Hybrids. Best of both worlds or master of none?



"Shabby" wrote:

> No, my point is that as people get into cycling, they often increase their mileages. And once they
> do that, the hybrid goes to the back of the shed to gather dust. All I'm doing is attempting to
> save this bloke from buying a bike he'll regret.

That's a very good point.

> Perhaps I'll start a separate thread asking people to define "Lots of miles", "A fair few miles",
> "Not enough miles"

Sound like a good question for New Year's Day as part of "How far did you ride last year?".

> and the ever popular "Haven't had a chance to get out". ("Haven't had a chance to get out" is
> roadie speak for "I've been training my ass off and I'm going to attack off the line".)

Hit 'em where they least expect it?

John
 
On 10 Dec 2003 09:31:44 +1050, Shabby <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Perhaps I'll start a separate thread asking people to define "Lots of miles", "A fair few
>miles", "Not enough miles" and the ever popular "Haven't had a chance to get out". ("Haven't had
>a chance to get out" is roadie speak for "I've been training my ass off and I'm going to attack
>off the line".)

Rather than defining "LOTS" as distance per year, I'd be going for distance per trip and number of
trips per week as being more likely to indicate the kind of use a bike is being put to.

---
Cheers

PeterC

[Rushing headlong: out of control - and there ain't no stopping]
[and there's nothing you can do about it at all]
 
I bought a Shogun Metro LX about 4 month ago now. I have only done around 1000 ks on it so far, so I guess thats not alot compaired to you guys, but I must say, I couldnt be happier.

Upgraded from a MTB that was 4 years old at the time and I just love how much lighter the Hybrid is, and how much faster it goes on and off road.

I ride a fair bit with my dad, as he bought a Giant Peregee (Sp?) Hybrid bike and he loves that too for the same reasons as me.

We generally do the Yarra trail, and average our speed at around 25 kph for the ride, so we dont really daudle along.

I also take it down North road and then along the beach bike path (plenty of nice things to see there on a hot day :cool: ).
I don't know what speed you roadies sit on, but we are usually doing around 30 - 40 kph while on the road. I didn't think that was too bad and there was no way I was going to be able to do that on a 4 year old MTB.

Anyway, we have also done a few 50 k rides, the last one was from Kew to Eltham then back to Kew. Great day was had and we were very comfortable on the bikes. No back pain at all, but the bum was a little sore :eek:

Anway, we were both very happy with our Hybrid choices, and definetly reccommend it to anyone who wants to do some recreational riding.

Both bikes cost around $1100 each tho. I don't know what your budget is, but I think the more you spend in this situation provides you with a better bike.

Only things I have done to it is put skinnier tyers on for the road, and added some grab bars. Seems to make a difference, and its still good for the unsealed paths we go on.

Oh and I love my suspension! No more bumps fer me :D

In short, a hybrid sounds lik the bike your after, go to the shop and check it out ;)
 
I am about to retire a Shogun Metro, and I thought I might add my perspective.

I bought it, second hand, about 8 years ago. In the time I have had it, it has never been cleaned, it lived outdoors for a long time, servicing was unheard of and I occasionally took it over rougher terrain than it was designed for, sometimes with extremely heavy loads on the rear rack.

I average less than 50kms per week. Probably 50% of this would be on road, the other 50% on sealed and unsealed bike trails and occasionally a bush track. Some bush tracks have been rough but I don't particularly need to travel at high speed over the rough bits. I'm a tourist not a racer.

The only repairs have been a couple of punctures; a couple of years ago I replaced the bottom bearing, and last year I got a cheap welding repair to the frame where the lower right rear strut attaches (or rather, failed to attach) to the main axle/derailleur plate. I was not upset by this breakage, rather I applauded a valiant innings.

As exciting as it is to look at getting something completely different, my cycling mix will probably be the same (although hopefully my milage will increase slightly with a new bike).

But like others on this thread I have heard the grim warnings about the folly of buying a hybrid bike. So I look around.

I consider a mountain bike to be the only alternative, as I do enough of my cycling over unsealed surfaces to make a road bike impractical. I don't want to spend hours every week trying to true up wheels.

The first difference I can see with a mountain bike is that the wheels are fatter and smaller. This can only translate to a lower top speed on road (remember, I spend half my time there). Also, the knobbly tyres they come fitted with sap energy when traction is not an issue (again, most of the time). You should probably have guessed by now that I'm not the kind of cyclist who has a garage full of interchangeable wheels for different occasions.

