Reid Blacktop

Looking for a cheap city bike? At £380 the Reid Blacktop isn't going to break the bank, and it isn't going to break itself either: it's a well-built and easy-to-ride city bike with durable components and an engaging ride. I like it.

The Blacktop has an aluminium alloy frame and fork; there's some confusion on Reid's website as to whether it's 6061 or 7005 alloy, not that I'd be able to tell the difference. The welds are smoothed and the bike is finished in a matt/gloss black paintjob that's very understated and urban. There are a few chips in the paint now but generally it's holding up very well. The alloy fork is painted to match.

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To that frame is attached some very sensible and durable city kit. The transmission is a Shimano Nexus 3-speed hub with a grip shifter and a Prowheel 44T chainset. With the 20T sprocket on the hub that gives you 43in, 60in and 81in gears (approximately). That's a nice spread for getting yourself up the hills and still being able to push on along the flats.

If you live somewhere very hilly then you might find it a touch overgeared, but a chainring swap won't cost you much if it's a real problem. Obviously the 3-speed hub doesn't have either the gear range or the close ratios of a derailleur system, but it's simple, cheap and durable.

The Blacktop uses a zinc-galvanised anti-rust chain that doesn't need much taking care of. There's no chaincase, but you could fit one easily if you wanted.

The Nexus hub is built onto an Alex DC-19 rim, with a Quando hub at the front. At 530g the rims are solid without being over-heavy, and they're well built with plain gauge black spokes. It's not the most exciting wheel build ever, but the wheels arrived true and stayed that way. They're shod with 35mm Continental Sport Contact tyres that roll well on the road and have plenty of chamber if you want to venture onto rougher surfaces; the file tread is good for fire roads and towpaths.

Promax V-brakes take care of the stopping. They do the job just fine, although experience suggests they'll probably be due for a switch a few years down the line as the plastic parts in the spring mechanism aren't that robust. The alloy levers will last for ever, though. Finishing kit is all alloy, as you'd expect, and you get semi-ergo grips and a decent saddle with a fairly sleek shape and plenty of padding.

The ride: firm, engaging

It's a fun bike to ride, the Reid. At 11.7kg it's hardly a lightweight but it's still good to punch away from the lights and the steering is on the lively side of neutral, which makes it good for flicking through traffic. It's not twitchy, though, and 40mph descents don't require any more than the usual amount of care.

The frame and fork are stiff, and the wheels are solidly built too. That's mitigated by the 35mm tyres and the decent saddle and grips, and the overall package is a bike that feels firm without being uncomfortable. If you stuck 23mm race tyres on this bike you might find it a bit of a boneshaker, but as it comes it's good for purposeful progress without getting beaten up.

The tyres give good levels of grip; the carcass isn't the most supple so they benefit from having plenty of air in. I ran them at 70psi most of the time; you can drop below that if you're riding on mixed surfaces and comfort is definitely improved, but at lower pressures on the road you do feel them start to drag.

Point yourself uphill for any length of time and the weight of the bike begins to tell a bit. It's not too bad on shorter rises where you can get out of the saddle and give it a bit of oomph to get over the top, but long draggy climbs aren't so great; it's just a case of knocking the bike down to first gear and making your way up at whatever pace you can.

If you like to spin the pedals fast and you have plenty of hills to do, you might find the gear range restricting. I found that I tended to do longer climbs out of the saddle as the cadence was more suited to that. I didn't find anything that I couldn't get up on the Reid, although there were certainly times I would have liked another gear. Bath is hilly – if you live somewhere less bumpy the gear range will be dandy.

The position of the bike is just right: not too racy, but not too sat up either. It fits the nature of the bike: the Blacktop is a bike that likes to be thrown about a bit. You can cruise about on it at no great speed, but it's more fun if you're putting a bit more effort in.

There are frame mounts for a rack and mudguards. Those things aren't included but you could fully citify (is that a word?) the Reid and make it into an all-weather, four-season commuter. For £60 you could get rack, mudguards, chain case and a kickstand, and you're still only looking at £450 for the whole caboodle. If you were buying it on a cycle-to-work scheme you'd only be paying about £25 a month, for 12 months, for a bike that would last you years. That seems like a pretty good investment.

> Check out our guide to the best hybrid bikes here

Overall, the Reid Blacktop is a likeable bike. It has a sensible city spec and although it doesn't come equipped for load carrying in all weathers it's easy to add the bits you need. The £380 asking price looks like very good value, and the bike is enjoyable to ride around town. If you're after a simple and durable workhorse bike for not much cash, it's certainly one to consider.

Verdict

Simple and durable city bike that's fun to ride and easy to winterise