Hybrid bikes. The great cycling con?
- Thread starter Marx SS
- Start date
Apparently you missed the Felt SR71, the Giant Cypress SL, and the Specialized Cirrus comp. All of these are flat bar road bikes (hybrids) that have better or equivelent componentry to the bike you just purchased. They also are comparable in weight and can be fitted with 23c tires... Anyway- I get what you are saying about the low end Cypress, I have one that I pedaled over 1000 miles last year and that beat the dog **** out of it. It was my first gear bike in ten years, but I had a ton of ten speeds before that- shoot, still have two in the garage. My SL, however...is not a "daily constitutional" bike, and when you have to put up with a bunch of guys wearing postal kits on your ride (only on the weekends when it is not too hot and not too cold) you get touchy when folks tell you you aren't serious about riding because of your handlebar. For me, it's actually more about getting a frame with a long enough cockpit and short enough seat tube...if it had drops I'd have bought it that way.Olasnah said:
So, since I have done my homework on this, I get to correct your "moral of the story". The moral of the story is that 95% of the bikes in this country are in garages collecting dust- don't believe me, come see what I have gotten for FREE from people...its like a museum. Buy what you are going to ride, period. If it's comfortable, ride the hell out of it, because a bike is the closest connection with your soul your ever going to feel...if your doing it right.
Well yeah...how many of us are beyond recreational riding (I take this to mean that at the least that we have competed for an award)? Next question...How many OCLV's and TCR's are hanging in the garage on 70 degree days?keydates said:
I'll say this one more time, buy what your going to ride... and never ever stick your nose in the air because someone is on a flatbar...we carry shanks and are often shady and disreputable
GleninDanville said:
I use one to commute every day. You can get lighter frames if you want to spend more, and you can get better components, but value for money it's a great bike!
If you just want a bike to get on in all weathers, turn the pedals, move forward and get to where you want to be fairly quickly, comfortably and reliably then it's a good buy.
I would even say that a road bike is more comfortable for long distance riding (competitive or not) than a hybrid, although that is arguable and depends on many variables. I say this mainly because of the single hand position and less aerodynamic position. Of course, some people can't handle such a position on a road bike, so they get a (skinny wheeled) hybrid.
Good Link:
http://chainreaction.com/hybrids.htm
Good Link:
http://chainreaction.com/hybrids.htm
I think Hybrids should really be called "Urban Bikes." If any of you commute around Manhattan or any other dense city, then you will appreciate a fast road bike that's built rugged enough to handle potholes, curbs, and impacts with car doors. Mountain bikes are ok but not fast enough. Road bikes are too delicate and you will be changing tires often and even dented wheels. Hybrids fit this niche perfectly giving you the right combination of both bikes. I'm surprised no bike manufacturer has targeted this market directly.
so why not just a little sturdier wheel on a road bike? I'm facing this problem right now as i want a road bike, but will be doing some commuting on it. I don't really want a hybrid mostly b/c i like the drops and am sure to want them on longer training rides.vshin said:
Telegram Sam said:
You touched my sould with this post because it is exactly how I feel. You said it well. I am a recent enthusiast and I already have a small collection of bikes. My rode bike is my main ride because I ride a paved bicycle trail all the time, or around the city. This suits 95% of my riding. My recumbant is there for maybe 2% of what's left and I think about getting a hybrid with fat tires for that 3% where I'd be running on dirt or grass.
KMKS said:
A hybrid is more than just sturdier wheels. It sounds like you don't need a hybrid because you'll only be doind "some" commuting on it. I'm talking about using hybrid bikes as daily commuters in a dense urban environment along with the occasional excursion through grass and mud. Granted, you could argue that they're nothing more than roadbikes with thicker tires, stronger brakes, and an MTB handlbar for better handling; but at that point it's certainly not a roadbike anymore.
vshin said:
You make a good point. There are different breeds of road bikes, depending on what you want to do with it. I don't need nor want a time trial bike. A hybrid bike fills a good niche. I can't put fatter tires on my road bike, there is no room under the brakes. A hybrid bike has the clearance for fatter tires. Just as there are dune buggies for sand where a car would get bogged down, there are mountain bikes for sand where a hybrid would get bogged down. There is no problem with getting a hybrid with dropped handlebars, there are a number of brands that have them for just the kind of enthusiast rider that knows a road bike can't cut going through loose gravel or soft clay soil.
There are bikes for each niche. I don't understand the point of debating good or bad. It's a matter of the right machine for the purpose you want to put it to.
A hybrid with drops is called a cyclocross bike...and the Bianchi Axel is super cool. There are many of them out there though- drop bars, v-brakes- 32c (wider then what I ride on my "hybrid") tiresKMKS said:
Cheers
The Hybrid, particularly the flat bar road bike style, goes very well with aero bars. I expect to see several at a duathlon next weekend.
Also, I saw a brochure on the new range of Flat Bar Road Bikes from Ginat over the weekend, one with lots of carbon and 105 components.
Also, I saw a brochure on the new range of Flat Bar Road Bikes from Ginat over the weekend, one with lots of carbon and 105 components.
The one with the carbon fiber is the Cypress SL, and it has Ultegra...and is parked in my garage. The greatest bike I have ever owned and there are a lot of others out there as wellgclark8 said:The Hybrid, particularly the flat bar road bike style, goes very well with aero bars. I expect to see several at a duathlon next weekend.
Also, I saw a brochure on the new range of Flat Bar Road Bikes from Ginat over the weekend, one with lots of carbon and 105 components.
Thought of this on my commute to work this morning...
Given that proper cyclocross bikes are so rare and expensive here (and half-decent hybrids plentiful and cheap) ... one day I'd like to buy a hybrid, put drop-bars, full fenders and mechanical disc brakes on it and make the ultimate commuter bike
It's an itch I'll have to scratch someday.
Given that proper cyclocross bikes are so rare and expensive here (and half-decent hybrids plentiful and cheap) ... one day I'd like to buy a hybrid, put drop-bars, full fenders and mechanical disc brakes on it and make the ultimate commuter bike
It's an itch I'll have to scratch someday.
Why go to the trouble of changing the bars?rek said:Thought of this on my commute to work this morning...
Given that proper cyclocross bikes are so rare and expensive here (and half-decent hybrids plentiful and cheap) ... one day I'd like to buy a hybrid, put drop-bars, full fenders and mechanical disc brakes on it and make the ultimate commuter bike
It's an itch I'll have to scratch someday.
When I bought my latest full suspension mountain bike, I went ahead and converted my old non suspension MTB into a so-called hybrid bike by putting high pressure 26" road tires on it. I use it for commuting when the weather conditions are bad enough that I don't want to use my road bike but not bad enough (ie, no snow and ice) to use my full suspension MTB. I didn't pay the new bike price tag for this nice convenience. The tires were only $10 each.
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