road bikes under £500

All the cables are routed externally, for easy maintenance. As well as the model with a crossbar, there’s a step-through frame option. Like a Ford Model T, you can get the bike in any colour so long as it’s black. There are a total of five different frame size options between the top tube and step-through versions.

Specification

As you’d expect from a bike at this price point, you get one of Shimano’s workhorse groupsets – in this case Altus 8 speed, an MTB gruppo. You also get a triple chainset with a 28 tooth smallest sprocket. Married to an 11-32 cassette, there’s plenty of range for tackling Bristol’s steep uphills.

Wheels have Weinmann rims – a name from cycling’s past – and Quando hubs, with 36 spokes which Bristol says that it hand trues. The rear wheel is quick release, while the front is bolted on – a good combination to discourage wheel theft from a bike that’s likely to be locked up in public places.

Tyres come from Mitas and have a pronounced tread, while the inner tubes use Schrader valves. Bristol Bicycles says that the tyres have good in-built puncture protection. They also have a reflective strip around the sidewalls – a nice touch for a bike that may be ridden for night-time winter commutes.

On the standard build, you get Shimano side pull V-brake calipers, although you can specify hydraulic disc braking as a £100 option. There’s a choice of multiple bar options, including a Comfort Touring butterfly bar. The standard bars come with lock-on ergo grips – again a well thought-out feature.

You can also spec extras like dynamo or battery lights and more robust pedals than the standard issue plastic. The Bristol Bicycles waterproof saddle is available in standard width or wide and the bike also comes with a full set of reflectors.

Riding the Bristol Bicycles Park Street hybrid

The Bristol Park Street feels very leisurely to pedal through leafy lanes and city back roads. It doesn’t feel like a bike that wants to be hurried and I was content to take relaxed excursions and enjoy the countryside. You get to see a lot more too, as you’re perched much higher up than on any drop bar bike, giving you a view out over the hedges to the fields beyond.

The combination of quite a high bottom bracket and a very upright riding position does affect stability though. Along with the short effective stem length of not much more than 6cm, this led to a more twitchy ride than we’d expect in a bike of this type.

The bike will glide silently between the hedges and cope with the ups and downs. With a huge gear range that extends below 1:1, you can happily sit in and pedal up pretty much anything. Indeed I took on arrowed hills without needing to use the 32 tooth largest sprocket, despite the Park Street’s not inconsiderable weight.

>>> Best hybrid bikes reviewed

On descents, the braking feels very assured too, at least in the dry conditions in which I rode the bike. It’s not a machine I’d relish carrying up more than a few stairs though, due to its weight and high bars.

Value

Value-wise the Park Street hybrid looks about on a par with offerings from much larger brands, which is something of a coup for Bristol Bicycles. Its standard spec is very comparable, but you’ve got the option to make some significant upgrades if you’re looking for something specific or want the confidence of disc brakes.

The Giant Escape 1 Disc is Giant's city slicker, disc equipped do-it-all hybrid bike that would be a great choice for anyone looking to start riding leisurely or wants to get to work in comfort.

A lick of paint and some slight component changes has brought the 2018 version of the capable bike to life, which for £625 is offering great design features and good performance.

Buy now: Giant Escape 1 Disc at Cycle Surgery for £549

Giant Escape 1 Disc: Plenty of neat frame features

The frame itself is made from ALUXX-grade butted aluminium, traditionally a material seen to give a good balance between weight and comfort. This Giant has paired to a composite fork with an alloy steerer and it claims this should help dampen any road vibrations coming through the front end.

>>> Best women's hybrid bikes

It's a comfortable bike, and on my commutes around the mean streets of London I've not been in any discomfort when bobbling over the pot holes and broken roads.

The frame's geometry helps elevate this comfort to another level. The frame's boxy style is in line with Giant's compact road bike offerings such as the Giant Defy Advanced 2 and it puts the rider in a comfortable upright position without the strain on the neck and shoulders associated with classic racing bike design. Pair this with a riser stem and plenty of spacers on top of the head tube you'll never feel any neck ache at all.

What I particularly like about the Giant Escape 1 Disc is that Giant has endowed the bike with an enormous amount of standover clearance. It'll be a welcome relief to those who usually ride in jeans as it makes hopping on and off the bike a whole lot easier.

I was happily surprised by the inclusion of internal cable routing. It's not something you often see on this type of hybrid bike, and it does make for a tidy looking front end.

Watch: Hybrid bike buyer's guide

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN0j7vzkf8A

Good brakes make for a good bike

A nice touch are the hydraulic Tektro disc brakes, and it's pleasing on this type of city bike not to have cable operated ones – the difference in feel is immediately noticeable. Considering the aforementioned weight it's also great to see Giant provide 160mm rotors, and the bigger diameter discs add a level of power and control that compliments the weight of the bike.

Out on the commute, I'd always opt for disc brakes. The assured stopping power and increased control are a must have in heavy traffic, especially when you throw rain into the mix.

Elsewhere, and as you might expect, Giant largely provides its own brand components for the Giant Escape and that extends to the stem, seatpost, saddle and handlebar. The last two of which are actually quite important, making up two of the three contact points on the bike.

The Giant Connect Upright saddle was a comfortable enough perch for my commutes (the longest of which was 6km). However, if you intend to push the distance on this bike it could be worth swapping in a saddle you know you get on well with.

The Giant Connect Low Rise handlebars are also up to scratch and provide a nice little lift at the front end, again adding a little bit of elevation and comfort to the ride. They measure either 640mm on the the small or medium bikes and 690mm on our large test bike and the extra large model.

The important part, though, is the Shimano Altus drivetrain. As with most Shimano products, it has proven itself bombproof, and its shifting hasn't skipped a beat. It's a triple setup, which means you'll have the use of three rings at the front (in a 26/36/48 guise paired with a nine speed cassette on the back) which makes winching yourself up any hills relatively painless – a big relief considering the fairly hefty weight of the bike.

Buy now: Giant Escape 1 Disc at Cycle Surgery for £549

Out on the road, the Giant Escape 1 Disc with wide 32mm tyres drag quite a lot, but once you're up to speed the bike trundles along, although is certainly not nippy. Of course, speed isn't the aim of the game when commuting or leisurely riding, and the flip-side is the increased comfort that comes with increased tyre width and they certainly helped dull the choppy roads. It's a specification choice that will come down to exactly what you want to use the bike for.

Giant has also done its best to create a bike that can do it all and while we wouldn't want to do long road rides on it - for that we'd always recommend a purposely design road bike - it'll handle canal paths and the like without problem.

We’ve been singing the praises of B’Twin’s drop bar, and flat bar packages for a while now because they offer outstanding ride quality, for ridiculous prices and the B'Twin Triban 520 flat bar is no different.

It’s a step up from the Triban Flat Bar 500 that we’ve reviewed previously, and despite coming in at almost double the price it’s still superb value.

Buy now: B'Twin Triban 520 flat bar at Decathlon for £449.99

Read more: B'Twin Triban 520 drop bar

Frame

The frame is undeniably B’Twin in its looks, something that people are beginning to recognise more and more thanks to their popularity and success on the streets of the UK.

It’s made out of 6061 Aluminium, which grants the best of both worlds in terms of comfort, stiffness and weight when it comes to ride quality. The front end has those square tubes that slim towards the bottom bracket while out back, the frame has some boxy, short chain stays which helps nip the bike around urban furniture found on your commutes.

>>> The best cheap road bikes: a buyer's guide

Obviously, it’s not built as a dedicated performance machine, and there’s no beefy bottom bracket or overbuilt headtubes on show. Despite this, it’s still a nippy bike, probably to do with the fact it weighs just over 10kg, which isn't that weighty considering its price and dedicate use. Its carbon front end definitely helps keep the weight down – a feature that also helps take the pain out of the road surface, but more on that later.

>>> B'Twin Aerofit shorts review

Specification

The Triban 520 is undeniably specced as an entry-level machine, but that’s all for the better. Those who are new to the sport, or don’t ride regularly, will definitely benefit from the Shimano Sora triple chainset.

