Originally Posted by
rcamacho352
Thanks for all the opinions.
I'm pretty familiar with theft on college campuses (my Schwinn Varsity got stolen last year) but the bike will be kept inside my apartment at night so I'm not too worried about theft this time around. I agree, the Varsity was great for just riding to and from campus but I had tons of problems with it and would like to buy a bike with more quality this time around.
That being said, the bike will mainly be used for exercise and cross training. I'll mainly be riding it on roads but how much "off road" can these hybrid bikes really handle? I'm going to head back into my LBS to test ride them next week.
Hi there RCamacho!
Hybrids are great for paved roads and country dirt trails. You don't wanna go downhill on a rough MTN trail like you're at Whistler or something. Hybrids weren't made for a bunch of tree roots, rocks sticking up out the ground, and traversing crevices. All of that is MTB territory!
However, if the trail has an occasional root, a few twigs scattered about, and a rock or two, your hybrid won't mind that kind of terrain at all. That's its purpose! Actually, we're really talking tire width and tread here. Most hybrids tend to look more like road bikes, until you scope their handlebars and tires. When tires have wide widths and deeper tread, they're more capable of traversing the rough stuff. All MTN bikes have wide tires with deep or nobby tread.
Hybrids without front suspension, look more like road bikes. Hybrids with front suspension, look more like MTN bikes. Whatever the case maybe, being a hybrid, we all know, it's something in between!
- Slim
PS.
Thinner and smoother tires, means faster. Wider more treaded tires, means slower...