Another issue is the riding position. I like a tall, upright postion, especially in traffic. Again the hybrid beats the mountain.

The frame may well be stronger on a mountain bike, but weighing in as I do at 120 Kgs my Metro did well. Really well. And I doubt the new frames (10 years on or so) are any weaker.

Given that I can ride away from MBC on their special model Shogun for $500, I really can't see any persuasive argument to choose anything else.

So I look at the criticism of hybrid bikes.

Shabby writes "as people get into cycling, they often increase their mileages", thereby assuming (as do many other opinions I have read) that hybrid bikes are for beginners or newbies. Well I have been riding since I was old enough to sit on a trike (best part of 30 years now). I have always owned a bike. Cycling is a part of who I am and how I interact with the world, so I resent suggestions that I am some sort of non-cyclist because I don't shave my legs or wear lycra or notch up thousands of Kms a month.

The term hybrid, as defined by my dictionary, is "an animal or plant bred from two different kinds, eg a mule, which is bred from a horse and a donkey". I think this is an excellent description of this type of bike. I don't think anyone has ever tried to present them as being 'the best of both worlds', rather it is a useful thing in between two established (and more specialised) things. A hybrid will be better on-road than a mountain bike, and it will be better off-road than a road bike. Simple.

If you do on-road and off-road cycling, and you do enough of it to justify owning two bikes, then for God's sake buy one of each. If, like me, you do a bit of everything but not enough of anything to warrant specialised equipment, get a hybrid.

I'd like to thank the providers of this forum, as this thread has definitely helped me to put into perspective the criticism of these bikes, and the mindset of the critics.

I will be buying another hybrid (maybe I'll wash this one).

FWIW, I drive a Mitsubishi L300 4WD van. Everyone criticises it except other owners. It's not fast, it's not big, it won't hop over boulders. But it performs admirably in a lot of diverse situations that would otherwise require several vehicles.

Long live the hybrid!!
 
wortgames <[email protected]> wrote in message [email protected]

[...]

> Given that I can ride away from MBC on their special model Shogun for $500, I really can't see any
> persuasive argument to choose anything else.

That's what I got just recently. It's nice to be validated though. :)

--

A: Top-posters.
B: What is the most annoying thing on Usenet?
 
Originally posted by Andrew
Hi,

I'm seriously looking at investing in a bike to get back into the sport at least at a recreational
level. Historically I've always been a road bike guy, but it's been a good ten years since I last
rode seriously (I'm 34).
<snip>
Can anyone offer an informed opinion of so called hybrid machines. I'm looking at the Avanti Blade
Comp and Blade Pro machines as a good example of the type. I'd very much like to get involved in a
club too. To what extent will I struggle with a bike like this, it appears that most road club
riders use a pure road machine.
<snip>

I was also looking at these bikes and have read over this thread and noticed that might of been some misconception about what this bike is , from what I see it is a road bike with lots of good gear (eg shimano 105 and ultegra components and wheels) with a straight handle bar and wider tyres.

Has anyone actually own/riden one and have any comments to offer?

Also Andrew what bike did you end up going for?

I guess the main advantage of this bike is that it can be treated a little bit rougher than the standard road/racing bikes due to the slightly bigger tyres.

Will they be much slower?

As I mainly commute to work over various roads and do very occasionaly weekend stuff this bike interested me more the the mountain bike/converted hybred as it had mainly road bike compnents, with a more comfy ride and the ability to go over bigger bumps without worring about the delicates on something like a gaint ocr1.

any other thoughts?
 
The whole reason there is such a menagerie of bikes (and cars, but that's got more to do with a certain body part...)
is there is such a strong relationship between the rider/bike/riding style.
relaxed riding = recumbant, hybrid, singlespeed, etc
offroad = mtb, hardtail, dually, etc
tricks/trials = bmx, bomber, etc
Road = stiff as you like roady
Touring, etc. You get the jist...

Once you take a bike out of its context,
its...
Out of its context.

A hardtail mtb is right in the middle and by far the most flexible
(but not a perfect solution for 'non-core' use) due to far-wide gearing, upright-ish riding position, adjustability, commuting, carrying panniers, etc, put-slicks-on-and-fly. Im talking 28mms here folks, not the 1-1.5inch slicks that weigh a ton!

but it takes all the fun out of it doesnt it?

