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Hybrid bike recommendation

Old 06-05-22, 09:22 AM
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persavon
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Hybrid bike recommendation

Hi everyone,

After 10 years, I've decided to sell my MTB since I'm not really doing any mountain biking really and feels like I'm putting way too much effort in paddling than needed. Plus it's too heavy.
I'm riding mostly in the city and on bike trails, sometimes unpaved, but definitely not next-level mountain stuff. Mind you that "city" doesn't necessarily mean smooth surface, especially where I live near Toronto with horrible biking infrastructure which is full of potholes.
I was thinking a hybrid would fit me best, so I would like some suggestions please. While researching I found the article from Wirecutter quite informative (I'm not allowed to post the link). For instance I had no idea that front suspension is not really needed, although I'm still a bit skeptic of this claim (I don't really want my arms to hurt after riding for a couple hours). Their top pick Marin Fairfax 1 looks interesting but I think the 35mm tires are too thin and won't give me the proper grip and stability on trails. Do you have any alternative suggestions in the < CAD $1,000 price range?
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Old 06-05-22, 11:02 PM
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slowpacer
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If you like the Fairfax you can ask Marin the max tire width it can accept and swap tires. If you don't mind a steel frame and a little weight the Marin Muirwoods is a great heavy duty city bike but i don't know how steel frame would fare in Totonto's salty roads with snow and slush. It comes stock with 42mm tires and i think it can accept 2" wide tires easily if not wider. I swapped mine with 700x43 Panaracer SS tires and couldn't be happier.
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Old 06-07-22, 04:07 AM
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Originally Posted by slowpacer
If you like the Fairfax you can ask Marin the max tire width it can accept and swap tires. If you don't mind a steel frame and a little weight the Marin Muirwoods is a great heavy duty city bike but i don't know how steel frame would fare in Totonto's salty roads with snow and slush. It comes stock with 42mm tires and i think it can accept 2" wide tires easily if not wider. I swapped mine with 700x43 Panaracer SS tires and couldn't be happier.
Then there is the next level up - Muirwoods RC with 650B tires. That's great bike to consider

https://www.marinbikes.com/bikes/2021-muirwoods-rc

I think any hybrid with tire clearance for a 700x38 tire and a carbon fork would fit the bill for you.

My Cannondale Quick 1 with carbon fork blades currently has 700x35 tires and it handle potholes and crummy streets in Iowa very well. I was close to trying 38 and probably have clearance. It is a light and nimble bike that's fun to ride on mixed surfaces included singletrack, gravel, paved trails, and surface streets. I'd call it a Swiss Army knife. That being said, I do have an old Specialized Hardrock that I used for the more challenging singletrack rides with my daughter that's sporting some 2.25" tires to make up for the lack of suspension...

While a bit more money, the Quick 3 is worth considering with an upgrade to 38mm larger tires. Essentially the same bike as the Quick 1 with lower level components. I'm sure the LBS would work to determine if 38mm tires would work.

The Quick CX 3 might be an option for you - 40mm tires and suspension fork.The CX 2 would get you better components.

The Trek FX was also on the radar when I got the option to purchase the Quick 1 from a friend. The FX3 fits your price range.

The Trek Dual Sport 3 looks like a solid option that's similar to the CX 3. It also has a suspension fork and 40mm tires as marketed.

The Specialized Crossroads 3 is in the same family as the Quick 3 and FX 3 - ships with 38mm tires and has a carbon fork. The Sirrus X 2/3 has 42mm tires.

Last edited by Trav1s; 06-07-22 at 04:43 AM.
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Old 06-07-22, 10:14 AM
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Regarding the front suspension and the need for it, it depends on the type of riding you do. If on your routes there's lots of broken pavement/potholes, washboard or chunky gravel, roots, then suspension may come in handy. However, the cheap coil forks you generally get stock on hybrids, aren't very good - they either don't cope with the small bumps or bottom out too easily on bigger hits, and also weigh quite a lot. There are also better hybrid suspension forks with air springs out there, but they come as aftermarket or as stock only on the higher end hybrids.

Bigger tires can also help dealing with small bumps, but for that to work well, I'd say you'd need to go upwards of 42mm/1.6" - and many of the rigid hybrids don't offer that much frame clearance. If you find a rigid hybrid bike that offers tire clearance for up to 2" or perhaps more, that would be my best bet for uneven roads.
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Old 06-07-22, 04:34 PM
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Originally Posted by subgrade
If you find a rigid hybrid bike that offers tire clearance for up to 2" or perhaps more, that would be my best bet for uneven roads.
Good advice. This thread might be helpful in that search.
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Old 06-08-22, 07:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Trav1s
Then there is the next level up - Muirwoods RC with 650B tires. That's great bike to consider.
Muirwoods RC comes with Nexus internal hub. I'm not sure if i would choose this hub for riding in a city like Toronto but Rohloff internal hub, i would if cost is not prohibitive. Here's a good explanation of pros and cons of both systems
.

I never had 650B tires. I used to ride 26" MTB tires when i lived in Toronto in the nineties but i assume a 29" tire will roll better over small potholes.

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Old 06-19-22, 05:03 AM
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Hello!
I wonder if you are still looking...
We have just went through extensive search and found that Trek FX 3 was the best bang for your buck. And we looked hard. I also purchased myself a bike last September, but I had slightly different needs.
We looked at them all in the same price range. In the end, were ready to settle for anything, as long as we could find one in size L, which is a feat in itself in the GTA. The situation has imporved slightly compared to the last two years, but size L bikes continue coming in a very short supply.
Anyhow, we considered Specialized Sirrus/Sirrus X (the bike that I have), Trek FX, Giant Escape, Kona Dew, various Marins, Cannondale Quick. In the end, for $1169 MSRP Trek FX 3 offers the best value for the money, which is very shocking for me, as Trek has in the past been generally more money than Specialized. For $1169 you get carbon fork, Shimano Deore 10 sp transmission, hollow tech bottom bracket (not tapered square), Shimano! hydraulic breaks (base model, but still not Tektro!). You can easily put 38mm tires, there is an awesome design of bottom chain stays that allows that.
I personally have Sirrus X and I love it. I wanted wider tire clearance and the frame colour is a total bomb! I have 42mm tires, that blow up to 45 on the rims. I love the comfort, but I am definitely slower on this bike than I am on my Specialized Vita from 2013 with 30 mm tires. It really comes down to what is important for you and where you ride. I am finding that 42mm is starting to feel a touch too wide, especially on the pavement. I think 35mm is the sweetest spot between speed and comfort.
If you have questions where we found our bike, send me a PM. They had several yesterday.

Last edited by Lady82; 06-19-22 at 05:08 AM.
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