Sssshhh, it's the new guy!

supersonic

DonDaddyD wrote:

supersonic wrote:

Nor is it that you must have a road bike.

No you could go MTB. Or if you want to be a proper 'Dutch' commuter a Brompton if you must.

Having owned a hybrid I don't see the point of them. My Giant Escape M2 - had the Giant XTC (I think frame). The cromloy fork made it fairly stupid to ride on anything but light trails - where the slick road tyres were no good and no fun. I could feel the vibrations through the whole bike.

The bike was ok on the road but not as effective as a road bike. Up Denmark hill was *****. I tried the FCR, the flat bar version of the SCR, but the upright position of what is an upright frame meant the bike was great in a straight line but not as nimble or as sure footed when filtering as the road bike version.

Hybrids are a compromise and the things they strip away to make the compromise (suspension/drop bars) are IMO essential to truly enjoy that type of riding.

They are not always a compromise, sometimes they offer the best all round ride for the rider. As has been said many times, hybrids vary a lot. Mine offers me a great blend of comfort, speed, efficiency and handling. The same goes for many others.

I'm not dismissing road bikes, that Decathlon is very very good for the money, I am simply putting forward the case that 'hybrids' can work very well and can be an effective choice. The OP needs to be aware of this.

notsoblue

Its a shame theres hills involved because something cheap and simple like a Langster would be perfect for the job.

DonDaddyD

Supersonic, there are two types.

Mountain bike frame. Kit bash the gears. Flat bar. Add road wheels or 26inch and slick tyres and thats your hybrid.

Road frame. Kit bash the gears. Flat bar. Add road wheels or 26inch and slick tyres and thats your hybrid.

You can't go off road on them.

I'm not seeing much variation.

supersonic

Town bikes, leisure bikes, all sorts of different geometries and so on. Sometimes a mix of kit is the whole point to get what you want. And because of this, many are off roadable. Depends how far off road you want to go, whether smooth forest tracks or boulder strewn XC.

Really does depend on the bike in question, and sometimes is not always about the off road appeal, but some of the parts that can add comfort and/or performance. In the OPs case it seems something geared up towards the road is what he needs, but if he wants the wider bars, doesn't like drops, likes MTB style shifting and maybe the option to fit larger tyres then some types of hybrids are going to work well.

greg66_tri_v2.0

notsoblue wrote:

Its a shame theres hills involved because something cheap and simple like a Langster would be perfect for the job.

Hmm. A Langster with the right gearing and a small dose of MTFU could still be the solution for the commute. But it would be limited as far as weekend rights went, no?

Boy Lard

supersonic wrote:

They are not always a compromise, sometimes they offer the best all round ride for the rider. As has been said many times, hybrids vary a lot. Mine offers me a great blend of comfort, speed, efficiency and handling. The same goes for many others.

I completely agree with this. Too many people are bike snobs about 'hybrids' and mark them all as the same bike. I think there is a world of difference between a standard hybrid commuting type bike and a flat bar road bike/fitness bike (what ever you want to call it).

Build your own bike, build it for a purpose and to suit your own needs. A bike is a tool to do a job. I do not believe that there is any drop handle bar road bike that would be as good as my hybrid for the job I need it to do. I find it more comfortable to ride even over longer distances because the whole style of riding, riding position, gearing etc, was picked by me, to suit me. I wish I had the money to do the job properly.

beegee

I've had a hybrids with 700c wheels for many years and they've been fine. Easy to use for commuting, reasonably zippy, not too attractive to light fingered people, low gears for hills. Remember that by the time you've added panniers, lights, rack, d lock, bell, spare wet weather clothing your new purchase will weigh more than a 2cv. They have the advantage (sometimes) of being unexpectedly fast so that while (a) you feel no shame when overtaken by a racer type (b) sometimes you show them who's daddy (I think that is the correct vernacular). I also have a carbon racing bike and it is lovely lovely lovely . But it stays at home if there is any rain or any little bumps in the road. Saddles : I have a funny feeling that the thinner racing saddles are actually more comfortable (based on my experiece).

flimflam_machine

DonDaddyD wrote:

Supersonic, there are two types.

