Hybrid comparison
 

Good morning.

I am considering investing in a Hybrid and have potentially narrowed my selection down to two models, a Giant Rapid 0 and a Boardman Hybrid Bike Pro. Can anyone share their strengths and weaknesses of these two to help in my comparison. Also, should I be considering any other model? I am prepared to spend at the level of the two aforementioned.

With regards to usage, I am a 57yo male with fairly limited cycling experience and anticipate that I will be on road 90% of the time with the remainder on established rural pathways. My wife has a Giant Thrive 0 and cycling is something we are looking to share.

Thanks in advance.

Just about everything about the two bikes is similar, but the drivetrains are significantly different. The Giant has a more conventional front and rear derailleur set-up, while the Boardman has just a rear derailleur. So the Boardman's drivetrain is simpler and lighter. As much as I like Shimano, the SRAM system on the Boardman is IMO more attractive in terms of ease of use. But fit and ride trumps everything; go with whichever feels better to you. As for other bikes, just about every manufacturer will offer something similar, but looking at more can just cause confusion to the process of selecting a bike.

Same shop or different shops?

There's much bigger differences between bike shops than there is between bike brands. Without even looking at the bikes, I'd shop around for a shop first. When I found the one with personnel that seemed genuinely interested in me I'd buy whichever one they carried.

I agree. How familiar are you with shifting? The ultra wide 10 - 42 cassette on the Boardman looks really attractive to the novice and actually offers a significantly lower climbing gear than the Giant with its road compact double. (Actually, I think 10 - 42 is a little too wide, and as a novice I doubt you will use to the two tallest gears on the Boardman much, which is why I think something like 11 - 42 or even 12 - 42 would be better for the average non racing cyclist.)

On the other hand, if you are looking for tightly spaced gears for fast club rides, the Giant might be the better choice. If you are not, IMO, the 50 tooth big chainring is probably too big for most of the riding you will do.

But either one should be fine, either stock or with slight mods to the gearing.

Are there any major differences between SRAM and Shimano derailleurs? I am currently shopping for a Hybrid as well and the two bikes I am looking at have those different derailleurs.

As far as I have ever heard, Sram and Shimano are equivalent. Some people prefer one, some the other, but as far as I can tell, they are both pretty much the same .... one group at a given level will do everything that the same level group from the other manufacturer will do. Personal preferences aside (because these are often based on other-than-rational causes) I have never seen any comparison which measures any significant differences .....

I am a Shimano fan, but if I saw the perfect bike and it came with Sram, I would buy it without hesitation.

Thanks!! Good to know

I would recommend buying a bike with the best fitting frame & highest quality wheelset possible. Components are the last thing to consider. Even inexpensive components are very reliable these days. Expensive components can jack up the price through the roof & don't really improve ride quality that much.

Thanks, excellent advice.

Being a novice, I am doubting whether I would notice any slim difference.

So, to educate me, does a lower gear of ten give me ~9% extra torque than one of eleven or is it the corresponding reduction in effort that I will experience?

Bigger chainring = taller gear. The opposite is true of cogs on a cassette. More teeth = easier gear.

On the Boardman, the big gear of 44 x 10 = 118.8 gear inches. 44 x 11 = 108 gear inches, 44 x 12 = 99 gear inches? What does this mean? Just for comparison's sake, I ran my own touring triple through the gear inch calculator and found that my largest gear 48 x 12 = 108 gear inches, or identical to your 44 x 11. And my smallest gear, 26 x 27 = 25.9 gear inches compared to the Boardman's smallest gear 44 x 42 = 28.4 gear inches, or almost as low as my triple! A 1 x 11 has the same gear range as a 3 x 9, but with a lot less shifting between chainrings.

BikeCalc.com - Bicycle Gear Inches Chart

Just to avoid confusion, the small cog is high gear, so a 10 tooth cog would be a higher gear than an 11 tooth cog.

To keep things simple, if you pedaled a 42 x 10 gear at 90 rpm, you'd be going nearly 30 mph ... that's as fast as professional cyclists. A 42 x 11 at the same cadence would still be roughly 27 mph; you won't be able to pedal that fast for long or without help in the form of a good tailwind or downhill.

