Long Distance Cycling - Road Bike Versus Hybrid Bike

I would like to ride 100 miles eventually, that involves plenty of training from where I stand now.
I currently commute on a mountain bike. I plan to improve my efficiency by getting something with 700C wheels, with skinnier and slicker tires. What performance differences are there between a road bike and a hybrid bike with the same wheels, and tires? What speed and air resistance, or other advantages are there with a road bike over a hybrid bike? How big a difference is this? How much better is it to ride a Road Bike 100 miles verus a Hybrid, with the same wheels and tires? How much heavier is a Hybrid over a Road Bike? Is the lighter weight that significant? Would you rather go with Trek or Specialized?
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Is the cost of a Trek 1.2 over a Trek 7.2 FX really worth it?
Trek 1.2: $900
http://www.trekbikes.com/ca/en/bikes/2008/road/1_series/12/
http://i29.tinypic.com/2k1zsk.jpg

Trek 7.2 FX: $550
http://www.trekbikes.com/ca/en/bikes/2008/road/fx/72fx/
http://i28.tinypic.com/281sehh.jpg
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Is the cost of a Specialized Allez Triple, over the Specialized CrossTrail or Globe Sport justified by the performance advantage? How much heavier is a Hybrid over a Road Bike?

Specialized Allez Triple: $900
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=32192
http://i25.tinypic.com/2qxx65g.jpg


Specialized CrossTrail: $600
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=34270
http://i28.tinypic.com/2udvojo.jpg


Specialized Globe Sport: $680
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=34160
http://i26.tinypic.com/2lduno0.jpg

a road bike will allow you to get a more aero-tuck position going, since the drops allow you to get down lower & out of the wind. and of course the drops offer more hand-positions than straight bars, so this is another advantage.

i say go for a road bike! i used to ride a hybrid, and it was OK, but for long distances the road bike wins.

The additional hand positions that a drop bar bike offers can really make a difference in comfort on longer rides. Decent size tires, 28mm minimum, are also a big contributor to comfortable long distance riding. Unfortunately the bike builders all seem to think that if you want drop handlebars then you must be a racer and only plan on riding hard narrow high pressure tires.

The Specialized Sirrus is the Specialized hybrid that you should consider, not the CrossTrail or Globe. It is the equivalent of the Trek FX line. You can also add bar ends to the handlebar of a hybrid to get additional hand positions.

One alternative to try is to put slicks on your mountain bike. You will drop a couple of pounds and there is much less rolling resistance with slicks. Use this as your hybrid and get a road bike.

Above all, ditch any suspension pronto!

I would recommend a cyclocross/touring bike, it is almost a hybrid and almost a road bike. It gives you the toughness of a hybrid and versatility of a road bike. Plus when you start putting serious millage you would add a road bike anyway and still keep a cyclocross bike as family/trail/commuting/winter bike....You may even try one of those muddy cross races also. They are fun.

Another vote for a road bike.

The rider position, skinny tires, lighter wheels, and absence of suspension will make a road bike faster than most hybrids. If you typically ride at, say, 14mph on your hybrid on calm flats, you'd ride at around 18 on a road bike, 17 on a cross bike.

I enjoy my cross bike and got it primarily for touring and 100+ mile rides. They're good all-around bikes, and reasonably affordable; I got my Surly Cross-Check for around $1000, including getting the LBS to set it up with a triple crankset. However, it does feel a tad slower than a full-on road bike.

Also, hybrids are usually comfortable for shorter distances, because you're sitting more upright. But you're putting a lot of pressure on your lower back and saddle, so some people find that a lot less comfortable after 50 near-continuous miles.

I am really confused now...some of you are telling me that I could/should have more than one bike? Isn't that too many?

according to this thread, you can smoke roadies on a heavily laden hybrid! while commuting.
i think the answer is clear. (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=425016)


[its all about fit and what you plan to do with the bike - so buy the best that you can afford that fits and will make you want to ride. when you train up to hit 100 miles you'll know what works and what doesn't. if you find that the bike isn't working, you will have real world experience, personally tailored to you, about what works for you. then you can set up a new bike, or tweak the old, and tell everyone about it here. if you are new to riding, and want to train up for long distance, my money is on the engine needing more work and deliberation than the bike.]

