After the Hybrid ...

[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.