Why buy a hybrid?

biondino

Waddlie wrote:

But you assume that other people are making assumptions. You also assume you know what "most people" want to spend their money on.

Has it crossed your mind that many people might have already looked through the various options and come to the logical conclusion that a hybrid will best meet their needs before posting? Or are we going to write them all off as ignorant and uneducated?

Yes, it has crossed my mind, and I apologies for being condescending here but I trly believe most people HAVEN'T done a great deal of research when they post their "what bike" posts here. Part of the reason I think that is because this IS their research, and a not inconsiderable part of it, assuming they get several opinions and pieces of advice.

Your faith in people is great but it is my experience that most people are lazy, and make decisions based on little or no in-depth research. I wouldn't for a second write off anyone who HAD done the research, no! I might still think their logic is flawed but that's what debate's all about.

FYI I think a Sirrus is a de facto road bike, not a hybrid. You can have a road bike with flat bars without having to use the H-word!

notsoblue

Waddlie wrote:

So wait, what I'm hearing is "each to their own."

Mods, lock the thread! We're all done here.

lol, quite! The only reason I contributed to this thread was because I understood WGW's point, and thought accusing him of being "anti-hybrid" was unfair. Commuter bike doesn't always have to automatically mean Hybrid...

For the record, even though I'm getting a lovely crabon fibré road bike that I'll be using on my commute, I'm keeping my hybrid for wet days, shopping (panniers!), short journeys etc... Both have their merits.

biondino

My gf would love me to have a sit up and beg bike for when we pootle together - I think she feels uncomfortable seeing my hunched over on my roadie/fixie, as if waiting for the chance to make a breakaway at any moment!

In truth, I'd like one too, but since we don't ride together very often and I'm trying to get *rid* of bikes at the moment, it's not very practical.

wizzlebanger

ha ha....I knew this thread would end up like this from the 1st moment I read it!! :shock:

MrChuck

WGWarburton wrote:

if you want wider bars, a more upright position or better brakes, you can certainly get them on a road bike. Similarly, if you want stronger rims or a bit more tread on your tyres, you can get/upgrade a road bike to suit.

Sure you could. Or you could get a hybrid, and the difference over the average urban commute for the average person would be about 3/10ths of naff all. So why is a hybrid such a bad choice for the commute? I'm struggling to identify a real reason other than that it doesn't have drop bars, which seems to make things automatically better even if you don't use the drops...?

Just to be clear again, I'm not taking issue with road bikes at all, just the assumption that somebody who buys something to do a job that is functionally basically the same is some sort of clueless noob if it has flat bars instead of drops.

wgwarburton

MrChuck wrote:

...Just to be clear again, I'm not taking issue with road bikes at all, just the assumption that somebody who buys something to do a job that is functionally basically the same is some sort of clueless noob if it has flat bars instead of drops.

Right, so let's not make that assumption, OK? It's flawed on several levels and I think we all agree on that.

Cheers,
W.

gaz545

lets look at it from a different level...

How much are most people* willing to spend on a bike they only commute to work on? and how much is a decent entry level road bike worth?

I'm not talking about the people who visit forums like this, just general people that want to cycle to save money. There is a big market of cheap MTB's and hybrids. thats why they are popular.

MrChuck

WGWarburton wrote:

MrChuck wrote:

...Just to be clear again, I'm not taking issue with road bikes at all, just the assumption that somebody who buys something to do a job that is functionally basically the same is some sort of clueless noob if it has flat bars instead of drops.

Right, so let's not make that assumption, OK? It's flawed on several levels and I think we all agree on that.

Cheers,
W.

Isn't that exactly the assumption this thread is based on though?

Zaim

I've done both. For 3 years I commuted to work on a Spesh Allez Sport until I binned it last year going down a hill, slid on ice and damaged my knee. Nothing to do with the bike but that was it, I’d had enough of drop bars and everything associated with them.

I initially got a road bike because of the temptation of the bike2work scheme (no surprises there). I’d ridden road bikes in the past but not for any great length. When I got the bike I initially felt quite prone and never felt confident in the ability of the bike. I hated having to be out stretched to use the brakes as well. However it was a fast way to get to work and when I got use to it I quite liked it, but I never loved it.

