After the Hybrid ...

[pooks]

It seems that a lot of people start with hybrids but eventually switch to either a true road bike or a true mtn. bike. Is that right?

Who started with a hybrid? Do you still ride it, or have you moved on to another bike?

I can't believe I'm already thinking of another bike -- won't buy one anytime soon, that's for sure.

Are urban bikes (like the Breezer, for example) the same as hybrids? They're not road bikes, and not mtn...?

[7rider]

It seems that a lot of people start with hybrids but eventually switch to either a true road bike or a true mtn. bike. Is that right?

Who started with a hybrid? Do you still ride it, or have you moved on to another bike?

I can't believe I'm already thinking of another bike -- won't buy one anytime soon, that's for sure.

Are urban bikes (like the Breezer, for example) the same as hybrids? They're not road bikes, and not mtn...?

Story 1:
I started with a hybrid - a 1992 Miyata. My chiropractor recommended one, as he felt the upright riding position would be kinder to my bad back. After about 3 years of steady riding, the bike was stolen from the driveway of a friend's house. She filed a claim with her insurance company and with the money, I bought a road bike - a 1995 Bianchi Eros. It was a solid, middle-of-the-road touring/road frame when integrated brake/shifters and triples were just starting to come out. I loved it. It was the best thing that ever happened to me as a cyclist. I was able to log longer, faster, rides with greater efficiency.
I did ultimately pick up a flat bar road bike for commuting (some versions of "urban" bikes with 700c wheels are flat bar road bikes), but I felt the hybrid was not for me any more.

Story 2:
I used to do the MS-150 from Boston to Provincetown with some friends. A friend of the team leader was from the San Francisco area and rode a hybrid. Lord, she was a strong rider! I asked her what she was doing on a hybrid, she'd do so much better on a road bike. Well, she actually took what I said to heart, as the next year I saw her...she was on a road bike, and beating the socks off all of us!!! She thanked me for the suggestion, got a road bike, hooked up with a local group and was doing all sorts of crazy rides and enjoying every minute of it!!

[eclectic]

I started out on more of a leisure bike than I hybrid. I used it for about 4 summers. Last summer my riding style was changing (longer and I was more concerned about distance, cadence, shifting and getting more speed), I was ready for a different bike. My rides were consistently 15 miles and up.

Interesting note: in 3 summers I put 336 miles on my leisure bike, in 4 months I put 600 on my new road bike - it was just so much more fun than the leisure bike.

Difference with my leisure bike however and most hybrids is I had mountain bike style wide tires on it, along with a regular curved handlebar so I was sitting pretty upright (murder in the North Dakota wind)

Now to get to your question. My BF has a hybrid he has ridden for 10 years. He has done some touring on it. When we go out riding I have to push to keep up a lot of times and I am on a road bike. He has no interest in switching because it suits his style of riding, 10 - 20 miles on nice days

Had I gotten a hybrid instead of a leisure bike I probably would still be on a hybrid - they definately have their advantages. We are thinking of doing a rails to trails ride - the Mickelson trail in South Dakota, and hybrids are ideally suited to that road surface.

So not all people change over, it all depends on your riding style and goals. A girlfriend of mine wanted to buy my leisure bike and I tried to convince her not to because I told her she would soon outgrow it. She bought it, she loves it and is not thinking at all about moving to a different bike.

I don't know anything about urban bikes so no comment there.

[Cassandra_Cain]

Pooks I'm guilty :)

I started with a trusty trek 7200 hybrid. Rode it around for a couple of months, got in decent shape - but every imaginable accessory for it (clipless, etc). Then graduated to a full-on MTB.

I think hybrids are good bikes to start on - they are reasonably priced, accessible, wide set of gearing - and when you first start out, nobody knows for sure that they are going to be sucked into this sport the way we have! :D

[Thistle]

Story 1:
I did ultimately pick up a flat bar road bike for commuting (some versions of "urban" bikes with 700c wheels are flat bar road bikes), but I felt the hybrid was not for me any more.


I think :confused: that's what the CRX 4 (giant) i fell in love with yesterday is. i too want to move on from my hybrid. I love it, but i've been thinking of moving on, and i found something i love more in the bike shop yesterday, and i'm too scared to go right to a road bike. I'm overweight and scared of being on skinny tyres and dont think i can "drop" down to the handlebars. but oddly enough, i'm more nervous about losing my little "shocks" in the front fork... although mimitabby (another thread) thinks it's fine unless i'm jumping.... and i'm definitely not jumping :eek:

[mimitabby]

the hybrid bike is really the closest thing to what i rode when i was a kid with modern conveniences built in.
it's lightweight and inexpensive compared to the mountain bikes;
and not daunting to the inexperienced rider like fancier mtb's and road bikes.

I wanted something i could be comfortable on, on gravel and on the road; i live in the city; i'm not going to be dancing over a mountain trail anytime soon.
If my husband didn't ride road bikes (and fast ones) i would probably still be happy with my hybrid Raleigh (I had a fantastic trek before that too a hybrid)
but i couldn't keep up with him and i dont ALWAYS want to be on the tandem.

a hybrid is a perfect starting bike. You can use it off the road with the right tires and on the road with the right tires; and find out what you like to do.
I did my first double century on that hybrid bike... 200 miles in two days.

