What Hybrid?

holdengj
holdengj Posts: 3
edited April 2008 in Road beginners
I want to buy my first bike and think that a hybrid is my best best. I want one that is more geared towards speed than anything else. I have a budget of £600 - can anyone help with recommendations or places to purchase?

Many thanks in advance.

Comments

  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    holdengj wrote:
    I want one that is more geared towards speed than anything else.

    Don't faff about with a hybrid then, get a proper road bike.
    I like bikes...

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  • holdengj
    holdengj Posts: 3
    I've been trying to research but there are so many!!
  • mccaffertyj
    mccaffertyj Posts: 29
    redddraggon wrote:
    holdengj wrote:
    I want one that is more geared towards speed than anything else.

    I have a RidgeBack Cyclone for commuting and a Giant SCR2 for much longer cycles. All depends on how far you are cycling though.
  • roger_merriman
    roger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    redddraggon wrote:
    holdengj wrote:
    I want one that is more geared towards speed than anything else.

    Don't faff about with a hybrid then, get a proper road bike.

    2nd if you want speed then a racer is what you want, hybid covers everything from mtb's with slicks to bikes with baskets at the front.
  • DavidTQ
    DavidTQ Posts: 943
    I started with a hybrid then spent out again to get a road bike, the hybrids never been used since, for pure road use, use a road bike! a hybrid is there for partial off road use, if you arent off roading at all theres little point to them. The road bikes are far faster and more efficient with your leg power :D. I find hills far easier on the road bike than the hybrid, a road bike feels much nicer to ride, it makes trips far more enjoyable
  • MrKawamura
    MrKawamura Posts: 192
    As has been mentioned, "hybrid" can mean a lot of different things. Can you tell us a bit more about why you think a hybrid would be your best bet? It would then be easier for us to offer helpful suggestions.

    If you're interested in speed, a fast hybrid would be something like a Specialized Sirrus (£400 - £1700). These bikes are generally similar to a full-on road bike except they have flat handlebars and come fitted with slightly fatter tyers and might have eyelets for mudguards and a rack (better for commuting maybe...). This type of bike would be only slightly happier on a tow path than a road bike, and the flat handlebars would offer less riding positions, and therefore possibly less comfort on longer rides. A road bike could be a better choice...

    If I was thinking about spending £600 on a general purpose or do-it-all bike at the moment I would be thinking about finding a way to up my budget by £50 - £100 and going for one of the lower end "cyclocross" bikes, such as a Kona Jake or Specialized Tricross.

    All depends what type of riding you will be doing...
  • Felix-da-house-mouse
    Felix-da-house-mouse Posts: 801
    can anyone recommend a racer with flats for my old boy whos 55? asked but never got any responses.
    felix's bike

    pedal like you stole something!!!
  • feel
    feel Posts: 800
    Felix-da-house-mouse wrote:
    can anyone recommend a racer with flats for my old boy whos 55? asked but never got any responses.

    Think you'll find you did - and what's so old about 55, are you being ageist :lol:
    We are born with the dead:
    See, they return, and bring us with them.
  • Roger_This
    Roger_This Posts: 136
    Felix-da-house-mouse wrote:
    can anyone recommend a racer with flats for my old boy whos 55? asked but never got any responses.

    Well this 'old boy' :evil: uses a Ridgeback Flight T1. Very nippy, much faster than the old hardtail Specialized Hardrock BUT really wishing I'd gone straight for a proper roadie and just kept the Specialized for commuting.

    Maybe I'll get an SCR1 next summer...
  • Felix-da-house-mouse
    Felix-da-house-mouse Posts: 801
    sorry i'm just used to callin my dad old boy, sorry to the OLDER users of this forum didn't mean to upset you i know your hormones are all over the place at your age causing extreme anger so i'm sorry :lol:
    felix's bike

    pedal like you stole something!!!
  • Felix-da-house-mouse
    Felix-da-house-mouse Posts: 801
    i thought hybrids and flat bar roadies were two seperate things? no?
    felix's bike

    pedal like you stole something!!!
  • DavidTQ
    DavidTQ Posts: 943
    Felix-da-house-mouse wrote:
    i thought hybrids and flat bar roadies were two seperate things? no?

    To my mind they are, a flat bar road bike will use roadie frame, wheels and gears but with flat bars, whereas a hybrid will have wheels \ frame and likely but not necesarily gears which nod towards off road use skinnier than mtb but more rugged than pure road. My hybrid had 700c wheels that were supposed to "look" sturdy.
  • Shadowduck
    Shadowduck Posts: 845
    Felix-da-house-mouse wrote:
    sorry i'm just used to callin my dad old boy, sorry to the OLDER users of this forum didn't mean to upset you i know your hormones are all over the place at your age causing extreme anger so i'm sorry :lol:
    Isn't it past your bedtime or something? :P
    Felix-da-house-mouse wrote:
    i thought hybrids and flat bar roadies were two seperate things? no?
    Sort of. Depends who you ask... So far as I can tell, hybrids are pretty much anything that isn't a "proper" MTB, isn't a "proper" road bike and isn't a crosser.
    Even if the voices aren't real, they have some very good ideas.
  • Roger_This
    Roger_This Posts: 136
    In case it helps, the Flight is very much at the 'road' end of hybrid. 700c * 26mm wheels, triple chainset, light and nippy.

    Definitely a candidate for a 'road bike with flats'.

    Anybody got some spare hormones, btw? :(

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