"Hybrid" frame? Does it mean anything without accoutrements?

ajoten

Saw an ad recently for a "Hybrid/cyclocross frame". Is that right? How realistic is putting drops on a 700c hybrid and miraculously having a cx or gravel bike? Coz I know that the geometry of an mtb is all wrong for drops.

fat daddy

It's not mountain bike geometry ... it's a road frame with probably a longer top tube to keep the length of the stem down to accommodate the flat bar reach

My hybrid if I stuck drops on it has almost the same geo as the road bike albeit in the next size up

apreading

'Hybrid' geometry could be anything...

But if it is the type of bike which is often called a 'flat bar road bike' then its normally just a slightly longer top tube than the road bike. Any difference can be compensated for by appropriate choice of stem/bars to some degree, but geometry varies from one bike to the next, even within the same broad category.

ajoten

Hmm. Perhaps it would be a bit risky buying something cheap and hoping to convert it somehow. I was also musing on a similar approach with old skool rigid steel mtb or something, as they seem to be a bit roadier geom than modern mtb

apreading

I dont understand. Surely there are plenty of old drop bar road bike frames available? If you want drop bars then it shouldnt be hard to find a frame that was designed for them? Why so set on finding a hybrid or mountain bike frame and then converting it?

ajoten

Tyre clearance

apreading

Ah - ok, that makes sense.

Just make sure that any hybrid frame supports that. Many of the more road bike oriented hybrids used to have limited clearance too - its only relatively recently that both started offering wider clearance - often along with disc brakes. Rim calipers may be a limiting factor as well as the frame.

If you want discs then something like the Boardman CX frame would be worth considering - plenty around.

veronese68

Planet X sell the London Road with flat bars or drops, I'm sure there are others that do the same so not that radical a concept.

bendertherobot

Link to the add? Probably easier.

ajoten

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SAB-Cyclo-Cross-Hybrid-alloy-frame-medium-/332228587453

Note that I'm not considering buying this, it just got me thinking (as my budget is severely limited).

E.g. more likely a http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ridgeback-Delta-Urban-Hybrid-Mens-Bike-/232368181811 or http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Raleigh-Urban2-Hybrid-Bike-/222543558301 but switching bars (and moving levers to middle, cyclocross stylee, rather than getting braking system all wrong) and faffing with stem as necessary.

veronese68

Stick with flat bars and put some bar ends on it so they will give a position similar to being on the hoods. No faffing that way.

ajoten

Good point and worth a go. I can confirm that doesn't work with mtbs tho - I actually have bar ends "inside" the levers of my mtb so that they are 40cm apart, but weight distribution is all wrong so I never use them.

The Rookie

I have a PX London road, its actually a drop bar frame which they sell with flats, I built mine with flats and bought a size bigger (Large) frame and setback seatpost to match the cockpit length of my old (medium) frame.

To do it the other way round you'd need a smaller frame hopefully designed for a setback post (so you could run an inline) to get it right. Sure you can just do a swap but the Geo may well be out.

With drop bars, even with the same length stem, the handhold position is usually usually the hoodz and that's a long way in front of the headtube, you have to match the lengths somewhere!