[Thistle]

Pooks I'm guilty :)

nobody knows for sure that they are going to be sucked into this sport the way we have! :D

boy you got that right, i bought the cheapest bike i could because i was so scared it would just get dusty in the garage, but i cant stop riding now :D

[HipGnosis6]

My bike is (was?) a Specialized Sirrus, which lists as both a "comfort" bike and a road bike on their website. It's perfect for what I was doing - commuting in town. I have a road bike jones, though!

[mimitabby]

well, hip, let's hope that the wheel took all of the hit!

[DrBee]

I, too, started with a hybrid - a Trek 7200FX. I put quite a few miles on her and then bought a roadbike (10 months on the hybrid). I must admit that I don't ride the hybrid much anymore. It's on a rack up high in the garage. I do take it out when my daughter rides her bike and when we toodle around the neighborhood. My plan was to use it for short commutes in town (to haircuts and the like). I do this in cool weather, but it's been so hot lately that we haven't done any neighborhood rides in a while.

Some people do not like the geometry of roadbikes and stay with hybrids and ride gazillions of miles. I kept feeling the need to be more aerodynamic and was riding resting on my handlebars with my arms. It was time for me to get a roadbike.

I bought my hybrid because it was relatively inexpensive and was a good way to test out my knees and if I would stick with cycling without dropping a ton of money on a roadbike. It was well worth it!

[HipGnosis6]

well, hip, let's hope that the wheel took all of the hit!

If it didn't I would be OK - I could get that Kona Jake I've been drooling over!:D

[KnottedYet]

Talk to Andrew at Recycled Cycles! He sold me my Kona Dew!

(a hybrid, which I love and used in a triathlon, and I just bought a steel Waterford for longer rides)

[HillSlugger]

I'm riding a Raleigh C40 hybrid (see my avatar) but I'm ready to move to a road bike. When I bought it 3 years ago I was just getting back into riding after a 15+ year break. At that time I expected that I might ride a combination of paved roads and packed trails and figured a hybrid was what I wanted. Three years later, the bike has never been off the asphalt and I'm more interested in increased efficiency, etc for road riding. My needs have changed.

I've loved my hybrid but I'm ready for a new bike.

[mimitabby]

I'm riding a Raleigh C40 hybrid (see my avatar) but I'm ready to move to a road bike. When I bought it 3 years ago I was just getting back into riding after a 15+ year break. At that time I expected that I might ride a combination of paved roads and packed trails and figured a hybrid was what I wanted. Three years later, the bike has never been off the asphalt and I'm more interested in increased efficiency, etc for road riding. My needs have changed.

I've loved my hybrid but I'm ready for a new bike.
uhoh.. you're in dangerous territory.. have fun trying to find the perfect bike for you!

[CycleChic06]

So my story just sounds like everyone else's. I started on my Jamis Citizen Hybrid that I've had for about 5 or 6 years. But I used to just ride around for fun. When I started riding more seriously, longer distances, trying to get my speed up, I decided it was time to switch to a road bike. It was the best decision ever, I bought a Specialized Dolce Elite. I kept my hybrid, though I don't ride it, but my friends use it when I drag them out on short rides.

I'm riding the NYC Bike Tour in a few weeks and am deciding if I want to ride my road bike on the city streets, but the thought of going back to my hybrid would be awful! I'm still deciding which to ride.

My road bike was one of the best purchases I've ever made!

[ChickieBabe]

I grew up riding a hybrid (several, actually), and I still own one. However, earlier this summer I did go buy an inexpensive Trek roadbike. :rolleyes: That's not to say that I don't ride the hybrid, though. My dad and I go riding all the time on gravel back roads and rails-to-trails, where my road bike would have some trouble. Last week we actually rode over a 100 miles all on our hybrids on gravel roads.

I like the versitility of the hybrid, but I've found that my road bike feels better on the roads (duh!). Plus, I like the ability to go faster. :p I guess I'd say that even though I did get a road bike, if I hadn't known I wanted to be mainly on the road and get involved in a club, I would have stayed with a hybrid. They're solid bikes.

[farrellcollie]

I started on a hybrid and commuted for several years - a raleigh. I just bought a road bike this year. Still use the hybrid to commute.

[salsabike]

I also started on a hybrid, another Specialized Sirrus user, and bought a road bike, a Bianchi Eros Donna, after about a year. I was doing longer rides (e.g., 50-60 miles) and couldn't stand not being able to change hand positions on the hybrid. Love my Eros Donna no end; it's totally comfortable. And also very pretty.

[latelatebloomer]

I have had a Giant Cypress hybrid for about 3 years, but for the first 2 could barely ride a mile or 2. I started riding seriously last year, and when my rides started to push beyond 20 miles and I set the goal of a century ride, my trainer said it was time for a road bike. Yesterday my Giant OCR3 and I did a 50 mile club ride and we did very well together, like dance partners who are beginning to find that sweet groove.

But the Cypress will always have her place in the garage. She got me through the fear and back to riding after a scary fall, she'll be trusty on canal paths, and when friends visit and want to ride with me, they can ride her if they promise to treat her nice.

[xeney]

I don't think that many people transition from a hybrid to a road bike -- I think those people are just overrepresented on bike forums! Most people who buy a hybrid don't go all bike-crazy; they just ride their bikes.

I hated my hybrid (it was too big for me, too heavy, too slow, not quite suited to anything I wanted it to do), but I think most hybrid owners consider them to be exactly right for grocery shopping, going to the farmer's market, commuting, or taking the occasional bike trail ride. And honestly, if I hadn't had a husband who really wanted me to go mountain biking with him as well as on long rides, I probably would have been perfectly happy forever with a hybrid or my old Schwinn cruiser.