At last count my shed holds:
1 853 roady
1 steel bianchi tourer
hardtail mtb (my main ride - commuter)
other singlespeed mtb project
wife's hybrid (only reason she is allowed in the shed!)
daughter's spanking new mtb
4 other kids bikes for youngest daughter

Now all i need is:
tandem/s, recumbant, another roadbike (one can never have too many), trackbike ............................
 
"twon2is7" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Andrew wrote:
> > Hi, I'm seriously looking at investing in a bike to get back into the sport at least at a
> > recreational level. Historically I've always been a road bike guy, but it's been a good ten
> > years since I last rode seriously (I'm 34). <snip> Can anyone offer an informed opinion of so
> > called hybrid machines. I'm looking at the Avanti Blade Comp and Blade Pro machines as a good
> > example of the type. I'd very much like to get involved in a club too. To what extent will I
> > struggle with a bike like this, it appears that most road club riders use a pure road machine.
> > <snip>
>
>
>
> I was also looking at these bikes and have read over this thread and noticed that might of been
> some misconception about what this bike is , from what I see it is a road bike with lots of
> good gear (eg shimano 105 and ultegra components and wheels) with a straight handle bar and
> wider tyres.
>
> Has anyone actually own/riden one and have any comments to offer?
>
> Also Andrew what bike did you end up going for?
>
> I guess the main advantage of this bike is that it can be treated a little bit rougher than the
> standard road/racing bikes due to the slightly bigger tyres.
>
> Will they be much slower?
>
> As I mainly commute to work over various roads and do very occasionaly weekend stuff this bike
> interested me more the the mountain bike/converted hybred as it had mainly road bike compnents,
> with a more comfy ride and the ability to go over bigger bumps without worring about the delicates
> on something like a gaint ocr1.
>
> any other thoughts?
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
I am 57 and I have ridden a Shogun hybrid for about 5 years. It is more
comfortable because it has a more upright seating position, but that also
increases the wind resistance. I have fitted it with IRC Road Winner 700C x
28 tyres that are inflated to 100 psi. This reduces the rolling resistance.

I hope that this helps.

John Dwyer
 
twon2is7 <[email protected]> wrote:

> Andrew wrote:
> > Hi, I'm seriously looking at investing in a bike to get back into the sport at least at a
> > recreational level. Historically I've always been a road bike guy, but it's been a good ten
> > years since I last rode seriously (I'm 34). <snip> Can anyone offer an informed opinion of so
> > called hybrid machines. I'm looking at the Avanti Blade Comp and Blade Pro machines as a good
> > example of the type. I'd very much like to get involved in a club too. To what extent will I
> > struggle with a bike like this, it appears that most road club riders use a pure road machine.
> > <snip>
>
>
>
> I was also looking at these bikes and have read over this thread and noticed that might of been
> some misconception about what this bike is , from what I see it is a road bike with lots of
> good gear (eg shimano 105 and ultegra components and wheels) with a straight handle bar and
> wider tyres.
>
> Has anyone actually own/riden one and have any comments to offer?

I've got a hybrid Cannondale (700C wheels, mountain bike style brakes) which I had drop bars and bar
end shifters put on. Once you get all the **** off it (packrack etc) it's very light.

The brakes will never be as tight as on a road bike though.

> I guess the main advantage of this bike is that it can be treated a little bit rougher than the
> standard road/racing bikes due to the slightly bigger tyres.

Depends on what tyres/wheels you put on it. You could have two sets - large fat ones for commuting,
another skinny set for racing.

What city /suburb are you in?

Dale

--
[email protected]
 
"John Dwyer" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

[...]

> I am 57 and I have ridden a Shogun hybrid for about 5 years. It is more comfortable because it has
> a more upright seating position, but that also increases the wind resistance. I have fitted it
> with IRC Road Winner 700C
x
> 28 tyres that are inflated to 100 psi. This reduces the rolling
resistance.

Would you use that sort of tyre on things like gravel bike paths or would it be strictly
for bitumen?

--

"The central problem with the concept of the 'Axis of Evil' is that it involves an assumption that
the US is the 'fulcrum of virtue'." Bob Hawke
 
Originally posted by Dale Stanbrough
I've got a hybrid Cannondale (700C wheels, mountain bike style brakes) which I had drop bars and bar
end shifters put on. Once you get all the **** off it (packrack etc) it's very light.

The brakes will never be as tight as on a road bike though.

> I guess the main advantage of this bike is that it can be treated a little bit rougher than the
> standard road/racing bikes due to the slightly bigger tyres.

Depends on what tyres/wheels you put on it. You could have two sets - large fat ones for commuting,
another skinny set for racing.

