Hi all,
I very recently (last week!) managed to learn how to cycle as an adult, and was looking for some advice on choosing my first bike.
The long term goal is to get into touring and take some of the longer national cycle network routes, but before I get my fitness/skills there I'll be doing shorter recreational rides around London/Bristol/Bath.
So surface wise it's 80% road, but also need something capable to go through light trails for the occasional off-road.
Since I'm still building up my confidence I found flat bars to much easier to control than drops, so it seems a hybrid is the most sensible choice.
After a thorough research I landed on a few options:
- Marin Kentfield 2 – £669
- Specialized Sirrus x 3.0 – £770
- Marin Muirwoods – £869
Spec wise they seem pretty similar, both Marins have slightly better gearing (9 vs 10 gears), Kentfield has mechanical instead of hydraulic disc brakes, Muirwoods is made of steel (that is allegedly better?)
I'm more inclined towards the Kentfield since that's the only one I could find for a test ride and it was quite comfortable, the Muirwoods seems like a decent upgrade but it'd be a blind purchase, and I can't tell from the geometries alone if they'll be very different.
Am I missing anything to decide between those 3? and are there other options I should be looking at in the £700 – £900 range?
Thanks a lot!
by xundor