I know several people offline who have purchased bikes as a result of that Al Gore movie; they all bought hybrids and I don't really think they'll move on to road bikes. Today at the farmer's market, the bike rack was full of hybrids. If there is in fact a new bike revolution happening, I think it's a hybrid revolution. They are really the ideal bike for all-around city travel, and I don't think they necessarily need to be seen as something from which you need to move up.

I gave my nearly-new Specialized Crossroads to my niece, a single mom, and now she and her daughter use it for non-commute transportation, for fun, for grocery shopping, for exercise. It was not the bike for me, but I still think it was a great bike.

[maryellen]

my first bike ever was a 03 trek 7500FX. loved it but never occurred to me that i would want to ride more than 25-30 miles. i recently bought an 06 trek pilot 2.1 and love it.

[7rider]

I don't think that many people transition from a hybrid to a road bike -- I think those people are just overrepresented on bike forums! Most people who buy a hybrid don't go all bike-crazy; they just ride their bikes.


You are probably right. But if the question came from someone who posted over 400 times since joining just 2 months ago, I think Pooks got 'bit by the bug" and is pretty much "bike-crazy" or getting close to it (yay, Pooks!).

So, perhaps it's fair to say that folks who are into cycling fairly often transition from hybrid to road bike as their needs/wants/desires grow. If you are not a bike junky, then you're content to stay with the hybrid. Or, even, as many are also saying, they've increased their stable: got a roadbike for more challenging rides, and kept the hybrid because it undoubtedly serves a purpose. I bet some of the folks at your farmers market have other bikes, but use the hybrid to go to the market, as it doesn't make sense always to bring the "other" bike for utilitarian trips.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I bet some of the folks at your farmers market have other bikes, but use the hybrid to go to the market, as it doesn't make sense always to bring the "other" bike for utilitarian trips.

Regina, that's true. My husband and I will have our road bikes for biking, and we are fixing up his old hybrid with a basket, etc, to use as a grocery/errand bike. And yes, we WILL be using it to go to our local farmer's market!

[Brina]

i still use my hybrid fairly often for:

1. riding with my boys - they are 6 and we like to bike to their favorite playground, about 3.5 miles from home. I think we are going to do a family ride that is part of a century weekend put on by a nearby bike club. It is 8 miles and I think they are up for it.

2. taking my daughter for trips in the burley. there is no way I am hooking that thing up to my carbon fiber road bike.

3. quick errands around town. I have campus pedals on the hybrid, so I don't have to wear bike shoes to run over to the pool for a swim workout or for a quicktrip to the grocery.

I have had my hybrid for 10 years and owned a different hybrid for 3 years before that (stolen). I have done the MS30 and MS60 rides in NJ and the Late Ride in Chicago all on hybrids. In training for my triathlon I did not always have free time to get out on my road bike, but I could do my mileage with my youngest in the trailer. So I do still use a hybrid for training, even though it is not my first choice.

[pooks]

Hi, xeney! Thanks for the feedback -- I think you're probably right, though I hadn't considered that.

I posted over 400 times?!? But yes, I'm definitely "bit." (Has it only been 2 months? Maybe I'm making a little better progress than I realized, since that 2 months included a week off for minor surgery, another week off for another medical issue, and a vacation.)

I wanted a bike thinking I'd just ride a bit in the neighborhood and hopefully take it to the bike trails for longer rides sometimes. The idea of riding on real road with real traffic never crossed my mind. The idea of riding to the store, the post office, etc., etc., instead of driving (even in the heat) never crossed my mind. So yes, I'm definintely "bit" and am now looking beyond the hybrid.

Of course one issue is my husband decided he wanted shaft-drive bikes and so that's what we got -- without ever being fitted to them, test-riding, etc. These bikes are huge, and I think had I been fitted to a bike I probably would have chosen something different. MAYBE. It sure is nice not worrying about chains and gears and such, though.

So what I'm doing is looking ahead to when I'm ready to take the plunge and learn how to deal with gears and chains and possibly not riding upright -- all of which will be huge learning experiences.

Lisa and Brina, I'll continue to use the hybrid for utility purposes, I'm sure.

[Rebeccah]

Then, you've got someone like me -- I rode a Raleigh 3-speed converted into a 15-speed (through the addition of a 5-speed rear derailer) by my dad as a kid, and then when I entered college got a road bike (10-speed Viscount Gran Sport). That was my only bike for 25+ years. As recently as 7 years ago I was still riding it, although 20-30 miles in a day has always been my limit. But then I moved from flat, semi-rural central Illinois to Crazy Driver Central, Oakland CA. I had gotten fat, to boot, and lived on the second floor of a building on a steep hill, so I had TWO flights of stairs plus the hill itself and traffic to deal with if I wanted to do any riding. Once was enough.

About a month ago, my work moved from San Francisco to Redwood City, and the new office is surrounded by bike paths, running/walking paths and roads with normal, not excessive and not crazy, traffic. I brought my old road bike to work and I've ridden it there once. But my butt hurt for two weeks afterward, my shoulders are out of shape, and I couldn't really enjoy the ride because I couldn't see past a foot in front of my front wheel. So, I searched for a hybrid bike so I can SIT UP, ride at a leisurely pace with my fiance on our neighborhood streets, sidewalks, and parks, and actually enjoy myself again. I no longer live in the apartment on the hill, so that part isn't an issue any more.

