Just picked up a hybrid

peb

Bought a Giant 2.5 CRS for me and a 3.0 for my wife on the weekend from TREDZ in Cardiff. They were doing a Father's Day deal buy one get one half price promo . Great deal as we were both looking for a bike. Paid £425 in total.
Just posting to say that after riding a 10 year old cheap MTB for commuting etc I am amazed it the difference with these bikes. WOW. So much easier to ride. Can ride for miles without gasping for breath!
They only negative thing that I have found is the road vibration on my hands, probably get used to it though maybe front suspension would have been a better bet.
Anyway if your thinking of taking the plunge with a hybrid, I would say Do it you wont regret it.

tardington

They are good! I have just upgraded from a cheapster hybrid, but it lasted for 8 years and I loved it while it ran.

Now, I know you are going to give us your opinions on helmet-wearing, AND red-light-jumping....

RufusA

peb wrote:

They only negative thing that I have found is the road vibration on my hands, probably get used to it though maybe front suspension would have been a better bet.

I agree about the road vibration. When I was looking at Specialized Sirrus there was a very noticeable difference between the carbon and alu forked versions.

I found just a two mile test ride on the alu forked Sirrus and my hand felt vibrated and numb. The carbon forks just took the edge off the constant dull buzz of the wheel going over tarmac.

If the bike is new, might be worth asking your LBS about swapping the fork over with something else. Failing that gloves with gel inserts help dampen the buzz, and will save your hands from being sandpapered over 10 metres of gravel if you ever have an off!

Personally I wouldn't recommend a suspension fork as it will impact the handling - YMMV!

HTH - Rufus.

AndyManc

I thought carbon forks were worse for sending the shock waves through your body , thats why many have 'dampers' built in.

Steel is best .. then alum then carbon :?

Its worth getting decent grips and gloves .. and maybe wrap your hands in bubble wrap

RufusA

AndyManc wrote:

I thought carbon forks were worse for sending the shock waves through your body , thats why many have 'dampers' built in.

Steel is best .. then alum then carbon :?

I think there is a difference between shocks (that require Flex) and vibration (that requires damping).

In my experience the Sirrus with carbon forks (and flex inserts) absorbed a lot more vibrations than the alu fork. How much is down to the carbon and how much down to the "zertz" I can't say. However for me the Alu wasn't suitable as a commuter bike!

My old steel bike / fork was pretty good at absorbing vibration and shocks, but the geometry was significantly different so can't compare like with like.

Doing a bit of googling they seem to be ranked as:

Vibration - Carbon best then Steel then Alu.
Flex - Steel best then Alu and Carbon (joint last)

Rufus.

meanwhile

peb wrote:

They only negative thing that I have found is the road vibration on my hands, probably get used to it though maybe front suspension would have been a better bet.

Buy gel gloves or put different (probably slightly fatter) tyres on. A typical front suspension is designed for absorbing pout holes and kerbs at a cost of weight and pedaling energy.

Make sure that the new tyres are proper road ones and not a compromise on/offroad design, and of good quality. Schwalbe Marathons or Continental Duraskins are good bets. Buy a pump with a gauge and use it carefully and frequently.

secretsam

It's an interesting point. I ride a Sirrus (ally not carbon) at one end and an old 531 framed steed at the other, and on ride comfort the 531 is simply on another planet. Having said that, the ally framed Sirrus feels stiffer...but it's so harsh to ride...if I was going for a new bike I'd really be tempted by a steelie again, or a Ti, simply for the ride quality.

(Yeah, I can really see my wife letting me spend £900 on a Ti FRAME... :roll: )