Hybrid vs Road bike commuting.



S

Simon Mason

Guest
I've had a couple of months commuting on my road bike as
opposed to the hybrid and here are the impressions I get. I
was going to do a pros and cons, but the same points would
be duplicated, so I've done pros. This is commuting across a
port city with heavy HGV usage and where off road tracks
exist as well as major dual carriageways.

Hybrid>

Puncture proof tyres remove the fear of riding over glass,
thorns, tacks etc. More comfortable riding position with
flat bars and bar ends. Simple gear shifter using SRAM
gripshift, can go from 7 to 1 with one twist. Able to use
converted rail lines as a commute. Full mudguards mean can
commute in heavy rain without getting covered in muck. Can
vary route more widely. Example; sun comes out, can ride
home along estuary river bank. Less risk of getting stolen.
38C tyres give more comfortable ride. Not done a century on
a road bike yet, but at the moment I'd use a hybrid for the
comfort factor alone. Saddle offers more comfort. Rubber on
bars easier on hands than tape. See more flora and fauna
when on off road routes. No worrying about whether that 38
tonne lorry coming up behind you is the last thing you will
ever see. More nice smells of nature on off road routes as
proposed to traffic fumes. Reduced road rage concerns due to
less motor traffic around.

Road>
Much faster commute (35 mins vs 55 mins) than hybrid due to
faster cruising speed, new tarmac, reduced wind drag and
more direct route. Feeling like you're riding a laser guided
missile :) You stand out from the crowd; seeing a roadie on
a commute is very rare these days. Actually get waved at by
riders who used to ignore you. Middle aged women in cars
smile at you as your tanned limbs whizz by ;-) The ability
to chuck the thing round corners without slowing down.
Little boys ask you how much your bike is mister. You are
actually willing the alarm clock to go off in the morning so
you can ride to work! You can wear figure hugging clothes to
show the body you've worked hard all winter for. You get to
eat "fat inducing" carbs like spuds and bananas guilt free
;-) You can visualise the people on a bike in a sweaty gym
looking at someone's bum in the knowledge that this isn't
costing you anything and is infinitely more fun. You could
get someone asking you if you'd swap their Porsche for your
bike and you'd turn them down.

All in all, the road bike is more fun, but the hybrid
commute is safer.
--
Simon Mason Anlaby East Yorkshire. 53°44'N 0°26'W
http://www.simonmason.karoo.net
 
Simon Mason wrote:

> Road>

<snip> You could get all of that with the right recumbent,
/and/ be more comfortable than the hybrid. And as you seem
to like grabbing attention you'd be in serious heaven.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext.
33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177
Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
 
In article <[email protected]>,
Peter Clinch <[email protected]> wrote:

> Simon Mason wrote:
>
> > Road>
>
> <snip> You could get all of that with the right recumbent,
> /and/ be more comfortable than the hybrid. And as you seem
> to like grabbing attention you'd be in serious heaven.
>
> Pete.

I am very, very tempted to get myself a recumbent for
touring. But in busy city traffic I already feel uneasy on
my roadbike. Are you seriously saying that you enjoy sharing
roundabouts with lorries and buses on a recumbent that's the
height of their wheels, Pete ?

Karen
--
remove underscore and seven from my email address
 
Karen Lipkow wrote:

> Are you seriously saying that you enjoy sharing
> roundabouts with lorries and buses on a recumbent that's
> the height of their wheels, Pete ?

I can't imagine it would be much fun, either.
 
Karen Lipkow wrote:

> I am very, very tempted to get myself a recumbent for
> touring. But in busy city traffic I already feel uneasy on
> my roadbike. Are you seriously saying that you enjoy
> sharing roundabouts with lorries and buses on a recumbent
> that's the height of their wheels, Pete ?

I don't especially /enjoy/ sharing roundabouts on the
'bent, but then again I don't enjoy sharing them with
anything else on any of my bikes. Being on the 'bent
doesn't really make any difference to me. If there's an
oncoming HGV I don't really see that it makes that much
difference to either party whether I'm at car seat height
(which is where my 'bent puts me) or perched on a pole 50
cm higher: I'm just as visible either way and I'm just as
buggered if one hits me.

If your touring bike doesn't do urban traffic might as well
leave it home on a great many trips. Comparing my recumbent
to an upright road racer in traffic, the braking is
substantially better and doesn't tend to throw me over the
bars if it's sudden, and my default view is where I'm going
rather than the road a couple of meters ahead of the front
wheel. The tyres and suspension can cope better with pothole
disaster zones, plus the "wtf factor" generally means I get
given more space. Having said that, my Brompton is nippier
through gaps than either a racer or any 'bent I've seen, and
I get a better view ahead than either of the others too.