I am really confused now...some of you are telling me that I could/should have more than one bike? Isn't that too many?


how many bikes do you think you need? how many bikes do you want? somewhere in there is the answer.
if you think you only need 1 bike you've either:

not really ridden much
have ridden thousands and thousands of miles and know your preferences and will work them into your dream bike

About 10 years ago I owned both a Trek road bike and a Cannondale hybrid. I couldn't justify both, so I sold the Trek. I believe I sold the wrong bike. Yes, for bopping around the city and short-distance commuting—say 20 miles or less—the hybrid is the right bike for me. The upright position is better suited for urban traffic jamming, and the thicker tires make you feel more confident over potholes and rough pavement.

But… once I approach 30 miles or so, I really miss the road bike. Not just because it's lighter and faster— which it is—but mainly because of the drop handlebars. The flat bars of the hybrid force you to be in one position, and one position only. After an hour or so, it gets very tiring. Road bars, on the other hand, afford you the option of three or four different hand positions, and even though you may spend very little time down low, riding the drops, it's the variety of positions that make drop bars so great.

Having flat bars is sort of like having to sit in a chair for hours without changing your position. Road bars let you stretch, sit upright, sit down low and everything in between. And if you're like most humans, it's not any one position, but rather the changing of positions, that makes the difference.

Do road bikes have brakes for the down low bent position, and the upright, mountain/hybrid position? How does that work? /noob.

You can own as many bikes as you want. ;) If you are cycling all the time, it's not a bad thing to have a spare, in case the other bike breaks or if you want to cycle with a friend. You can also keep using the hybrid for commuting, errands, bad weather etc. and stick to the road bike for training, long rides, fast rides and so forth.

Road Bike...I was in the same position a couple of months ago. I actually bought the 7.2fx in February and traded it in on the Lemond Tourmalet in March...definitely not cost effective!! If you really want to get into it and ride you'll want the road bike in no time at all. Good Luck!!

Really? So I can keep my bike as a spare, then buy a new bike-a road bike? So do you think the Trek is better or the Specialized?

No, there's just one set of brakes, like on any other bike. (Well actually, sometimes you'll find "two" sets of brake handles: the regular ones on the drop portion of the bars—plus a set of small, cheap auxiliary handles—called "safety handles"—connected to the regular brake handles. These so-called "safety handles" can be reached from the upright "rest" position on the tops of the bars. They aren't very good and they're anything but safe. I don't even know if they're still around, but once upon a time they were quite common.)




Not quite true.
'Interrupter' or cross levers can be mounted on the bar tops. Many tourists / commuters use these, along with cx racers, and a friend who rides fixed and likes a brake in the upright position.

http://www.interlocracing.com/cxproleveronbike.jpg

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/images/BR7312.jpg

The brakes you speak of were popular on 'ten speeds' and worked by operating the main brake lever from the tops. Cross levers actually pull the same cable, and can be used as your primary lever.

+1 to the road bike. I had the same decision to make some time ago, ended up buying a Trek 7.2FX thinking a hybrid was a good 'all around' bike. The more I got into cycling, though, and wanted to longer and longer distances, the road bike was really the right tool for the job. I finally purchased the road bike last year and have barely touched the 7.2 FX hybrid since.

If you typically ride at, say, 14mph on your hybrid on calm flats, you'd ride at around 18 on a road bike, 17 on a cross bike.

So just curious - what's the difference between a road and cross bike?

^Ah, I didn't know about the "interrupter" levers. Thx for the correction.

So just curious - what's the difference between a road and cross bike?

Higher bottom bracket, (possibly) shorter wheelbase, beefier wheels and fork. It's a road bike geometry that's built to take abuse.

So just curious - what's the difference between a road and cross bike?

Higher bottom bracket clearance, and maybe a degree or so shallower HT angle. The standard configuration for the cranks on a road bike is 39/53 (standard) and 34/50 (compact), while a cross bike typically has a compact crank with a 46t or 48t big ring.

Outfitted properly, a cross bike makes a fine road bike.

Cross levers actually pull the same cable, and can be used as your primary lever.

Yeah, I find that I can definitely brake better with these levers than by using the main levers from the hood position. The problem with road-bike bars in general is that some of the common hand positions make it hard to get to the main levers in a hurry. Fortunately, panic-braking on a bike is fairly uncommon, and when I see a situation coming up, I ride in one of the positions where I can grab the brakes quickly.

By the way, I'm not sure that there's an industry standard for what various mfrs refer to by names such as "comfort bike", "crossbike", "fitness bike", "hybrid", "pathway bike", etc. It's confused me, and I usually have to just go and look at the real thing (as opposed to the web site) to really understand what it is that they're selling.

Maxx, 3 weeks ago i as in your exact position...
75% of my riding is fast suburaban short distance riding and out with the kids. But a few times a month i go on club rides at anyware from 25 to 50 miles.

