After the Hybrid ...

[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