The cycling industry are a bunch of

EKE_38BPM

liars!
Recently a few female friends have asked me the usual question.
"I want to be able to commute to work and ride on canal tow paths. What bike should I get?"
Everyone seems to want a million and one gears, a robust but light as a feather, cheap bike.
I usually point them at something like this but they poo poo the idea, wanting something more 'modern'.

How/why did the cycling persuade innocent cyclists that more gears are better, that steel is rubbish, that MTB style frames are what you want for on-road use?
LiT said her mixte is her most comfortable bike. It seems fine for around town (the usual 5 gears is enough) and with 35mm tyres, tow paths shouldn't be a problem. Many second hand ones come with full mud-guards, rack on the back and maybe a basket on the front.
Seems like everything a casual* cyclist would want.

Why are bikes like the mixte pictured not made any more?

*Feel free to replace 'casual' with 'fair weather'

WisePranker

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Why are bikes like the mixte pictured not made any more?

I think you've answered you r own question there, everyone wants more modern bikes now!

il_principe

I blame the shops. Seem to want to sell hybrids etc to everyone.

EKE_38BPM

Il Principe wrote:

I blame the shops. Seem to want to sell hybrids etc to everyone.

But why do people want to buy them when they are not as good for the use they will be put to?

I don't get it.

nation

I blame Halfords, and more recently supermarkets and catalogue companies.

They've historically been the place that a lot of people go to buy bikes, and they've generally taken the attitude that bikes are toys for children and teenagers (for which purpose an MTB is eminently suitable). When an adult wants to buy a bike, these places point them towards bigger versions of the bikes they sell as toys, because the people doing the selling aren't cyclists and can't offer useful advice.

I also blame them for the widespread misconception that suspension on a bike makes it more comfortable, or rather that this is the purpose of suspension on bikes.

Cafewanda

Il Principe wrote:

I blame the shops. Seem to want to sell hybrids etc to everyone.

Oh yes. Well agree with that one! This forum has been an education. Just wish I'd met you lot before I bought my THREE hybrids, as much as I love the current one.

WisePranker

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

I blame the shops. Seem to want to sell hybrids etc to everyone.

But why do people want to buy them when they are not as good for the use they will be put to?

I don't get it.

Because the shops tell them they're what they want and they don't know any better so they believe the shop staff.
Also, when they are going to work on a morning they see loads of other people who've been through the same thing at a bike shop riding a hybrid so they think along the lines that if everyone else is using them, they must be the best bikes for commuting.

il_principe

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

I blame the shops. Seem to want to sell hybrids etc to everyone.

But why do people want to buy them when they are not as good for the use they will be put to?

I don't get it.

Because this is not explained to them. Go into an E*ans etc and act all newbie, see what happens...

Also people are scared of drops etc. Hybrids look 'safe & sturdy.'

Oh and the better staffed/more knowledgeable shops can be a little intimidating.

Cafewanda

WisePranker wrote:

[Because the shops tell them they're what they want and they don't know any better so they believe the shop staff.

This. Although that's not the reason why I bought the third hybrid.

EKE_38BPM

Il Principe wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

I blame the shops. Seem to want to sell hybrids etc to everyone.

But why do people want to buy them when they are not as good for the use they will be put to?

I don't get it.

Because this is not explained to them. Go into an E*ans etc and act all newbie, see what happens...

Also people are scared of drops etc. Hybrids look 'safe & sturdy.'

Oh and the better staffed/more knowledgeable shops can be a little intimidating.

I may do that. Look out for a write-up on this thread if I do.

nation

I think people are definitely drawn to flat bars over drops.

I don't know if this is an instinctive thing, because they seem simpler, or if it's the self-fulfilling prophecy of seeing flat bars on the bike of everyone that isn't a lycra-clad roadie.

il_principe

Cafewanda wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

I blame the shops. Seem to want to sell hybrids etc to everyone.

Oh yes. Well agree with that one! This forum has been an education. Just wish I'd met you lot before I bought my THREE hybrids, as much as I love the current one.

*Banks Wanda's admission for future usage.*

3 Hybrids = Sucker for punishment.

alan_sherman

Hang on - a casual rider could use ANY bike to ride to work on. However the bike you pictured has its drawbacks too - the brakes would be bad at best and really awful in the rain.

There are planty of mixte style frame bikes with 35 mm tyres that can be fitted with racks, guards and lighting easily that provide a comfortable ride. One example is:


for £229 from Winstanleys. Admitted is has two spare chainrings but they can be useful if the bike is used on hills. Not everyone's commute is in flat London.