My options i was looking at are the exacts same bike you are.

At the end of the day i went with a Fuji Touring. I am very happy with it.

Day to day utility check
Not droping the family check
light dirt trails check
dirt roads check
fast check distance check.

i am even doing a tri on it this summer and planning a weekend expedition on the same bike :)

a touring bike i think is the best all aroung bike.

sine tyou know traks and specialized the trek 520 and specialized Sequioa.

For your recommendations, just go for specialized allez, or trek, trek used by tour france champions Lance armstrong. For your recommnedations, nnot buy this:

http://www.geekologie.com/2007/07/12/sideways-bike.jpg

How much better is it to ride a Road Bike 100 miles verus a Hybrid, with the same wheels and tires? How much heavier is a Hybrid over a Road Bike? Is the lighter weight that significant? Why even ask? You already want to "spec" everything to death.

You say you already commute on a mountain bike - so buy a road bike.

People on here, as on any forum of any kind, are always posting more to convince themselves that they have the right bike or pedals or whatever. Road bikes evolved as they did because it works and it's better for fast or long distance riding. The brake levers on the drops are there for a reason. This is the arrangement that provides the very most secure braking both because you can apply a lot of leverage, and because you hands are already in the very best position to keep control of the bike. The not being able to quickly reach the brake levers in a panic stop situation is just total ignorant bull preached by people who have not ridden serious road bikes in a serious way. I've been riding road bikes since the later 1960's and I've never not been able to reach the brake levers. But, as I've said before, we don't learn anything unless we learn it for ourselves, so unless you ever do get a road bike, you will never know.

Why even ask? You already want to "spec" everything to death.



That is how I make careful, thought out decisions. This will be a big decision for me, and the mountain bike may have to go. I don't want to make a wrong move with this because there may be no going back. Unlike other people, I like to have as much information available as possible so that I can analyze the situation better, so that it suits me. There is nothing wrong with doing this.

Buy commuter hybrid. ChaNge additions for drop by. Solution satisfactory. :thumb: For cost implement is for effective in these areas/financial. :roflmao2::roflmao2:

All these bike will commute and do 100miles too.
The hybrids will generally make a better commuter(if you have a longish commute a road bike will probably work out better). I find the upright position and well placed brake levers a bonus in traffic.
The dedicated road bikes start to shine when speeds get up above 20-25kph.

You commute already, get a flat bar hybrid which leans towards the sporty side. Your commute will be a bit quicker than the MTB and you'll be able to do 100miles no worries. ( Putting road slicks on the MTB might accomplish the same thing. )
If you end up do quite a bit of long distance stuff a dedicated bike for that is the way to go.

That is how I make careful, thought out decisions. This will be a big decision for me, and the mountain bike may have to go. I don't want to make a wrong move with this because there may be no going back. Unlike other people, I like to have as much information available as possible so that I can analyze the situation better, so that it suits me. There is nothing wrong with doing this.

If it makes you feel any better, a couple weeks ago I did 51 miles in 5 hours on my base model Specialized Globe with Schwalbe Marathon Plus 700x45 tires at 70psi. I chose the bike because it was the cheapest "real" bike at my LBS last year when I first got in to biking. It was on closeout for $350, which sure sounded real good compared to $800+ for road bikes. I have nothing against road bikes and may look into perhaps trying to find one used, since I sure as heck don't have $800 laying around anywhere to buy one new!

for a 100 mile ride on good roads - then I would definitely go for a road bike. However, there are road bikes that have a very aggressive geometry that are intended for racing and then there are road bikes that have a bit more relaxed geometry that are more comfortable to ride for long distances. I purchased a road bike with relaxed geometry (which puts the rider in a more upright position while riding.) The road bike that I chose was the Cannondale Synapse (however, specialized also has a model - the roubaix - with similar geometry.) The relaxed geometry does not mean that this is not a fast bike. In fact, the professional racing team, Liquigas, rode the cannondale synapse frame in the Paris-Roubaix road race for it's ability to absorb shock (important on the many sections of the race that are on cobblestone) and the comfort provided by the geometry that allows a rider to ride long distances in a more comfortable position.

I also own a steel touring bike that is even more comfortable than the road bike I have. However, this bike is nearly twice as heavy as my road bike and I've noticed that it takes more effort to push this bike along and I feel a really big difference in climbing hills. If you are doing a self-supported 100 mile ride then a touring bike might be the tool since you can carry alot of gear on the bike.