It sports nine gears on the back in a 12-25 spread, which might not sound high, but with the triple you’ll winch yourself up anything.

Shimano Sora is also bombproof and a solid performer, meaning it should shift reliably every time you hop on the bike. Elsewhere, the threaded bottom bracket is a welcome addition, making working on the bike far more pleasant. Especially if you intend to be commuting well into winter.

As we’ve mentioned, the carbon fork is great, and it’s something B’Twin has done well across its range of entry-level pieces. It can make the difference between a sluggish ride, and one with zip, which ultimately decides whether a ride is fun or a chore.

As you might expect, the rest of the bike is made up of a smorgasbord of B’twin parts, including wheels, stem and bars as well as seat post and saddle – but it all does the trick. Especially the 28mm Vittoria tyres that really take the sting out of the road. 

>>> Best hybrid bikes 2017

B’twin has also specced its own brand brakes, albeit with Shimano Tektro levers. Performance is there or thereabouts, but as ever, upgrading them would definitely make a massive difference in both stopping power and quality.

>>> Best women's hybrid bikes

It’s also well equipped for lugging your luggage. The frame has mounts bored into it, allowing you to rack up some panniers and mudguards, both of which are vital additions for any bike being used on a commute.

Watch: Hybrid bike buyer's guide

Ride

Despite it’s flat bar, the Triban 520 rides a lot like a thoroughbred road bike. It doesn’t feel slow and lumbering like commuter bikes can. Sure, the bars cause control to be a tad twitchy but the ride is assured and controlled.  

It doesn’t feel too heavy, the aluminium frame and carbon forks work in partnership to stop the bike feeling overly bulky, which, admittedly, it looks like it should be.

Instead, it’s comfortable, and as we mentioned earlier, the carbon fork helps tackle any uncomfortable road buzz that the UK’s predictably unpredictable roads manage to throw up.

Buy now: B'Twin Triban 520 flat bar at Decathlon for £429

It feels quite efficient, too and commuting well over 10km to work isn’t a chore in the slightest. In fact, this bike can punch well above its weight in terms of rideable distance, and couple this with a great spread of gears and the reasonable weight and it becomes a great choice should you want to start striking out a little further.

There has been a trend among bike manufacturers to paint their high-end road bikes in all-black stealth colours, which was perhaps why I was a little surprised to find out that this Cannondale Bad Boy hybrid can be picked up for a penny under £550.

>>> Buy now at CycleStore for £695

>>> Best hybrid bikes: a complete buyer's guide

The Cannondale Bad Boy 4 sits at the bottom of the company's hybrid range, with an aluminium frame and  a rigid fork. The bike you see here is the 2016 model, and for 2017 the Cannondale Bad Boy will be gaining a Lefty fork, with the upper two models of the range having a suspension fork with built in LED lights.

For a relatively inexpensive hybrid bike, I was surprised by how nippy the Cannondale Bad Boy felt when riding around town. When I wanted to go fast to keep up with traffic, the aluminium frame always responded well, with little wasted effort and no super-high front end as you get on some lower-end hybrid bikes.

>>> 15 top tips for commuting to work by bike

The only thing that I felt really held me back when riding at high speed was the choice of handlebars. The bars are astonishingly wide at 68cm, which felt very odd when coming to this bike from a standard road bike. Granted this helped with creating a bike that wasn't too twitchy at the front end and was easy to handle, but also forces you to spread my arms very wide, sort of like a sail. The other problem is that this made it hard to fit through tight gaps, such as when filtering through stationery traffic, without leaving a trail of wing mirrors in my wake.

Thankfully, the manufacturer has done a better job when choosing the width of the tyres. The Cannondale Bad Boy 4 comes equipped with 28mm slick Schwalbe Kojak. These are the perfect match for the best hybrid bikes, with the 28mm width of the tyres giving extra grip and comfort without having a negative effect on rolling resistance (there is also enough clearance for even wider tyres), while the RaceGuard puncture protection kept me puncture-free through my time on the Bad Boy.

>>> Are wider tyres really faster?

The shifting components on the Cannondale Bad Boy seem to have been picked by someone reaching into a big box of bike parts and picking whatever came out first, with different component lines being used at every turn. The crankset is Shimano M171 with 48/38/28t chainrings, the front derailleur Shimano Altus, the rear derailleur Shimano Acera, the chain KMC Z51, and the cassette a 11-32t setup from Sunrace.

However, despite having a bit of a lucky dip groupset, the shifting on the Cannondale Bad Boy is more than adequate for a hybrid bike of this price. The crankset is pretty ugly, but the combination of a 28t chainring at the front and a 32t sprocket at the rear gives one of the smallest gears that you can ever hope for on a road-going bike, so should be enough to get even the unfittest of riders up the steepest of hills, while the rear derailleur does a nice job of clicking smoothly through the gears when cruising along.

>>> Road bike groupsets: a complete buyer's guide (video)

The only problem I had was trying to find the right gear when just cruising along on gently undulating roads. Having only eight gears to cover the 11-32t range of the cassette means there are some pretty huge jumps between sprockets. That, combined with having a triple chainset at the front, means that it can sometimes take quite a bit of clicking through gears to find a comfortable cadence.

Other than that the Cannondale Bad Boy ticks all the boxes that you would expect from any decent hybrid bike. There are eyelets for mudguard and pannier racks, with a vast amount of clearance for the former at both front and rear.

>>> 10 best ways to make your bike more comfortable

I was also impressed by the Cannondale Bad Boy Urban saddle, which is a lot slimmer than many of the other saddles that come attached to hybrid bikes out of the box. This won't be for everyone, but is certainly suitable if you sometimes want to inject a bit of pace into your daily commute.

For more details visit the Cannondale website.

Vitus is the bike brand of Chain Reaction Cycles and is sold direct from Chain Reaction’s website. It sells a wide range of bikes in different categories, including four ranges of dropped bar road bikes, the lowest spec of which is the aluminium Razor.

The Mach 3 is the highest spec hybrid bike in Vitus’s four-bike flat bar range and is made of the same materials as the Razor, with an alloy frame and carbon forks with an alloy steerer. The carbon forks are a nice touch which should help reduce road buzz over a steel or alloy model.

Its geometry is similar to the Razor too, with quite a short head tube, leading to a ride position which isn’t too upright and has a significant drop from saddle to bars. The sloping top tube makes getting on and off the bike and standing at lights easy too.

Unlike the Razor, the Mach 3 comes with disc brakes - like many of today's best hybrid bikes. Its M280 Auriga hydraulic brakes are effective and drama free both when descending and in the stop-go of urban traffic.

>>> Disc brakes: everything you need to know

The Mach 3 rolls on Vitus’s own brand wheels. They’re stiff enough and not too heavy and come with Kenda Kwest 28mm tyres.

There’s enough air volume that these can be run at lower pressures for a bit of extra comfort on uneven city streets or broken back road surfaces and Kenda claims good puncture protection.

They roll well too and the tread pattern will cope with most road conditions and the Kendas provide plenty of grip. The wheels are quick release front and rear.

>>> How to buy a new bike: a 12 point plan

There’s also enough clearance around the frame to run mudguards (which aren’t included). You can fit a rear rack too as there are mounting bolts on the seatstays. The bike comes with two sets of water bottle cage mount bolts if you need to carry drinks with you on your ride.

The Mach 3’s gearing is Shimano Claris. With 8 speeds and an 11-28 cassette at the rear coupled with a 50/34 double chainset, there’s a reasonable range of gears, although I did find that with the bike’s heft I was on the bottom of the range once I hit any significant upward gradients. The chainset has a guard around the large ring – useful to protect your trouser legs if you’re riding to work in your civilian clothes.

>>> Strava sees nearly 80,000 commutes logged on Global Bike to Work Day

Watch: five commuting tips

Vitus’s saddle is a comfortable perch, with enough padding to keep you comfortable on longer rides. The sloping frame geometry means that there’s plenty of extension of the alloy seatpost which also adds to comfort.

