Would you, or do you own a hybrid?

andy46

Hi everyone

I've started commuting to work a lot more now 4 days out of 5 normally, and with all this wet weather I'm thinking of getting a hybrid with mud guards to keep me drier. Plus I'm starting to worry about my road bike at work for a couple of reasons.

I love my road bike, it's almost perfect to me. Full carbon, Ksyrium Elites and full 105 groupset I'm starting to think its too good to take to work. I also have a decent enough mountain bike but this is sluggish on the road.

I didn't mind in the past but this wet weather may take its toll on components, then there's another issue once at work :evil:

There is someone (I have an idea who but can't prove it) who keeps tampering with my bikes. Moving them, undoing Q/R levers, messing with gears that kind of thing. I'm sure they think its funny but its wearing thin and if they damage something who is going to pay for it?

So I'm thinking of getting a cheap second hand hybrid type bike just for work use and was after anybodys thoughts on them. If I get one would I end up wishing I'd got another road bike instead?

I'm looking at something like a Specialized Sirrus or a Boardman.

Sorry for having a bit of a rant.

nicklouse

how long is the commute? any big hills or is it flat?

styxd

Just get a cheap 2nd hand bike. Set a budget and get the nicest thing you can find within your budget - be it a roadie or a hybrid.

gaspode

I bought a cheap old Cannondale hybrid a few years ago when I was made redundant - didn't like the idea of locking my Mercian up outside the job centre - even though I've thankfully been back in work for a while, I've hung onto the bike - full guards and a rack make it an ideal 'shopper' and it's certainly preferable to a road bike for some of the rougher cycle paths (old gravelled railway tracks) when out on a family ride....

Monty Dog

Fixed gear or singlespeed with mudguards - will do more for your enjoyment of cycling than trundling around on a hybrid - you'll also develop better pedalling and bike handling skills.

nicklouse

Monty Dog wrote:

Fixed gear or singlespeed with mudguards - will do more for your enjoyment of cycling than trundling around on a hybrid - you'll also develop better pedalling and bike handling skills.

+1 and less for people to play with.

BigLights

Sirrus is a good idea - I leave my roadbike indoors, commute 7.5 miles each way every day on a Sirrus, and it's fantastic in the city.

apreading

If you love riding your road bike then the Sirrus will prob feel very strange geometry & riding position. Boardman is more like a road bike with flat bars and will feel more familiar to you. If you want a bike for carefree use though, I would suggest something less 'desirable' than either.

Whatever you do, it sounds like you should swap the QRs to lockable skewers.

You may want to give single speed a go but personally that would not be for me.

You might want to look at something like the Pompetamine which has hub gears for less maintenance etc - I would certainly consider one of them next time.

andy46

nicklouse wrote:

how long is the commute? any big hills or is it flat?

My commute is a 15 mile round trip and is mainly flat and takes in a non tarmac cycle path if that makes sense. My road bike handles it no problem.

I've set a limit of £350- £400 max. I know I should be able to leave my bike at work and not work about it, seems this isn't the case. Does anyone think I'm overreacting?

This morning someone thought they'd undo the q/r on the seat post (mtb) could have been nasty if I hadn't noticed as I sometimes start off standing up then sit down once on the main road.

On another note, I'll mainly be looking at second hand bikes but what do people think of this as a wet weather/work bike.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165534

apreading

Gryphon looks like a really good buy. Its pretty light and looked good in the shop, but I havent ridden one. Probably makes more sense as a commuter than the Boardmans as you will be less worried about damage/theft.

nicklouse

andy46 wrote:

nicklouse wrote:

how long is the commute? any big hills or is it flat?

My commute is a 15 mile round trip and is mainly flat and takes in a non tarmac cycle path if that makes sense. My road bike handles it no problem.

I've set a limit of £350- £400 max. I know I should be able to leave my bike at work and not work about it, seems this isn't the case. Does anyone think I'm overreacting?

This morning someone thought they'd undo the q/r on the seat post (mtb) could have been nasty if I hadn't noticed as I sometimes start off standing up then sit down once on the main road.

