After the Hybrid ...

[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

[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!

[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.

[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