Bike test: Carrera Subway 1 hybrid

Even entry-level hybrids aren’t cheap these days. From big-name brands, they start at around £500. Many would-be cyclists won’t or can’t pay that much. Hence the market for bicycle-shaped objects that are swiftly abandoned.

While the best option on a tight budget is to buy secondhand, there are some sub-£500 new bikes worth considering, mostly from the likes of Decathlon and Halfords. This £345 Carrera Subway 1 is an urban mountain bike: a hybrid with an MTB-style frame, fittings for essential equipment and chunky street tyres.

Frame and fork

Carrera Subways have been around for years; I tested one in the Oct/Nov 2004 issue. They now have 650B (ISO 584) wheels rather than 26in (559) but haven’t otherwise changed much in terms of frame geometry or design. They remain noughties aluminium hardtails with steel forks. And that’s fine.

The Subway frameset is a versatile chassis. It has the rack and mudguard fittings you need for commuting or recreational riding, and it takes tyres that are wide enough for comfort and control on bad roads and better-quality tracks.

It’s good to see a rigid steel fork. Suspension forks at this price tend to use basic coil springs with no rebound damping (like pogo sticks) and minimal adjustability (preload only). A rigid fork is lighter, tracks predictably and won’t flex or bob.

The only small downside to the frame is how closely it sticks to its cross-country MTB roots. As a casual cyclist’s runaround, it would benefit from a taller head tube to give a more upright and relaxed riding position. A bottom bracket 2-3cm lower, meanwhile, would make it easier to get a foot down at the lights.

Components

Equipment first: there isn’t any. This is unfortunate because, when you buy mudguards, a rack and lights separately, you’ll spend more overall than if the bike came fitted with them. If you can stretch to £485, the Subway All-Weather Edition does have mudguards, as well as better brakes and gears. Otherwise, budget for some SKS Bluemels (around £30).

The drivetrain is 2×8 Shimano Tourney, which shifts reliably if not crisply. Its 11-34 Megarange cassette gives a usefully lower bottom gear than the 11-28 of many cheap bikes. There’s a big jump between second gear and first, but it’s not a problem.

The 46-30 Prowheel chainset is too large. There’s no need for a 46/11 gear (114in) on a bike like this. A 40-26 chainset, which is available from Prowheel, would give a more practical range and necessitate fewer front shifts.

While there are arguments – simplicity and cost – for a single chainring for urban use, a wide-range double makes the Subway 1 more versatile. Longer, hillier rides, with or without luggage, are more manageable.

Wide street tyres are a defining feature of urban MTBs. The Subway’s measure 52mm. With the lower pressures this airspace allows, bump and vibration absorption is better. There’s also more grip on gravel.

The wheels have a sensible number of spokes and arrived true. Given that this is a bike that will likely be parked around town, Allen-bolted wheel skewers would be a security upgrade over quick-releases.

Single-piston cable disc brakes are par for the course. The issue with them for beginners, compared to the hydraulics fitted to the Subway 2 (£390), is not so much that they lack power but that they need adjusting for pad wear to maintain the performance they do have.

Ride

The Subway 1 has the stable handling its oldish-school MTB origins dictate. Wide tyres and relatively high-trail steering cope well with unseen potholes and ironwork, and make steep descents less nerve jangling.

The Kenda Komfort tyres roll OK for cheap rubber. If you want tougher ones to more or less eliminate the risk of punctures, Continental Contact Plus City tyres are available in a more suitable width (55-584) than Schwalbe’s Marathon Plus (40-584).

The riding position demands some forward lean, which will be second nature to experienced cyclists but may put too much weight on the hands for beginners. A cheap fix (ideally by Halfords) would be a handlebar with more rise or a more steeply angled stem.

The contact points are all right, although anyone planning longer rides would benefit from the alternative grip provided by a pair of bar ends.

Verdict

Other than its lack of equipment, there’s little to dislike about the Subway 1. It’s a simple, sturdy hybrid with wide tyres.

You could sensibly use it for a wide variety of riding – not just for urban transportation but also non-technical tracks, countryside exploring, even bikepacking or light touring. That versatility makes it one of the better beginner’s bikes at this price.

Other options

Elops City Bike 120 Low Frame £249.99

A town bike with mudguards, rack, kickstand and sidewall-dynamo lighting. V-brakes are fine, 6−speed derailleur gearing a bit clunky.

6KU Fixie & Singlespeed Bike – Barcelona £399

This hi-ten steel singlespeed has 46/16 gearing and a legal complement of brakes. Only takes narrow tyres, and mudguards will be a bodge.

First published in Cycle magazine, February/March 2026 issue. All information correct at time of publishing.