Hybrid or mountain bike?

El_Cat

Hello,

I’m looking for a new bike but as I haven’t been looking for bikes for about 10 years I’ve taken a look at the market and become rather confused and am hoping to find some advice. My current bike is a rigid frame mountain bike at least 10 years old. I use it once a week or so for commuting about 8 miles each way to work which involves about 50% on road riding and the 50% on gravel or mud tracks (old railway type things).

As my current bike is a mountain bike I immediately thought I’d get another mountain bike thinking everything will be better spec than on my current bike and therefore an improvement. I have seen a number of hybrids though and am wondering if some of these could be for me but I don’t really understand what a hybrid will and won’t do.

I want to commute most days by bike now and make the journey quicker than on my current mountain bike, for which I think a hybrid would be fine after reading various reviews and sites. I’d also use if for some off-road use. Not crazy downhill or doing jumps etc but woodland trails with mud and the odd steep up and down.

Would a hybrid be able to cope with this sort of off-road riding? All the bike company websites say these bikes can be taken off road but what can/can’t they handle? Has anyone here tried taking them off road much?

Are the 700c wheels a problem off road (maybe on uphills)?
Are hybrids noticeably quicker on road?
Would I just be better off getting a mountain bike?

I’m looking to spend around £500 and quite like the look of the Specialized Crosstrail as a hybrid. If I was going for a mountain bike it would be something like a Scott Aspect or a Giant Revel

Would I notice much difference between an entry-level mountain bike such as the Aspect/Revel and a more rugged hybrid such as the Crosstrail? If not I’d be very tempted to stick with a mountain bike.

Thanks for any help

Initialised

I've been doing a ~7mile each way commute on a 10 year old rigid MTB (Gaint Boulder ALU Lite circa 1998) for the last three years. It has a small dirt track section but is mostly tarmac. I'm at the stage now where keeping our second car is pointless as I don't use it enough to justify it sitting there depreciating and rusting.

It's fine on woodland trails and copes with single track up to Red graded trails and is light enough to carry up when it's too rough. Black stuff and jumps aren't on the cards without some suspension though. I average ~16mph+ these days and can keep pace with roadies on the tarmac.

To make it better for the road I fitted 28/38/48 rings, a 12-34 cassette and semi-slick tyres. This is pretty much what the manufacturers do to make a commuter hybrid. So, yeah, keep what you have and make sure it's running OK and fit suitable tyres. There's no problem doing it every day on a commuterised MTB.

Alternatively, keep the MTB for weekends and winter and get a road/CX bike for summer.

cloggsy

Look for Cyclocross (CX) bikes; the best of both worlds.

estampida

I think as your are not offroading with attitude that a hybrid of some sort with cx type tyres

hit list for bike

hydralic disc brakes - pref sintered pads

other wise

internal hub (becomes expensive) - worth it

sometimes old frames will take a 29'er but you really have to check that, with a nice set of v brakes it would be a close second, ever thought of single speed cheap amd opens alot of choices in bike

shouldbeinbed

A hybrid or a CX sounds up your street. I've used hybrids in county parks on mud & gravel tracks for years.

sharky1029

I do not like hybrids as they are not as fast on road as a proper road bike, but no good on anything further offroad than a canal towpath.
For your sort of usage I would be tempted by a 29er as they are very quick on road and very capable offroad just not as monovarable for downhilling etc.
Also sticking decent fast rolling tyres will help alot on road too.
Not sure how easy it is to find budget 29er's though in the UK yet but Trek have a reasonable range and specialized have many due to come to the UK soon.