>>> Benefits of cycling to work outweigh damage caused by pollution, study claims

The bars on the Mach 3 are huge. They come in at just under 70cm wide, so you ride in a very arms-out position. It takes a bit of getting used to after a road bike and potentially limits your ability to squeeze through narrow gaps.

Along with the relatively short head tube it also means that you end up leant forward on your arms when riding and putting quite a bit of weight on your hands.

This is means that you don’t get too much wind resistance, as the position isn’t too different from an endurance bike with dropped handlebars.

It also means that you can adopt a fairly aero, elbows out position on fast downhills. It might not impress Chris Froome, but it does mean that you can get up a reasonable turn of speed.

>>> Lose weight through cycling: Lighter and faster in four weeks

I did find the weight on my arms quite tiring and hard on my wrists after an hour or so of riding though. The hand grips are effective but not very well padded; it would be worth swapping them for something with a bit more shock absorption built in.

Fortunately, this is an upgrade which isn’t too costly and otherwise the Mach 3 provides an attractive option both for commuting and leisure rides, as well as light touring, if you don’t fancy dropped bars.

Canyon is best known for making performance bikes, used by athletes the world over. Not content with just making road and mountain bikes, the German brand has launched a range of bikes designed for commuting and travelling around urban areas.

>>> Best hybrid bikes: a complete buyer's guide

The Canyon Urban and Commuter ranges start from £599 with the Urban 4.0 SL which features a standard chain drivetrain. There is a selection of models moving through to the top of the line Commuter 7.0 for £1599. The £1199 Canyon Urban 7.0 is the model at which you start to get the belt drive and is the model we have here for testing.

Frame

In addition, the Canyon Urban comes with anti-theft features too. The ‘IXOW’ system is designed to help keep your wheels and seatpost where they belong: on your bike. By using an innovative axle and seatpost clamp design, the components can only be adjusted and removed by those in the know…

Well thought out, good quality German design. This is a bike that will no doubt appeal to those who own a Smeg fridge that sits next to their Dualit Toaster and Phillipe Starck Orange Squeezer.

You also get Canyon’s VCLS seat post too. The seat post has a split design with two halves able to move past each other, creating some deflection. This is designed to improve your rear end comfort and smooth out crap roads.

Specification

The big news here is that the Canyon Urban comes with a belt drive in place of a standard chain. According to Canyon the belt drive requires much less maintenance than a standard chain and eliminates the need for oil.

There are 8 gears, located in the rear hub, by way of Shimano’s Alfine system. This is again ideal for low maintenance, with the gears protected and encased within the hub body, avoiding the need for frequent lubrication and cleaning.

>>> 15 tips for commuting by road

I really like the tan leather handle bar grips and saddle. They complement the frame very well and are a nice contrast against the blue frame. The combination of VCLS seatpost and wide tyres works well and the bike is pretty comfy.

>>> The best cheap road bikes: ridden and rated

Canyon has done a great job with the specification of this bike. The designers have identified that the person who buys this bike wants anything for an easy life and consequently doesn’t want to be doing wheel upgrades and swapping tyres.

This means that all the kit is good and you don’t get any stocking filler components where performance has been sacrificed to meet a price point. The wheels are ideal, the tyres are good, the hydraulic disc brakes are excellent and the drive train is functional.

Watch: Top five tips for safe commuting

Riding

I get to test ride a lot of different bikes at Cycling Weekly but the Canyon Urban is very high up charts when it comes to admiring glances and positive comments from passers by. People seem to really like the way this bike looks and I do too.

You don’t ride this bike, you cruise on it. Whilst doing so, I feel people look upon you subconsciously assuming you are travelling to your East London architects' studio having left your Saab in the garage, such is the style and design. There is no doubt this is a cool bike.

Durability of the belt drive has really impressed us. This really is a low hassle, low maintenance system that is ideal for those who want a quick and efficient form of urban transport.

The Shimano Alfine hub gives a decent range of eight gears for flat terrain, but it can be a struggle on steep hills. If you live in a particularly hilly area, you may be better off with a bike offering a greater range.

>>> How to get into cycling for less than £500

Riding out of the saddle feels unnatural, ungainly and slightly awkward on the Canyon Urban too. This is a result of the geometry, wide bars and very short stem. Again, this only really presents itself as an issue when riding up hills, with the geometry better suited to nimble turns down side streets and darting through traffic.

There is a fundamental problem with the Canyon Urban though. It may feature some novel anti-theft features to stop scum bags half-inching your wheels and seatpost, but there is nothing special to address the issue of thieves taking the whole bike.

>>> Nine ways to make your commute more like the Tour de France

Being such a nice bike, it stands out and is arguably too nice to leave anywhere even when locked up. By all means get one, just make sure it is insured and budget for a couple of good locks.

Value

Thanks to its direct sales business model, Canyon is able to cut out the middle man and pass those savings on to the customer. The result of this is bikes that a very competitively priced. It is hard to find a bike with as high a spec for the price. You could argue that the value on offer here enables you to budget for some good insurance and quality bike locks, both of which I would highly recommend!

For more information on the different models available, head over to Canyon.

If you've got a few colleagues who cycle into work and go around asking them what bikes they ride, I can almost guarantee that at least one of them will say a Specialized Sirrus, one of the most popular hybrid bikes on the market.

Buy now:

The standard Specialized Sirrus we've got here sits at the extensive eight-bike Sirrus range that extends all the way up to the £1,700 Sirrus Expert Carbon. Thankfully this bike isn't anywhere near as expensive, coming in at a much more affordable £425.

>>> Specialized bikes: everything you need to know

For that price its no surprise that the Specialized Sirrus is a rather no-frills offering. The frame is aluminium and very well-made, while the fork is steel. However, the frame is equipped with everything you would want from a hybrid bike, with eyelets in place for equipping pannier racks and mudguards if you so choose.

>>> Best hybrid bikes: a complete buyer's guide

As you would expect from a bike of this type, the geometry is very relaxed, giving you a very upright position. However I actually though it was a little too relaxed, forcing me to sit bolt upright and therefore slowing me down - not great for when you're late for work and in a rush.

The Specialized Sirrus is equipped with Shimano Altus, Shimano's 8-speed entry-level mountain bike groupset, that deals with all of the shifting. This comes with an 11-32t cassette and a triple 48/38/28t crankset, offering more than enough gearing to tackle some pretty steep gradients, both going up and going down.

For such a lowly groupset, the shifting is actually more than acceptable. Both the front and rear derailleurs are extremely reliable and precise, and I rarely needed to give more than a brief prod of the thumb shifter to get the chain moving.

Watch: five essential commuting tips for cyclists

Unfortunately the braking isn't quite as good. The Specialized Sirrus is equipped with Shimano V-brake linear pull brakes which I really didn't get on with. They're fine if you just need to scrub off a bit of speed while riding through traffic, but if you're after some more dramatic stopping power (say you're screaming downhill with a junction fast approaching) then the power isn't quite there.

A little of the blame for this might lay on the wheels, unbranded aluminium rims with 32 spokes at both front an rear. These are then topped with 32mm Specialized Nimbus that offer excellent puncture protection and durability thanks to Specialized's Flak Jacket technology, but are quite sluggish even when rolling along on smooth tarmac.

In fact there's very little about the Specialized Sirrus that excites, and this very much a work horse for the daily cruise into work rather than going out and enjoy zipping along quiet lanes at the weekend.

>>> 15 top tips for commuting to work by bike

Indeed if you frequently run late for work then there are better hybrid bikes out there. The incredibly high front end means you're always slowed down by the wind, while the tyres also hold you back, so much so that holding any speed above 12-13mph is a real effort.

Buy now:

• Specialized Surrus 2017 Hybrid bike at Evans Cycles for £425
• See all Specialized Sirrus hybrid bikes at Evans Cycles, from £400 to £1,800

However, slightly more impressive is the comfort. I have to say that I wasn't expecting much on this front due to the steel fork, but the Specialized Sirrus actually offers a relatively plush ride. You still feel potholes, but over your average rough British tarmac and things are very good. Of course a carbon fork would improve things further (indeed go further up the Sirrus range and you find carbon forks with Specialized's Zertz vibration-dampening inserts) but this would take the price beyond the highly impressive sub-£500 price point.

