Can't decide between Road or Hybrid

mar_k

Hi, First of all sorry for the long post.
My name is Mark. Im 32 years old and I've been into cycling on and off my whole life.

Over the past few years I've switched from single speeds to Road racers, then back to MTB.
I sold my Cube MTB almost a year ago and have been bikeless since.

I enjoyed the MTB but I wasn't able to get off road with it anywhere near often enough to warrant owning it.

The bike I enjoyed most was my Bianchi Via Nirone 7 Sora which would have been a 2011 model I expect.

Now my dilemma is deciding on a new bike, The main usage would be to travel to work and back which is only 5 miles each way and I'm not sure a full on road bike is really suitable, I think it may be overkill.

The bike will also be used to cycle round the park with my 2 young children ( age 6 & 9 ).
But I'd also like to do the odd weekend cycle to Southend-on-sea.

I've not owned a Hybrid before and don't really know what they handle like.
I had tried the MTB on road tyres but I found the seating position of the cube very uncomfortable which may be slightly blurring my thoughts on Hybrids.
As stated already I really did enjoy my old Bianchi, Is my intended usage to soft for a road bike?

The 2 bikes I have in mind are

Bianchi Impulso Veloce Compact 2014 Road Bike
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/bia ... 5#features


Bianchi Camaleonte Sport 3 Alu Deore 2013 Bike
http://www.winstanleysbikes.co.uk/produ ... _2013_Bike



I know the specs are very different and if I'm not mistaken the Camaleonte is made in Taiwan where as the Impulso is made in Italy.


really would like to hear from those more experienced than myself.

brownbosh

"hybrid's" are plain wrong....fact!

northpole

My daily ride to work is only 3 miles each way. Every so often during the winter I take a longer route home to take in a couple of climbs. Heading (hopefully!) into summer, there'll be much more opportunities for post work rides. Even without the last sentence, I'd strongly recommend sticking to a road bike, not a hybrid. I can't really see where the up side would be with a hybrid commuting other than possibly stronger wheels/ tyres - I've not had any problems with my road set up in this regard. When it comes to the weekend rides, I think that would definitely knock the hybrid idea on the head.

Peter

littledove44

Sounds like you need a cyclocross bike.

BillyMansell

Have a look at the Planet X XLS or Kaffenback or some of the Rose bikes cyclocross bikes. With a change of tyres you've got a bike for on and some off road use.

Silly Old Hector

littledove44 wrote:

Sounds like you need a cyclocross bike.

+1

LittlePlums

A hybrid sounds like the best of both worlds, but in reality, the bike is compromised. Buy a road bike, otherwise you end up (like me) buying a road bike in a couple of years anyway.

mar_k

Thanks for the input,

I will look into cycle cross bikes. I feel I should possibly stay with a road bike. I remember how unhappy I was after selling my Bianchi and replacing with the Cube MTB.
I felt quite sick that I'd done it. The Bianchi handled like nothing I'd ever rode before, even though it was a basic set-up.
Really missed the sharpness and lightness of it.

littledove44

Buy both. Just get older ones.

passout

Yes a cross bike but perhaps a cross bike that is designed to be versatile rather than one that is designed purely with racing in mind - some times called freeroaders or similar. More specifically one that can take full guards for commuting duties. Look at the Boardman cross bike in Halfords. Revolution cross bikes are great value too. The Planet X Kaffenbach might also suit - a perfect commuter IMO - although steel does weigh a bit more. The Spa Audax or Tourers like a Dawes Galaxy would do the job well & be very flexible too.

mar_k

What do you guys think of the Boardman road bikes compared to the Bianchi I listed above?


http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... 65710#tab2

passout

OK but I still might go for the other.....

kennygalbraith

I've been cycling nearly two years on a hybrid bike and I've switched to a road bike, my circumstances are similar but I travel 8.5 each way to work. Now that I've been using the road bike I think my hybrid will be in the garage till winter...

Get a road bike!

dombo6

mar_k wrote:

What do you guys think of the Boardman road bikes compared to the Bianchi I listed above?


http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... 65710#tab2

Everyone I know who has them loves them. There were quite a few on a 3-day London to Paris ride i did a few years ago and all were fine, well-specced machines. My only advice would be to get a bike that fits well and is comfortable. As others have said, hybrids are a compromise, not great on roads or when trails get gnarly. Best to have a dedicated mtb and then either a road or cross bike. As in financial markets, hybrids are neither one thing or the other, and when you want them to be one thing, they invariably behave like the other.

alanholden

My dad bought a Boardman Hybrid a few years ago, yet it just didn't roll like a road bike, and therefore struggled to keep up, since then he has bought a Specialized Roubaix from eBay, and finds this more comfortable, faster, and around better than the hybrid he bought at first.

