Road v Hybrid

It more depends on the surfacing of where you are going to ride. Gravel and mud paths with lots of rocks, then hybrid.

Mostly tarmac or well graded gravel then road bike.

In any case it sounds like the road bike you tried was set up for racing, a very agressive position with the saddle much higher than the handlebars; most people don't ride their road bikes that way, and indeed a saddle pretty much level with the handlebars is a more 'normal' arrangement. I would say my back is more like 45 deg rather than the 90 deg of racers.

I'm not saying don't get a hybrid, but the fit issues on a road bike can be resolved easily.

Juddlinski wrote:

I
Very enjoyable it was too - but I did find myself getting overtaken a lot by people who appeared to be cycling slower than me :roll: ; so I gave it some thought and looked into getting a road bike. So I've now gone for a Specialized Secteur X3 Triple. A lower spec than the Sirrus Comp I guess, but wow - it's faster. Speed isn't a huge priority for me but it's nice to put my foot down now and feel myself going fast!

Same here really. I thought I was going well on my hybrid until I decided to do a sportive and people were passing me like I was standing still.

Just yesterday I was out on my road bike and came across a group of mountain bikers on the road, they looked like they were working hard going up the slight incline, whereas me on my road bike just breezed past them without any particular effort, pretty sure I was doing half the work they were doing..

The best of both worlds may be a cyclocross bike (sometimes refered to as a CX bike). I've never done cyclocross but I've ridden a Specialised Tricross Sport Triple for the last 3 years and been very happy with it. I'm now getting a nice lightweight carbon road bike but I'll be keeping the Tricross as a general purpose bike.

Cyclocross bikes are very similar to road bikes in that they use drop bars, 700c wheels and they're relatively light. There are a few key differences.
- They have clearance for bigger tyres and usually come with either all-purpose or nobbly tyres not slicks.
- They are a little heavier but most of the difference is in the bigger tyres
- They're now easily available with disk brakes
- Some (maybe all) have a slightly more upright position than a road bike in standard configuration but you can get a fairly low position if you decide you want one
- Many cyclocross bikes have an extra set of brake levers on the tops (straight part of the bars) which are perfect for use in traffic while keeping your head up. Road bikes only have levers below the hoods so you can't brake when you've got your hands on the tops. In my experience this second set of brakes gives a little less leverage than the main levers from the drops but better braking than the main levers used from the normal road bike position on the hoods.

Some cyclocross bikes are proper race bikes but others like the Tricross are actually more aimed at commuting/touring and light offroad than cyclocross competition. These often have mudguard and or rack mounting points should you need them. If you want to use one for commuting then I'd suggest switching the tyres to something like 28mm slicks which will be both fast and comfy (many road bikes can't fit tyres bigger than 25mm).

I started out using mine for fairly laid back cycling and riding canal paths. Later I dropped the bar position a little and switched to slick 28mm tyres and it became a great quick & comfy bike for the roads. Then as I'd become reasonably fit I started to do sportives and compete in duathlons so I dropped the bar down to typical road bike height, removed the extra brake levers, changed the wheels for some lighter ones and put on 25mm tyres. It's now essentially a road bike and most people wouldn't notice the difference unless they looked carefully and noticed the wider fork clearance and cantilever brakes. I've done 200km sportives and sprint duathlons with no problems although I might be carrying an extra 0.5-1kg compared to a road bike of similar value.

So, if you're not sure if you want a hybrid or road bike. Get a cyclocross bike. Just a change of tyres makes them the perfect commuting bike in my opinion and some simple tweaking turns it into a road bike later if your priorities change.
Incidentally pretty much everyone who gets used to drop bars, including myself, would never go back to straight bars. They're just much more comfortable and versatile.

just seen Ai_1's post. very well written. Exactly what he said basically. the CX bike is now my go to bike for just about any situation and keep the original off road tyres in the shed and you can even take it off road. properly off road. it's amazing the abuse they can take if you're so inclined. looking at the Boardman cx comp it's Schwalbe tryago tyres are definitely aimed more towards road use so no change required...

An issue I was debating for some time, I invested in a hybrid- Specialized Sirrus Limited Edition-
basically the Roubaix Carbon Frame with DI2s. It's the perfect combination, I keep up with my group (B) of course adding the proper pedals, and enjoy free- riding with friends and family without the need to be "kitted up"
It's all about comfort and budget. Invest in a great bike and you will never be looking ahead at the one I should have bought.

Good Luck
Cheers,
pinacolada

You really just need to decide what bar type you prefer and how upright you need (want) to be.

If you want to be really upright then it has to be a hybrid, but if not then it comes back to bar choice as its the only real thing that distinguishes a road bike from a hybrid, as you can get a light/fast hybrid as well as a more rugged road bike.