If you're after a solid all-round hybrid bike for commuting to and from work both on and off tarmac, then the Carrera Crossfire 2 is a great option.

As you'd expect from a 400-odd quid hybrid bike, the frame and fork are both aluminium, with a very relaxed geometry to allow you to ride in a comfortable upright position, reducing pressure on your lower back and neck. This means that the Carrera Crossfire 2 is far from the fastest hybrid bike around, but should be a good choice if you have any history of back trouble, and if you're organised enough to leave the house on time each morning, not needing to rush to make it into work.

Although the frame is practical, it isn't the most aesthetically pleasing bike out there. Of course for the price you can't expect sleek carbon curves, but you may well want something a bit more flashy than the grey and green paintjob, with no other colour options available. All of the gear cables are also run externally, which not only spoils the look of the bike, but also leaves them exposed to the elements.

>>> Buyer's guide to hybrid bikes

As a hybrid bike that is designed to be ridden on and off road, the Carrera Crossfire 2 comes with a Suntour NVX fork to provide front suspension. This gives 75mm of travel for a much more comfortable ride when taking on any roots and rivets that litter your local bridleway, while there is also a pre-load adjuster, which means that you can adjust the stiffness of the fork for a harder ride when riding on smooth tarmac.

However, it would be good to have the option to completely lockout the suspension, letting you turn the Carrera Crossfire 2 into a non-suspension bike when your ride isn't going to include any off-road sections.

>>> 15 top tips for commuting to work by bike

The other components on the Carrera Crossfire 2 are exactly what you'd expect to find on a sub-£500 hybrid bike. The gearing is all from Shimano, with Altus shifters and rear derailleur, and a Tourney front derailleur. Perhaps you could have asked for an Altus front derailleur too, but to be honest the Tourney does a good enough job.

The mechanical Tektro disc brakes offer a decent level of stopping power in both dry and wet conditions although it's maybe best not to test the Carrera Crossfire 2's off-road credentials with a section of steep and technical single track. However for normal riding and commuting they do a good enough job, even if they tend to squeal when riding on wet and muddy roads and bridleways. But at least that means that pedestrians will always know when you're coming.

>>> Five tips for safe commuting (video)

The Kenda K935 tyres on the Carrera Crossfire do a good job of complementing the Tektro brakes, offering decent grip off-road until things start to get really slick and muddy. On road they are a little on the sluggish side, but do at least offer good puncture protection, so you shouldn't end up late for work with dirty, greasy hands after having to mess around with tyre levers and a mini pump.

The Carrera Crossfire 2 comes with all the mounts you'll need to turn it into the ultimate year-round commuter bike. That means mudguard mounts to keep you dry when riding on wet roads, and pannier rack mounts so you can carry everything around without the need to wear a rucksack. Unfortunately, these aren't supplied with the bike, so you'll have to buy them seperately, but at least the option is still there if you want it.

Visit the Halford website for more details.

Born in East London, and named after the famous racing circuit, Eastway comes a relatively new brand, building bikes designed to take the rough and tumble of city riding. Two childhood friends, bored of replacing broken parts from riding broken roads, came together in 2011 to create Eastway. We’ve seen one or two of their bikes here before, both of which reviewed well, but this Eastway FB4.0 hybrid really is a bike built for city duties, so we expected a lot.

Frameset

Locked up at Waterloo station, the royal blue aluminium frame stands out (if safety is a top priority, maybe that’s not the best news). The frame is made from 7005 Aluminium, a practical choice that should stand the test of time. The fork doesn’t have the luxury of a number, although does look shapely and well designed. Geometry-wise, this is no sit-up-and-beg city cruiser. The front end is relatively low, more akin to the Eastway circuit heritage than a Dutch shopper, so handles well around town, although at the price of comfort.

Components

The SRAM kit doesn’t break any technological boundaries, but it was dependable and secure throughout testing. The spread of gears matches that ethos too, with a compact chainset sporting both 34 and 50 chainrings, and a wide spread of gears on the cassette making most hills, even those outside London, manageable. The Eastway finishing kit is obviously budget stuff, but ties up the look nicely and is arguably a better choice than buying some cheap parts from a well-known manufacturer.

Wheels

Like the finishing kit, the wheels are also Eastway branded. They’re a budget offering and they aren’t doing the ride any favours. Wrapped in Kenda 25c tyres, they would be helped with something a little wider and more forgiving that would offset the harshness of the rim.

Riding

Reliability may have been the inspiration for the Eastway, and there were no qualms with this during testing. But as important to the brand is the way the bike rides around town, and here things start to get murky. The ride is quite harsh, toppling to uncomfortable on rougher services as well as over potholed tarmac. When the surface is smooth, the bike flies along, and the sporty geometry and narrow tyres make tight turns, in and around traffic, a cinch. But on your average road, the constant battering was tiring. An easy improvement at the point of purchase would be chunkier tyres. The frame has room for something more rotund, and although it may sully the bike’s racing heritage, for the sake of a comfortable ride and making city escapes a joy, it would be worth it.

The Raleigh Strada 6 was, until recently, the most expensive hybrid bike in the stable of the legendary British brand. We originally tested it as an option for cycle touring - more of which later - but first let's see how it stacks up as a regular hybrid.

Buy now: Raleigh Strada 6 Hybrid bike at Halfords for £599

Raleigh has equipped the Strada 6 with excellent Shimano M395 hydraulic disc brakes. Unlike relatively simple cable-operated discs, hydraulic systems can leave home mechanics slightly nervous, but rest assured they’re easy enough to service, and failures are as rare as with cable-operated brakes.

In terms of performance they’re a step ahead of almost all other options, particularly for the rider who takes to the road come rain or shine. Unlike rim brakes, their efficiency isn’t hampered by wet conditions.

The rest of the Raleigh Strada 6 is also suitably set up for coping with a multitude of tasks. The relatively large volume Schwalbe tyres are grippy on asphalt and also aid comfort.

Meanwhile the Shimano Sora groupset is one of the Japanese manufacturer’s best options when it comes to a mixing reliability with competence and budget. It switches between sprockets and rings nicely, and features enough of Shimano’s tried and tested technology to reassure even the most worrisome of rider.

But now to that potential as a touring bike. One of the few problems we encountered with the Raleigh Strada 6 occurred when the bike was heavy or when the road ramped upwards. The bike is fitted with a regular two-chainring compact chainset on the front, and a spread of gears up to a 32t sprocket on the back. That leaves the rider a few inches short of the ideal gear on steeper climbs with a fully-loaded bike. To match the Strada 6’s do-anything aura, a triple chainset would do wonders.

Another concern is the handlebar area. In terms of contact points, Raleigh has done a decent job, but if you’re planning to use this for more than one or two-hour blasts you may encounter aches and pains around the shoulders and back. A set of quite unfashionable tri-bars would be a great benefit — and never mind the mocking! However, on the upside, during a typical daily commute you’ll appreciate the direct handling and never feel a twinge.

In fact, the daily commute along with a vast range of relatively benign cycle challenges is where the Raleigh Strada 6 excels. As a general purpose bike it is hard to fault, combining efficiency, security, and really a rather enjoyable ride experience with a laid-back manner. It’ll also take on weekend pub rides, charity events, and a bit of mixed terrain adventurings.

So this bike can do it all, and do it every day without missing a beat. OK, a relatively cheap hybrid can’t compete with an expedition touring bike on an epic multinational voyage. But for casual touring — as well as almost everything else you can think of short of day-long missions — the Raleigh Strada 6 proves you don’t need much more than a hybrid.

Hybrid bikes are more renowned as utilitarian commuting machines, designed for longevity and practicality over performance. But the BMC Alpenchallenge defies expectations with fast ride that will certainly speed up your daily commute.