My fiance rides a beat-up old coaster-brake bike and has no interest in anything fancier. I had to replace his chain because it was so rusty one of the links was broken on one side (!), and swapped out his rear tire with one from another junker he had acquired (with a bent frame), because it had a bald spot the size of a kiwi fruit, all the way down to the fabric.

The bike I got (off Craig's list) is a Trek 7100 that was built up by a guy who's been working in bike shops for the last 5 years, found the frame at a swap meet, and was hoping to build himself a commuter bike. Only problem being, the frame he got is a women's size XS (14" seat tube), and he's 6' tall, so he couldn't build it up large enough for himself. From my standpoint, it means a) the frame *does* fit me; b) the handlebar stem is long enough that the handlebars are actually higher than the seat, which is what I want for this bike; and c) it has a rear rack, so it was easy to add baskets. This is my first bike with an indexed shifter (rear only), and I really like it. I also think the choice of a friction shifter for the front was smart. I ordered a Brooks b.67S saddle online (wallbike.com) to replace the gel saddle (too skinny) and suspension post (too much side-to-side motion) he had put on it, and so far am quite happy with it.

So, I've gone from road bike to hybrid/comfort for the time being. Once I get in a little better shape, I'll go out on my Viscount again, and I know I'll have to make seat adjustments, but the Trek is what is allowing me to actually get out and ride again.

Rebeccah

[JamamaSpoke]

Just this year I started riding. My husband has been riding for 2 or 3 years. We both have hybrids mine is a Trek 7300 and his is a Giant (not sure of the model). We both like our hybrids but we also have a strong curiosity for road bikes. We keep saying that we won't get on one until we have the funds to actually buy one for each of us. For now the hybrids are great. Longest ride has been 40 miles. Hard but not overwhelming. We also did the PA Summer Soujurn with Rails to Trails conservancy in July and our hybrids were perfect for that. Some asphalt, some loose gravel, some hard packed rocky trails.

For now the hybrids are good. We'll see what the future brings...or santa :cool:

[mimitabby]

But my butt hurt for two weeks afterward, my shoulders are out of shape, and I couldn't really enjoy the ride because I couldn't see past a foot in front of my front wheel. So, I searched for a hybrid bike so I can SIT UP, ride at a leisurely pace with my fiance on our neighborhood streets, sidewalks, and parks, and actually enjoy myself again. I no longer live in the apartment on the hill, so that part isn't an issue any more.


The bike I got (off Craig's list) is a Trek 7100 that was built up by a guy who's been working in bike shops for the last 5 years, found the frame at a swap meet, and was hoping to build himself a commuter bike. Only problem being, the frame he got is a women's size XS (14" seat tube), and he's 6' tall, so he couldn't build it up large enough for himself.

So, I've gone from road bike to hybrid/comfort for the time being. Once I get in a little better shape, I'll go out on my Viscount again, and I know I'll have to make seat adjustments, but the Trek is what is allowing me to actually get out and ride again.

Rebeccah

Hey Rebeccah, how come you couldn't see a foot ahead of your bike?

and that trek you got sounds like a good find, but i wonder about a 6' tall guy who works in a bike shop who bought a XS frame for himself!
that really cracks me up!

Enjoy your new bike!

[mlove]

In January I bought my Trek 7100 Hybrid. I hadn't had a bike since my cousin's hand-me-down Schwinn when I was a kid (coaster bike with balloon tires). At 54 I wasn't ready for a road bike. I didn't ride much until the end of July when I finally got a bike rack and could drive to rides (I know that sounds weird, sorry). I have put over 300 miles on the bike in 5 weeks. So next year I will, at 55, buy a road bike. I am looking at the Trek Pilot 2.1.

If my husband decides to buy a bike next year, we can ride around town on hybrids and I can ride with our local club on the road bike.

[JamamaSpoke]

I've been thinking about this thread ever since I joined (maybe a week ago). You know wondering, since most of our riding is on the road maybe we should go to road bikes. But then the other day we were riding (the hubby and I) and we took a detour into an old rock quarry that has a bunch of dirt roads. We rode for a couple of miles and found some really cool places. It got me to thinking that I do like the ability to ride on or off road on a wim....maybe a road bike in addition to the hybrid, now that's the ticket!;)

[xeney]

I will point out one advantage to sticking with a hybrid instead of having a specific bike dedicated to any kind of riding you might ever want to do: right now, there are five road bikes in my living room. (Plus a trainer, two repair stands, an extra wheelset, and at least a dozen discarded saddles.) There are two more broken road bikes downstairs, plus a couple of mountain bikes and two townies.

We had friends in town yesterday and we had to meet them at a restaurant because how do you invite people over when the bikes are blocking all the sofas? My husband keeps stacking bikes in front of the dogs' dishes, and the poor dogs know how much trouble they'll be in if they knock over a bike, so they just quietly starve. If we each just had a hybrid, the bikes could live in the basement and I could have a real house again.

I need to build this man a garage.

Pooks, I think that if you get to the point where you either wish you could ride faster/longer and you feel like your bike is holding you back, or find yourself avoiding rough trails just because your bike won't handle them, that is the point where you should consider adding another type of bike. Sometimes you will encounter snobbiness about hybrids, and I think it's a little unfair. When I bought mine, I had no idea what kind of riding I might want to do, so a hybrid was a good choice for me, and if I had chosen a better one I might have kept riding it forever. But even so, I had friends who were really obnoxious about my bike, who were openly snobby about it, like it wasn't a real bike. Those guys have $4,000 road bikes but they drive to places that are five blocks away. I don't think bike snobs are the people who get to decide what constitutes "real" riding!