Mountain bike frame. Kit bash the gears. Flat bar. Add road wheels or 26inch and slick tyres and thats your hybrid.

Road frame. Kit bash the gears. Flat bar. Add road wheels or 26inch and slick tyres and thats your hybrid.

You can't go off road on them.

I'm not seeing much variation.

Noooooo, that's just you needing to shoehorn everything into either the "road" or "mtb" categories to satisfy your weirdly polarised view. A flat bar venge could be called a hybrid as could a slicked-up kona coiler but (and this bit's important) so could everything inbetween.

For many years people rode off-road on rigid bikes and enjoyed it (I did) and they rode on-road on gas pipe machines with north road bars and loved it. So the idea that a hybrid is fatally compromised because it loses what you need to "truly enjoy that type of riding" is just twaddle.

clarkey cat

I think the OP should ignore all of these calls to get a road bike and go with what he wants and get a hybrid. I suggest this one.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/bmc ... e-ec031101

flimflam_machine

DonDaddyD wrote:

flimflam_machine wrote:

Like I said, a second hand, decent quality hybrid will be a good taster, you'll have to hunt on eBay since many are pickup only and I have no idea where you live (for example you could put a more sensible stenm on this and it would be fine - probably). I'd then put all the money that you save on buses or petrol (or whatever you currently use to get to work) in a savings account and, if you enjoy it, sell the hybrid in the spring and put all the cash towards a nice new bike of your choice.

...and ignore the bizarre ramblings of DDD.

What would be the point of that if he can simply buy a second hand road bike or an OK road bike from £300 (note the link to the Decathlon bike).

Why go through the hassle and cost of time of buying a hybrid only to sell it 6 months down the line for probably less than half the money he bought it for. That's hybrid logic right there. It is not a prerequisite that to enter the cycling world you must first buy a hybrid.

The point is to get on a bike and start enjoying himself on a half decent bike ASAP as cheaply as possible. I specifically said to buy second hand and to go for something good quality but not a top marque that will be overpriced. Since the OP isn't sure what he wants to go for, a few months on that will build his fitness and help him decide what sort of feel he wants to go for in a new bike.

EKE_38BPM

Having read all of this thread, including DDD's crazy missives, I think that for a newbie like the OP on a tight budget and with concerns that this cycling lark may be just an Olympic induced fad, something like this is a good idea.

If the OP spends £100 and learns to love cycling then that is a £100 investment. He'll improve his fitness and learn what about cycling he loves. Maybe its getting dirty at the weekends or maybe its about performance. Maybe he'll want a bike which is a workhorse laden with panniers or maybe he'll hate having the drag of an upright bike and get a recumbent.
He'll learn how to do some maintenance, a bit of jargon so that he feels 'in' when visiting his LBS and to love cycle-specific clothing.

Or maybe this whole cycling is an Olympic induced fad and in six months he'll sell the bike after nagging from his wife who repeatedly mentioned that he rode to work three times and complained of arseache every time.

So, and I can't really believe I'm saying this, get the hybrid and try cycling.
If you like it then get yourself a decent bike (because hybrids are Jacks of all trades and masters of none) for the type of cycling you want to do and another one in case that one breaks and another one for when you go cycling with the missus at the weekend and another one for taking on holiday and n+1 for any reason you want.
If you don't like it, you've only lost a small amount of £s and will probably be able to recoup some of that when you sell the hybrid to the next newbie who wants to be bitten by the bug.

veronese68

I agree with EKE. I would like to add that if buying secondhand try to avoid stolen bikes, Ebay and Gumtree seem to have quite a few. The one linked to doesn't appear stolen as the vendor knows the tyres have been changed from standard. It can be hard to tell but asking a few pertinent questions about any modifications done or if the owner has the handbook that came with the bike might help.

flimflam_machine

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Having read all of this thread, including DDD's crazy missives, I think that for a newbie like the OP on a tight budget and with concerns that this cycling lark may be just an Olympic induced fad, something like this is a good idea.

