Hybrid or Road bike ?

ridgeway_swiss

First post so be kind...

I've had my Mountain bike for around 7yrs now and it has been pretty well used although being honest it's used as a "bike" rather than a "mountain bike" ie i don't really go off road but do use it, on road, on tracks, on vacations in various places etc. I do like riding on the road and certainly feel the need for a more road adapted bike as I'd like to increase my fitness and get some more KM's under my belt.

I'll almost certainly buy a pre-loved bike rather than new as there seems to be plenty of them out there, however I'm torn between a hydrid or a true road bike :shock: My budget will be around £400-500 (second hand remember) and here's my logic:

Hybrid: could be used on more surfaces, forest tracks, dirt lanes as well as road. Perhaps better in wet weather ? means I could use it more of the year (not sure about this as I guess it a tyre related aspect) Could be used by my wife and older daughter (more likely vs a true road bike) However I am just going to regret not buying the real thing and the risk is that I like road cycling more than I'm thinking and I'll end up having to buy another bike in 6 months......

Road bike: well it's made for the job, better geometry (longer frame ?) more comfortable for longer rides and more efficient. Not well adapted for any off road (not heavy stuff just forest trails etc). Perhaps more delicate than a hybrid and pretty unlikely that SWMBO or No1 daughter would use it (although this may prove to be a positive....)

There is a final point to think about and that is whilst a hybrid may in the end prove to be a more all rounder, I don't want to feel like a knob when all the locals ride past at 35kmh on road bikes, sad point but true if I'm honest


Well what do you think ? all input appreciated.

Monty Dog

Cyclocross bike? Has clearances to take knobbly tyres that will handle trails with aplomb. Fit a pair of road tyres and your only concern about your speed will be solely down to your legs. FWIW hybrid/knobbly tyres don't give better grip in the wet as there's less rubber in contact with the road.

ridgeway_swiss

Monty Dog wrote:

Cyclocross bike? Has clearances to take knobbly tyres that will handle trails with aplomb. Fit a pair of road tyres and your only concern about your speed will be solely down to your legs. FWIW hybrid/knobbly tyres don't give better grip in the wet as there's less rubber in contact with the road.

That's a good suggestion, will do some research on cyclocross options

WiganLardster

As much as I like my 'fast' Boardman hybrid, I do wish I had bought a road bike, if only for the fact that I reckon an Allez or something similar might grant me an extra 1 to 2 mph in average speed .

As for people flying past you at 20 -25 mph, It happens a lot less frequently than you might think (well, at least round these parts), and you'd probably find that you can even scalp a few unfit roadies on a fast hybrid, but again, IMO, hybrids just don't look as cool as road bikes.

ridgeway_swiss

WiganLardster wrote:

As much as I like my 'fast' Boardman hybrid, I do wish I had bought a road bike, if only for the fact that I reckon an Allez or something similar might grant me an extra 1 to 2 mph in average speed .

As for people flying past you at 20 -25 mph, It happens a lot less frequently than you might think (well, at least round these parts), and you'd probably find that you can even scalp a few unfit roadies on a fast hybrid, but again, IMO, hybrids just don't look as cool as road bikes.

Which Boardman hybrid do you have ?

Yep as much as I'd like to think the street cred isn't important I know it will get to me at some point although the extra 10kgs I'm carrying will probably look more at home on a hybrid

IanRCarter

I think you'll regret not buying a road bike. I bought a hybrid last summer, and bought a road bike two months ago after I started using the hybrid on the road. It's just not the same using a hybrid on the country lanes. They're great bikes, but they're really better suited for riding around town and commuting.

lotus49

Unless you just want to nip to the shops, I bet you would quickly regret buying a hybrid.

Will you really want to go on unsurfaced tracks on a regular basis? If not, buy a road bike. It really is better suited to normal road riding. If you do, buy a cyclocross bike. It would still be pretty good on the road (and you can of course change the tyres and then it would be very similar to a road bike) and you wouldn't always be restricted to the road.

ridgeway_swiss

I'm glad I posted this thread as it's quickly confirming my fears that I'd likely be wanting a road soon down the line and then it would be better to just get one in the first place......

Note to self: more homework to be done !

team47b

Buy both.

Buy the hybrid first, the extra weight (bike that is) will help get you fit, save up for the exact bike you know that you will buy next year.