Now I’ve got a hybrid that I use to get to work on and I’m back in my comfort zone with straight bars. It’s definitely not as fast as the road bike but it’s not loads of minutes slower on my commute. I also find it more comfortable possibly because I have more experience of setting up a bike of this kind and I love it.

To coin a phrase it’s horses for courses and for me a road bike is more hardcore than a hybrid and I ain’t hardcore road. A road for me get’s me from A-B with minimal fuss and that’s what a road bike offers, but a hybrid offers me a bit more comfort and confidence.

As for price £500 (I was unsure and didn’t want to spend a lot) on the Specialized that I made money on by selling the parts and £800 on the hybrid (I talked myself up because I knew I wanted it)

bigmat

Its just marketing isn't it? Where does a hybrid end and a flat barred road bike begin? Where does a road bike end and a racer begin? Hybrids can be good and bad. Personally I think the ideal bike for the average commuter would be a sportive style geometry, flat bars, road compact gears and V-brakes (disks probably overkill on the road). Decent set of wheels with clearance for chunkier tyres if required and you have a "do-it-all" bike. Hell, you could even look at a hub gear. Drops aren't really necessary for commuting, not in cities anyway. I've reached this conclusion because about 90% of the commuters I see on "road" bikes are on the hoods permanently. Which in my view is a better position for steady cruising than for weaving and ducking in and out of stop start traffic. Of course you can use a drop barred bike for commuting (in fact I do at the moment) but it only really starts to yield rewards if you are covering some distance / hilly terrain. The MTB will be coming back once summer draws to a close (complete with all new drivetrain and a new top gear of 48/11) - roadies beware, its going to be a scalpfest!

El Diego

A lot of people buy hybrids and end up getting road bikes. Not many folks go the other way.

I think the OP was just trying to save people the hassle and all those hours of lost enjoyment!

@MattHammond - I also ride on the hoods and find the narrower bars of a road bike much better for weaving through traffic.

bigmat

El Diego wrote:

A lot of people buy hybrids and end up getting road bikes. Not many folks go the other way.

I think the OP was just trying to save people the hassle and all those hours of lost enjoyment!

@MattHammond - I also ride on the hoods and find the narrower bars of a road bike much better for weaving through traffic.

If a gap was only big enough for "narrow" bars, I'd wait for a bigger gap, regardless of what bike I was riding.

Anyway. my response wasn't about lecturing people on what they should and shouldn't ride, I just feel that the "default" option for the majority (if such a think exists / is necessary) probably wouldn't be a drop barred road bike. I see people on folders, MTB's, BMX's, hybrids, racers, tourers, fixies, all happily commuting and the main thing is each one of them is one less car on the road.

El Diego

Ultimately it's each to their own, however having gone down the hybrid to road bike conversion and knowing quite a few other people who have done the same thing I can understand where the OP is coming from.

People do tend to gravitate towards hybrids based on the assumption that road bikes are flimsy or for proper enthusiasts. I think he was just trying to make people question this assumption.

Price is a massive factor though and road bikes are generally more expensive.

wizzlebanger

I think the OP was just trying to save people the hassle and all those hours of lost enjoyment!

So according to the above statement do people who choose not to ride 'road bikes' not enjoy them?

I have to admit to feeling like there is an element of elitism / snobbery regarding 'hybrids' from some dropped bar / road bike users. I often see posts and threads where it is intimated that hybrids are crap by roadies but never the other way around although I'm sure some eager forum beaver will prove that wrong!

To clear my position I currently commute and ride my 'hybrid' at the weekend and I think it's great at what it does. I except it's limitations but for me it also has advantages. That's not to say I wouldn't like a road bike as well but I wouldn't try to denigrate someone's choice of bike one way or another.

thelawnet

This thread is pretty horrific. 2% of journeys in the Uk are by bicycle.

That's 13 times less than The Netherlands.

A bicycle is a means of transport first and foremost.

What proportion of shoes sold are designed for road running? Not many. Because although you can certainly run long distances, most people just want to get from A to B. Same with bicycles.

The most common bicycle in the UK should have:

mudguards
kickstands
basket
chain guard
rack and panniers
dynamo lights
hub gears

(which is what they use in The Netherlands, pretty much.)