Mike_L

Road Bike

as mentioned by others, you don't have to use the drops to begin with - but having a variety
of hand positions should stop you getting pains in your arms or hands.

using the drops are also useful for downhill descents or if it's windy !

Mike

Moonbiker

Hybrid bikes are ugly & useless.

FentiBiker

Maybe a bit unfair on the hybrids.

I own a racing bike and a hybrid. The hybrid is used for town riding and riding with kids (with toe clips).

A "proper" racing bike with an agressive position and cleats will be very unsuitable for slow riding with the kids and town riding too in my opinion. A hybrid is much more suitable for those situations, but becomes inneficient for riding anything more than one hour and average speeds over 20mph.

Of course, nowadays there are loads of road bikes with drop bars but a gentle geometry - that might be a good compromise.

apreading

Dont be surprised if you ask this question on a road forum and everyone tells you that a road bike is best...

I have a Boardman Hybrid and it gives me everything the Boardman CX would give me except with more comfortable bars (for me) and hydraulic brakes, the Boardman CX would give you everything a road bike would give you except with disc brakes (much better) albeit cable ones and more tyre clearance.

I have to confess that I dont like drop bars (had them years ago and have tried them since but dont like the brakes which seem compromised to work in both drops and hoods but actually dont work well in either and I want them on the flats. I just plain prefer the gear/brake layout on flats.

I dont buy the argument that drops have more positions because I use bar ends so have several already and most people with road bikes ride on the hoods at least 90% of the time anyway.

However, you are obviously comfortable with drop bars already, so I think a CX might be a more logical choice for you.

Just consider that one of the sited benefits of flat bars is better visibility and maneuverability in traffic - why they are often recommended for commuters.

iron-clover

Hey there,
I'm a fan of Cyclocross bikes, as they can be used as winter trainers as well as able to do 'cross races (which I think are a lot of fun over winter!) but I'm also rather fond of the old fashioned Touring bikes, which are the true workhorse machines that are great for commuting, shopping or simply riding the length of the country on.

I do personally use a hybrid (Carrerra Subway 1) as a commuter and shopping bike, but I aim to replace it with a more rugged 'cross bike fairly soon as over longer distances (>3 miles) the upright position and heavy rolling becomes a drag.

If you loved your Bianchi so much, could you not scour Ebay and the cassified ads for a second hand model the same or similar to what you owned? You might have to put some tlc into it, but you'd probably find it quite satisfying. You can then happily join a local club and get more into your riding with that machine if you wished.
And with the savings you could buy a cheap second hand hybrid (I can commend the Subway frame) for popping to the shops and pootling along on family rides.

cookeeemonster

apreading wrote:

I dont buy the argument that drops have more positions because I use bar ends so have several already and most people with road bikes ride on the hoods at least 90% of the time anyway.

I'm not getting into the argument about road vs hybrids - I made my choice (road after 4 months on a hybrid) but I'm not anal about it - both have their valid uses and both can be used for much more than what people believe (you can do long distances on hybrids...and short commutes on a road bike).

But the bar end argument - you cant brake or change gears while using them so for a commuter they are pretty useless?? (obviously in certain situations they are fine)

apreading

CookeeeMonster wrote:

apreading wrote:

I dont buy the argument that drops have more positions because I use bar ends so have several already and most people with road bikes ride on the hoods at least 90% of the time anyway.

I'm not getting into the argument about road vs hybrids - I made my choice (road after 4 months on a hybrid) but I'm not anal about it - both have their valid uses and both can be used for much more than what people believe (you can do long distances on hybrids...and short commutes on a road bike).

But the bar end argument - you cant brake or change gears while using them so for a commuter they are pretty useless?? (obviously in certain situations they are fine)

In traffic yes, but then you dont need multiple hand positions in those circumstances - only on longer stretches with less maneuvering or steep climbs when braking is not required with such urgency that you couldnt change position to do so. You cant do the things you say with tribars generally either...

TheMullet

I commuted for a couple of years on a boardman hybrid before it got pinched. That was from Kew to Tower Hill. Incredibly comfortable. Incredibly practical, and given the option again I'd probably go down the Hybrid route as opposed to a roady. Clearly if you want the best of both worlds then get a roady but if you do have the luxury I'd go with the Hybrid.

mar_k

Thought I'd update the thread,
I have settled on the Bianchi Impulso Veloce Compact 2013 Road , Its still available in the size I need for £1007 which I think is a great price. I am quite excited about getting it.
Thanks to everyone who posted.