Why buy a hybrid?
Comments
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For the average Joe Bloggs, they ride a hybrid because that's what they've been sold. Styles of bikes come in and out of fashion, and the latest seems to be singlespeeds and hybrids (sometimes one and the same bike).
At 40-cough years old I've lost count of the times I've had comments and questions such as: That saddle would kill me
How do you get your feet out of the pedals?
Won't those skinny wheels bend?
Don't you feel all the bumps on those tyres?
and last but not least, I couldn't ride bent over like that
which comments mostly answer why average Joe is scared of drop barred bikes.
Of course roadbikes have been getting more popular again for those wanting a fun way to get fit, but for all the above reasons, they still scare a lot of folks. And the bike companies are always looking for the next craze to persuade you to buy their bikes, so...
Enter the hybrid, which if I understand it correctly, actually originated inside the mtb scene with riders modifying their older rigid mtb's for road commuting, with the orginal hybrid actually being a REAL hybrid, a touring roadbike on an mtb frame, and that's what I actually think of as a hybrid. In fact, modern 'expedition' tourers, just look to me like rigid mtb's with high sitting drop bars.
Most folks do go forward from a hybrid onto something else, some may decide on a proper road bike, but some may also decide, from pootling around off-road, to get a suss mtb. The same happens to most cyclists who start off on a cheapo brand mtb. This is simply from experience gained; if the same rider had started off on a roadbike, there's no saying he wouldn't still decide after gaining that experience, that he wants a DIFFERENT road bike for his purposes. But I'd expect that most cyclists with hybrids would still keep that hybrid after 'upgrading', as a useful hack.
I myself am going the opposite way. I'm looking at buying a Carrera subway. I currently own a Giant OCR with Campag, and a 653 framed singlespeed with drops as my getabout. The OCR isn't really an all-weather bike, and I don't think click on gaurds really cut it. The 653 looks luvverly, but with my back climbing is feeling like too much hard work, I'm not always in the mood for arse up-head down riding, and the knees don't like the constant changes in leg-speed and strain. I also own a Jamis Eureka, I didn't get on with it and its been in storage, due to be cleaned up and sold soon, maybe it was a personality clash?
In the past I've owned a rigid framed Muddy Fox, when magazines were reviewing similar specced bikes as 'entry level real mtbs, preferable to equivalent priced with cheap suss'. I liked my Fox, it was a good commuting bike, lighter than many cheap 26/27 inch wheeled ''touring' bikes, though it would be bloody heavy by any standards today. The same kind of money (well, taking inflation into account) can get a lot more bike these days! I'm very probably going to buy either the Subway 2 or Subway Ltd Edition, which just look like updated equivalents of my old Fox, and much lighter, thank God.
Why am I 'downgrading' then? I want a higher position for everyday riding, it's easier on my dodgy back. I want wider tyres than most road bikes offer, for: better road cushioning than most road bikes offer; for better puncture protection than most road bikes offer; being more suitable for occasional off-roading should the mood take me. I want that increased tyre clearances, AND room for mudgaurds that won't get packed at the first sniff of snow or mud. I'm also using this bike to 'condense' my collection due to lack of space. So my OCR is will be my nice bike, my hybrid will be my everything else!
Sure a hybrid IS a compromise, but many bikes are, including choices of different purpose roadbikes, as not everyone can afford a nice bike for each purpose/mood. There are many bikes bunched under the hybrid label, many of them just look like what would traditionally have come under different labels, such as upright town bike; large wheeled shopper; flat barred tourer/commuter. It's just the way a bike is badged, though there are now so many variations that you can consider your own preferences and choose the compromises you are prepared to make, to gain and lose wherever.
PS: As I'm stumped at the moment deciding WHICH Subway to spend my wonga on, if anyone owning one wants to confirm the strengths/weaknesses of either the Subway 2 or Subway Ltd Edition, then I'm worriting over it on here: http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12726024
I'm obviously in the mood for long posts today! :oops:
Jam butties, officially endorsed by the Diddymen Olympic Squad0 -
Road bikes and their riders have a certain erm image...........actually more of a stigma attached to them for your average convert from the car/ motorbike/ mass transit commuter. Hybrids don't. Not to newbies like me anyway.