On another note, I'll mainly be looking at second hand bikes but what do people think of this as a wet weather/work bike.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165534

What are you like with the scanners? Any inclination? Bumblebee auctions wich is where the police get rid of unclaimed property. Bet you could get enough of a bike or bikes to build a fair commute rat bike that works very well.

If not your thing then I would keep it simple and go for a flat bar bike with a hub gear set up.

Cannock Chase

Not an answer to your question, but my workbike has to be the worst maintained bike in the world. Fortunately it only has to do 3 miles each way to work. It's an old rigid MTB with mudguards and Wilko tyres. It has to cope with every bit of muck & sh*t going. I work at a power station so the gears are frequently clogged up with coal dust and slurry when its raining. It only has maintenance when something packs up. I never lock it up as it's not worth pinching. However its served me well. It's actually a cracking advert for the reliability of the humble bicycle.

ElliottDavo

If you get a Gryphon, watch out for the tyres, bit on the cheap end. Apart from that, it's a solid bike, I got the V-spec from '09 and it's taken a lot of my punishment

andy46

Well I've just got in from work and the lad who was the suspect in my mind came to me last night and admitted it was him that has been tampering with my bike, no apology though.

He said he was only "having a laugh" I made it clear that I wasn't happy so hopefully that will be the end of it. I think someone told him that I was seriously pee'd off with it all and I suspect he was worried that the boss would find out. Our boss doesn't take kindly to things like this and the lad in question has been in bother before and is on thin ice, so I don't want to go down that road.

Anyway, I think I'll still get a winter/work bike. One thing though is that I want something that I'll enjoy riding otherwise it'll just get left in the shed

Best get hunting on eBay, and any sales online!

slowlanejane

I've got a Sirrus Comp, its my commute, bad weather & general bimbling bike. Has guards, racks & panniers. Underneath all that its sleek and fast and light and damn good-looking. when my roadies off the road, I strip it down and fly round on it. It's more upright but that's quite nice for a change.

Once I'd made the decision to get a hybrid, I shortlisted some models, checked out the geometry, set my budget then watched the classifieds and ebay like a hawk. For about 2-3months!

I bought it, 10 months old, pristine, off the BR classifieds. No fuss, no paypal - saw it, agreed it, collected it within 24hours. A good bike from a good owner who just wanted to shift it on at a fair price. £300.

My friend has a Boardman hybrid and it is a smashing bike, better than the sirrus and less upright. We also sourced it here on the classifieds, it was a few yrs old but pristine, £500. And a long drive to collect.

I never take my road bike on commutes because its stripped of all commuting comforts & necessities and I'd worry about it locked up so long. I'd be gutted to lose either of my bikes as they're all set up just as I like them, but I would rather lose the hybrid than the racer.

If you wanted to keep the race profile but have a more rugged bike to bad weather and commute mileage, why not look at a XC?

jonomc4

Well I started the other way round - my bike for the first year and a half of riding was a Sirrus Expert - I ended up upgrading the parts (mostly from crash insurance) to Kysirum Equipes and Sram Rival groupset (except brakes of course).

I ended up building my own "best" bike on a De Rosa R838 with Sram Red / Force groupset and various other lightweight carbon bits. I use this bike at the weekend and on dry commutes.

The Sirrus is an excellent bike in my opinion - I believe it has the same frame geometry and the Roubaix - so I intend to stick some drops on it next and then I think it will make an excellent winter bike. Eventually though I guess I will put a lighter frame with those components.

Though to be honest - if I knew what I know now I would have probably bought a Boardman CX as a first / winter bike .

tordis

I do own a hybrid - but, TBH, if I was to buy a bike for commuting now, I'd go for a road bike with mudguard clearance. If your commute is purely on roads, there's no reason why you'd want to get a hybrid for that.

cbriddon

I use a Boardman Hybrid Comp for commuting and leave the road bike nice and warm at home. It is excellent and I've done about 4000 miles on it in the past year. It rides very much like a road bike and is great in the city.

A bargain too at £500 new. Probably get one cheaper used.