Ha! Did you deliberately pick the same eBay bike that I mentioned in my post or was just coincidence?

So, and I can't really believe I'm saying this, get the hybrid and try cycling.
If you like it then get yourself a decent bike (because hybrids are Jacks of all trades and masters of none)...

I still don't get this, if your "trade" is travelling moderate distances at reasonable speed in comfort over varied surfaces (including lumpy roads) and you occassionally want to carry some kit on your bike then a hybrid would be the master of it. Also, not everyone has the cash for constant N+1 so many bikes have to suit a whole person, and allow them to do everything they want, rather than one very specific task.

walkingbootweather

For an example of the sort of ebay seller to treat with caution see here

3 decent bikes for sale, at least one with damage caused by theft, yet owner appears to know little about them and only wants cash on collection.

[Edit - The seller also appears to have sold another couple of bikes in similar circumstances recently, yet no history of ever buying any bike related items. Most keen cyclists would give more emotional descriptions of their bikes, would know exactly what upgrades had been made, and might have a history of bike related purchases.]

I quite like hybrids, but then I like all bikes. I do see them as a bit of a gateway bike though - most people that get one and catch the bug pretty quickly want to migrate to either a road or proper MTB depending upon what sort of riding they do. There is a reason that BR has a forum for selling road bikes, and another for selling MTB's, but none for selling hybrids. That is that few experienced cyclists will be in the market for a second hand hybrid.

veronese68

walkingbootweather wrote:

For an example of the sort of ebay seller to treat with caution see here

3 decent bikes for sale, at least one with damage caused by theft, yet owner appears to know little about them and only wants cash on collection.

[Edit - The seller also appears to have sold another couple of bikes in similar circumstances recently, yet no history of ever buying any bike related items. Most keen cyclists would give more emotional descriptions of their bikes, would know exactly what upgrades had been made, and might have a history of bike related purchases.]

I quite like hybrids, but then I like all bikes. I do see them as a bit of a gateway bike though - most people that get one and catch the bug pretty quickly want to migrate to either a road or proper MTB depending upon what sort of riding they do. There is a reason that BR has a forum for selling road bikes, and another for selling MTB's, but none for selling hybrids. That is that few experienced cyclists will be in the market for a second hand hybrid.

Good examples of what not to buy. Hope the police get a look at those. I think I'll email the cycle task force.

EKE_38BPM

flimflam_machine wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Having read all of this thread, including DDD's crazy missives, I think that for a newbie like the OP on a tight budget and with concerns that this cycling lark may be just an Olympic induced fad, something like this is a good idea.

Ha! Did you deliberately pick the same eBay bike that I mentioned in my post or was just coincidence?

It was deliberate. That is a perfectly decent hybrid and its not worth trying to reinvent the wheel.

EKE_38BPM wrote:

So, and I can't really believe I'm saying this, get the hybrid and try cycling.
If you like it then get yourself a decent bike (because hybrids are Jacks of all trades and masters of none)...

flimflam_machine wrote:

I still don't get this, if your "trade" is travelling moderate distances at reasonable speed in comfort over varied surfaces (including lumpy roads) and you occassionally want to carry some kit on your bike then a hybrid would be the master of it. Also, not everyone has the cash for constant N+1 so many bikes have to suit a whole person, and allow them to do everything they want, rather than one very specific task.

Get a CX bike and ask Kieran for a cape.

We're on the same side.
For the OP at the moment, a hybrid seems to be the right type of bike, but in time this will almost definitely change.

flimflam_machine

EKE_38BPM wrote:

We're on the same side.
For the OP at the moment, a hybrid seems to be the right type of bike, but in time this will almost definitely change.

Very possibly, my hybrid is perfect for hauling stuff to and from work but I chose my road bike for a long trip recently simply because it was the right tool for the job. I wonder how much hybrid snobbery is down to the name, which implies some sort of compromise. If they were "urban bikes", implying rugged, chuckable, good in traffic, but not necessarily designed for long distances, I wonder if people would be so bothered.

supersonic

Technically a CX bike is a hybrid!

cyclingprop

supersonic wrote:

Technically a CX bike is a hybrid!

