wheelsgoround wrote:
> "Hybrid" means different things to different people but
> the usual definition is:
> - Road Frame
I wonder how many people could tell the difference between a
"road frame" and an "MTB frame" where used to trundle about
town. If you're using them in performance places, maybe, but
for trundling about town I suspect there's rather less
difference than a lot of people might think. After all, one
of the great things about the diamond frame is its
flexibility in a variety or roles.
> - 700c Wheels (but wide-ish with fatter tyres)
Quite a lot have 26"
> - Straight Bars & corresponding levers/shifters
> - Triple Chainset + Wide Range on Cassette/Freewheel
I think there are increasingly more with hub gears as time
goes by. ICBW and have no hard data but my impression is
that as time marches on the many more of the UK bike buying
public are finally coming to realise that sporty looks and
cool sounding specs are not necessarily the same as most fit
for utilitarian purpose.
> Looking at each of the points in the hybrid spec:
> - Road Frame - if you're not going off-road, this is what
> you want
see above
> - 700c wheels - these are really built for speed,
> including "fast- touring" or audax. If speed is not
> important to you, consider 26in wheels; they will be
> stronger and more reliable. They don't have to have big
> fat tyres.
A bit like the frame, I don't think this will make nearly as
much difference as a lot of people like to think. Yes, all
else being equal 700c will have slightly lower rolling
resistance, but frankly you'll make far, far, far more
difference with choice of tyres. Note that Moultons have set
speed records "despite" their wee wheels. A few years ago
I'd have been loathe to consider a machine for the road
without 700c wheels, but after some actual experience of
smaller wheels I'm reasonably convinced that sales of 700c
owe more to perception than reality. 26" aren't much slower,
especially if you put on fast tyres like Stelvios, but they
are stronger and suit a greater range of rider sizes. If I
bought an upright diamond frame for utility trundling now
I'd take 26" wheels rather than 700c if all else was equal,
and with the right tyres I wouldn't get left behind on it if
I wanted to put my foot down.
> - Straight bars + shifters etc. This is a matter of
> personal choice but drop bars do give more riding
> positions. Straight bars offer limited riding positions
> (although you could fit bar-ends) and so on long rides
> may turn out to be less comfortable.
This is true, but OTOH drop bars do take some getting used
to and the "more positions" thing only becomes relevant on
fairly long rides, especially if you've got a more upright
position with more weight on the saddle rather than on the
bars. Like 700c wheels, I wouldn't ride on roads on anything
but drops for years. More recent practical experience of
actually riding flat bars for utility jobs have enlightened
me that I was being a bit precious about my personal
definition of a "proper bike".
> - Wide gears - what do you want all them for? That said,
> most Audax bikes come with triple chainsets.
On a utility hack hub gears might make a lot more sense than
a derailleur. It's less about sheer number of gears than are
the ones you've got the right ones. I have 3 on my urban
hack bike ranging from quite low to moderate. It's easy to
spin out down hills but trundling round town I'm happy to
let gravity do the work, and 3 is enough even though Dundee
comes fitted with wide ranging hills as standard...
Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44 1382 660111
ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382
640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net
[email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