These are probably the easiest to find in your price range:

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBC ... e=Mountain

http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/mo ... t/marlin/#

fallingoff

I've recently bought a Specialized Crosstrail Elite and am very happy with it.
I started with an MTB(used) then decided to got to a road bike(new) but an injury made riding very uncomfortable so I sold that and bought another MTB(new).
What I found with the MTB was the lack of speed on roads and as 75% of my work is road it wasn't right for me,the rest of my time is spent on tow-paths and well packed cycle paths(sustrains),I wouldn't shy away from more brutal off roading.
The Crosstrail would be classed as a "sports" hybrid,the forks work well locked out or not and are definately required for the type of riding we both seem to do,they are very fast,comfortable and stable,
If you can get up a hill on your MTB you will "fly" up the same hill on this;the 700 wheels are twin-walled as MTB so they can take a battering unlike road wheels.
I have the Elite(2010) which isn't available anymore but it has very good equipment including geartrain with 27 gears..I've been unable to use them all in "anger" yet .:D

shouldbeinbed

sharky1029 wrote:

but no good on anything further offroad than a canal towpath.

you're talking rubbish here. I can take mine into much rougher stuff and have commuted daily through the last couple of winters in all weathers.

and fast isn't the be all and end all for some people.

fallingoff

No disrespect to anybody posting on here but have the posters experienced hybrids or is it what they've read or been told?
Over the past 18 months I've had 4 cycles as noted in my previous post.
I always intened to use both an MTB and road bike,but due to my injury a road bike was unrideable,I went back to a MTB but found it lacking on the road.
Not wanting to customise it I opted for the Crosstrail and I think it was the right move personaly.
All cycles have their limits and areas of "expertise",you can take a road bike down a tow path if you wished,you could take an MTB on a severe downhill stint,or a DH MTB on the road you will find their limits as they all have them.
I would take the crosstrail on rougher off roading without hesitation.

sharky1029

To be honest in my last post I was refering to hybrids in general. The flat barred road bikes pretty much.
The crosstrail is definatly one of the more capable hybrids that exist and is mor of a mountian bike really and is capable enough to ride through woods.

godders1

Hybrids are fine for lots of people BUT lots of people also buy hybrids and then realise it's not the ideal bike for their needs. Many people new to cycling think it's a choice between MTB, Road bike or hybrid and that hybrid is the best or even the only alternative if you want to do a combination of what the other two are primarily designed to do. This mixed with some faulty assumptions about what the limitations and capabilities of the different types are can lead to some poor buying choices. Not good considering bikes tend to cost a lot of money.

So the lesson is to do plenty of research and find out about the different types of bike available before making a decision.

fallingoff

Godders1 wrote:

So the lesson is to do plenty of research and find out about the different types of bike available before making a decision.

Totally agree..I did it the expensive way... :oops:

El_Cat

Well firstly, thanks for all the replies – much appreciated.

So, I have even more choices to investigate now with 29ers and CycloCross. I need to look up to see what these are like.

I suppose my main thinking has been I have a mountain bike now and it has done the job so why not get another one. If I changed to something like the Crosstrail or a 29er would I notice the difference in speed on the road or gravel tracks? I suppose I averaged about 11-13mph on my mountain bike on my commute.

I don’t want to get a hybrid and find it won’t do what I want off road (although I won’t be doing anything really serious like downhill, drop offs or jumping etc). Part of me thinks though that if I can do what I want on my current mountain bike, bikes have probably moved on in the last 10yrs and so a hybrid would do what I need. Another part thinks that if I’m looking at a more sturdy hybrid I may as well get a mountain bike!

Thanks for the advice, I’ll have another look at what’s around and also see if there are 29ers/CycloCross in my price range.

Initialised – my main problem is that my old mountain bike is becoming beyond repair for me with a hefty knock to the frame and lots of components that need replacing so I’ve decided to start again with a new bike now. I don’t really feel comfortable replacing all the gearing and setting it up etc at the moment. Thanks for the ideas though.

richVSrich

i would like to add to this thread:

i have a boardman hybrid comp 2010:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... 65534#dtab

and it has been really good for commuting through london..
the disc brakes are good, and its generally a pretty fast bike on the roads, i like the gear shifters too (though changing up to the big ring can be annoying so i generally just leave it there :P)

if youre going offroad a bit you could change the tyres - i did that anyway...maybe some 28 tourers?

however i would def like a roadie for the dry days

AndyOgy

I'm a big fan of hybrids. But the problem is that the word 'Hybrid' covers such a broad spectrum. Technically, a Pashley could be considered a hybrid, just the same as a Giant Rapid is also a hybrid. Somewhere in the middle, there should be a bike that suits.

