After the Hybrid ...

[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. 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. 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!