But the "you must be so vulnerable down there!" is a not so
much a Frequently Asked Question as a Frequently Imposed
Statement, and as always the response from those of us
regularly riding 'bents is that the problem appears largely
in other peoples' heads, but not ours, and seemingly not
those who might be running us down. Give it a try, and you
might find they work better than you might think outside of
touring wide open country lanes.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext.
33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177
Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
 
Peter Clinch <[email protected]> wrote:

: <snip> You could get all of that with the right recumbent,
: /and/ be more comfortable than the hybrid. And as you seem
: to like grabbing attention you'd be in serious heaven.

I must be in a grumpy mood today, but how about giving the
whole "you need a recumbent" answer to every single post a
rest. This isn't having a go at you Pete, but I'm beginning
to feel that urc is turning into a recumbent advocacy group.
They are wonderful things, but not for everyone or
everything.

For starters, if you remember how much Simon's road bike
cost him...

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune http://www.clune.org "Technolibertarians make a
philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook
 
On 25 May 2004 15:08:48 GMT, Arthur Clune wrote:

> Peter Clinch <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>: <snip> You could get all of that with the right
>: recumbent, /and/ be more comfortable than the hybrid. And
>: as you seem to like grabbing attention you'd be in
>: serious heaven.
>
> I must be in a grumpy mood today, but how about giving
> the whole "you need a recumbent" answer to every single
> post a rest.

My impression is that Pete has already dramatically reduced
his frequency of doing this.

--
Michael MacClancy Random putdown - "Some cause happiness
wherever they go; others whenever they go." -Oscar Wilde
www.macclancy.demon.co.uk www.macclancy.co.uk
 
"Peter Clinch" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]... And as you seem to
like grabbing attention
> you'd be in serious heaven.

Not so much that , but it's good to have a positive self
image, without
going over the top. It beats being miserable about yourself
any day :)

If I was the sort of person you might be thinking I was, I'd
have a tattoo, piercings, mobile phone, personalised number
plate, personal organiser to plan "my life", flash clothes,
"be seen" in the most expensive restaurants, go smoozing
with the gaffers after work and all of that caper.

I have or do none of the above, so feeling good on a push
bike is not exactly the height of vanity, is it :)

--
Simon M.
 
Arthur Clune wrote:

> I must be in a grumpy mood today, but how about giving the
> whole "you n=
eed
> a recumbent" answer to every single post a rest.=20

It would be a fair complaint if I gave it to /every/ post.
But if I=20 thought it was the answer to everything, I
wouldn't regularly use two=20 uprights (which I also say
nice things about and recommend) in my=20 everyday cycling.

> This isn't having a go at you Pete, but I'm beginning to
> feel that urc is turning into a recumbent ad=
vocacy
> group. They are wonderful things, but not for everyone or
> everything.=20

My own cycle use of uprights on a regular basis acknowledges
the fact,=20 but of those who try them there is a
considerable degree of advocacy.=20 Maybe that's because
they solve some problems very well? Is such=20 advocation
really a bad thing, and/or is it any worse than
advocating,=20 say, Brooks saddles, which are proven
solutions but need a bit of extra=20 persuasion because
they're not the currently accepted norm?

> For starters, if you remember how much Simon's road bike
> cost him...

Price is a /good/ reason not to get one for many, but I've
not said=20 otherwise, and it wasn't in the scope of the
original post. I just said =

if you want a Big Grin feeling without certain comfort
downsides (as=20 listed by Simon) of an upright racer there
was a way to achieve that. I =

don't think that's really going too far, and certainly not
saying a=20 'bent is right for everyone and everything. ISTR
the last bike I=20 recommended here was a Ridgeback Speed
=A3200 hybrid, hardly the work of = a=20 man who says "you
need a recumbent" answer to every single post!

Pete. --=20 Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382
660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44
1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net
[email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
 
"Arthur Clune" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Peter Clinch <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> : <snip> You could get all of that with the right
> : recumbent, /and/ be more comfortable than the hybrid.
> : And as you seem to like grabbing attention you'd be in
> : serious heaven.
>
> I must be in a grumpy mood today, but how about giving the
> whole "you need a recumbent" answer to every single post a
> rest. This isn't having a go at
you
> Pete, but I'm beginning to feel that urc is turning into a
> recumbent
advocacy
> group. They are wonderful things, but not for everyone or
> everything.
>
> For starters, if you remember how much Simon's road bike
> cost him...