[mimitabby]

I will point out one advantage to sticking with a hybrid instead of having a specific bike dedicated to any kind of riding you might ever want to do: right now, there are five road bikes in my living room. (Plus a trainer, two repair stands, an extra wheelset, and at least a dozen discarded saddles.) There are two more broken road bikes downstairs, plus a couple of mountain bikes and two townies.

We had friends in town yesterday and we had to meet them at a restaurant because how do you invite people over when the bikes are blocking all the sofas? My husband keeps stacking bikes in front of the dogs' dishes, and the poor dogs know how much trouble they'll be in if they knock over a bike, so they just quietly starve. If we each just had a hybrid, the bikes could live in the basement and I could have a real house again.

I need to build this man a garage.

Pooks, I think that if you get to the point where you either wish you could ride faster/longer and you feel like your bike is holding you back, or find yourself avoiding rough trails just because your bike won't handle them, that is the point where you should consider adding another type of bike. Sometimes you will encounter snobbiness about hybrids, and I think it's a little unfair. When I bought mine, I had no idea what kind of riding I might want to do, so a hybrid was a good choice for me, and if I had chosen a better one I might have kept riding it forever. But even so, I had friends who were really obnoxious about my bike, who were openly snobby about it, like it wasn't a real bike. Those guys have $4,000 road bikes but they drive to places that are five blocks away. I don't think bike snobs are the people who get to decide what constitutes "real" riding!

Boy,, Xeney
you have a good point. I have just gotten my Bianchi, and bought fenders for it. My husband says; no, no, you need to use your (old) hybrid for your winter riding. I just want to have ONE BIKE! Think of all the gear I wouldn't
have to buy if it was on just one bike.
And yes, space. My husband talks with great enthusiasm of many ideas he has for the garage. The trouble is, IT IS FILLED with bikes!! (my sons each have 2 or 3 bikes too)
Just one bike, a fine hybrid.

[salsabike]

Mimitabby, why can't you ride your Bianchi through the winter?

[pooks]

Pooks, I think that if you get to the point where you either wish you could ride faster/longer and you feel like your bike is holding you back, or find yourself avoiding rough trails just because your bike won't handle them, that is the point where you should consider adding another type of bike. Sometimes you will encounter snobbiness about hybrids, and I think it's a little unfair. When I bought mine, I had no idea what kind of riding I might want to do, so a hybrid was a good choice for me, and if I had chosen a better one I might have kept riding it forever. But even so, I had friends who were really obnoxious about my bike, who were openly snobby about it, like it wasn't a real bike. Those guys have $4,000 road bikes but they drive to places that are five blocks away. I don't think bike snobs are the people who get to decide what constitutes "real" riding!

Our hybrids are in the living room. (The garage is filled with 20 years of other stuff, sigh.)

I bought the hybrid for the same reason as you, more or less. I knew nothing about the different bikes (still don't -- I mean what is the difference between urban, comfort and hybrid -- I thought there were three kinds -- mountain, road and hybrid). We're taking ours camping this fall and that's where I'll figure out whether we really will use them on dirt; around here there isn't any, except for the mud in the street I had to ride through a few days ago.

I have been dissatisfied with m bike almost since I got it, because of us ordering them online and not getting fitted to them. I have no idea what is right, how they're supposed to feel. A lot of guys on bikejournal talked shaft drives down, said that they were too heavy, etc. And I knew how much trouble I was having riding -- and my bike weight about 34 pounds, the tires aren't slicks or skinny and I kept thinking, I'm riding on streets, why am I making this so hard?

So the idea of getting a lighter, faster bike was very appealing.

Plus, I kept thinking about the LIVESTRONG we're riding in Austin and how that 40 miles would be easier on a road bike, so why do I have this hybrid, and this shaft drive?

HOWEVER -- while I still foresee wanting a road bike at some point in the future, as I get stronger and we approach cooler temps I realize that my struggle with riding has been as much about my lack of conditioning and inability to handle heat as it was about the bike -- actually more. Plus I'm really glad I'm not having to deal with chains and grease and stuff. The bike cost $600 which I now realize is entry-level, not expensive, and I'm coming around to the attitude that this is a pretty nice way to start riding for somebody like me with no knowledge of gears, chains, bikes, etc.

Thanks for the advice, Xeney -- I see exactly what you're saying, and am beginning to feel like even though I would like a road bike eventually, I'm now seeing that as something in the future, not as immediate as I was feeling even two weeks ago.

Once I get a road bike, I'll probably kit out the hybrid to be really more useful for shopping trips, etc.

Oh, forgot to say -- there are no bike snobs in my circle of friends. The only guy who cycles regularly rides 35-40 miles at a time, but feels like he spent a lot when he recently spent $800 on a bike.

Other than him, the others are amazed that we ride any distance that can be calculated in miles rather than blocks. (Of course, as out of shape as I am, I sometimes am amazed at the same thing.)

Edited to add: Well duh, maybe some of my doubts about the shaft drive were due to bike snobs. Heh.

[mimitabby]

Mimitabby, why can't you ride your Bianchi through the winter?
I can Salsabarb; DH just didn't want me weighing it down with fenders.
TOO LATE I ALREADY BOUGHT YELLOW ONES!!

[salsabike]

I expect the Bianchi will look very cool with its yellow fenders, and will work just fine for you all through the winter! Looking forward to seeing it.

