Why buy a hybrid?

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Comments

  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    No, you're right, we should all be commuting on unicycles and BMXs
    My Focus / My Bob Jackson
    Blog (incl. bikes)
  • roger_merriman
    roger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    biondino wrote:
    No, you're right, we should all be commuting on unicycles and BMXs

    some do!
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    Yeah I can't help laughing at the grown men on BMXs pumping away at 5mph and not being able to sit down :)
    My Focus / My Bob Jackson
    Blog (incl. bikes)
  • snailracer
    snailracer Posts: 968
    biondino wrote:
    ...
    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.
    If you think a road bike steers quickly, try riding a shopper or BMX at 30mph. A bike's steering is optimized to feel right at the speed they are expected to be ridden at.

    I never said road bikes steer "badly", they are simply less manoevrable at low speed. They may subjectively feel "twitchy" but that's because the rider's head and body are further forward than on a more upright bike - a bit like riding in the front of a bus vs. the middle.
    biondino wrote:
    ...
    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.
    I think the wiki is dead right on all points.

    A touring bike is stable by being able to respond quickly to counterract a heavy load at the back of a long wheelbase flopping sideways at low speed i.e. less trail, quick steering. This is the perfect example of why stable steering is sometimes quick steering, and why steering stability and steering speed are independent concepts.

    Mountain bikes are a very broad category so it's not possible to generalize but there are extremes:
    - A downhilling rig will have lots of trail and slow steering because the courses are fast and don't have sharp bends. You actually want more steering trail when hitting bumps. In theory, if you had infinite trail, bumps would deflect the wheel sideways but it would still point forward i.e. you have not been deflected off line. The requirement for lots of trail is why DH rigs look superficially like choppers.
    - A XC hardtail will have minimal trail -> fast steering so you can pick your way around obstacles at low speed. Just like granny pavement-riding on her shopper :)
  • MrChuck
    MrChuck Posts: 1,663
    How about, why not buy a hybrid?

    If we're just talking about an urban commute, and assuming a reasonably decent spec bike, are people really that much worse off than on a road bike? They might be a few tens of seconds slower between sets of lights, but really, so what?
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,439
    WGWarburton wrote:
    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.
    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"?

    I agree with snailracer though don't know entirely why.

    I started back into cycling on a slicked up mountain bike. The more upright position and low gearing made the bike easier to ride at slower speeds and easier to 'balance' as I could keep pedalling even at very slow speeds.

    I made the transition to the road bike as the MTB felt uncomfortable after 30+ mile rides particularly in my arms and shoulders.

    I would say the road bike is more 'balanced' at speed. For example indicating with my hands, shoulder checking, opening food packets etc don't present any problems on the road bike but would have been a bit of a drama on the MTB.

    I wish I hadn't sold the MTB as the road bike is entirely (in my view) unsuitable for one aspect of cycling I would like to do more of - riding with the kids at very slow < 5mph speeds. Even on the lowest gear (39X25) I find myself moving bike length ahead of my son (5) even with one or two turns of the pedals.

    I haven't the coordination to track stand.





    Also I hate Presta type valves, possibly to a disproportionate level
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • Constant headwind
    Constant headwind Posts: 33
    I'm beginning to side with the OP. I'm considering a Ribble Carbon with Ultegra now. All advice appreciated.
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    The Planet X Nanolight is the bargain carbon lovely I'd go for if I were buying now. It's got a lovely shape and doesn't have "Ribble" printed on it - that word (the shape/sound of it, not any snobbish connotations) sets my teeth on edge!
    My Focus / My Bob Jackson
    Blog (incl. bikes)
  • tom101
    tom101 Posts: 39
    What about cycle paths? The ones I ride on are usually pretty rough, I don't think road bike rims would survive for long, certainly not at speed, but the paths are not so bad that they could be classed as a mountain, so a hybrid would be ideal, no?
  • glebrus
    glebrus Posts: 44
    In my view, the main difference between the road bike and hybrid is frame geometry,
    hence position and centre of gravity vs. the front wheel.

    Typically, hybrid gives more short and upright position, however hybrid frames (ETT) are still longer, than road. One holds the dropbar (either hoods or drops) in front of the front wheel axis on a road bike; one holds flatbar or even barends still behind the axis on a hybrid. Hybrid gives more stability against tipping forward. It is difficult and unlikely to go over the bar when braking strongly. However, the front would slip readily on ice etc., as there is lillte load.

