Century on a Hybrid?

I don't have a road bike, I have a hybrid -- specifically, a Trek 7.3. So far, my longest ride is 28 miles, and I averaged about 13 mph.

Do you think it is possible to train for a century on this kind of bike? Would I be so slow that it's a crazy goal? I've done a sprint triathlon on it as well and on the tri boards they always say "don't worry about the bike, work on your engine" but I know at some point the bike does make a bit of a difference. Just wondering if I am crazy to even consider it.

when I first started riding I had a trek 7.3 and routinely rode 60-100 miles on it in charity rides. I did get thinner tires,and kept what I carried down to two bottles, underseat bag and a couple of protein bars and gu gels. Of course I was also riding primarily flat, had a support vehicle every 20-30 miles and had the whole day to do it. My best day was 100 miles in 7 1/2 hours of saddle time or 10 hours total. That worked out to about 13.5 mph so I say go for it, especially if you aren't going to worry about speed.

marni

Is it possible? Yes, if you're comfortable on your bike for long periods of time, and your legs can hold out, it IS possible. If you plan on riding in an organized supported century, most have cutoff times, so I think you'd have to pick up the pace some.
How much time do you have to train for it? Do you feel like you're maxed out on speed, or think you can become faster? Again, it's all about what your goal is, and how good you feel on the bike. You probably wont be breaking any speed records, but anyone can ride any distance on a bike that fits them with the proper training.

I think with proper training I could get up to averaging 16 mph on it -- my DH has a 7.3, too, and he averages 17-18 over a longest ride of 25 miles, so far, so I know the bike is capable of that if I can get my legs capable of it. On my tri, I averaged 14 for 12 miles.

I have a friend who is a much better cyclist than I am (training for an iron distance triathlon) and she says she averages 16mph on her mountain bike, 20-22 on her road, and 22-26 on her tri/TT bike, all on the same course. So I am wondering if upgrading the bike would make a huge difference, or if I should just stick with this one and try to get faster/stronger on it.

You can do it. I did a century on a hybrid.

I think it's possible. It's one of my goals, too. :)

I think it's a bigger goal (for me) to ride a heavy bike on a crushed stone, flat trail for 100 miles than riding the same distance on a fast bike on a smooth road that has some places I could coast a bit.

It will take me longer to reach my goal with the bike I ride and where I ride it. But that's fine. I've got time and I'll be enjoying it all the way. :D

I expect it will take me 8hours or so (with breaks) and it's on my agenda for next year sometime. It's going to take me a while to work up to it as I want it to be a challenge, but not torture.

As long as it's comfortable for you. I love my hybrid (7.2FX--I'm a Trek-ie too ;)) and rode it in multiple charity rides (i think 62 miles was my longest), but by the end of anything over about 40 miles I'm just plain sore all over. I don't think that's the bike's fault, per se, but the fact that I know there are things I could do to make it fit me better. I did end up buying a road bike recently because I had an opportunity to get something on closeout, but I would have kept on riding my hybrid if I hadn't.

So as you move on to longer rides, if things start to hurt (and maybe they won't--I hope that's the case!), your bike shop and folks here can probably help you figure out how to tweak your fit to make it better. :)

I've done 10 centuries on a hybrid! I started with my Trek7.3fx and upgraded to a 7.7
My average is about 15mph, and I'm usually able to finish before the shutdown time unless I linger too long at the rest stops. One time we stopped to assist a cyclist that had a bad fall, but the organizers kept the post ride meal available for us. That was nice!

I've done at least 6 centuries on my Trek FX 7500 as well as a 560 miles aids ride (7 days). The FX7500 (similar to the current 7.5) is a bit lighter than the 7.3 but if you train for a century on the 7.3 it will do wonders for your fitness I'm sure!

Perhaps swap out the tires for something a bit narrower/smoother?

I did a double century on a hybrid (Seattle to Portland)
you bet you can!

Sure you can. I've never had a road bike. I've had hybrids. I've done multiple centuries over the past few years. I've gone on loaded touring rides on hybrid, etc. As long as the hybrid bike fits your body, that's really important.

If being the fastest is not key, then go for it.

As for triathalons: One would be wiser to get a road bike for this.

My First century was on a Hybrid, so I'm with everyone else here.

Yup, you can do this. I did my first century a few weeks ago on a 31-year-old 5-speed mixte with "sit up and beg" handlebars. I didn't train - other than my 12-15 mile commute every day and the odd 35-mile ride on a Sunday. Lots of people told me "if you're fit enough to ride 35-40 miles comfortably (and not suffer the next day), then managing anything over that is totally about comfort".

Good luck with the ride! Hope it'll be the first of many!