[DDH]

Well, I guess I am not the norm. My DH and I started out years and years ago on Mountain bikes. We rode on the road, we rode off road, and where ever we wanted to go on them. We pulled (at the time) our 3 yr old in a trailor until he got older and too heavy. Then we quit riding, because we couldn't pull him and between work and not being able to take the child and him not being able to keep up himself, well we just quit.
Fast forward to about 2 months ago. I got my good ole mountain bike back out and started riding again. DS is old enough to leave alone for an hour or so while I ride, or I ride while he is in school. I ride anwhere from 10 to 15 miles on my daily rides and DH and I try to take a long ride of 20 miles or more once a week. We are trying to build up endurance so we can ride the 50mile distance in the Waco ride the end of this month.

After reading all these post I feel like we are abnormal. We are talking about getting Hybrid's now. Our thinking is that the hybrid will be better for the road than the mountain bikes are but we won't have the headaches of flats and such so much as you do on a road bike.
Are we doing the wrong thing, going from mountain bikes to hybrids?

I'm kind of confused now. I get the impression from the posts that the hybirds are slow, heavy and hard to ride. Is that the case?

[mlove]

I would not discourage anyone from getting a hybrid. I managed a long ride with hills, using mine yesterday. But for long rides you do work harder than riders using lighter bikes. You can put on thinner tires for longer rides and that will help.

No one has made fun of my bike. In fact, I get a lot of positive feedback on riding with the hybrid. I think bike choice is very personal and depends on where and how far you want to ride.:)

[KnottedYet]

Do you have slicks on the mtn bikes?

If you love the good ol' mtn bikes, I wouldn't change over to a hybrid. Unless the mtn bikes are too heavy.

If you really want to go dramatically faster than a mtn bike with slicks, you'd probably do better with a touring/road bike. Try a few when you try the hybrids. (touring or cyclocross geometry will be slacker than sport/racing geometry and might be more comfortable for you)

Take a peek at the bike in my avatar. It's a Kona Dew, a cyclocross geometry frame with a flat bar. Sort of a "fast hybrid" with road wheels and commuter tires. I like the flat bars for commuting and shorter rides, but for rides longer than 30 or 40 miles I really prefer a road bike and drop bars.

[DDH]

Yea, DH just recently in the past week or so, put slicks on my bike. Before that I was riding with a more street type tire but not slick.
The only reason we are talking about getting new ones is because these are about 10 years old and they are pretty antiquated.
So we thought if we were going to get new ones we would go ahead and get hybrids. The road bikes are almost out of the question, unless I carry my bike everywhere I want to ride. I live in the country on a terribly out of shape dirt, cleachy, rocky, road.

I'm just wondering if the hybrid will be a step up a little as far as speed goes? I avg, about 11 or 12 on my mountain bike and that is with a lot of hills. I would like to go on longer rides but need more speed to be able to get it done in a decent amount of time and not spend my whole day riding. lOL

[Geonz]

Pooks, if going more than 10 mph is still an "event," then there really is no need to switch to a road bike, which will tend to go faster :D
I"m just too cheap to go to a road bike when I can go as fast as I want to on my 7500FX - though when I got it, there were no Pilots or other models that were more upright.
I'm one of those people who've stuck with hybrids and gone gazillions of miles... but it's a *fast* hybrid, modified to be almost like a road bike, just more upright (which *does* impact speed ... at 15+ mph). While the hybrid-to-road may be "overrepresented" here, I know a lot of riders. The ones who ride "functionally" - errands and personal fitness, but mostly on their own - often stick to the bigger tires & upright. The ones in the club almost all go to road bikes within a year or two of being fully "bitten" - or to thinner tyres if they don't have the budget for a new bike.
DDH, Switching out tires can easily add 2 mph speed immediately... for me, that was from 35's to 28's, and 35's aren't even full "mountain bike" tires." So a hybrid prob'ly will be a "step up" from mt. bike... but if you've already switched out tires, maybe not.

[KnottedYet]

Here's my bike:

http://www.konaworld.com/shopping_cart/FrontEnd/Products/product_detail.aspx?productid=346&parentid=253

I average 14-16 mph on the flats with my Kona. It is much faster than my old (and long gone) mtb and my recumbent (which I sold, too). On my Trek road bike I averaged 18 mph or so on the flats.

The Kona wheels are wide to hold some pretty wide tires (1 3/8 inch). I ride on gravel, grass, and asphalt. I ride through potholes and glass. I inevitably steer TOWARD shiney objects and run over them!

I'm very happy with my Kona hybrid/cyclocross/commuter. It's perfect for the purposes i bought it for. (general riding and commuting on a variety of surfaces)

[mimitabby]

Yea, DH just recently in the past week or so, put slicks on my bike. Before that I was riding with a more street type tire but not slick.
The only reason we are talking about getting new ones is because these are about 10 years old and they are pretty antiquated.
So we thought if we were going to get new ones we would go ahead and get hybrids. The road bikes are almost out of the question, unless I carry my bike everywhere I want to ride. I live in the country on a terribly out of shape dirt, cleachy, rocky, road.

I'm just wondering if the hybrid will be a step up a little as far as speed goes? I avg, about 11 or 12 on my mountain bike and that is with a lot of hills. I would like to go on longer rides but need more speed to be able to get it done in a decent amount of time and not spend my whole day riding. lOL

Donna, a good hybrid will help your speed. It should be lighter and faster than your MTB!

[Rebeccah]

Hey Rebeccah, how come you couldn't see a foot ahead of your bike?

and that trek you got sounds like a good find, but i wonder about a 6' tall guy who works in a bike shop who bought a XS frame for himself!
that really cracks me up!

