hybrid sizing..

visual-hybrid

hello, am used to mountain bikes, where I ride 18" bike. (I'm about 6 foot)
do you generally get similar size with a hybrid? I know road bikes work differently see..

thanks

il_principe

visual-hybrid wrote:

hello, am used to mountain bikes, where I ride 18" bike. (I'm about 6 foot)
do you generally get similar size with a hybrid? I know road bikes work differently see..

thanks

A hybrid isn't a roadbike, it's an abomination :shock:

Joking aside, there is no hard and fast rule. Best bet is get down the LBS and get sized up/try a few, or better still get a proper roadbike. If you have an mtb already then a hybrid will be a tad pointless (although IMHO they are pointless anyway, and I've owned one!)

linsen

Jash will you please stop beating around the bush - say what you think for once

Actually I have to be honest and say +1 for the pointlessness of the hybrid comment - get yourself a test ride on a road bike and don't look back

itboffin

linsen wrote:

Jash will you please stop beating around the bush - say what you think for once

Actually I have to be honest and say +1 for the pointlessness of the hybrid comment - get yourself a test ride on a road bike and don't look back

tut tut tut school boy or girl error...

The hybrid has it's place especially for commuters, the much more relaxed / upright riding position, straight handlebars, lower range of gears and thicker tyres makes it ideal for short to medium length commutes over variable terrain whilst still maintaining a good level of speed and comfort, the perfect bike between MTB and road bike. it's only when you start to mess around with fast hybrids that you really should be looking at a road bike.

As an owner of MTB, hybrid and road bikes i'd still use the hybrid for <15 mile commutes, most days... 8)

Edit: Hybrid are generally much cheaper too.

linsen

hmm well maybe. I don't have one. I am nowhere near as hard as you obviously, ITB , and need my road bike and its speed for my 12 mile commute, but I like the option of different handlebar positions and the general lightness and nippiness of it. We can't all have as many bikes as you, ITB
Ps as an aside - well done you for suggesting the christmas bash in the first place

itboffin

linsen wrote:

hmm well maybe. I don't have one. I am nowhere near as hard as you obviously, ITB , and need my road bike and its speed for my 12 mile commute, but I like the option of different handlebar positions and the general lightness and nippiness of it. We can't all have as many bikes as you, ITB
Ps as an aside - well done you for suggesting the Christmas bash in the first place

To be perfectly honest I'd actually suggest a cyclo cross bike as the perfect "single" do-it-all machine, i'm a complete convert and have really considered selling all of my bikes (apart from the road & single speed) to feed my new habit.

OP and or anyone new to commuting ignore that comment, that quote is only relevant if like me you have too much free time and too many bikes.

Thanks linsen but I only sowed the seed for the party, I'm hoping the planned social rides and yokel unite drinks/parties will also be as successful.

linsen

hmm cyclocross - has been on my mind but part-time teachers only have so much time / money etc etc....

itboffin

linsen wrote:

hmm cyclocross - has been on my mind but part-time teachers only have so much time / money etc etc....

That's the beauty with the CX bike, cheap as you like, in fact the only i'm putting together at the moment will cost half the price of my hybrid and has higher quality components than my Trek road bike.

Tiz one of the benefits of lots of free time

Nice Avatar

redddraggon

itboffin wrote:

a good level of speed and comfort,

The perfect balance of speed and comfort is a road bike.......I can ride a road bike for 100s of miles....but a flat-barred bike would just be too uncomfortable, not enough hand positions.

itboffin wrote:

the perfect bike between MTB and road bike.

That's a cyclocross bike...........not a hybrid........

Personally I can't see any reason to get anything other than a road bike for commuting on the road - you don't need to have the 13cm drop you have on your trainings bikes for commuting - the drops could even be at the same level or higher than the saddle and it'd still be a better choice than a hybrid.

redddraggon

Oops I noticed you mentioned the CX bike later.........

itboffin

redddraggon wrote:

itboffin wrote:

a good level of speed and comfort,

The perfect balance of speed and comfort is a road bike.......I can ride a road bike for 100s of miles....but a flat-barred bike would just be too uncomfortable, not enough hand positions.

itboffin wrote:

the perfect bike between MTB and road bike.

That's a cyclocross bike...........not a hybrid........