Buy now:

• BMC Alpenchallenge 01 Three 2018 Hybrid bike with Shimano Sora for £1000

Most people would balk at buying a fully-fledged, aluminium-framed drop-bar bike kitted out with Shimano Sora for £1,000, never mind a hybrid. But then, this isn’t any old hybrid. When the Swiss boffins sat down to design the new BMC Alpenchallenge they wanted it to be faster than anybody could ever expect an urban flat-barred bike to be.

And, by holey cheese, did they succeed. This thing goes like the wind. It’s so quick that any unreconstructed roadies will be champing at the bit to stick a pair of drop bars on it and see what it can really do. The position is great, your hands seem to sit somewhere between hoods and drops on a normal road bike, but what really impresses is the strength of the frame. You can get absolutely every fraction of a watt of power onto the road.

Helping achieve that is the Shimano Sora groupset. It’s nothing special by road bike standards but it’s pretty plush for a hybrid, and the combination of compact chainset and 11-32t cassette means you can really get this baby up to speed.

The 32c Continental tyres also help scythe through the urban landscape, however, they are next to no good off asphalt. In fact, the whole bike fairs poorly off road. We subjected the Alpenchallenge to a small session of very tame off-road, where a combination of high speed and low traction had the back end of the bike sliding out.

Normally, that would be a bad thing, but in this case it showed up how beautifully balanced and controllable the BMC remains, even in times of difficulty. And while the super-stiff frame crashes over big trail bumps, it deals with minor road imperfections pretty well.

But then, despite the flat bars, this isn’t a mountain bike. This is a very finely honed, flat-barred road bike. It might be a little expensive, it might be a tad under-specified, but the BMC Alpenchallenge is just about the most exciting machine you could use for the daily commute.

Words Maria David | Photos Aodan Higgins

As it had been a while since I’d ridden a hybrid bike, I was keen to try out the women’s-specific Boardman MX Sport Fi. Having enjoyed my experience of riding other bikes in the Boardman bikes range, I was looking forward to getting in some miles on the MX Sport Fi, which has the added dimension of being a performance bike.

What, no pink? Even at first sight this bike wants to show it means business. Its metallic silver frame with charcoal, cool blue and white inscriptions and stripes on the tubes, give the MX Sport Fi a serious ‘go faster’ look.

I almost wondered if I’d picked up the men’s bike by mistake! But the subtle difference in geometry when sitting on it, and the letters Fi (female informed) on the tube, are the giveaway. It’s a women’s bike, but with a less girly edge.

The smooth welds on the double-butted alloy frame, the tapered form of the top tubes plus matching handlebar grips and saddle give the MX Sport Fi an overall slick finish.

Substance over style

Despite the stylish flourishes on the MX Sport Fi, this is still a bicycle that favours the qualities of practicality and performance over prettiness.

There are mounts for two bottle cages for those more challenging rides, plus mounts for a rack and mudguards for longer excursions.

I used the MX Sport Fi for commuting and leisure rides. Riding was enjoyable thanks to the comfortable women’s-specific Boardman E4P saddle, and the suitably adapted reach to the handlebars. I particularly appreciated the optimal width of the handlebars, since in the past I have found some hybrids to be a little too wide for my narrow shoulders.

Rolling along was exceptionally smooth with nary a bump felt and pedalling was easy with the SRAM chainset and gears. These change up and down a little bit differently from the Shimano system that many of us may be more accustomed to, but they are easy to get used to.

Lady Gogo

Whether speeding through town traffic or training on forest fire roads, the Tyrago tyres hold the surface firmly. They strike an optimal balance between not putting up too much resistance when on tarmac, while providing substantial and reliable grip on rough surfaces.

A triple chainset means that there’s a great range of gears for getting up steep gradients. Changing gear with the SRAM system is smooth, even forgiving for those hills that suddenly appear when rounding a corner!

As for safely getting down steep gradients, the Avid BB5 disc brakes are another useful addition, especially if hurtling full-tilt down wet roads or riding off-road in mud and grass.

On the rough stuff, the front suspension, once unlocked, does its work efficiently. The Suntour suspension forks tackle off-road bumps with an ample 63mm of travel.

So how fast can the MX Sport Fi go? As fast as you want! Speeding through the empty streets of London one night, it wolfed down the miles.

Obviously, its speed is no match for a sports bike, but the MX Sport Fi is fast by hybrid standards when on the road. And this bike is perfectly equipped for excursions on local trails and forest roads, as I found when riding it in Macclesfield Forest.

The MX Sport Fi is crafted with as much care and attention to detail as her siblings in the Boardman Performance stable. It’s a good all-rounder, with performance on and off-road when you need it, without losing its feminine touch.

Specification

Boardman MX Sport Fi £499.99

Frameset Triple-butted 7005 alloy with 63mm Suntour suspension fork

Gears SRAM X5

Chainset E450  48/36/26t

Brakes Avid BB5 mechanical disc brakes

Wheels Boardman E4P 32-hole rims on QR hubs

Tyres Tyrago Kevlar Guard 700c x 37c

Bars Boardman E4P

Stem Boardman E4P

Saddle Boardman E4P

Seat post Boardman E4P

Size range 40,45,48cm

Weight 13.7kg

www.halfords.com

Alternative

Boardman Hybrid Comp £499.99

If you like your bike rides purely on the smooth stuff, the Boardman Hybrid Comp is a good alternative. It looks like the Boardman MX Sport Fi, but with specifications that have been tweaked to make this a performance road bike with straight handlebars. Gone is the suspension fork, the triple chainset and the wider tyres. Instead, the Hybrid Comp is kitted with straight alloy bladed forks, a compact chainset, and smooth tyres. All this adds up to make a faster steed that is perfect for commuting and going out on a training ride.

Words and photos: Nigel Wynn

Thankfully, the children’s bike market is undergoing a sea change right now. When mum and dad have matching £5,000 featherweight carbon-fibre bikes, it just doesn’t seem fair to palm off little Lily and Harry with a £49 special made of solid lead. And you no longer have to.

In my personal quest to buy my son a ‘decent bike’, I made a slight mistake in buying him a perfectly formed mini-mountain bike from a well-known manufacturer that featured 21 gears, suspension forks and the same hubs, gears, brakes and shifters as an adult bike. It looks great, and it is great, but for one factor that we didn’t assess when we saw it hanging in the shop window — it weighs a ton. In fact, it weighs more than my big, hairy, adult-size hardtail mountain bike. Asking a nine year old to ride such a lump up a hill is like watching an ant carry a Ford Fiesta up the shed roof. It’s putting him off cycling, the opposite of what I’d hoped it would do.

The best kids bikes: A buyer's guide

The best kids bike helmets: A buyer's guide

Frog is one of a small number of relatively new companies that have scrapped the conventional thinking on kids’ bikes, and started from scratch. The Frog 62 model we have here is part of a nine-model range that naturally enough starts with the Tadpole balance bike for two to three year olds and goes up to the Frog 73 for 12-14 year olds. The number in the name refers to the recommended minimum inside leg measurement for that bike. Each model features a frame size, wheel size and gearing selection to suit its intended age range — and to please the fussy little ones and parents alike, each one is available in a variety of colour options.

You can buy Frog bikes either direct from the manufacturer’s bright and cheerful website, or from a select list of retailers around the UK.

Function over flash

Starting with the frame, the Frog 62 utilises aluminium alloy tubing and alloy forks rather than heavier steel. The tubing is slimmer than you’d find on an adult bike, and everything is very neatly welded together and coated with a tough lick of paint. Both frame and fork have rack/mudguard eyelets. Speaking of mudguards, the bike came complete with a front and rear set, which is a thoughtful touch. The rear derailleur hanger is replaceable so that if it gets bent or broken in the inevitable stack, then it’s easy changed.

The frameset as a whole looks good and is a contributing factor in getting the bike’s overall weight down to an impressive 9.68kg (21.3lb). Our young tester really appreciated the drop in weight over his regular bike and found it easier to ride up hills as well as being quicker on the flat.