And therefore be very practical for use in the winter (most people get their bikes out for a couple of months in summer), and require little or no maintenance (how many people are willing to pay £60 every few months for a bike service?).

A road bike just isn't the answer.

Yes, if you want to run marathons get your gait analysed and buy some special running shoes, and if you want to do 100 mile sportives, buy a road bike. But the overwhelming majority of people don't, they'd like to go 1 or 2 miles to the shops, perhaps 10 or 15 miles at the weekend.

They don't need 'twitchy' steering or bikes unforgiving of potholes or slippery drains. Most bikes that are sold are ludicrously impractical, especially road bikes with no mounting points. If people were sold bikes with storage, mudguards and lights, more people would realise that they can use the bike to pick up the shopping, rather than simply pottering around the park on the occasional summer weekend.

Clever Pun

baronsouthside wrote:

I think the OP would have been better off in the chat section of this forum and leave this section for people who want good and genuine advice from people whom have an interest in the common good of cycling and not the cyclist to cyclist negitivity your post spouts. If you want a road bike then fine. If people want a hybrid then fine.

I suppose you get just as annoyed when you see a mountain bike being used on tarmac? A lady on a gents frame? Or shock horror. :shock: A penny farthing being used by someone who is not victorian or an uni-cycle being used by someone other than a CLOWN?

He is offering advice... having first taken the plunge with a hybrid.... I then moved on to a road bike the the difference is remarkable, you can travel for longer while going faster.

Having had to ride the hybrid a couple of times for emergencies it damn near killed me it was so much more effort.

If your commute is on roads and you're buying a commuting bike buy a road "style" bike

Clever Pun

To all the pootler's and only a couple mile riders... why not ride a shopper? more comfy and more upright than a hybrid

just a thought

I'm actually tempted to pick myself up one after being on a bobike as it's a really enjoyable laid back experience

El Diego

wizzlebanger wrote:

I think the OP was just trying to save people the hassle and all those hours of lost enjoyment!

So according to the above statement do people who choose not to ride 'road bikes' not enjoy them?

I have to admit to feeling like there is an element of elitism / snobbery regarding 'hybrids' from some dropped bar / road bike users. I often see posts and threads where it is intimated that hybrids are crap by roadies but never the other way around although I'm sure some eager forum beaver will prove that wrong!

To clear my position I currently commute and ride my 'hybrid' at the weekend and I think it's great at what it does. I except it's limitations but for me it also has advantages. That's not to say I wouldn't like a road bike as well but I wouldn't try to denigrate someone's choice of bike one way or another.

Don't get my wrong, I enjoy all kinds of bikes. I know what you mean about the snobbery/elitism and I think that's one of the things that puts people off road bikes.

alfablue

I have 3 road bikes (a Planet X carbon, a steel audax and a steel tourer) and a Ti hardtail mtb, I am now looking at buying a hybrid - because I want to cycle to the shops / pub / other utility rides around the city. I will have mudguards, rack, panniers and a basket. The bike will be plain (or maybe even ugly) and cheap. I want something that I can use for such rides without worrying about it too much. Its all about horses for courses and I can now see a need in my stable for a bike like this. I would not want to use such a bike on my 13 mile commute, or on tour or on fast weekend leisure rides, but it has its place.

wgwarburton

Hi,
OK- so is a fair summary that hybrids are a good choice because the majority of road bikes currently available are relatively poor value and often lack basic fittings like mudguards (or clearance & fittings for them) and provision for racks, child seats lights, chainguards(!) etc?

The "utility bike" sector, if catered for at all, is catered for by the "hybrid" or something sufficiently close.

The recommendation for a "road bike" over a "hybrid" presumes that you may develop an interest in recreational riding of some sort (even if that's only SCR, SCTT or SCS), so you should factor that into your decision making upfront.

..or do I summarise to the point of inaccuracy?

Cheers,
W.

biondino

Let us not forget that some of us love the fact we can both commute AND ride hard while doing so. You can do so on a hybrid, of course, but the pleasure in riding hard is the speed, the cornering, the acceleration, not the huffing and puffing and barrelling into the wind chest first.