CiB

Why do shops sell you a bike that's not best suited to what you want? Is it because they want to sell you another one when you eventually realise that what you wanted in the first place is what you should have bought in the first place? Is it? Is that it? Can I claim my £5?

snailracer

nation wrote:

I think people are definitely drawn to flat bars over drops.

I don't know if this is an instinctive thing, because they seem simpler, or if it's the self-fulfilling prophecy of seeing flat bars on the bike of everyone that isn't a lycra-clad roadie.

Simpler, safer and much cheaper, though not faster.

snailracer

CiB wrote:

Why do shops sell you a bike that's not best suited to what you want? Is it because they want to sell you another one when you eventually realise that what you wanted in the first place is what you should have bought in the first place? Is it? Is that it? Can I claim my £5?

The customer doesn't know what they want - their minds are cluttered with preconceptions, most of which are foolish. If the shops did as you suggest, then they would just get into arguments with most customers.

rolf_f

alan sherman wrote:

There are planty of mixte style frame bikes with 35 mm tyres that can be fitted with racks, guards and lighting easily that provide a comfortable ride. One example is:

That's no Mixte.

Can get real ones new though - eg Charge Hob. Nowhere near as elegant as a period, drop bar example though.

ketsbaia

Hang on. Is someone suggesting that one bike is good enough for all ones needs?

I originally bought a hybrid as it looked tough enough to handle the ridiculous potholed streets over which I rode. Plus it had hub gears, which were highly convenient when I first started commuting.

Then I got into it a bit more and bought the road bike, on which I now commute. Still used the hybrid as a hack bike/wet weather commuter, though.

Four years later, I'm selling it. It's served its purpose and was the right thing for me to buy at the time, but now it's no longer suitable and I don't need it. Unless I desperately want to raise my FCN for scalpage purposes.

tailwindhome

Everyone seems to want a million and one gears

More gears equals a better bike

FACT

snailracer

EKE_38BPM wrote:

...Why are bikes like the mixte pictured not made any more?

I think mixte frames are difficult to make in aluminium, the cheapest material for mass-produced bikes suitable for the western markets. The long lateral tubes need to be thin to avoid hitting the rider's feet, and thin tubing = steel. Thin aluminium tubing is neither strong nor stiff enough.

hatbeard

all the gears no idea :P

Fireblade96

EKE_38BPM wrote:

liars!
.....

How/why did the cycling industry persuade innocent cyclists that more gears are better, that steel is rubbish, that MTB style frames are what you want for on-road use?

In the same way that the car industry has persuaded people that they need a DiscoRover to go shopping with. Eminently unsuitable for its actual use, but come The Apocalypse, they'll be able to drive through anything.

Down the Road

Oiginal bike is the same as saying "I need a new car can you help" Sure hears an Austin Metro.

For most conditions a hybrid is the PERFECT bike for the job

How do I know I ride one to work every day and the ride in traffic is 100% more enjoyable than on my road bike.

How long have I been doing this - about 20 years

asprilla

Down the Road wrote:

Oiginal bike is the same as saying "I need a new car can you help" Sure hears an Austin Metro.

For most conditions a hybrid is the PERFECT bike for the job

How do I know I ride one to work every day and the ride in traffic is 100% more enjoyable than on my road bike.

How long have I been doing this - about 20 years

Perfect for you then. My hybrid is for going to the station, riding the roadbike is 1000% more enjoyable.

See, I win by a factor of 10.

chilling

Oh, good. Another all hybrid riders are idiots who are on the wrong bike thread.


I've just got a new hybrid (yes I chose to get one rather than being sold one) I've ridden a bike pretty much for all of my 45 years. And in that time have toured England and Europe, competed in time trials, biked up mountains and back down again. I've had numerous steeds over my time covering racers / tourers / MTB's.

A hybrid was my only sensible choice at the moment. I only have space to store one bike. I commute on it and at the weekends sometimes get dragged off to that green place called the countryside to ride a few trails mainly the Chilterns.

I couldn't face the commute on a full suspension MTB but wanted the flexibility to ride off road to some degree when the opportunity presents itself so I chose to get a Hybrid.

What else was I going to choose?


All this FCN bike snobbery does make me smile. The best bike for you is one you enjoy riding and fits your needs.

Kieran_Burns

Asprilla wrote:

Down the Road wrote:

Oiginal bike is the same as saying "I need a new car can you help" Sure hears an Austin Metro.

For most conditions a hybrid is the PERFECT bike for the job

How do I know I ride one to work every day and the ride in traffic is 100% more enjoyable than on my road bike.