It wasn't *that* expensive as far as road bikes go but
it was bought with a one off bonus and I'll seriously
dent my beer money by getting another machine :)
--

Simon M.
 
Simon Mason wrote:
> I've had a couple of months commuting on my road bike as
> opposed to the hybrid and here are the impressions I get.
> I was going to do a pros and cons, but the same points
> would be duplicated, so I've done pros. This is commuting
> across a port city with heavy HGV usage and where off road
> tracks exist as well as major dual carriageways.
>
> Hybrid>
>
> Puncture proof tyres remove the fear of riding over
> glass, thorns, tacks etc. More comfortable riding
> position with flat bars and bar ends. Simple gear shifter
> using SRAM gripshift, can go from 7 to 1 with one twist.
> Able to use converted rail lines as a commute. Full
> mudguards mean can commute in heavy rain without getting
> covered in muck. Can vary route more widely. Example; sun
> comes out, can ride home along estuary river bank. Less
> risk of getting stolen. 38C tyres give more comfortable
> ride. Not done a century on a road bike yet, but at the
> moment I'd use a hybrid for the comfort factor alone.
> Saddle offers more comfort. Rubber on bars easier on
> hands than tape. See more flora and fauna when on off
> road routes. No worrying about whether that 38 tonne
> lorry coming up behind you is the last thing you will
> ever see. More nice smells of nature on off road routes
> as proposed to traffic fumes. Reduced road rage concerns
> due to less motor traffic around.
>
> Road>
> Much faster commute (35 mins vs 55 mins) than hybrid due
> to faster cruising speed, new tarmac, reduced wind drag
> and more direct route. Feeling like you're riding a laser
> guided missile :) You stand out from the crowd; seeing a
> roadie on a commute is very rare these days. Actually get
> waved at by riders who used to ignore you. Middle aged
> women in cars smile at you as your tanned limbs whizz by
> ;-) The ability to chuck the thing round corners without
> slowing down. Little boys ask you how much your bike is
> mister. You are actually willing the alarm clock to go off
> in the morning so you can ride to work! You can wear
> figure hugging clothes to show the body you've worked hard
> all winter for. You get to eat "fat inducing" carbs like
> spuds and bananas guilt free ;-) You can visualise the
> people on a bike in a sweaty gym looking at someone's bum
> in the knowledge that this isn't costing you anything and
> is infinitely more fun. You could get someone asking you
> if you'd swap their Porsche for your bike and you'd turn
> them down.
>
> All in all, the road bike is more fun, but the hybrid
> commute is safer.

Maybe you might think that a tourer like the Dawes Sardar or
Thorn Sherpa could be ideal for your needs?

Ed
 
"Simon Mason" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> Puncture proof tyres remove the fear of riding over glass,
> thorns, tacks etc.

Check.

> Can vary route more widely. Example; sun comes out, can
> ride home along estuary river bank.

Check.

> Much faster commute (35 mins vs 55 mins) than hybrid due
> to faster cruising speed, new tarmac, reduced wind drag
> and more direct route. Feeling like you're riding a laser
> guided missile :)

Much to the surprise of all those motorists stuck in the
traffic jam alongside.

> Actually get waved at by riders who used to ignore you.

Check.

> Middle aged women in cars smile at you as your tanned
> limbs whizz by

Middle aged woman got chatting to me as I was locking my
bike up in town on Saturday. Getting a bit too friendly
really, she wasn't my type ;-)

> ;-) The ability to chuck the thing round corners without
> slowing down.

Oh yes. Check.

> You are actually willing the alarm clock to go off in the
> morning so you can ride to work!

I really enjoy going to work. I really look forward to it.
It's just once I'm there I hate it.

> You get to eat "fat inducing" carbs like spuds and bananas
> guilt free

If only the diet-girls ahead of me in the canteen queue
would hurry up with their calorie counting.

> ;-) You can visualise the people on a bike in a sweaty gym
> looking at someone's bum in the knowledge that this isn't
> costing you anything and is infinitely more fun.

Oh definitely.

> You could get someone asking you if you'd swap their
> Porsche for your bike and you'd turn them down.

Check. I like my bike thankyou.
 
"Simon Mason" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Peter Clinch" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]... And as you seem to
> like grabbing attention
> > you'd be in serious heaven.
>
> Not so much that , but it's good to have a positive self
> image, without
>going over the top. It beats being miserable about yourself
> any day :)
>
> If I was the sort of person you might be thinking I was,
> I'd have a tattoo, piercings, mobile phone, personalised
> number plate, personal organiser to plan "my life",
> flash clothes, "be seen" in the most expensive
> restaurants, go smoozing with the gaffers after work and
> all of that caper.
>
> I have or do none of the above, so feeling good on a push
> bike is not exactly the height of vanity, is it :)

No chainring tattoo? And I thought you were a serious
cyclist!

