Real world difference of road vs hybrid commuting

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Comments

  • fishzaku
    fishzaku Posts: 28
    Unless you need carry heavy load everyday/it rains all year round/ the road is absolutely rubbish/
    I would use road bike all the time.
  • bigmonka
    bigmonka Posts: 361
    Having just got my first road bike, I've found that I'm not much quicker over 8miles (but I've only done 2 days and it's been very windy)... but it's so nice to ride that its re-sparked my interest in riding so I'll no doubt be increasing the miles and effort that I put in - which probably will make me quicker in the long run!
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    Squawk wrote:
    I commute 10 miles each way into London (Beckenham to Cannon Street) and have done for the last year and a half, all on my Trek 7.3 FX hybrid with panniers.

    Journey to work is about 40 mins door to door, journey home is more like 46, all dependent on traffic light sequences and traffic. I haven't upgraded to a road bike simply because I can't imagine seeing much more than a couple of mins difference given all the start-stop and I can't justify the expense.

    However, we're now contemplating a move out to Orpington. 17 miles each way suddenly looks like a long way on the hybrid, but in order to justify splashing out I need to get an idea of how much time I can realistically save over the commute. I commuted 16 miles each way for 5 weeks last year and I know that takes 1:05-1:15 depending on conditions.

    Does anyone have any experience of that or a similar journey on hybrid vs road bike? If so, what kinda time savings do you see on average? I'll likely ride the hybrid in on Monday's with panniers loaded with a week of clothes, leaving four days of baggage free riding regardless of whether I get a new bike.

    Squawk

    In terms of time, the difference is probably small. But there's more than just time to consider. Using a light road bike when you're unladen in order to go quickly when you're able to go quickly will make the ride much more fun, even if you don't get there much faster. I suspect despite the lights they are still lengthy sections where you can just put the power down, and that's where the road bike will help.

    Plus having a second like to fall back on is always a good idea.
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    andyeb wrote:
    Yet another person I've heard of who has gone from a hybrid to a road bike and now enjoys cycling more.

    Nice one :D

    It's a common progression. When I restarted cycling I went for a Trek FX 7.1 similar to the OPs it was £325 and you can't get a road bike for that. I wanted to see if I would like cycling again, I did so 6 months later I got a road bike and haven't looked back.
  • apreading
    apreading Posts: 4,535
    markhewitt1978 wrote:
    andyeb wrote:
    Yet another person I've heard of who has gone from a hybrid to a road bike and now enjoys cycling more.

    Nice one :D

    It's a common progression. When I restarted cycling I went for a Trek FX 7.1 similar to the OPs it was £325 and you can't get a road bike for that. I wanted to see if I would like cycling again, I did so 6 months later I got a road bike and haven't looked back.

    Arrrggghhhh, not this old chesnut again...

    Show me someone who 'has gone from a hybrid to a road bike and now enjoys cycling more' and I will show two (including your person) who had a bike (any bike) and went to a better one and now enjoys cycling more.

    Chances are that they were either on a poor hybrid, one that wasnt suited to road cycling, one that didnt fit them well and/or one that was cheaper than the bike they went on to.

    The other poster today just confirms this:
    Using a light road bike when you're unladen in order to go quickly when you're able to go quickly will make the ride much more fun, even if you don't get there much faster.

    Similarly: Using a lighter hybrid more suited to fast road cycling when you're unladen in order to go quickly when you're able to go quickly will make the ride much more fun, even if you don't get there much faster.

    Here is the shocker for the day: a better bike is generally lighter, faster and more fun (as well as probably more expensive) - who would have thought that...!

    The shape of the handle bars is not the only part of the equation here.
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    Calm the hell down. We are mostly in agreement here. What's your problem?
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Because your post inferred that the only progression was to a road bike (even if that isn't what you intended to infer), APR is suggesting you can progress from a Hybrid to a 'better'(for that user) Hybrid.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    The Rookie wrote:
    Because your post inferred that the only progression was to a road bike (even if that isn't what you intended to infer), APR is suggesting you can progress from a Hybrid to a 'better'(for that user) Hybrid.

    That was your take from it, not mine. It's a common progression, because it is. I got a hybrid because I wasn't sure if I wanted to go road or more offroad oriented, if it had been the latter I might have moved onto a better hybrid, CX or MTB.
  • Sleeper Service
    Sleeper Service Posts: 126
    For my tuppence worth, it's a matter of preference. Commuter hybrids, provided they're good and light, are vastly - and I mean vastly - better for commuting in town over surfaces that can be a bit dodgy than road bikes, which are in turn vastly better for pelting along as fast as you can on a good surface when you don't have to carry a change of work clothes, towel, laptop, etc, or have a good field of vision for dodgy drivers/pedestrians/dog walkers/etc.

    The whole idea that one must choose one or the other is a bit bizarre unless one only has funds for one bike and one bike only, in which case the better choice for most people is going to be a good hybrid.
    Carrera Subway 2015
    Boardman Hybrid Team 2014
  • pbassred
    pbassred Posts: 208
    I have a friend who has a Trek 7.3 and this year bought a Trek Lexa. Looking at her stats, she does her 16Km commute at 16Km/hr. When she gets her Lexa out she gets a step change to 20Km/Hr. Some of that has to be clothing (an actual coat!). Neither are particularly fast but if you consider that wind resistance kicks in above 20Km/h, heads-down is the way to go.
    On the other hand. You loose all the luggage capacity.
  • cookeeemonster
    cookeeemonster Posts: 1,991
    Sleeper Service wrote:
    For my tuppence worth, it's a matter of preference. Commuter hybrids, provided they're good and light, are vastly - and I mean vastly - better for commuting in town over surfaces that can be a bit dodgy than road bikes, which are in turn vastly better for pelting along as fast as you can on a good surface when you don't have to carry a change of work clothes, towel, laptop, etc, or have a good field of vision for dodgy drivers/pedestrians/dog walkers/etc.

    The whole idea that one must choose one or the other is a bit bizarre unless one only has funds for one bike and one bike only, in which case the better choice for most people is going to be a good hybrid.

    A cx bike with mudguard and rack (if you want one) eyelets gives you the best of both worlds ;)

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