If I get more and more into cycling over the next year or two then maybe I will by a roadie, but if there's one thing I've learnt from this forum, there's nothing wrong with multiple bike ownership. Each to their own and I'm still going to buy a Giant Rapid or a Boardman Pro Ltd..................... I think :?:0 -
Road bikes and their riders have a certain erm image...........actually more of a stigma attached to them for your average convert from the car/ motorbike/ mass transit commuter.
I'm quite interested in this. What image/stigma?
I followed the well trodden path. I wish someone had advised me not to bother with a hybrid before I wasted my money. Thinking back on I can't even remember what I had against road bikes.0 -
I am a "hybrid" rider, I bought one because it fitted my need.
For me, it was the best choice of bike at the time. I bought it a year ago to shed the lard.
At nearly 18 stone I dont think a drop would have taken the weight and I was not confident in handling a race bike. If I had bought a drop I don`t think I would be where I am now.
I am just over 4 stone lighter and completed 2 sportives.0 -
This discussion reminds me of a very common one in the MTB section - why bother with hardtail when you can get full suspension?
As ever, many reasons.0 -
This thread is so frustrating yet keeps drawing me back. We ride bikes because we like to, some like different ones to others. For me there is no stigma or 'downside' to road bikes and hybrids have their own purpose...
I have 2x road bikes, 2x mtbs & 1x hybrid I ride them all and enjoy each one.. come September, wind, rain and the snow beyond.. I'll be on my hybrid and loving it
, the only downgrade for me is the car :oops: 0 -
rjeffroy wrote:Road bikes and their riders have a certain erm image...........actually more of a stigma attached to them for your average convert from the car/ motorbike/ mass transit commuter.
I'm quite interested in this. What image/stigma?
I followed the well trodden path. I wish someone had advised me not to bother with a hybrid before I wasted my money. Thinking back on I can't even remember what I had against road bikes.
But you did have something against them. Exactly my point. I'm a new convert to cycle commuting, I'm loving my 27 mile round trip (all road) on my well used mb ht, obviously I could do with something more suitable but, quite frankly, I'd feel like an eejit on a roadie. Perhaps after a year, if I get more into cycling, I, like you, will regret buying a hybrid and forget what I didn't like about roadies. Until then, I'll stick with a hybrid, err probably!0 -
bigflangesmallsprocket wrote:
Most folks do go forward from a hybrid onto something else, some may decide on a proper road bike, but some may also decide, from pootling around off-road, to get a suss mtb. The same happens to most cyclists who start off on a cheapo brand mtb. This is simply from experience gained; if the same rider had started off on a roadbike, there's no saying he wouldn't still decide after gaining that experience, that he wants a DIFFERENT road bike for his purposes. But I'd expect that most cyclists with hybrids would still keep that hybrid after 'upgrading', as a useful hack.
ahem - your slip is showing.0 -
WGWarburton wrote:
There's more to "road bike" than drop bars, though.
yes for a beginner there's the more brittle & skittish ride on thinner harder tyres that soak up less road vibration and let you know far better where even the smallest pot holes are and transmit that info through a saddle generally harder and more primed to smack into your sit bones.
Also having to get used to the pretty ubiquitous all-in-one brake/gear levers which often mean shifting hands from tops to drops as opposed to a consistent hand placing with everything reassuringly in reach when at the wrong speed/gear and wobbles are more prevalent
All great selling points to someone not used to a bike.
I'm playing a bit of devils advocate here but did Lewis Hamilton climb into a F1 car first time out of his pram??? people need to try different things and decide on what is best for them and where on the comfort/speed hierachy they want to stop.
I think a lot of the roadie snobs; and I do think that there is a lot of snobbery in roadieism if this board is anything to go by; (but not in terms of owning the latest gleaming carbon dream machine W before you repeat your battered bike list); forget the first forays into a road bike that when they almost automatically advise, skip the hybrid and buy a road bike. its like advising someone to but a ferrari as their first car.