Both bikes have drop bars. The saddle on the touring bike is a brooks b-17 and is much more comfortable for distance rides than the saddle on the road bike. In fact, for a planned 200 mile ride this summer, I am planning on swapping the saddles.

As far as cost goes, If you are serious about cycling, pay for what you want now... or you will just end up paying for it later. I'm of the opinion that you buy a nice bike... it's easy to amortize the extra 400 - 700 over 10 years.

for a 100 mile ride on good roads - then I would definitely go for a road bike. However, there are road bikes that have a very aggressive geometry that are intended for racing and then there are road bikes that have a bit more relaxed geometry that are more comfortable to ride for long distances. I purchased a road bike with relaxed geometry (which puts the rider in a more upright position while riding.) The road bike that I chose was the Cannondale Synapse (however, specialized also has a model - the roubaix - with similar geometry.) The relaxed geometry does not mean that this is not a fast bike. In fact, the professional racing team, Liquigas, rode the cannondale synapse frame in the Paris-Roubaix road race for it's ability to absorb shock (important on the many sections of the race that are on cobblestone) and the comfort provided by the geometry that allows a rider to ride long distances in a more comfortable position.

I also own a steel touring bike that is even more comfortable than the road bike I have. However, this bike is nearly twice as heavy as my road bike and I've noticed that it takes more effort to push this bike along and I feel a really big difference in climbing hills. If you are doing a self-supported 100 mile ride then a touring bike might be the tool since you can carry alot of gear on the bike.

Both bikes have drop bars. The saddle on the touring bike is a brooks b-17 and is much more comfortable for distance rides than the saddle on the road bike. In fact, for a planned 200 mile ride this summer, I am planning on swapping the saddles.

As far as cost goes, If you are serious about cycling, pay for what you want now... or you will just end up paying for it later. I'm of the opinion that you buy a nice bike... it's easy to amortize the extra 400 - 700 over 10 years.

Thanks, this sounded like a post from a friend. Take care.

I'm no expert, but as a Trek 7.3FX owner, I would highly recommend test riding both the 7.2FX and 7.3 FX if you are leaning towards the hybrid. I noticed a big difference between the 2 models, the entry level FX felt a bit sluggish, and I'm a newbie.

The LBS was pushing me to spend a little extra and get a road bike, but I love my 7.3FX. Now that I'm training to do a century, sometimes I wish I would have listened, but most of my rides are slower, shorter and with friends who have hybrids or mtb. After I complete the century and feel the need to do more, I'm gonna save up my $ and get a road bike, but I won't give up my hybrid.

Why not go to the bike shop, ride a few and see which one feels the best to you.

Hope that helps.

I'm no expert, but as a Trek 7.3FX owner, I would highly recommend test riding both the 7.2FX and 7.3 FX if you are leaning towards the hybrid. I noticed a big difference between the 2 models, the entry level FX felt a bit sluggish, and I'm a newbie.

The LBS was pushing me to spend a little extra and get a road bike, but I love my 7.3FX. Now that I'm training to do a century, sometimes I wish I would have listened, but most of my rides are slower, shorter and with friends who have hybrids or mtb. After I complete the century and feel the need to do more, I'm gonna save up my $ and get a road bike, but I won't give up my hybrid.

Why not go to the bike shop, ride a few and see which one feels the best to you.

Hope that helps.

Carcar, thanks. Hybrids are great, and do serve their purpose, but is it really like I am cheating myself that a road bike will be easier to ride and more energy efficient for a century ride? :D

Yeah, I don't think it is really so bad to get something efficient, and "made for" travelling fast, and far.
Road bikes are neat, and the drop bar is really cool too. Really gets aero, and you can feel the wind next to you yelling in your ears, "You will hear nothing else but my song!":twitchy::twitchy::twitchy:

Heh heh heh. Thanks for the post.:thumb:

OK, I was just being silly. Your serious. Your efficiency is quite poor.

OK, I was just being silly. Your serious. Your efficiency is quite poor.

What do you mean by this post? Can you please clarify?

Carcar, thanks. Hybrids are great, and do serve their purpose, but is it really like I am cheating myself that a road bike will be easier to ride and more energy efficient for a century ride? :D

Yeah, I don't think it is really so bad to get something efficient, and "made for" travelling fast, and far.
Road bikes are neat, and the drop bar is really cool too. Really gets aero, and you can feel the wind next to you yelling in your ears, "You will hear nothing else but my song!":twitchy::twitchy::twitchy:

Heh heh heh. Thanks for the post.:thumb:


Sounds like you've made your mind up for a road bike. If you major reason for the purchase is to ride a century, get a road bike! No question.