I was looking to test a hybrid bike that could help me decrease the time on my gruelling 10 mile daily commute into central London. Having usually commuted on a good quality hybrid bike (around £750), I was really excited to see whether the Koga Sports Lady could get me just that little bit ahead of time in the mornings.
Half of my journey is suburban so you can usually pick up some decent speed without stopping and starting in traffic, which you can imagine happens the minute I get into busier commuter areas. The last 1/3 of my commute is in heavy city traffic, waiting at traffic lights and for pedestrians, the usual obstacles that slow you down.
I really liked the cycling position I was in when riding the Koga Sports Lady, the flat handlebars, I find, are much better than the dropped handle bars for visibility whilst cycling through traffic. The saddle was extremely comfortable but still retained a sporty feel unlike some women’s saddles I have had in the past.
I pumped up the 25mm tyres to 90 with my floor pump, which gave me a very firm but fast ride. This certainly took at bit of getting use to after the soft wider tires of my hybrid, as I felt every bump in the road and, every bone in my body seemed to vibrate all the way home! However, I did get use to this and it was worth it as I reduced my commute time by 10 minutes each way which I was really impressed with. Generally, although bumpy, my whole ride felt light and effortless.
The bike is very stylish. I like the sporty appearance with turquoise trims, but is doesn’t look girly, it looks sporty! I particularly loved the turquoise trim on the tires too. It also came with a good quality pump and water bottle which was an added bonus.
The stand out features on the Koga Sports Lady for me were the gears and tires. The gear change is very smooth and with an impressive 30 gear range, you are sure to find the right one for you. The 25mm tires make for a much faster ride giving less road resistance.
I tried this bike off road on a well prepared flat trail but it was extremely bumpy and I think that if it had been wet, the tires would have been extremely slippery.
At £1149 (although I do think it is worth the money), unfortunately it is not under the threshold for the ride to work scheme (£1000). This is a shame as this is the market who would benefit for from a bike like this.
Verdict: All in all, this is an excellent commuter bike, one which I would highly recommend. Giving me a faster ride (saving over 20 mins on my daily commute), it felt like much less effort than my previous hybrid, it certainly looks the business and, gives a good cycling position with excellent visibility.
Price: £999.00 (RRP £1149.00), available from Cycle Sense.
More info: Koga.
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