Enjoy your new bike!

Hi, Mimitabby.

I could only see a foot or two in front of the bike because I've gotten heavy and stiff, and my neck and shoulders have gotten weak -- it was too tiring to pick my head up for the whole ride, and if I tried to pick it up *and* look to the side, I'd turn my whole body and wouldn't steer straight. My drop bars are about an inch or two below the seat. Plus my butt hurt for 3/4 of the 10 mile ride, so I was constantly thinking about that and how to keep weight on my hands without my wrists getting tired and my hands getting numb.

Yeah, I had to wonder about the frame size but I guess he got the frame for cheap and just wanted to try building it up. I only knew it's an XS because I happened to have a Trek catalog (since I was shopping around), and he had posted the top tube and seat tube lengths. You're right, he should have known a 21" top tube would never be confortable for him.

But there's no question he's the one who built up the bike; he knew what components he had installed, the wrench sizes he had used (including a 3/16" rather than metric hex key for the seat post), had extra pieces for stuff he had mixed and matched (like the indexed front shifter and one quick-release and one non-quick-release skewer for the hubs, and the third chainring that wouldn't fit on the bottom bracket he installed). The bike has its limitations, but it was easy to know what I was getting, and for what I got, the price couldn't be beat.

Rebeccah

P.S. I took my longest ride in 6 years on it Saturday - 14 1/2 miles, with no butt pain on the B.67S saddle. Yay! Tired quads, gluts, and to a lesser degree shoulders, yes. But no sore butt.

[pooks]

Pooks, if going more than 10 mph is still an "event," then there really is no need to switch to a road bike, which will tend to go faster :D


Well that's just me having warring desires. Because I'd love to ride faster in general -- it's just when it's going downhill that it freaks me out!

On the other hand, in our neighborhood every "downhill" is usually leading to a stop sign at the bottom or a T-intersection where you have to turn right or left, so I'm not going downhill and going, "Weeee!" I'm going dowhill thinking, "Oh god can I stop if I'm going this fast?!?"

I did find one hill that doesn't do that and am working on going faster on it.

[mimitabby]

Hi, Mimitabby.

I could only see a foot or two in front of the bike because I've gotten heavy and stiff, and my neck and shoulders have gotten weak -- it was too tiring to pick my head up for the whole ride, and if I tried to pick it up *and* look to the side, I'd turn my whole body and wouldn't steer straight. My drop bars are about an inch or two below the seat. Plus my butt hurt for 3/4 of the 10 mile ride, so I was constantly thinking about that and how to keep weight on my hands without my wrists getting tired and my hands getting numb.


Rebeccah

P.S. I took my longest ride in 6 years on it Saturday - 14 1/2 miles, with no butt pain on the B.67S saddle. Yay! Tired quads, gluts, and to a lesser degree shoulders, yes. But no sore butt.

Rebeccah,
sounds like you are making great progress. But please don't ride when you
are too tired to hold your head up! that sounds really scary!
glad your seat issues are taken care of. Any way you can raise those handlebars?
I guess that's a really personal thing. I'm 54 and a little stiffer and There's no way I could have the handlebars that low (the tops of them i mean)

m

[mimitabby]

Well that's just me having warring desires. Because I'd love to ride faster in general -- it's just when it's going downhill that it freaks me out!

On the other hand, in our neighborhood every "downhill" is usually leading to a stop sign at the bottom or a T-intersection where you have to turn right or left, so I'm not going downhill and going, "Weeee!" I'm going dowhill thinking, "Oh god can I stop if I'm going this fast?!?"

I did find one hill that doesn't do that and am working on going faster on it.

Pooks, maybe you should be practicing fast stops?
push your backside as far back as you can, and stop that way.
this helps you keep your weight behind the bike which makes a fast stop
safer. If you feel better about stops, maybe you will feel better about going fast. There's no way i can go fast down a hill if there is a stop sign 100 feet away.

[7rider]

RE: bike snobs.
Oooo, they just raise my hackles.
I'm one of those folks with a $4,000 road bike. I recently did a metric century with a girlfriend of mine who rode her $400 flat bar road bike. Yeah, she had trouble keeping up with me on the hills - she was pushing 26 pounds of bike up the hill versus my 18. But, lordy, did we have fun. It was a great event ... I just didn't want to do that long of a ride on my flat bar bike because of pedal/cleat issues (only AFTER the ride, did it occur to me that I could have swapped pedals between my two bikes!). Did I care what she rode, or that - gasp! - we should be seen together with such different bikes??? Heck no!
I also wear a CamelBak when doing long rides on my expensive road bike (shocking to those roadie snobs, I know!) :rolleyes:
To Heck with bike snobs.
What's important is not WHAT you ride. What's important is that you enjoy riding what you ride.
If you ride a mountain bike and want to get something different and are looking at a hybrid, don't feel like you are looking in the wrong place. There is nothing wrong with a hybrid. They are great bikes. They will continue to be great bikes. For many they are a start, for others they are a destination.
Just ride and enjoy it!