Frog’s unfussy use of a single 36-tooth chainring up front and a seven-speed 14-28 cassette at the back gave a decent spread of gears that were far less confusing and less weighty than having a front derailleur too. The temptation is for manufacturers to pander to playground gear boasting — “Mine’s got 27 gears, what’s yours got?” — rather than what functions best. Frog has got it right. The single Shimano rotational Revoshifter is easy to use and clearly displays the selected gear. It may lack a bit of finesse, but the Revoshift and Tourney rear derailleur combination offered light action and trouble-free gear changes.

Tried and tested Tektro V-brakes worked well too, inspiring confidence and easy adjustment for the reach of small hands.

Twenty-four inch wheels have been selected for the Frog 62. The unbranded hubs, spokes and rims are all finished in black and look good. We had no problem with them in use, and the quick releases came in handy when putting the bike into the back of the car. The Kenda Cosmos tyres are a good choice, offering a tight tread pattern that didn’t present the rolling resistance of more knobbly pure mountain bike tyres on the road but coped with off-road dirt and gravel.

There’s a quick-release on the seatpost clamp for ease of adjustment, and there are plenty of spacers on the headset to move the bars up or down. The seatpost is 22cm long and provides plenty of growing room.

Like the wheels, the majority of the finishing kit is black and unbranded — bars, stem, seatpost and saddle. All are good quality, thoughtfully selected pieces of kit. The saddle was a particular high point — well padded without being an overweight armchair with plastic scuff guards on each side — usually one of the first parts of a bike to get damaged.

Added value

At £260, the Frog may be more expensive than inferior kids’ bikes, but it’s a really small price to pay for a well-considered machine that should have a strong resale value.

Specification

Frog 62 £260

Frameset Aluminium

Gears Shimano Tourney/Revoshift 7spd, 14-28 cassette

Chainset Alloy cranks with 36t steel chainring,

Brakes Tektro 836AL V-brake

Wheels Unbranded alloy hubs and rims

Tyres Kenda Cosmos 24x1.5in

Bars Frog Bikes aluminium

Stem Frog Bikes aluminium

Saddle Frog Bikes

Seatpost Frog Bikes aluminium

Size range One size (for 8-10 year olds)

Weight 9.68kg

Contact www.frogbikes.com

Alternative

Islabikes Beinn 24 £349.99

Shropshire-based Islabikes has set the standard for quality kids’ bikes. The Beinn 24 is the direct equivalent of the Frog 62 with its 24-inch wheels and aluminium frame. The majority of the components have been specced by Islabikes to

suit small hands and to keep weight down. The Beinn uses slightly better quality SRAM X4 gears than the Frog’s more basic Shimano components but otherwise shares many of the same features. The main difference is that it weighs over a kilogram less than the Frog, but costs more.

Contact: www.islabikes.co.uk

A low front end is always a winner with me. It's not just that though; the matt black finish with red highlights looks superb draped over the shapely aluminium frame. It's definitely a racy-looking customer.

With ‘Weekend' printed in various places over the bike, Wilier is trying its best to separate the Bassano from your average run of the mill commuting machine - this isn't made for the weekly office slog. It was born as an alternative for your weekend drop-bar racing bike. A bike for casual trips in your best loafers. No clipless pedals here, please.

Design-wise, the Bassano ticks all the right boxes. There's a real road bike inspired down tube, all boxy and strong - a likely by-product of engineers spending many happy hours in the R&D department at Wilier headquarters. It's the kind of thing roadies and ex-racers are going to relate to, because it's something you see on many road racing bikes these days.

The same goes for the compact crankset, thinner road tyres and Shimano RS10 road hoops. They're all products a road rider would be accustomed to on their drop handlebar machine, thereby making the transition to a hybrid at the weekend, or in the off-season, a lot more appealing.

Roadie ready

The unbranded caliper brakes are actually Tektro FL540. They do the job just fine, though in comparison to the Bianchi's discs there was a cavernous gap in performance, both in terms of overall stopping power and modulation.

Other visual highlights on the Bassano include a carbon fork and a snazzy Prologo saddle. The fork looks the part with its subtle carbon pattern and elegant curves, but struggled to appease the random potholes on my test rides.

The riding position is sporty, and can be increased to full-on aggressive by lowering the stem. Racers looking for something more casual will find themselves feeling at home relatively quickly when aboard the Bassano. When compared to the Bianchi it's either uncomfortable and rough, or exhilarating and speedy, depending on your personal riding preferences.

In some respects, the Camaleonte, or ‘the Chameleon', has been 120 years in the making. With bicycle design constantly evolving, Bianchi is keeping pace with the emerging trends and creating bicycles for the modern rider using its vast history and know-how to do so.

When I consider what I'm looking for in a weekend steed, there are a few necessities that I'd like to include: practicality, style, sharp handling to name a few. But top of the list would be a comfortable and zippy ride.

Well, Bianchi must have read my mind when they came up with the Camaleonte, which features a good-looking aluminium frame that's very comfortable to ride. Practicality is taken care of by the pannier rack bosses and mudguard eyelets. It's almost a given now that these mounting points are included on hybrid bikes, so it's no surprise to see them here, but it just adds to the impression that this is a bike that strikes a good balance between style and practicality.

Straight-up performer

"Passione, passione, passione." Bianchi bikes are Italian through and through. But wait, where's the Campagnolo? Campag, the famous groupset manufacturer, is as Italian as cappuccino gelato, so why haven't they been invited to the party?

Well, sadly Campagnolo does not make a mountain bike triple groupset, so in steps the constantly reliable Shimano to fill the void, with a wide-ratio cassette and a small inner chainring. And god bless the gods of mountain biking, it works like a dream. The groupset is one of the two biggest differences between the Bianchi and the Wilier. The other is the ride.

Talking geometry, Bianchi have gone for an upright position that sometimes seems to be only a few degrees away from vertical. The benefit of this is comfort, and not really at a considerable detriment to speed. Riding it didn't give that impression anyhow. It's zippy in a way that defies both your posture, and the bike's relatively heavy weight of 12kg.

The brakes are excellent and the contact points - the saddle, grips, levers and pedals - are all wonderful. I enjoyed the ride a lot, and even though it doesn't encourage a top speed that would send you back to 1955 (88mph), it's certainly a ride that's fun. Personally, I appreciated it. It meant I could enjoy the ride for that little bit longer.

Words Chris Catchpole | Photos Dan Gould

Only relatively recently have bike manufacturers cottoned on to what must have been one of the fastest-growing markets in recent years: hybrid bicycles.

Old mountain bikes with roadie tyres used for commuting, or steel drop-shifter racers with a flat bar for comfortable riding around town. It’s not hard to understand their popularity. A speedy, road-inspired machine with efficient skinny tyres, a comfortable, upright mtb style riding position carrying about half the weight of the old mountain bike sitting in your shed. A done deal, surely?

Today’s lesson in hybrid manufacture is brought to you by Corratec. The German brand is distributed here in the UK by Welsh company Decade. And those Welsh aren’t silly. They obviously know a thing or two about good bicycle design, because that’s exactly what we have here.

Spot the difference

To look at... yes, it’s a hybrid. But as you’re probably learning from reading CA each month, two similar-looking machines can in fact be vastly different in both price and performance. Take a look at Matt Lamy’s ‘Odd Squad’ review starting on page 50 of Cycling Active August 2012 issue to see what I mean. So, with that in mind, I’m inclined to look a little closer.

The flashes of colour give the Shape Pro a subtle yet sporty look. It’s certainly a smart customer. It’s not too flashy, which I would suggest is what you want if you have to lock your bike up outside the office all day. If you’re buying a fancy road bike, you probably want it to look more expensive than it is. But with a hybrid, you might want the opposite.

You can see quite quickly where your money has been spent, investing where it counts the most, in a good selection of Shimano 105 and Tiagra components. Bars, stem and saddle are all from tongue-twisting outfit ZZYZX. They’re an ‘in-house’ brand of Corratec’s, and it has to be said, it’s all good stuff. I particularly liked the saddle — neither too firm nor overly soft, it kept my underside consistently comfortable, which I appreciate.