What city /suburb are you in?

Dale

--
[email protected] [/B]
Dale,

The standard the wheels on the avanti that I was looking at are 700 x27.

I live in Maribyrnong (west of melbourne) and ride on a river trail (maribyrnong), rough roads (the service lane of footscray road) and so far have not been racing - may do at a latter stage.

Most of my daily communting is on roads with quit a few bumps and stuff.

Is it possible to fit the try bars on a starigth handle bike and reduce the wind drag?

thanks
Sash.
 
Originally posted by twon2is7
Dale,

The standard the wheels on the avanti that I was looking at are 700 x27.

I live in Maribyrnong (west of melbourne) and ride on a river trail (maribyrnong), rough roads (the service lane of footscray road) and so far have not been racing - may do at a latter stage.

Most of my daily communting is on roads with quit a few bumps and stuff.

Is it possible to fit the try bars on a starigth handle bike and reduce the wind drag?

thanks
Sash.

Sash

I have a Giant Farrago year 2000 model hybrid that I love and have modified over time as parts wear out to reduce its weight and improve the aerodynamics. I live in Perth and riding home south into a killer south westerly in the afternoon can really reduce my speed. Things I have done to change the bike include:

new Velocity Aero rims and LX hubs (previously formula and Hoopster)
new tyres Continental Top Touring 700 x 28 (previously Kenda 700 x 40)
new cranket Deore LX (previously Suntour)
new front mech Deore LX, rear Deore XT, shifters Deore LX (previously Alvio, Acera and Grip shift)
new rigid seat post (previously suspension)
new Giant mountain saddle (previously big fat wide saddle)
new Profile Century aero bars
new flat handlebar (previously riser)
new Deore XT cluster

The bike is now a lot faster. The aero bars help a lot against the wind.

The RST suspension fork helps over rough paths and terrain although if I only stayed on the road rather than going on hard packed gravel paths I would not need them.

I love my hybrid. I sit on about 30km/h in the mornings. In the evenings I sit on about 25km/h because of the wind. Without aerobars this used to be down to 20km/h.

My hybrid is perfect for paths, commuting, riding with the family and doing hard packed trails.

It is not designed for racing or pounding single track. I know heaps of people who buy mountain bikes with the intention of doing cross country stuff and end up only using the bike mainly on paths and change out the tyres to slicks.

Roadies generally pass me all the time, but I don't always get passed by a mountain bike.

I only ride once or twice a week into work (40km return) and ride on the weekends.

Hope this helps.

James
 
Originally posted by jamesc
Sash

I have a Giant Farrago year 2000 model hybrid that I love and have modified over time as parts wear out to reduce its weight and improve the aerodynamics. I live in Perth and riding home south into a killer south westerly in the afternoon can really reduce my speed. Things I have done to change the bike include:

new Velocity Aero rims and LX hubs (previously formula and Hoopster)
new tyres Continental Top Touring 700 x 28 (previously Kenda 700 x 40)
new cranket Deore LX (previously Suntour)
new front mech Deore LX, rear Deore XT, shifters Deore LX (previously Alvio, Acera and Grip shift)
new rigid seat post (previously suspension)
new Giant mountain saddle (previously big fat wide saddle)
new Profile Century aero bars
new flat handlebar (previously riser)
new Deore XT cluster

The bike is now a lot faster. The aero bars help a lot against the wind.

The RST suspension fork helps over rough paths and terrain although if I only stayed on the road rather than going on hard packed gravel paths I would not need them.

I love my hybrid. I sit on about 30km/h in the mornings. In the evenings I sit on about 25km/h because of the wind. Without aerobars this used to be down to 20km/h.

My hybrid is perfect for paths, commuting, riding with the family and doing hard packed trails.

It is not designed for racing or pounding single track. I know heaps of people who buy mountain bikes with the intention of doing cross country stuff and end up only using the bike mainly on paths and change out the tyres to slicks.

Roadies generally pass me all the time, but I don't always get passed by a mountain bike.

I only ride once or twice a week into work (40km return) and ride on the weekends.

Hope this helps.

James

Hi James

After a few headwinds along beach rd, I have been interested in getting aero-bars for my hybrid/sport bike (Specialised Sirrus Sport). Is there much room along the bar for this fitting (currently I have bar ends, grip, brake, gear levers, bell and a computer to come!) Looking at pictures of the Profile Century aerobars, it looks like it will take up a bit of room.