EDIT - (funny what occurs when laying floor) WGW says that it is shops 'selling' the Hybrid as flavour of the month and a few posters rightly point out the different prices of Hybrid (£200+ decent entry level) and roadie (£300+ very basic spec)..
so shops see a newbie with a nice full wallet of cash and a maleable opinion come in and are choosing to sell them the cheaper option & failing to maximise their profits to pander to a passing trend for Hybrids????????????????? not a good business model and TBH how many in retail would be stupid enough to put 'fashion' over profit.0 -
My slip is showing? No I don't think it is. That's a visual version of selective hearing you have there.
I see no problem with a tough commuter with flat bars and offroad capability. For the one-bike rider who rides to work, enjoys days out, and wants to explore the odd bridle-path/forest trail, a hybrid is a safe bet, getting more bike for their money, without having to carry round the extra weight of cheap sussy forks. If they go on to get another bike, that doesn't devalue the hybrid.
Jam butties, officially endorsed by the Diddymen Olympic Squad0 -
Hybrid is just a word. You wouldn't choose or reject a bike because of its name would you? Choose the bike you want based on your requirements and components, if the manufacturers happen to have called it a hybrid, so what?0
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I'm thinking of buying a car. I looked at the Ford Focus. It can cope with the motorway and with some roughish tracks. It is also designed to carry my luggage. However, I now understand that this is a hybrid and thus a compromise.
Should I therefore go for an F1 car or a tractor. The tractor will get me over rough terraine but will be a bit slower on the roads. The F1 car however will be very fast and is designed for roads. It is also perfectly suited to city driving - just look at the monaco grand prix! Unfortunately it doesn't carry luggage or even have mudguards but hey, such things are a compromise right?
Pain is only weakness leaving the body0 -
WGWarburton wrote:Hi,
We often see threads asking "which hybrid?" We also see threads (often the same ones) advocating road bikes, and occasionally the suggestion that an MTB is handy in winter.
Why wouldn't you just buy a road bike? You're going to be using for roads anyway, arn't you? Surely that should be the obvious, default option.
Race bike? No- no mudguards, no rack fittings, maybe a bit "sporty" for day-to-day riding.
Mountain bike? No- heavy, overcomplicated, no mudguards etc
Hybrid? No- the name gives it away, it's a compromise design, too heavy & upright for road use, too light and stiff for proper off-road use.
If you're commuting, then in most cases you'll be riding on the road. So buy a road bike.
Cheers,
W.
Because I prefer the more relaxed position and smoother ride, and it's my choice not yours.0 -
On an open road a road bike is fastest, sadly the roads I commute on are choked full of traffic lights, junctions and rush hour traffic which I pick my way through at 10mph, which is actually easier to do on any other type of bike because a road bike has the clunkiest controls, poorest visibility and feeble brakes.WGWarburton wrote:Hi,
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If you're commuting, then in most cases you'll be riding on the road. So buy a road bike.
Cheers,
W.0 -
Hi again,
Been letting this thread run for a bit (surprised it's still going, TBH!).
From some of the recent posts, there must be some pretty poor road bikes out there- The riding position on mine is comfortable, the frames are compliant and the visibility and brakes are good. In fact, the light weight and maneuverability are an asset in town.
Maybe the fashion for very stiff frames and "sporty" riding is leading to uncomfortable bikes?
Cheers,
W.0 -
snailracer wrote:
On an open road a road bike is fastest, sadly the roads I commute on are choked full of traffic lights, junctions and rush hour traffic which I pick my way through at 10mph, which is actually easier to do on any other type of bike because a road bike has the clunkiest controls, poorest visibility and feeble brakes.WGWarburton wrote:Hi,
...
If you're commuting, then in most cases you'll be riding on the road. So buy a road bike.
Cheers,
W.