Terrain counts for nothing as a road bike with correct tyres is just as good as a hybrid and vice versa.

Personally I prefer drop bars as they have more holding options and are narrower (for going through gaps). Flat bars will give more control due to their extra width.

As has been said a CX bike gives easy access to disc brakes on a drop bar bike. Something I also prefer for commuting.

Some manufacturers are choosing to (more accurately) call them disc brake road bikes now.
If you do look at ones called CX/cyclocross bikes you might want to avoid 46/36t chainrings and get one with standard compact 50/34t.

A CX bike will almost certainly come with big tyres that you will need to change and you may not be able to go much thinner than 28mm.
Budget disc brake road bikes I have seen still have fairly wide tyres (28mm).

Pretty sure you can put secondary brake levers on any cable road bike brakes.

Although I prefer drop bars. For a short round daily commute I would really like one of these.....

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/coo ... e-ec046769

Looks gorgeous/v high quality in the flesh. Hub gears (so single speed look with no derailleur), lovely blue and chrome finish with hydraulic disc's.

Maybe need to have plan (slime or sealant/Co2 can?) in place for a rear puncture, but other than that it would be great ;-)

+1

These often have mudguard and or rack mounting points should you need them. If you want to use one for commuting then I'd suggest switching the tyres to something like 28mm slicks which will be both fast and comfy (many road bikes can't fit tyres bigger than 25mm).

Whatever style you buy, look for
No suspension
good tyre clearance
rack and mudguard eyelets.
Everyday gearing.

Flat bar fitness bikes are good, Audax, winter training syle road bikes, tourers, CX.

I don't know what your budget is, but have a look at the Whyte R7 Stirling (hybrid) and RD7 Suffolk (Road) both disc equipped bikes.

Moonbiker wrote:

Yeah thoose "Suicide levers" are ok for slower speeds.

Didn't realize they still did them.

The "suicide lever" nickname name referred to the old top bar levers provided by providing an extension from the hood lever that could be reached from the tops. I had them on a bike when I was a kid - they weren't rigid or confidence inspiring and the nickname fits. The secondary levers on modern CX bikes are very different. They're a completely separate lever mechanism similar to a normal flat bar brake but sharing the same cable as the main levers and they work well. I don't think the old nickname still applies.
However I still wouldn't use them at high speeds simply because the tops are not the most stable place to be for high speed braking. I don't see this as an issue since you won't be on the tops at high speed anyway.

markhewitt1978 wrote:

On a normal road bike you are only really going to be on the tops when climbing, hence little need for brakes there. I suspect CX might be different hence them being fitted on the Boardmans.

I don't know exactly where the top brakes come into play in cyclocross racing (haven't tried it) but they're excellent for beginners and commuters who'll spend more time starting and stopping in urban areas and sitting upright for better view and visibility. I only took them off my bike because I needed the space on the tops to attach clip-on aero extensions. They were on the bike for the first 2 years or more that I rode it. I didn't use them much out in the countryside but they were very useful around town.

How do the brake cables attach to too different pairs of brakes?

Split in two?

Kimble wrote:

The normal brake cable routes directly through the bar top brakes that don't interfere with the cable when not in use. instead they they use a basic but effective hinge action to effectively increase the length of the outer cable cover which in turn applies a pull effect to the inner cable, applying braking pressure.

after my embarrasing attempt at explanation above, I'll let it to the more engineering minded peeps to describe further....

That explanation is about spot on.

Works just as Kimble describes so there's no splitting or loss of integrity in the cable.

Monty Dog wrote:

Bar top levers = pointless marketing gimmick IMO. Have never been in a situation riding a CX bike where they would be of any use - too narrow to give you control offroad and if your bar/lever position is correct then there's no need for them - they just clutter the handlebars and make braking mushier.

Are you talking about road riding (i.e. continuous riding on open roads) or commuting in situations where you may be sharing roads and especially junctions with a lot of traffic, both motorised and pedestrian?
You are in a much better position on the tops than the hoods for looking around and also for being seen. The poorer view on the hoods/drops is probably a big contributor to many people using flat bars in urban areas. If you want/need to be on the tops approaching and departing from busy junctions then you want to have brakes there. I don't believe there's any question they are an advantage in this situation. On the other hand for general riding on open roads they don't serve much purpose which is why I took mine off.
With regards making braking "mushier", I don't believe there's much impact. Not enough to be a problem anyway. When I removed mine I replaced all my cables and outers and had everything nice an clean and lubricated - Yes it was a bit crisper and more positive but it was not a dramatic change and I reckon it had as much or more to do with the cable maintenance than the removal of the brakes.