Time for a new bike

[gtpila123]

Hi guys,

Its that time again, my bikes been stolen and time to buy a new one, have had my eye on these three:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_777849_langId_-1_categoryId_165534#tab2

http://www.ashcycles.com/site/giant-rapid-3-2011?zenid=ad82fc8250720b33f3ad3bb60d41692a

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/gt/tachyon-30-2011-hybrid-bike-ec024783

My bugdet is really £460 max, please let me know which one to go for ?

[tino]

I Go for the boardman performance with disc brakes i love it .
and its Nice

[Painkiller]

Hello and sorry for your loss, All nice, I am not a disc brake fan on a road bike.No go for me for that, and it is only a double up front. The Giant looks great and would be a better all around rider/commuter as would the Tachyon. I own a 2011 Gt Tachyon 4.0 and modified the drivetrain straight out of the box and I love it. the only change I would do to the Tachyon 3.0 is put an 11t-28t cluster on. but still good out of the box.
So of the three you chose, think about how and where you ride. If there are hills here and there and you commute pick the Giant or the Gt

[gtpila123]

Its a ten mile journey each way. the cb looks really nice, i ahve only owned GT bikes so i haven't any bad thing to say about em, as for the giant seen em on the road and they looks very nice too and i keep unofficially racing this guy who owns one.

[gtpila123]

The halfords guy said the brakes on the GT are crap compared to the cboardman ones is that true or not ?

[Painkiller]

(01-29-2012, 04:24 PM)gtpila123 Wrote:  The halfords guy said the brakes on the GT are crap compared to the cboardman ones is that true or not ?

As with most things, purely a matter of opinion. The Gt's brakes set up easily and hit hard. Also an easy upgrade for later but will be fine for most for a long time. If I liked the bikes frame, gearing, and price, I would not be discouraged by the brakes on the Tachyon. They work as nice as any DeoreXt v-brake at half the price.
I can tell you that the standover height for the Tachyon XL is 33"
and 32" for the L frame size. I know this because I have both. I ride the XL and I am 5' 10" but have custom fit the stem to a perfect fit for me.
The L frame is for my son-in law he is about 6' 1". Go figure huh?

[gtpila123]

Hi Painkiller,
what do u mean by a double upfront?, also i have only used disc brakes for the past 5 years and forgot how good v brakes are. i wanna go v as they are cheaper to maintain but dont want to compromise much on safety,

I can't fault GT bikes they are great, especially for the price.

[Painkiller]

(01-30-2012, 05:18 AM)gtpila123 Wrote:  Hi Painkiller,
what do u mean by a double upfront?, also i have only used disc brakes for the past 5 years and forgot how good v brakes are. i wanna go v as they are cheaper to maintain but dont want to compromise much on safety,

I can't fault GT bikes they are great, especially for the price.

I apologize, two chainring crankset verses a 3 chainring crankset. There is nothing wrong with having just 2 rings up front ,but that would be a major difference between these bikes. If you have had discs before then you know the pros and cons. tough call I know as they are all very nice bikes.
be sure to post some pics when you get your new ride

[gtpila123]

I think i will give the GT a go then, the cboardman looks good but the fact its from Halfords makes me very doubtful of build quality.

Thanks Painkiller, u have eased my pain ......

[JohnV]

I read all the specs on the three bikes that you mentioned. Of the three, the Giant Rapid is a flat-bar road bike, whereas the other two are hybrids. The main difference is going to be in the frame and drivetrain components, which are going to be more road bike than hybrid components. The Rapid in that photo looks as if it uses the same aluminum frame as my Giant Defy road bike. The Rapid should be a few pounds (kg) lighter in weight than the other two, if that makes any difference to you.

[gtpila123]

Just rang Giant and its 9.7kg whereas the GT is 11kg. i had a GT avalanche at 14kg and i thought it was great with the speeds i was getting with the kenda kwik rollers 26 x 1.25. I will surely feel the difference with either bike i get. this bike will be used mainly for commuting to work daily a 20 mile trip. and the odd weekend ride with the misses ( she still has her GT avalanche ).

[tino]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e04Mt-IqbG4

[gtpila123]

Decided to go with the Boardman instead, It a very nice bike, great to ride and brakes are nice and firm but to be honest i prefered my GT avalanche. I had a new groupset installed 3 months before it was stolen making the bike faster than the originally ones and with the Kenda kwik rollers 26 x 1.25 made it into a mtb hybrid bike. I have done what i can to try and get the bike back and its only a matter of time i hope.

[tino]

(02-17-2012, 05:39 AM)gtpila123 Wrote:  Decided to go with the Boardman instead, It a very nice bike, great to ride and brakes are nice and firm but to be honest i prefered my GT avalanche. I had a new groupset installed 3 months before it was stolen making the bike faster than the originally ones and with the Kenda kwik rollers 26 x 1.25 made it into a mtb hybrid bike. I have done what i can to try and get the bike back and its only a matter of time i hope.

Gtpila123 congratulations on u new bike enjoy riding can u post few pictures to take look thanks

[gtpila123]

Will do, its a little dirty at the moment since i rode in rainy weather recently but once i clean it up

[Painkiller]

I really love the way the frame flows, and hope you get years of enjoyment with it. you got to post some pics for us!Thanks for sharing