Sorry, I can't let this lie. Your response is utterly illogical! Road bikes aren't clunky (or shouldn't be), they're lightweight and hyper-manoeuvrable. They are easier to accelerate away from the lights (a big plus when there are lots of them) and, if you're never getting up to a good speed, then the feebleness of the brakes (again, they shouldn't be feeble) won't be an issue.
A road bike will be fastest in ALL conditions on the road bar snow and ice (and if it's so potholed or gravelly it resembles a track).
Visibility - fair enough, you would lose a few inches in height. This is seldom a problem I find but I accept it could be off-putting.0 -
If I have 10kg in each pannier and my trailer hooked on I would much rather be on my hybrid. More control and far better braking than a road bike.We need a bigger boat.
Giant OCR 4
Trek Madone 5.2
Ridgeback Speed (FCN 15)0 -
I would agree a road bike is agile once it's up to speed - not so much when creeping slowly through traffic or moving off.biondino wrote:snailracer wrote:
On an open road a road bike is fastest, sadly the roads I commute on are choked full of traffic lights, junctions and rush hour traffic which I pick my way through at 10mph, which is actually easier to do on any other type of bike because a road bike has the clunkiest controls, poorest visibility and feeble brakes.WGWarburton wrote:Hi,
...
If you're commuting, then in most cases you'll be riding on the road. So buy a road bike.
Cheers,
W.
Sorry, I can't let this lie. Your response is utterly illogical! Road bikes aren't clunky (or shouldn't be), they're lightweight and hyper-manoeuvrable. They are easier to accelerate away from the lights (a big plus when there are lots of them) and, if you're never getting up to a good speed, then the feebleness of the brakes (again, they shouldn't be feeble) won't be an issue.
A road bike will be fastest in ALL conditions on the road bar snow and ice (and if it's so potholed or gravelly it resembles a track).
Visibility - fair enough, you would lose a few inches in height. This is seldom a problem I find but I accept it could be off-putting.
The fastest accelerating and most manoevrable bike I have ever ridden was a shopping bike - even fully laden with shopping on rear & front baskets. 20" wheels = fast acceleration away from the lights and BMX-like manoevrability due to reduced steering trail. Of course, it topped out at about 13mph
but you've reached top speed in the short distance it takes to clear the junction, without even having to stand up! A mountain bike also accelerates fast as it also has low gears, it's just that the POB typically riding it has a badly-set-up derailleur and so doesn't use them.
I said road bike controls were clunky. And they are when compared against a twist grip or flat-bar shifter where you can change from top gear to bottom in less than 2 seconds when the lights turn red/someone blocks you off. With a hub gear you can change down when stopped, which is even better.0 -
Why's that then? What is it about your road bike(s) than makes it(them) awkward to ride slowly? Is it really something that's fundamental to the nature of "road bikes"?snailracer wrote:I would agree a road bike is agile once it's up to speed - not so much when creeping slowly through traffic or moving off.The fastest accelerating and most manoevrable bike I have ever ridden was a shopping bike - even fully laden with shopping on rear & front baskets. 20" wheels = fast acceleration away from the lights and BMX-like manoevrability due to reduced steering trail. Of course, it topped out at about 13mph but you've reached top speed in the short distance it takes to clear the junction, without even having to stand up! A mountain bike also accelerates fast as it also has low gears, it's just that the POB typically riding it has a badly-set-up derailleur and so doesn't use them.
Hmm, small wheels only help acceleration as a result of reduced inertia- light "road" wheels will typically be quicker than heavy off-road ones. For a given weight, a smaller wheel will be easier to spin up than a heavier one, of course, but then it rolls less well, so there's a tradeoff... Maybe city commuters should specify 650B rims!!
Personally, I think that's technique.. but then I havn't really used the current generation of integrated shifter thingies that most road bikes seem to have these days- maybe they are more awkward?I said road bike controls were clunky. And they are when compared against a twist grip or flat-bar shifter where you can change from top gear to bottom in less than 2 seconds when the lights turn red/someone blocks you off. With a hub gear you can change down when stopped, which is even better.
If this is a technique that has to be acquired, then maybe the point is that "hybrid" style flat bar shifters are easier to learn, more intuitive or more accessible? In which case one reasonable answer to the original question might be "because it's easier to learn", a bit like clipless pedals vs. toeclips.
