Road v Hybrid

carrotcruncher

That Genesis does indeed look a fine craft.

Out of my current budget unless I can convince the boss that cycle to work is in his interests.

Point also taken about the differences between a 'traditional' hybrid and a flar barred road bike.

Never thought this would be so complicated much worse than chosing cars, and I normally spend quite a time on that too :roll:

davis

carrotcruncher wrote:

Out of my current budget unless I can convince the boss that cycle to work is in his interests.

If you go with a partner company (we went with Cyclescheme) it's trivial to set up. It really is.

Nik86

I find this bike snobbery from the "roadbike brigade" frustrating. Surely it really depends what kinda riding you're doing and also what kind of hybrid.

I just bought a new bike and in my research I found that "hybrid" means many things to many people... some hybrids are basically MTB with slightly more road friendly tires (so not ideal for regular commuting) whereas some are basically road bikes with certain features (flat bars, slightly thicker tyres, etc.)

I bought one of the latter and find it perfect for london roads. It is light and speedy and can duck in and out of traffic (like a roadbike) but is slightly comfier, has a slightly more upright position, to have a better overview of traffic, slightly thicker tires mean fewer punctures and can handle potholes, jumping onto pavements/footpaths every now and again, etc.

I can appreciate however that if you are somewhere more suburban, covering more miles but having nicer roads, less traffic and perhaps a dedicated cycle path, a classic road bike might be better.

Somewhere totally rural where you may need to cross rougher terrain (canal paths, woody paths, etc.) is where the MTB style hybrids come into their own.

Why all this "real bikers ride road bikes" snobbery? Real bikers ride roadbikes when they're the best option, but they also know when to give up their roadbike and plump for some sort of hybrid... losing a little of the performance, for a little bit of durability. Riding a pure road/race bike in a big inner city is like having a lambourghini car. Yeah it's fast (in theory) and looks slick but is it really suited to the conditions? Remember guys, it's all a spectrum...

Just my two cents...

carrotcruncher

Update:

Tried a couple more bikes this weekend - all very nice....

However, a friend of a friend heard I was in the market for a bike, and has got a 2 year old Carrera Gryphon that they only rode for a couple of months, before deciding they did want to cycle more at weekends etc and upgraded to a proper road bike.

Sooooo - for the bargain sum of £ 100 I'll be picking it up tonight.

Thanks for all the opinions folks - and I'll look forward to the "told you so's" if I follow the same path as my friends friend, and so many who contributed to this thread

The Rookie

dubnut71 wrote:

I have been MTB'ing today around cape cod and can't believe how much effort it takes to hack one around tarmac, go light and get a roady mate, you won't regret it!!!!

All very emotive of course, but totally irrelevant, the latest road bikes with flat bars called a hybrid are lighter than the dropped equivalent......check out the Boardmans.

Yes I wouldn't go back to commuting on a heavy MTB with slicks, but most hybrids now are 'road' bikes with flats anyway, most people on drops ride on the tops/hoods, its what is right for THAT person on THERE commute that counts.

I have to carry 5lb of laptop on a rack, it would look silly on a snake thin roady, so I ride flat barred hybrid, although the frame I'm using started off with drops anyway.

Simon