On the move

How about the ride? If looks were anything to go by, I expected something refined but hopefully sporty. And that’s pretty much what I got. You needn’t be in shape to ride it, despite the name of the bike. The frame is tight, light, and with comfort to boot — thanks to Corratec’s keen R&D department, no doubt. Roads seemed smooth when aboard, and when you consider that it comes with a full complement of rack bosses, it should make pleasant work of light touring too.

The tyres are Corratec-branded, but underneath they’re Continental Sport Contacts. I don’t know if Corratec is ashamed of them or whether they just had a warehouse full of tyre-shaped stickers and decided to go mad. They’re heavy and draggy: not an ideal combination. But considering they’re the only items on the bike I don’t like, it’d be overly critical of me to hold them against the Corratec. I certainly didn’t feel the need to change them, and even if I’d bought the bike, I probably wouldn’t bother doing an instant upgrade. These tyres certainly weren’t bad enough to ruin the ride, which is really very good.

I enjoyed the Shape Pro a lot. It’s not a cheap hybrid at £899, but you get what you pay for. The groupset components combined with a frame this versatile and comfortable wouldn’t be out of place on a road bike of a much higher price. If you’ve ‘been there and done that’ with a budget city bike, or want something to complement your weekend racer, with this bike the Germans have a worthy option for you to consider.

Specification

Corratec Shape Pro £899

Frame Ultra Light hydroform tubing, Alloy 6061

Size 44-48-52-56

Rear derailleur Shimano 105 RD-5700A

Front derailleur Shimano 105 10-speed Shifting lever Shimano Tiagra flat bar 10-speed Rapidfire

Brake Shimano M421 V Brake lever + Shimano V-Brake 432

Crankset Shimano non series FC565-L Chainset Black

Wheelset/Hubs Formula Road Black

Tyres Continental Sport Contact

Saddle Corratec 2012 Road

Stem ZZYZX

Handlebar ZZYZX 31.8/580

Price £899

Contact decade-europe.com

Alternative

Jamis Coda Elite

The Americans have approached the hybrid market from a different angle. Here, a steel frame with a carbon fork should ensure a good mix of comfort and rideability. Jamis’ Coda Elite has Avid BB7 disc brakes and MTB groupset that offers a wider range of gears than the Corratec. It’s a sexy-looking thing too. I toured on a Jamis steel frame last year and it was superb, so I’d have high hopes for this one. www.evanscycles.com

Words: Matt Lamy; Photos by Roo Fowler

We admit we like Islabikes in this office, and it’s not just because a lot of us have children. Anybody with any kind of engineering appreciation can’t help but be impressed by the company’s ability to provide shrunken-down ‘real bikes’ to young cyclists. Now, though, Isla has decided to make a real ‘real’ bike — one that mums and dads can ride — the Beinn 29.

The Beinn name was already a fixed part of Islabikes’ line-up, with models ranging from a 20in-wheeled version suitable for five-year-olds, to a 26in-wheeler for those over 11. The Beinn 29 fits perfectly into the existing format: it’s a standard-shaped hybrid, built from lightweight aluminium, with a set of wide riser bars handling controls.

Attention to detail

This being Islabikes, though, there is no shortage of tweaks and detailing, all of which are designed to add potential to the bike’s abilities. Rack-mount bosses can be found both at the back and on the cro-mo forks; there are disc-brake mounts at each end too, and the rear dropout is even adjustable, to accommodate a single-speed or hub gear. The Beinn is beautifully finished — as a complete package, it puts similar machines from more mainstream British brands to shame — and, at 12kg, getting it on the roof rack won’t cause a rupture.

Although it’s not a heavy bike, on the road, the Beinn 29 feels supremely stable. It’s got a nice, active feel, and despite being designed as a bike to use for pottering along with the kids, it’s actually rather sprightly — which will be handy when it comes to rescuing little Jimmy as he disappears into a bush/stream/herd of farm animals. On asphalt, the Kenda Kwick Trax tyres offer a nice mix of grip and efficiency — you certainly don’t feel like you’re pedalling through treacle as you do with fatter rubber.

Islabikes’ philosophy has always been based around making it as easy as possible for riders to actually ride. To that end, the Beinn 29’s SRAM drivetrain is simple genius. Gearing choice in the hybrid/commuter market is thought of as a straight battle between derailleur-based systems, which need some maintenance but come with a wide range of speeds, or super-efficient but relatively expensive hub gears with fewer ratios.

Islabikes has opted for something of a middle way, combining a single ring at the front with an eight-speed, wide-ratio block at the back. So there is a rear derailleur that will need some looking after, but the system is reassuringly simple and works very well. The broad range of cogs copes with most situations, and the single GripShift control couldn’t be simpler.

Riser reservations

Stopping power comes courtesy of a set of Tektro V-brakes, which work perfectly well. And the rest of the spec is equally efficient: the Islabikes-branded wheels are smart items and roll smoothly, and the Islabikes saddle is a nice compromise between comfort (favoured by new riders) and sleekness (expected by more experienced cyclists). The one small reservation we have is the riser bar, which seems just a tad too wide.

In fact, so good is the Beinn 29, the only slight problem new riders might experience is too much confidence. Impressed by its stability and agility we couldn’t help ourselves and had to give it a blast off-road. As had to be expected, the excellent Kwick Trax tyres aren’t designed for muck and mayhem. It’s no problem; should you want more grip, mountain bike tyres up to two-inch will fit in the frame.

We may have bitten off more than we could chew, but that’s the beauty of Islabikes — they are designed to make their riders feel capable of taking on the world. Better still, they go a long way to allowing their owners to achieve just that. It might be designed for bigger boys and girls, but the Beinn 29 is no less fun.

Islabikes Beinn 29 specification

Weight 12kg (26.4lb)

Frame sizes 16, 18, 20in

Colour White

Frame 7005 T6 aluminium

Fork Chromoly

Gears SRAM X4

Wheels Islabikes-branded aluminium rims and hubs

Handlebar Islabike-branded aluminium riser bar

Brakes Tektro V-brakes

Saddle Islabikes unisex

Tyres Kenda Kwick Trax

Price £399.99

Meet the maker

The Isla behind Islabikes is Isla Rowntree, former three-time British national cyclo-cross champion.

“I used to do some custom frame-building, particularly for women. I made cyclo-cross bikes, custom track frames.

“Then my friends and acquaintances were getting to an age when they were having children. I was always getting asked: ‘What bikes shall we get for our kids?’ and I felt a lot of the bikes out there were really of very poor quality. I just thought so many of them were so heavy. Why should they be heavier than my bikes when the child is only four years old? That alerted me to the gap in the market.”

Alternative: Ridgeback Velocity £399.99

When it comes to hybrids and sensibly designed flat-bar bikes, British brand Ridgeback has one of the best ranges around.

Like the Beinn, the Velocity comes with an aluminium frame and cro-mo forks, but while Islabikes has fitted a decent if limited eight-speed drivetrain, the Ridgeback is specced with a slightly lower-rent but wide-ranging 24-speed Shimano Acera system. You pays yer money and takes yer choice.

Words Jamie Darlow; Photos Roo Fowler

I’ll be honest, I’ve never quite understood the need for hybrid bikes. While some say they offer the best of both worlds — the comfort of a mountain bike and the speed of a road bike — it all sounds a bit Pangloss from Candide to me.

Boardman bikes: the range explained 

I was seeing the sluggishness of an off-roader twinned with the harsh ride of a drop bar bike. But perhaps I’m just a glass-half-empty kinda guy, and of course I was basing this on mere speculation. Would this new Boardman change my jaded view?

The clean lines of the frame certainly help; it looks great and you find yourself tapping the frame as you ride wondering if it isn’t carbon-fibre after all. Where are the welds? It’s all smooth hydroforming, but you can find one if you look hard enough, tucked underneath the neat wishbone seatstays. Boardman certainly has worked hard to iron out the creases of the old model — the finish is just stunning. At the front, the head tube adopts a glamorous hourglass shape we really like, and emerging from that, the carbon fork carries the good looks with a clever disc mount that seems to morph from the fork itself — no need for the ugly adapter you normally need to mount a rotor.