Cheers,
W.0 -
Has OP even taken a hybrid for a spin? Sounds like most of us have.We need a bigger boat.
Giant OCR 4
Trek Madone 5.2
Ridgeback Speed (FCN 15)0 -
Just for clarification (and because I haven't time to trawl through all the previous 5 pages), is there any definitive difference between 'hybrid' and 'flat barred road bike'?
Because I reckon that the thing which will drive most people's choice is whether they're comfortable with drops or not. Once you've got that bit out of the way, isn't it just like any other 'class' of bike in that the more money you spend, the lighter the bike and the better the kit. Spend £200 on a flat-barred bike for road use and it's a 'hybrid', spend £1,000 and it's a 'flat barred road bike'. Or am I missing something?0 -
Yes, but campag-equipped road bikes are not so common.rjeffroy wrote:you can change from top gear to bottom in less than 2 seconds
I can do that with the campag shifters on my roadie0 -
Steering trail. From Wikipedia: "...Bikes with too much trail feel difficult to steer. Normally, road racing bicycles have more trail than mountain bikes or touring bikes. In the case of mountain bikes, less trail allows more accurate path selection off-road..."WGWarburton wrote:...
Why's that then? What is it about your road bike(s) than makes it(them) awkward to ride slowly? Is it really something that's fundamental to the nature of "road bikes"?
Also, a BMX or shopper can almost trackstand by itself for reasons I can't quite fathom - maybe it's heavy weight combined with low C of G? I notice my MTB is easier to trackstand when the panniers are fully loaded.
When accelerating, the effect of low gear inches is much more significant than the rotational inertia of the wheels or their rolling resistance. Compared to other bikes, road bike gearing is set up for high gear inches i.e. high top speed, but poor acceleration from standstill.WGWarburton wrote:...Hmm, small wheels only help acceleration as a result of reduced inertia- light "road" wheels will typically be quicker than heavy off-road ones. For a given weight, a smaller wheel will be easier to spin up than a heavier one, of course, but then it rolls less well, so there's a tradeoff... Maybe city commuters should specify 650B rims!!0 -
As with all gears, if you're in a low gear you'll accelerate quicker for the first 20 yards. STIs on road bikes are incredibly quick and easy to use, so you can adjust the gearing flawlessly as you get up to speed.
And you're using Wikipedia's article about trail to tell you how badly a road bike steers? Dude, ride a road bike. The reason they're considered twitchy is because they are set up in such a way that a small push on the steering results in a substantial change of direction. I can't say it strongly enough: road bikes have faster and more manoeuvrable steering than any other bikes.
Wikipedia is flat wrong. On a touring bike, you want stability above all, so there is MORE trail, making the bike less twitchy but less agile. On a mountain bike, too twitchy steering could be fatal when you're riding over rough ground which will play havoc with the direction your front wheel's pointing.0 -
Re centre of gravity. Take a broom, and balance it with the brisytles of the broom on your hand. Hard to keep the shaft upright, right? Now, turn it over so the head is at the top. It's way more stable.
Bikes aren't weebles - a low centre of gravity is only a plus at very low speeds.0 -
road bikes have faster and more manoeuvrable steering than any other bikes.
So a road bike has a tighter turning circle and is more manoeuvrable than a bmx?
Admittedly there probably isn't much steering difference between a good hybrid and a good road bike.FCN : 8
Fast Hybrid 7.
Baggies +1
SPD's -1
Full mudguards for a dry bottom. + 10 -
whoa just look at that Hyperbole.
how manoeuvrable a bike is depends on wheelbase, the head angle, how wide the bars are etc, even how low, so body position and so on.0 -
roger merriman wrote:whoa just look at that Hyperbole.
how manoeuvrable a bike is depends on wheelbase, the head angle, how wide the bars are etc, even how low, so body position and so on.
No no, you need to let this one run. I need to know the answer: it might be the secret to finally being able to ditch the unicycle!0