Make sure that your wife and daughter get addicted to cycling then 'generously' donate the hybrid to them and get your road bike.

♠ChumBucket♠

I don't think you'd regret buying a hybrid one bit- infact you would almost certainly be more comfortable & most probably faster on one than a "proper" road bike. The amount of bollox spoken on here regarding "proper" road bikes is, well, incredible!!

I got taken in by the hype & regret buying a road bike- I'm faster & more comfortable on a MTB with slicks on!!

WiganLardster

Ridgeway Swiss wrote:

WiganLardster wrote:

As much as I like my 'fast' Boardman hybrid, I do wish I had bought a road bike, if only for the fact that I reckon an Allez or something similar might grant me an extra 1 to 2 mph in average speed .

As for people flying past you at 20 -25 mph, It happens a lot less frequently than you might think (well, at least round these parts), and you'd probably find that you can even scalp a few unfit roadies on a fast hybrid, but again, IMO, hybrids just don't look as cool as road bikes.

Which Boardman hybrid do you have ?

Yep as much as I'd like to think the street cred isn't important I know it will get to me at some point although the extra 10kgs I'm carrying will probably look more at home on a hybrid

Pretty much just a standard 2012 Boardman hybrid comp, although I have added a pair of aero bars and swapped out the 28 tyres for a pair of 23's. The aero bars certainly make a difference going downhill - I caught a roadie simply by freewheeling down a 5% hill, while he was pedalling - I guess the 'elbows in' tuck makes quite a difference in terms of aerodynamic drag.

Peddle Up!

team47b wrote:

Buy both.

Buy the hybrid first, the extra weight (bike that is) will help get you fit, save up for the exact bike you know that you will buy next year.

Make sure that your wife and daughter get addicted to cycling then 'generously' donate the hybrid to them and get your road bike.

This. But keep the hybrid as a "pub bike".

Neil_aky

I bought a hybrid first then 10 months later bought a road bike. I now use both, hybrid for rides which include canal tow paths etc and the road bike for erm.. road cycling, also use the hybrid in the Winter, love both and probably do more cycling by having both than I would if I just had one of them...

ridgeway_swiss

Well having pretty much no patience at all, I went out and bought a second hand Scott Speedster S50 today.

More or less concluded that roads is where I wanna be and my MTB will cover other needs. Now to break my ar$e in on that razor blade saddle.....

markhewitt1978

Get the road bike - you should be able to pick up something decent second hand for your budget. Then you'll get something which is designed specifically for the road and you'll notice the difference. With a hybrid you won't notice a massive different to your MTB really.

NielsUtrecht

Hi there! Having recently moved from mountainbike to roadbike I felt the need to reply to this. Heck, I didn't even join yet (have been lurking a bit for a while) so you managed to convince me to join the forums

Anyway; I would personally recommend going for a road bike if you're not going to sell your mountainbike. And even if you are going to sell it you might want to consider going for road if all you do is ride on proper roads (like I do) and just like to go fast (like I do ).

Would it be possible to borrow a proper roadbike from someone about your side to try it out? I was sold after my first kilometer.

gangxu

Get a road bike, just been on my first ride on the hybrid for about 6 weeks....and it feels so slow/inefficient compared to my road bike which I've been riding 2/3 times a week for the last few months. Your seating position on the hybrid is so upright in comparison to the road bike I couldn't motivate myself to even bother trying to cycle fast on it.

I was hoping the hybrid will do me fine as a winter training/hack bike, but looks like I need to find another road bike for the winter...now do I buy a cheap road bike, or put mudguards on my current road bike use it this winter and come next summer 'invest' in another (obviously more expensive) summer bike

davidtalbot

Yep Cyclocross bike, bought a Decathlon Forme 5 flat bar road bike about 18 months ago (basically pretty much a Triban 5 with MTB handlebars) and am busy shopping on ebay to find some drops and shifters to put on it as it goes to well for sitting up on! Also have a Tifosi CK1 CX bike for when I want to go onto the tracks and trails round home as well as the roads. To be honest the CK1 would do it all but I can't be bothered switching tyres on the CK depending on if I want to do pure road riding or mix in some off road (the CX tyres just don't feel right on fast road sections somehow, perfectly good on fast tracks though)

submariner11

Go Road or Cyclocross - virtually a road bike with mountain bike wheels