Also, Clever Pun is right. If you're a pure pootler, even a hybrid is a concession to the spirit of Anquetil. Get a shopper or a cruiser instead.

thelawnet

Clever Pun wrote:

To all the pootler's and only a couple mile riders... why not ride a shopper? more comfy and more upright than a hybrid

That depends on the hybrid. Some of them are very upright, some are not.

Something like this will be pretty comfy. http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bik ... 878/39043/

Clever Pun

Also whenever you see a pious no-nothing tw@t on a bike they're invariably on a hybrid

supersonic

Corporate Camper wrote:

I think another issue is that "Hybrid" seems to encompass quite a large range of bikes.

I opted for a Hybrid, I went for a Boardman Pro which is more at the road end than the off-road end of the Hybrid spectrum.

I chose a hybrid for a few reasons, the biggest being that every time I've tried a road bike I've found the drops uncomfortable. Now, I'm willing to admit that it's likely that those bikes weren't a good fit for me.

Another reason was that I'm a big chap, somewhere around 19 stone (but reasonably fit) and I worried that a road bike would be a bit fragile for the commutes I planned. Again, I'm willing to admit that this could be a misconception.

Here's the thing though: I love my bike! It's great! The first time I rode it (after riding MTB's on the road) it felt like swapping between a Land Rover and a Lotus Elise, a real buzz that I still get every time I ride it.

I think it's the perfect machine for my commute through the City, I'm not convinced a road bike would do anything better. I'm at the stage where I'm looking to do some long weekend rides... but I'm still not convinced it's worth upgrading to a road bike, what would I get? 23C tyres instead of 28C and different shaped handlebars?

Absolutely, they cover a vast range of bikes, and to many are the perfect compromise.

A cyclocross bike is a hybrid, a classic hybrid infact.

Clever Pun

thelawnet wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

To all the pootler's and only a couple mile riders... why not ride a shopper? more comfy and more upright than a hybrid

That depends on the hybrid. Some of them are very upright, some are not.

Something like this will be pretty comfy. http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bik ... 878/39043/

looks like a mountain bike to me, but you're right that's very upright.. £300 though

thelawnet

Clever Pun wrote:

thelawnet wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

To all the pootler's and only a couple mile riders... why not ride a shopper? more comfy and more upright than a hybrid

That depends on the hybrid. Some of them are very upright, some are not.

Something like this will be pretty comfy. http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bik ... 878/39043/

looks like a mountain bike to me, but you're right that's very upright.. £300 though

It's more upright, and has a suspension seat-post.

They do a 700C-wheeled verson also
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bik ... 880/39045/

wizzlebanger

Also whenever you see a pious no-nothing tw@t on a bike they're invariably on a hybrid

And when you see an ignorant know everything ar$ehole on a bike they're invariably on a road bike.

alan_sherman

Seems to be a hot topic for argued point sthis one!

As a seasoned road cyclist I was given a hybrid that started me commuting to work a few years back. Recently I used my winter / training road bike as an alternative and it is not as good for my commute!

Don't knock the hybrid - it is a tool that can be used depending on the circumstances.

Why is my hybrid better for my commute? It is kind of a flat bar tourer hybrid with 32mm wide strong tyres and wheels with a strong frame to match. This allows me to cary a laptop and change of clothes without the bike flexing all over the place when I stand on the pedals to accelerate. It has a fairly upright position that helps me see over cars and anticipate more stuff. Wide bars aren't an issue as they are narrower than my panniers... but the brakes and gears are closer to hand than road STIs (especially when on teh tops to look over traffic).
The wide tyres and fat seat give comfort on the potholes and (lowered) kerbs on the route. it also was very cheap and look squite ugly so can be left locked up outside the pub.

The road bike struggled with the weight of the panniers with flexing especially when standing. 100psi+ tyres don't absorb potholes / drain cover bumps very nicely, also the less padded seat transmits more road pain.

I used the road bike for a tour for the better long-ride speed and position comfort, but for a 4 mile commute in town the hybrid is a better bet.

Clever Pun

wizzlebanger wrote:

Also whenever you see a pious no-nothing tw@t on a bike they're invariably on a hybrid

And when you see an ignorant know everything ar$ehole on a bike they're invariably on a road bike.

yes! you forgot pompous

biondino

Who are all these people who couldn't possibly ride a road bike because it can't kerb-hop? You're not allowed on the pavement, get off it!