The Specialized Crosstrail looks like it would almost fit the bill for what you want, with the small exception of the suspension forks.

You don't need suspension for the kind of riding that you've described. And good suspension forks don't seem to be present on bikes costing below £700 these days.

Have you checked out some of the Kona hybrids?:

http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... _Bike_2009

I regularly ride my 700c wheeled Kona Smoke all over the trails on the South Downs on 28mm Marathon tyres. It's pretty quick on the road too.

Initialised

Fair enough if the frame's going. I've replaced almost everything but the frame, forks, bars and brake levers on mine. I guess I've made it more of a flat bar hybrid than a rigid MTB. It's OK for me for now but I hanker after something faster on the road, but to keep the options open I think a CX would be my best option when I replace or succumb to the law of n+1. Probably right for you too.

chilling

I think a Hybrid would do all you want.

I commute on mine with full mudguards, rack, panniers 28mm marathon tyres, shocks locked out. It's pretty quick, I usually have a moving average around 16/19mph through London. (Saw off a fairly quick roadie on his Boardman comp this evening. Most of the time it's what's in the legs not what the legs are on that counts if you are into a bit of SCR)

When I go out on the trails I take off the commuting gear, put on some 35mm knobbly tyres, a set of crud catchers, unlock the suspension and go play in the mud. It does that just fine too. Obviously not going to throw it off some big drops or anything silly like that but for general trail riding it's great.

It means I can indulge in some mud whilst still having a bike that is good at hauling my arse and gear to work an back on a daily basis. Yes I'd like to indulge in +1n but she who must be obeyed has forbid a +1.

Don't worry too much about the Hybrid hate on here. Some people can't see that they are ideal for some people and will insist that your must ride a road bike on the road and a MTB off it.

Rothsay

Chillin is right. You need to decide what you need the bike to do. I used to have an MTB which I used for commuting and touring. I got fed up with being overtaken on the commute so last year bought a hybrid with 700c wheels and lock out suspension. A Huge difference in performance on and off road (though not the really rough stuff), and great for touring.
Trouble is that I am now hankering after a road bike as well

fallingoff

Same as Rothsay tired of not being able to keep up with roadees....
Also as stated unless you pay a lot of money your're not going to get superb forks but the std ones on the crosstrail stop pins and needles when "off-road".
I'm pretty sure if I didn't opt for the lock-out type I wouldn't have been so pleased..
Will your LBS let you test ride?

molteni_man

I bought one of these and love it for some commuting, travelling to the gym, local shops and some leisure riding on occasion as I recover from knee surgery. It has done gravel tracks locally with no fuss, but it wouldn’t do full on xc for which I have an mtb.
Personally for commuting in the UK I think you need mudguards, I’ve splashed out on some Ortlieb panniers as it comes with a rack and the dynamo lights mean I never get caught out with darkness. 6ft tall and I went for the XL frame which has worked well.

https://winstanleysbikes.co.uk/ridgeback-element-eq-2022-bike?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIhp_pivaB_wIViQgGAB1w7g89EAQYCyABEgJ-WvD_BwE#187=4593

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Why is it that the spambots always resurrect really old threads to post a robotic response that wil be eventually editted to contain a random link?

molteni_man

Just noticed the date of the original post - missed it when posting my response-Doh!

pblakeney

N0bodyOfTheGoat said:

Why is it that the spambots always resurrect really old threads to post a robotic response that wil be eventually editted to contain a random link?

Spambots underestimate our ability to spot spam.

Mad_Malx

N0bodyOfTheGoat said:

Why is it that the spambots always resurrect really old threads to post a robotic response that wil be eventually editted to contain a random link?

You woke the bot up