Gizmo_

andy46 wrote:

Well I've just got in from work and the lad who was the suspect in my mind came to me last night and admitted it was him that has been tampering with my bike, no apology though.

He said he was only "having a laugh" I made it clear that I wasn't happy so hopefully that will be the end of it. I think someone told him that I was seriously pee'd off with it all and I suspect he was worried that the boss would find out. Our boss doesn't take kindly to things like this and the lad in question has been in bother before and is on thin ice, so I don't want to go down that road.

What a charmer, some people have no respect for property. If I found someone had been molesting my bike while in the rack at work I'd go ballistic...

andy46

It's not in a rack, its where the clocking in machine is next to the work canteen. It's a secure building as all employees have an electronic key fob to enter the factory.
Last night however I parked it right near my machine,I can get away with this on nightshift but not on days.

Hopefully that'll be the end of it, it's all about respect really. It's no different to someone messing with your car in my opinion. My bikes are worth more than some of the cars in the works car park, mine included so this is why I'll be looking to get something cheaper for work and bad weather.

Mikey23

criminally irresponsible and downright dangerous. if a component had been loosened or failed, you could have been in deep doo doo. having a laugh eh ...

tarbot18

I have a winter/bad weather commuter which is a 12 yr old giant mtb with slicks , i commute 12 miles each way around the wirral coast so it gets covered in salt water and sand etc and the drivetrain takes a right hammering.
id keep your roadie for nice weather and fun.
you can never have too many bikes n+1 !

Swos

I have a 2009 Sirrus Elite with dropped bars and it's a great and very light bike

jonomc4

Just to give you an idea - after I upgraded the the sirrus elite (wheels and groupset) it weighed in at 9kg. When I add drop bars and sram levers I expect that will drop it .25 to .5 kg as well. - that to me is a light enough commuter and as I said before the geometry is good for a long distance bike.

Mikey1976

I have a carrera crossfire 3 hybrid with hydraulic brakes for work and a full carbon road bike for weekends.

Im seriously contemplating selling the hybrid and buying a cheaper road bike for work/winter. Its just feels strange riding a hybrid because the position is so upright.

rodgers73

The bloke at your work sounds hilariously mental! Nutcases like that make me laugh (although I wouldn't be laughing if I were in your shoes). What on EARTH makes them think that doing something as dangerous as loosening your wheels could be a laugh!? it's a mindset that baffles me but also makes me chuckle for the sheer lack of any sense of responsibility or shame.

niblue

I use a hybrid for most commuting - I use the roadbikes sometimes but the hybrid has panniers and is also more flexible as it can handle off-road tracks and towpaths. I went with a Cotic Roadrat Alfine and stuck some Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres on it so it's low maintenance and pretty much bomb-proof.

I store my bike indoors at the office - if I had to keep it outdoors then I'd be using something cheaper!

Karlos69

2nd hand Bad Boy?

Crankbrother

Karlos69 wrote:

2nd hand Bad Boy?

+1

I have the basic v-brake badboy (2008 sram version) and it's fast, comfy and bulletproof ... Paid £450 for it so under the £500 bike away from home limit on my house insurance ...

Still running the original maxxis tyres and they go to 80psi and run fast enough to do 15mph avg 70 milers if I fancy a relaxed days riding with the gf ... I bought a cheap carbon seatpin, eggbeaters and used an old fizik road saddle to make it a bit nicer to ride ...

You can always stick knobblier tyres and a clip on mudgaurd on for poorer weather ...

Makes a decent winter trainer as well ...

ElliottDavo

If you're not bothered about Pannier's I've got a custom bike I'm selling. Boardman road Team XL Frame, Steel forks, Sram X4 gearing, 8 speed cassette on the back, 2 speed ring on the front, Shimano Tiagra rear wheel, generic wheel off a Carrera Gryphon so I guess it'll be basic, 700 x 25c Gatorskins, flat handlebars with bar ends. weighs in at 10/11 kg. Let me know if you're interested, it's basically a Carrera Gryphon merged onto a Road Team frame

andy46

Thanks for the offer but I'm not rushing into anything, plus an XL frame would be way to big for me

Thanks again.