I would add that my issue with the Giant's gearing, (particularly since the bike is advertised as a commuter for riding around London, of all places) is, the 3 biggest gears, 50 x 11, 50 x 12, and 50 x 13 are almost unusable in an urban environment. To use 50 x 11 and 50 x 12 at 90 rpm would mean traveling over 30 mph. At least to my middle aged brain, this doesn't seem terribly realistic in a congested urban area.

This is partly what I meant when I suggested the 44 tooth single chainring on the Boardman made more sense for an urban hybrid.

Which is why 50 tooth chainrings mated with an 11 - 28 road cassette on the Giant is ridiculous for a bike that is marketed for getting around London. Those single tooth jumps of 11, 12, 13, and even 14 are useless gears for average cyclists riding in a congested city.

I wasn't aware that Giant had developed a bike exclusively for getting around London. Most manufactureres - and I assume Giant is amongst them, develop bikes, especially their hybrid bikes, for riding in a wider variety of conditions that are normally found in a huge city like London. I would agree that the 11T cog is probably relatively useless for most purposes, but the others are not, if the owner/rider ever takes it outside of the confines of a city, and rides in the countryside, particularly on a downhill.

I found something on the Giant UK website on the Giant Rapid 0. https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb...0/22034/83621/

It is a dumb thing the bike companies do where they gear their higher end hybrids more like road bikes. FWIW, the gearing on the cheaper Rapid 1 and Rapid 2 might be better suited to what OP is looking to do.

The only time I find myself using my biggest gear of 48 x 12, which is significantly smaller than 50 x 11 is on rollers where upon cresting the hill, I try to get a head of steam up so the momentum will take me up the next hill. And even there, for the most part, I could easily live with 100 gear inches as a largest gear if I had to. A lot of this depends on the age, fitness and experience of the rider. I am 50, have been riding over 20 years, and am moderately fit (more fit than many 50 year olds, but probably not as fit as a 20 year old cyclist). OP is 57, limited cycling experience, and looking to get started.

Thanks, that is really useful. Surely eleven gears covering the same range is enough for a recreational rider out for fun?

My Dad used to ride a bike that, at one stage had NO gears! He then slapped a Sturmey Archer three shift system on it.

But will I (the OP in question who is pretty fit for 57 (racquetball, cricket, gym) but NOT cycling) really notice much of a difference? I am beginning to like the sound of the 1x11 gear system. Much easier to understand.

More than enough.

Don't know if you will notice a difference. I used to play racquetball and have worked out at various gyms since college, but the only thing I know about cricket is a scene from Downton Abbey. ;)

Have you test ridden the two bikes yet? A test ride should be more than just a quick spin around the parking lot. Somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes on varied terrain, if the bike shop is willing to indulge you.

Components are replaceable so you dont have to keep any bike as Is. change bits to suit your preferences .

Yup, more than enough gears. What you might want to consider more is if the style of bike is even right for you. Have you ridden either of these, or have you only chosen them based on price, specs, and/or visual appeal? There is nothing wrong with either bike in the abstract sense, but for a beginner they might be "too much." They are on the aggressive side, with lower handlebars, skinnier seat ... closer to sports car than four door sedan in ride and handling.

I have only managed to ride the basic Rapid model (Rapid 0) as the local stockist out here in the sticks doesn't have the full range. The gearing set up did not seem very smooth on this. Prior to buying her bike, my wife did ride the Thrive 2 and had similar findings. She then rode a Whyte with apparently the same gearing set up as the Thrive 0 and found this much better. After much discussion with the accommodating salesman, we went for a Thrive 0 on the basis that he would take it back if she did not like it when it arrived.
As regards the Boardman, the nearest Halfords store do not seem to offer the facility of ride 'before you buy' and, as they seem to have sole stockist status (maybe even own Boardman), I am not sure how I can get round this.

Just an FYI. Giant's number system is backwards. Thus, the Rapid 0 is not the basic model, but rather top of the line. The basic model of that line would be the Rapid 2 at £699. Just quickly perusing the Giant line of hybrids in the UK, another one to consider if you want a hybrid is the Giant Escape 1 at £499. If you can live without disc brakes, this bike is a good deal, if it fits you.