[Geonz]

Yesterday my friedn and I were the last ones in on a long ride... which ended in a "wonderful" downhill. We'd gotten lost, and he had gotten lost twice - so he'd done a good 15 extra miles.
This route had some downhills that were not just steep, but horribly bumpy... I mean stuff-could-fly-off-your-bike-that-had-been-attached bumpy, and definitely loosen-your-kidneys-while-you're-at-it bumpy. So *everybody* took those slowly... and a couple people including my buddy were feeling a bit beaten about the head and shoulders (or back and backside, as the case may be - his problem was shoulders).
We were so late that two friends got in their car to come after us, and they went by and we said "whew!" and agreed wholeheartedly that that "wonderful" downhill just wasn't that much fun anyway (he might have enjoyed it earlier... I just don't get thrills from hills - they're simply a challenge to my fears, which is noble and I don't mind doing it... but I don't do it for fun... any more than say jumping off the 10 meter diving board).
Alas, though... our extended hitchhiking thumbs were interpreted by the driver as "thumbs up!" - and he assumed that of course we wanted the joy of that hill! (Our other friend tried unsuccessfully to convince him that we were trying to thumb a ride... andt his was one case where my "default grimace grin" looked too much like a smile...)
But for me, at least, the road bike posture kicks in twice as many "CAN WE SLOW DOWN NOW???" reflexes as the hybrid. I like being able to lean in and pedal hard **when I want to** ... and to sit back like a little old lady and push the bike forward when I'm more in my "need time to react to everything, thank you" mode.
ON the other hand... I sometimes muse that like other things, yoga and what have you, it might simply take a little time to learn to be comfortable in the more "always proactive" position.

And Regina... was your friend... from *lower* MoCo? P.G.? [ fondly remembering childhood and crossing class & culture lines...]

[7rider]

And Regina... was your friend... from *lower* MoCo? P.G.? [ fondly remembering childhood and crossing class & culture lines...]

Nope. She's a co-worker - also here in "MoCo". She just has priorities other than fancy bicycles (go figure!).

[Thistle]

Last fri i got my beautiful new bike. I got a Giant CRX4.... a flat bar road bike. I was sooooo nervous about the "skinny" tyres after my hybrid :eek: spent the whole day saying to DH "maybe i should ring and get them to put wider tyres on". He just patiently told me i'd be fine. eep eep... i was so scared.

Well i got her late fri arvo...after a hectic week with midterm reviews and coming down with the flu. Even though i was sick Sat i insisted on going for a ride with friends :p DH was kinda resigned... but i said "wouldnt you want to ride her".

and omg... she is beautiful. She rolls beautifully and i was fine on skinny tyres. I am so in love with this bike! Then i got even sicker after the ride :mad: and havent been able to ride since. Have been off with the flu and doing a course which also involved nightly homework, so she's been waiting patiently in the garage (i would prefer she was in the living room ;) but you cant have everything).

Cant wait to go riding again tomorrow now that i'm no longer dying with this dreaded bug. Just wanted to share a piccie of her (with me) cos i know all you girls totally understand my obsession :D Isnt she beauuuuuuuutiful?

1375

[Geonz]

Ain't she beautiful!!! Nice bike, too!

[pooks]

Gorgeous! And I'll be she's fast!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I'm one of those folks with a $4,000 road bike. I recently did a metric century with a girlfriend of mine who rode her $400 flat bar road bike. Yeah, she had trouble keeping up with me on the hills - she was pushing 26 pounds of bike up the hill versus my 18. But, lordy, did we have fun.

Sometimes the difference in bike FRAME weight is partially negated if the riders and added gear are of different weight. It's really the TOTAL of everything together that should be compared. My steel road bike weighs 27 pounds when weighed "fully loaded" with all my gear- saddle bag and tools and extra tube, water bottles, heavier 700x37c tires for gravel road riding, cable&lock, frame-attached tire pump, etc. Yes, I'd like to lessen that total a bit- and I plan to lose 5-8 more pounds off my body to meet that goal. ;)

[Thistle]

Gorgeous! And I'll be she's fast!


yep, she easier up the hills, that's for sure. and riding with friends who ride the same as my old hybrid, i had to stop pedalling on the flat to avoid getting ahead of them :D so i think she might take a couple of minutes off my ride to uni .... not that i bought her for that reason...it was just luuuuuvvvvvvvvvvv

[Bikingmomof3]

You look so happy. :) The bike is gorgeous. Enjoy riding. :-)

[Trekhawk]

Last fri i got my beautiful new bike. I got a Giant CRX4.... a flat bar road bike. I was sooooo nervous about the "skinny" tyres after my hybrid :eek: spent the whole day saying to DH "maybe i should ring and get them to put wider tyres on". He just patiently told me i'd be fine. eep eep... i was so scared.


Theav - sweeeeeet bike.

Happy riding.

[Rebeccah]

Rebeccah,
sounds like you are making great progress. But please don't ride when you
are too tired to hold your head up! that sounds really scary!
glad your seat issues are taken care of. Any way you can raise those handlebars?
I guess that's a really personal thing. I'm 54 and a little stiffer and There's no way I could have the handlebars that low (the tops of them i mean)

m

Hi, Mimitabby -
I'm sure I can raise the handlebars some, but I can already feel changes to my preferred riding position on the hybrid just with the small amount of riding I've done so far. So, I'm going to hold off for now. I need to get back on the road bike again with my latest changes to the seat position and see how that feels. I think a big part of the problem was that was my first ride in 6 years and my butt hurt so much after just a couple of miles that that was pretty much all I could think of.

As for scarey, it really wasn't. I *could* pick up my head, I just noticed towards the end of the ride that I *wasn't* doing so. Now, trying to ride in my old neighborhood without really being able to easily look around, *that* was scarey (and is why I hadn't ridden in 6 years). Steep hills, heavy city traffic, and angle parking with lots of trunover.

Rebeccah