How long have I been doing this - about 20 years

Perfect for you then. My hybrid is for going to the station, riding the roadbike is 1000% more enjoyable.

See, I win by a factor of 10.

20 actually 8)

Kieran_Burns

chilling wrote:

Oh, good. Another all hybrid riders are idiots who are on the wrong bike thread.


I've just got a new hybrid (yes I chose to get one rather than being sold one) I've ridden a bike pretty much for all of my 45 years. And in that time have toured England on Europe, competed in time trials, biked up mountains and back down again. I've had numerous steeds over my time covering racers / tourers / MTB's.

A hybrid was my only sensible choice at the moment. I only have space to store one bike. I commute on it and at the weekends sometimes get dragged off to that green place called the countryside to ride a few trails mainly the Chilterns.

I couldn't face the commute on a full suspension MTB but wanted the flexibility to ride off road to some degree when the opportunity presents itself so I chose to get a Hybrid.

What else was I going to choose?


All this FCN bike snobbery does make me smile. The best bike for you is one you enjoy riding and fits your needs.

CX?


There's NO snobbery in the FCN - you seem to have missed the point of SCR

Look up what the S means in it.

kelsen

chilling wrote:

Oh, good. Another all hybrid riders are idiots who are on the wrong bike thread.


I've just got a new hybrid (yes I chose to get one rather than being sold one) I've ridden a bike pretty much for all of my 45 years. And in that time have toured England on Europe, competed in time trials, biked up mountains and back down again. I've had numerous steeds over my time covering racers / tourers / MTB's.

A hybrid was my only sensible choice at the moment. I only have space to store one bike. I commute on it and at the weekends sometimes get dragged off to that green place called the countryside to ride a few trails mainly the Chilterns.

I couldn't face the commute on a full suspension MTB but wanted the flexibility to ride off road to some degree when the opportunity presents itself so I chose to get a Hybrid.

What else was I going to choose?


All this FCN bike snobbery does make me smile. The best bike for you is one you enjoy riding and fits your needs.

CX

:twisted:

chilling

I could have gone CX I suppose, But I wouldn't have the awesome stopping power of my discs in the wet or when emergency braking.

I wasn't saying SCR was snobbish, but on this forum people do like to dangle their FCN,

There is a distinct feel of those in the lower FCN numbers looking down on anyone who rides something 'worse' and wanting to tell them that.

Down the Road

Why a cross bike.

They don't go and they don't stop.

PS A tricross is neither a cross bike (BB too low) or a road bike. Like buying a pair of Nike running shoes - well marketed but not any good for the job advertised.

Stick a pair of flat bars on it and it is a hybrid.

EKE_38BPM

chilling wrote:

Oh, good. Another all hybrid riders are idiots who are on the wrong bike thread.


I've just got a new hybrid (yes I chose to get one rather than being sold one) I've ridden a bike pretty much for all of my 45 years. And in that time have toured England and Europe, competed in time trials, biked up mountains and back down again. I've had numerous steeds over my time covering racers / tourers / MTB's.

A hybrid was my only sensible choice at the moment. I only have space to store one bike. I commute on it and at the weekends sometimes get dragged off to that green place called the countryside to ride a few trails mainly the Chilterns.

I couldn't face the commute on a full suspension MTB but wanted the flexibility to ride off road to some degree when the opportunity presents itself so I chose to get a Hybrid.

What else was I going to choose?


All this FCN bike snobbery does make me smile. The best bike for you is one you enjoy riding and fits your needs.

This isn't a thread saying all hybrid riders are idiots. This is me saying the cycling industry have done a number on people who don't really know what they want, especially women riding around town and sometimes along tow paths etc.
A steel frame town bike (the mixte frame was an example) of a bike that could do the job just as well.
As others have said, maybe a CX would suit your needs better than a hybrid? I don't know your situation, so maybe a hybrid is right for you. Or maybe just a steel framed road bike with fat tyres.

Down the Road wrote:

Oiginal bike is the same as saying "I need a new car can you help" Sure here is an Austin Metro.

For most conditions a hybrid is an ADEQUATE bike for the job

How do I know I ride one to work every day and the ride in traffic is 100% more enjoyable than on my road bike.

How long have I been doing this - about 20 years

FTFY
20 years riding a hybrid?! You must have been very naughty in a former life.

Fireblade96 wrote:

In the same way that the car industry has persuaded people that they need a DiscoRover to go shopping with. Eminently unsuitable for its actual use, but come The Apocalypse, they'll be able to drive through anything.

If they can get enough fuel to actually drive it!