    On the contrary, the front wheel carries weight on the road bike. You can press the front wheel to the ground and make sharp turns at speed (though you don't neet it when commuting). It is less likely to slip. However the forward stability is compromised, you are more likely to tip over forward when braking. One seldom needs strong braking in road cyclling sport, but might need it in traffic (potholes, etc.)

    What I'm going to do, fit a dropbar on a short stem on my hybrid.
    I rode hybrids a number of years and got used to the long wheel base. Now I have to brake very carefully on a road frame, as I experinse these tipping over forces... barely managed to avoid going over the bar.

    One other thing, it is more difficult to see around and look back when riding on drops.
    I believe, hybrids are safer in city traffic, for these 2 reasons.

    Am I right?

    Of cource, hybrids can be ugly and road bikes can be nice, and vice versa.

    (Please, pardon my non-native English.)
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Hybrids is too much a catchall for that to be right, some hybrids are roadised MTB, some are flat barred road bikes usually with different brakes, but that doesn't affect the geometry.

    Take the Carrera's as an example, the Gryphon is a 700c wheeled flat barred Hybrid available with V or disc brakes, the Virtuoso road bike has an IDENTICAL basic frame/forks with caliper mounts instead of V/Disc, so other than the stem/bars the geometry is identical, I believe the same is true between the Boardman road and Hybrid.

    Riding one of these road bikes on the top of the bars would therefore give a near enough identical ride to the Hybrid equivalent, but comparing either to a roadised MTB base Hybrid (like say the GT Zum) would give very different characteristics.

    Simon
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • antfly
    antfly Posts: 3,276
    biondino wrote:
    The Planet X Nanolight is the bargain carbon lovely I'd go for if I were buying now. It's got a lovely shape and doesn't have "Ribble" printed on it - that word (the shape/sound of it, not any snobbish connotations) sets my teeth on edge!

    It is named after a river you know. How could anyone not like saying "River Ribble", it's an alliteral delight?
    Smarter than the average bear.
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Too many Blackadder connetations for me!

    Now where are my pencils and underpants!

    Simon
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • electric_blue
    electric_blue Posts: 195
    I used to use a road bike but much prefer a hybrid for commuting, and as I'm not as wealthy as many on this site I only own one bike - find it does off-road fairly well, the few times I've needed it to.

    shoot me!
    Hello! I've been here over a month now.
  • bigflangesmallsprocket
    bigflangesmallsprocket Posts: 2,443
    I've just purchased the Carrera Subway Ltd Edition that I've been mulling over for some time (at the £225 price, not the silly season £450 claimed value). After just a few days on it I think I've made the right choice. I'll admit it is a downgrade for me, but one I'm happy to make for practicality purposes and overall I'm pleased with the bike. As with many long term cyclists I'm a bit of a tweaker, so more dosh to be spent to get it just so, but that would probably happen with just about any complete bike I bought.
    Jam butties, officially endorsed by the Diddymen Olympic Squad
  • tailwindhome
    tailwindhome Posts: 19,439
    TailWindHome wrote:

    <snip>

    I wish I hadn't sold the MTB as the road bike is entirely (in my view) unsuitable for one aspect of cycling I would like to do more of - riding with the kids at very slow < 5mph speeds. Even on the lowest gear (39X25) I find myself moving bike length ahead of my son (5) even with one or two turns of the pedals.

    Just had the new MTB for a trial run

    Bouncy!
    “New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    biondino wrote:
    It's got a lovely shape and doesn't have "Ribble" printed on it - that word (the shape/sound of it, not any snobbish connotations) sets my teeth on edge!

    I've never understood this point of view. Before I got back into bikes, my last interest dated from about 1990 and Ribble wasn't a name I'd heard of. When I did get back into them, I started noticing Ribbles on the road. I didn't know I was supposed to consider them somehow undesirable. And as to the name - for me 'Ribble' is the name of a stunningly beautiful river in the Yorkshire Dales. What could be possibly undesirable about it as a name?! What better thing could you name a bike after (certainly not Planet X which sadly sounds like a crap American club or food establishment!).
    Faster than a tent.......
  • antfly
    antfly Posts: 3,276
    It's mainly in Lancashire, the Ribble cycles shop is a few hundred yards from it in Preston.
    Smarter than the average bear.

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