It’s let down a touch by the lack of internal cabling, which spoils some of the effect of the clean lines. But perhaps Boardman wanted to keep things easy to maintain (internal routing can be a faff to replace) and besides, internal cabling is really all about streamlining, which can’t be a high priority on a hybrid.

The drivetrain works flawlessly, with the SRAM Rival 10-speed DoubleTap shifting instantly understandable and with a great-feeling action. The crankset and BB30 bottom bracket prove a great combination and the whole package is as stiff as many a road bike.

Asbo rider

This thing really brings out the menace in you. I found myself bunny-hopping everything in sight, dropping off kerbs and trying to pull unwieldy wheelies down the road. Pathetic, at my age (nearly 30). But the sprightliness of the ride really makes you want to play around — it’s like being on a skinny mountain bike. Steering is incredibly sharp thanks to a short stem, narrow flat bar and the steep head angle. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing when filtering through traffic and changing lanes, but it could catch you out if you’d jumped straight off a mountain bike with wide bars and foolishly started pratting around.

The Avid mountain bike brakes are quite simply exceptional. Overkill on the road? Most certainly, but ideal for low-maintenance riding or massive skids. You won’t stop faster on any bike, ever. Strangely though, it’s actually quite hard to drift the back end of the bike, probably because there is just so much rubber in contact with the road, compared with a skinny road tyre.

Easy rider

So is it an easy bike to ride over long distances? The riding position is certainly comfortable, and the weight of the frame with the wheels off is extremely good, but the wheels drag things back down to earth. They’re too heavy — you can feel their pull if you get out of the saddle and sprint. Of course, this is the penalty you’re forced to pay with a hybrid — any lighter and they wouldn’t be the bombproof rollers they are and they wouldn’t stand up to light off-road use, either. As it stands, this thing will glide through potholes with a silky smooth ride.

The Boardman is a great little package and, barring the wheels, it’s hard to fault it for what it is. I’m still not convinced a hybrid is really for me, but if you must have one you won’t go far wrong with this top-of-the-range option. And it just falls nicely within the Cycle to Work scheme budget, too.

Specification

Model Hybrid Pro

Manufacturer Boardman

Weight 9.72kg (without pedals)

Frame sizes S, M, L

Colour Matt black

Frame Superlight alloy triple butted, BB30

Fork Ultralight carbon tapered steerer

Gears SRAM Double Tap 10-speed

Wheels Ritchey Pro rims on Formula hubs

Tyres Continental Ultra race 700x28

Brakes Boardman

Price £999.99

Who is Chris Boardman?

Chris Boardman is an Olympic gold medallist, world champion and world record holder (his ultimate hour record still stands). He briefly held the yellow jersey at the Tour de France both in 1997 and 1998, after time trialling to win the opening prologues. These days he puts together well specced and priced road, cross, mountain and hybrid bikes, he is a technical adviser to the GB track squad and an ITV cycling commentator. Go to www.boardmanbikes.com for more.

Alternative

Boardman CX Team £899.99

This cyclo-cross bike has many of the same qualities the hybrid possesses, like the triple-butted alloy frame, carbon fork and disc brakes. It does have a drop bar, though, so it might make a better option if you’re not cutting through traffic on your rides. You could even dabble in cyclo-cross come next winter.

26th January 2011   Words: Matt Levett   Photos: Roo Fowler

Urban commuters after an upgrade needn’t worry, it’s not rocket science — as Cannondale’s latest hybrid proves. The Quick 3 packs more bang for your buck and delivers an exciting ride that’s big on fun.

If you want to upgrade your car, you don’t necessarily have to buy a performance hybrid or an all-conquering 4WD when you’re looking for a bit extra. The same applies to your bike. If you’re mainly a cycle commuter, an urban cyclist, or you purely enjoy the kind of leisure loop covered in the Escape pages of this magazine, looking for a bit of quality and higher specification needn’t push you into buying a serious road racing machine or heavy-duty mountain bike.

Bike manufacturers, mindful of the ever-growing and diversifying cycling market, have begun to take the hybrid seriously, an approach reflected in the Cannondale Quick range. The Quick 3 seems to offer a lot for the more casual cyclist who cares about their bike. Cannondale pitches it to the cyclist ‘who rides the West Coast path’. I wish — but I know what they’re getting at.

Drawing-board chic

Much as I’m a fan of the old school, I also like the way that Cannondale bikes have the look of a bit of R and D about them, giving them a cutting-edge feel. The Quick 3 follows this tradition with its flat top tube, bladed forks and delicately curved rear stays.

Internal cable-routing adds an extra touch of class. It certainly looks like an evolution for the hybrid. Available in simple but striking magnesium white, the Quick 3 rolls on sporty-looking wheels (Elements Xero C3 rims and hubs) and one of the strangest seat clamps you’re ever likely to see (sparking Marmitesque love-it/hate-it debate in the office). My only issue, looks-wise, is with the riser bars. I can’t help feeling they’re a nod to the dowdier end of the market and rail against what the rest of the bike represents. It’s personal taste, but I would have preferred something a bit flatter.

So the Quick 3 is a pretty good-looking bike, but there is also some substance to this style. The frame has been conceived to benefit from the stiffness and relative lightness of aluminium while avoiding the harsher ride sometimes associated with the material. The SAVE system integrated in the rear triangle means that the seat and chain stays are designed to absorb the impact from the road, while stiffness is maintained where it’s most needed, through the bottom bracket.

To the cobbles!

It certainly worked for me. The Quick 3 was a really comfortable ride, absorbing the bumps and holes in the road — I even tried it on cobbles. The bladed forks perform a similar role to the rear triangle; the more forgiving carbon dampens the ride and joins the frame on a large, confidence-building bearing, provided by the tapered head tube. There was very little of the road noise that you can often find with an aluminium bike.

The Quick 3 was capable of some speed too. There was good transfer of power, giving me plenty of reward for my efforts both in terms of acceleration and climbing.

As is often the case with more relaxed geometry, it feels a little short when standing on the pedals, but that’s not really what this bike’s for; it’s great to just sit on your perch and push up the hills. The 12-26 9-speed cassette and triple (48/36/26) chainring should get you most places.

Around town, the Quick 3 is light and manoeuverable — it u-turns like a London taxi and sweeps at speed around tight corners with no drama at all. Continental City Contact tyres offer plenty of grip and cornering confidence. They’re a fat, comfortable design, but still roll along nicely.

As ever, this is an easy area for a change or upgrade if you want to go a bit faster or take on some rougher terrain. However, the Contis do a great job as all-rounders.

Upright position

The upright riding position with flat bars is great for commuting and leisure riding; your head is up, giving comfort, control and vision. This is further enhanced by the Alivio rapid-fire levers that allow you to push or pull the top lever for upshifting, meaning you barely have to move your hands on the ergo grip to change gear. The mountain bike-specific Deore rear mech gave precise, clean shifts, and bar-mounted gear indicators let you know exactly where you are. The Tektro RX1 Mini V-brakes were also pretty impressive. There’s lots of clearance, and they provided really good, sharp braking and snapped back open, instantly.

So the Quick 3 is a bike for someone looking for a decent quality ride, whether they’re commuting, dashing between weekend haunts, or tackling some longer cycling challenges. You could even take on touring. It’s not going to win a road race or conquer a mad off-road descent, but that’s not what it’s about.

What the Quick represents is a considered approach to the hybrid, particularly in terms of frame design, but also in its high quality finishing. It’s not much of a hot rod, but it’s a serious bike for fun rides.

ALTERNATIVE

For £100 more: Whyte Caledonian £900

For around £100 more, the British-designed Whyte Caledonian veers a little further off-road. Built similarly to the Quick from hydroformed 6061 aluminium and also featuring Alivio levers, it upgrades on the Cannondale with a Deore front mech and SLX rear. Whyte chooses to iron out the bumps with

lock-outable front suspension, and the WTB All Terrain tyres and disc brakes are further nods towards the rougher stuff. Again, there’s lots of versatility and value.

This article first appeared in the February 2011 issue of Cycling Active magazine.