Your thoughts/comments will be appreciated

Cam
 
Originally posted by cameronn
Hi James

After a few headwinds along beach rd, I have been interested in getting aero-bars for my hybrid/sport bike (Specialised Sirrus Sport). Is there much room along the bar for this fitting (currently I have bar ends, grip, brake, gear levers, bell and a computer to come!) Looking at pictures of the Profile Century aerobars, it looks like it will take up a bit of room.

Your thoughts/comments will be appreciated

Cam

Cam

They should still fit okay, although it is very difficult to put them on riser bars and I assume the Sirrus Sport uses a flat bar.

I had to shift my front light and computer onto the aerobar. There is an accessory that you can get that provides about a 2cm post that fits on the aero bar to mount a computer. Although the Profile Century ZB bar looks big, you only need about 2cm on each side of the stem to mount it. You may no longer need the bar ends.

My bell, brake levers and shifters still fits on my flat bar.


Cheers

James
 
jamesc wrote: <snip>
> There is an accessory that you can get that provides about a 2cm post that fits on the aero bar to
> mount a computer. <snip>

I think it's called a "knob". The slogan goes something like "nowhere to put ya computer? Put in on
ya knob." Serious. It's a plastic cylinder closed at one end with a zip-tie-like thing at the other
end. I almost bought one today but did this instead:

- took the screw cap off a plastic bottle
- cut & filed half-moon shapes in opposite sides of the rim, to match the curvature of the aero bar
- drilled two holes in the sides of the cap between the half-moons
- attached this to my aero bar using a ty-wrap

A picture is worth one kiloword: http://members.ozemail.com.au/~andrewswan/sport/knob

P.S. It looks grey in the photo but is black in real life.

Saved me whatever they charge for a name-brand "knob" with all its fancy packaging and clever
slogans. I took it on a ride today and it did nothing - perfectly.

&roo
 
Originally posted by jamesc
Cam

They should still fit okay, although it is very difficult to put them on riser bars and I assume the Sirrus Sport uses a flat bar.

I had to shift my front light and computer onto the aerobar. There is an accessory that you can get that provides about a 2cm post that fits on the aero bar to mount a computer. Although the Profile Century ZB bar looks big, you only need about 2cm on each side of the stem to mount it. You may no longer need the bar ends.

My bell, brake levers and shifters still fits on my flat bar.


Cheers

James

Thanks for the advice. However I have some additional questions.

a) Given a road bike bars are normally lower than a flatbar hybrid, would this cause discomfort due to a straighter arm? I had a look at these bars in a bike shop last weekend, they seemed too long.

b) Does the padding cause interferance to any compenents on the flat-bar?

c) Would the computer be better mounted on the stem rather than the "knob" attachment?

d) Where would you suggest mounting the front reflector, or would it be better to do away with it.

e) I doubt my bell will fit if aero-bars were added, where would you recommend that this be moved to.

Thanks

Cameron
 
Originally posted by cameronn
Thanks for the advice. However I have some additional questions.

a) Given a road bike bars are normally lower than a flatbar hybrid, would this cause discomfort due to a straighter arm? I had a look at these bars in a bike shop last weekend, they seemed too long.

b) Does the padding cause interferance to any compenents on the flat-bar?

c) Would the computer be better mounted on the stem rather than the "knob" attachment?

d) Where would you suggest mounting the front reflector, or would it be better to do away with it.

e) I doubt my bell will fit if aero-bars were added, where would you recommend that this be moved to.

Thanks

Cameron

Cameron

In terms of your questions:

a) The length for me is fine, the aero bars are angled up slightly to get better aerodynamics
b) The padding does not interfere with anything and on the Profile Century there are three positions to choose from, I use the middle one
c) The stem is fine as long as you can read the computer and get a suitable mount, as the pads tend to obscure the stem area and when you are on the aero bars it may be difficult to see the computer
d) My front reflector is on my suspension fork arch
e) I changed my bell to one of those tiny incredibells and it fits fine.

Regards

James
 
Cameron, re fitting everthing on the bars, with aero-bars.

I solved it by getting thoses extra-long bar-ends, and bending them so the end half is parallel with
the handlebars. Now computer, bell, lights, HRM can all go there.

> c) Would the computer be better mounted on the stem rather than the "knob" attachment?
>
> d) Where would you suggest mounting the front reflector, or would it be better to do away with it.
>
> e) I doubt my bell will fit if aero-bars were added, where would you recommend that this be
> moved to.
>
> Thanks
>
> Cameron
>
>
>
> --