:)
--
"To live in San Francisco and just not care that there are
naked triathletes running across your lawn, that's just a
waste of exhibitionism."
- Kibo
 
Simon Mason wrote:

> If I was the sort of person you might be thinking I was,
> I'd have a tattoo, piercings, mobile phone, personalised
> number plate, personal organiser to plan "my life",
> flash clothes, "be seen" in the most expensive
> restaurants, go smoozing with the gaffers after work and
> all of that caper.
>
> I have or do none of the above, so feeling good on a push
> bike is not exactly the height of vanity, is it :)

I do have a mobile 'phone, which usually lives at home and
is turned on about once a month on average, but aside from
that I don't qualify on the above either. But it's rather
fun cruising past folk who have their minds visibly blown
by your progress, often to the strains of "Wow! Cool!"[1]
or similar.

Pete.

[1] you get some derision too, but the +ve greatly
outweighs the -ve
IME. The Brompton just gets laughed at unless it's seen
folding or unfolding, people don't seem to have made
up their minds about the 8 yet, and I seem to get a
fair bit of respect on the Muni.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext.
33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177
Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
 
I thought of another change with a road bike - I do not feel
the need to race anybody anymore. When a roadie used to
overtake me, I felt this compulsion to tack onto his back
wheel for as long as possible - not any more. It's like the
old Kung Fu show with David Carradine.

He had branded a dragon on his forearm as part of his
martial arts ceremony and when he got mixed up with
some hoodlums, they'd see that dragon and know not to
mess with him.

He wasn't a violent or aggresive man by nature, but people
knew he had the sanction available if needed and it's a bit
like that ;-)

I tried the same thing when I was a boy, but I found that
Morphy Richards on my arm didn't carry the same kudos.

--
Simon M.
 
Karen Lipkow <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Peter Clinch <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Simon Mason wrote:
> >
> > > Road>
> >
> > <snip> You could get all of that with the right
> > recumbent, /and/ be more comfortable than the hybrid.
> > And as you seem to like grabbing attention you'd be in
> > serious heaven.
> >
> > Pete.
>
> I am very, very tempted to get myself a recumbent for
> touring. But in busy city traffic I already feel uneasy on
> my roadbike. Are you seriously saying that you enjoy
> sharing roundabouts with lorries and buses on a recumbent
> that's the height of their wheels, Pete ?

I was put off when the Sinclair C5 came out and I actually
saw one on a busy road amongst HGVs

--
Simon M.
 
Simon Mason wrote:

> I was put off when the Sinclair C5 came out and I
> actually saw one on a busy road amongst HGVs

Why not be put off them because they were ****? ;-/

Do you really think being a bit higher makes you that
much less vulnerable once you're out of the direct sight
of the cab? Or that it makes you that much more visible
when you are in direct sight of the cab? You're shafted
in any case if you get hit, and most of us on 'bents find
we get more space which is /very/ nice when mixing it
with trucks and buses.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext.
33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177
Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
 
Arthur Clune wrote:

>> You could get all of that with the right recumbent, /and/
>> be more comfortable than the hybrid. And as you seem to
>> like grabbing attention you'd be in serious heaven.

> I must be in a grumpy mood today,

Seems that way :)

> but how about giving the whole "you need a recumbent"
> answer to every single post a rest. This isn't having a go
> at you Pete, but I'm beginning to feel that urc is turning
> into a recumbent advocacy group. They are wonderful
> things, but not for everyone or everything.

Unfair. It is one of the types of bike which merits
consideration given the OPs stated needs; unless it is
suggested it is unlikely that the OP would think of it.

The fact that the suggestion is frequently made does not
make it wrong or irrelevant.

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
posting. http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

Victory is ours! Down with Eric the Half A Brain!
 
Peter Clinch <[email protected]> wrote:
: ISTR the last bike I recommended here was a Ridgeback
: Speed £200 hybrid, hardly the work of a man who says "you
: need a recumbent" answer to every single post!

I apologise - I was in a grumpy mood. So sorry.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune http://www.clune.org "Technolibertarians make a
philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook
 
Arthur Clune wrote:

> I apologise - I was in a grumpy mood. So sorry.

Nae bother Arthur, hope that the cloud has lifted, wheels
are running freely etc.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext.
33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177
Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email protected]
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
 
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