Hear that Kieran? You ride a dualbreed. Like a dat or a cog...

Greg T

Hi everyone, sorry for coming late to this thread, haven't had time to scan it through yet but has any one pointed out the often overlooked fact that....

Hybrids are gheyer than John Barrowman in high heels?

walkingbootweather

Greg T wrote:

Hybrids are gheyer than John Barrowman in high heels?

You say that as if its a bad thing.

gerroffandmilkit

Gotta say I'm astounded by the number of replies, even if it has stirred up old arguments! Once again, sorry for that.

After reading ALL the threads and spending HOURS surfing and researching I think I'm being swayed toward the road bike route!!! I just think that it would serve all purposes and uses I would have for it.

One thing that does concern me is the actual roads. Would a lightweight road bike cope with the terrible roads we have round here. I'm not a gutter rider but have plenty of road sense and awareness. On the daily commute I wouldn't see myself tearing the road up to get to work. Preferring a steady ride. The route I have in mind is festooned with road humps. Would it be a better option to plan a different route to avoid them. They are the ramp up, flat section and ramp down type.

Planning on taking a look in the LBS tomorrow to get an idea what size I'd require. It's starting to get a bit exciting now!!!!

supersonic

The bike will cope fine on almost all roads, especially with care. Just don't slam into kerbs!

dhope

gerroffandmilkit wrote:

Gotta say I'm astounded by the number of replies, even if it has stirred up old arguments! Once again, sorry for that.

Ah don't worry about that, any old excuse for us to start up on road vs hybrid
Glad you've seen the light, keep coming back with questions, we'll happily babble on if we think we have an audience.

Don't worry about the road bike being sturdy, it'll cope fine. You've seen this right? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZmJtYaUTa0

And, enjoy

gerroffandmilkit

dhope wrote:

Don't worry about the road bike being sturdy, it'll cope fine. You've seen this right? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZmJtYaUTa0
And, enjoy

Whoah!!! That's one awesome video. Balls of steel, or should I say carbon!!!

DonDaddyD

Buying a bike is always exciting.

Set your price and have a little extra (if you can) at the ready just in case you see something that catches your eye. There may still be 2012 bikes being sold cheaply (new bikes - often just new paint work comes out each yeah around September so LBS's tend to sell the current stock off at discount to make way for the new). I bought my SCR for £350 down from £450 but was offered the SCR1 for £600. It was worth £1000 and similar spec bikes today still go for around the £1000 mark.

Don't be afraid to go looking for a deal.

Remember additional kit:

Bike lock
Helmet
Lights - very important given the time of year.
2 inner tubes, tyre levers and pump - I like top peak pumps (Google it)

Things that come later:
If you have a rucksack and can bear a sweaty back, then get a bag to carry your kit in next month. Bags can go up to £100+ so don't be afraid to ask here "what bag?". You will envoke a messenger bag / rucksack debate though.

Lycra -may sound odd now, when you try it, and going from cotton, it'll feel like stepping into the civilized World. Padded shorts helps the downstairs comfort, a lot. Wicking clothing (Google it) wicks sweat away from your body keeping you and your clothing relatively dry. May not be necessary for a 4 mile commute.

Cleats and clip less pedals.

Your first upgrade ought to be wheels. This will come months later.

Enjoy, let us know what the choices are and what you decide.

EKE_38BPM

DonDaddyD wrote:

...
2 inner tubes, tyre levers and pump - I like top peak pumps (Google it)
...

You like them so much you don't know their name. Its Topeak, not Top Peak.
You've written it incorrectly before and I let it slide but if you are in an edumacating mood, you should get it right.

DonDaddyD

How the hell do you pronounce To peak because I've been saying Top Peak for about 5years now.

tailwindhome

@OP

What's your budget?

(Do you have somewhere secure to keep the bike when you're at work)

EKE_38BPM

DonDaddyD wrote:

How the hell do you pronounce To peak because I've been saying Top Peak for about 5years now.

Just lose on of the Ps.