Personally I can't see any reason to get anything other than a road bike for commuting on the road - you don't need to have the 13cm drop you have on your trainings bikes for commuting - the drops could even be at the same level or higher than the saddle and it'd still be a better choice than a hybrid.

See my other post on the same subject, we as roadies would agree road bike or cross, as someone doing a few miles to the office in a city every day and most likely wearing normal clothes, normal speed carrying a laptop, lunch etc. the hybrid being what it is cheap and multi purpose ticks most boxes, it's only when you become hooked/abdicated/obsessed that you wish you'd spent your money on something 'faster'.

PS. currently working on bike number 8 or is it 9, the cross...

itboffin

I have to stop spending my money on bikes, the family needs food and clothes

redddraggon

Personally I can't see any reason to not be comfortable on a road bike in normal clothes, at a normal speed ( ) and carrying stuff - I do it everyday to university now. The only problem with normal clothes is that it gives "more professional looking" cyclists excuse to push in front at the lights - do my clipless pedals/shoes, Catlike Whisper helmet and Team CSC gloves not make me look like I know what I'm doing?

artaxerxes

Well my local bike shop recommended a hybrid and its been fine for my commute in London . I hadn't ridden a bike since I was about 10 years old so I think it was the sensible option.
I'd like to get a steel framed tourer for my next bike though.

Back to the original point, here's a rough guide

http://www.whycycle.co.uk/bike_sizing_advice/l

You really need to try out some bikes in shops and do some test rides to see how comfortable you are.

Lbaguley

I guess it depends on the bike in question - my hybrid (now sold onto someone who'll appreciate it more!) had a MTB-style frame and some (thinking along the lines of the Sirrus/Genesis etc) have more road bike derived geometry. Therefore, as Jash said earlier, the only way to be sure is to get down to a bike shop and try them out.

However, I will echo some of the other comments above and recommend going for a full roadie if you're not going to take it off-road. The wheels and frames are strong enough to cope with most road conditions, and some will take racks and guards, if that is something that you're thinking about.

Most important though - enjoy the shopping. It's addictive...

lost_in_thought

Visual hybrid - why don't you want a road bike? Explain yourself!

The masses demand to know!

visual-hybrid

well, have been toying between a fixed wheel/ hybrid/ road bike.

my commute will be about 13 miles each way on Bristol-Bath cycle path.. Is tarmac and mainly flat (bar the biggish hills at each end), but quite wild so have concerns that a road bike might slip on the leaves etc.

fixie would be slick, but may suffer on the hills.

road bike would be fast/ light but I'd probably end up wrecking it with the distance and riding style..

hybrid might be best suited? as I say I'm a mtb'er at heart and probably throw my bike about too much for a road bike..

speed/ weight are my main considerations..

roger_merriman

If it's Tarmac a roady will cope fine, I'm still very much MTB and old red with her 20mm tires copes fine with the odd tow path rought lane into track etc. Mind you I predate suspention so learnt to ride light early on

biondino

Are you keeping the MTB? If so you can just take the MTB out on days when you don't have confidence in the road bike - which will also keep the roadie in better condition

laughingboy

Biondino, just an observation, but your new avatar makes you look like a c*ck...

AndyManc

visual-hybrid wrote:

hello, am used to mountain bikes, where I ride 18" bike. (I'm about 6 foot)
do you generally get similar size with a hybrid? I know road bikes work differently see..

thanks

I'm the same as you (18" mtb and 6ft) and I've got a 20" Trek Hybrid.

itboffin

Well i'm 18ft tall and ride a 6" bike

linsen

lost_in_thought wrote:

Visual hybrid - why don't you want a road bike? Explain yourself!

The masses demand to know!

He'd have to change his username then

ansbaradigeidfran

linsen wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Visual hybrid - why don't you want a road bike? Explain yourself!

The masses demand to know!

He'd have to change his username then

If it looks like a hybrid he'd be fine, though.

il_principe

visual-hybrid wrote:

my commute will be about 13 miles each way on Bristol-Bath cycle path.. Is tarmac and mainly flat (bar the biggish hills at each end), but quite wild so have concerns that a road bike might slip on the leaves etc.

Surely this is a tire issue not a bike issue? What about a cross bike then, with clearance for wider tires?