Hybrid vs Flatbar Road Bike

[moderncyclista]

Try a drop bar bike too. I find them more comfortable. I used to be scared of how uncomfortable I thought they'd be, now I prefer drop bars to any other type.

[Geonz]

I started with an entry level Giant Hybrid and it met my needs for a while, but when I took to riding regularly with groups, I was on a heavier bike with fatter tires than everybody else; I had to work a lot harder (and it was like driving a truck amongst sports cars -- accelerations and decelerations required constant attention).
If you're mostly going to be riding on your own, or with some people chatting as opposed to a paceline, you'll probably be happy with the 7300 - though you might want to move to thinner tires at some point if you're on the road.
I went to a 7500FX (now a 7.5, I thnk) when I wanted something lighter and I love it -- the bar isn't that much higher, and it is great for riding reasonably long & hard. However, it's aluminum, so if it's a week of 50+ miles a day, that beats up my butt so I go back to the original hybrid and just work harder
When my friend was in a similar situation and was looking at the 7.3, I convinced her to give the 7.5 a spin around the parking lot. She liked it a lot better and got it.
So... bottom line is, what feels good to **you**. Which one do you feel like you could just keep pedaling? THat's what led me to get my first bike, and I still put 5-6000 miles on it every year.

[Catrin]

Thanks for the tips and suggestions - I wound up with a Trek 7.6 FX - I mentioned this elsewhere but figured I should post it on this thread as well. I love it, and I am grabbing every warmish moment I can to get out on her and practice - I am also learning how to ride

[moderncyclista]

Oh, good. Glad you found something that works for you. Keep on riding!