Hybrid Bicycles - Combine speed and fun

Hello all, this is my first post here, and to be fair I haven't actually owned a bicycle in a year. I have recently got the cycling bug and want to get another bike (after mine was stolen). I do not want to get an ordinary off the shelf bike. My ideal bike would combine the speed of a race bike but at the same time being strong enough to be thrown around (little bunny hops, surviving pot holes etc). I was thinking of putting 3 gears on it because I live 8 miles for the city and there are many hills and I would like it as simple as possible and I know that there will be tradeoffs but I would prefer speed more then the strength. I don't know where to start though, what frame, wheels, gears etc should I look at? I am 6' and I have a budget of €600. Thanks!

Ok well your budget puts you in the Hybrid market market, so here is the real deal your not going to get road bike speed out a a hybrid, It will be fast but not road bike fast, add suspension and it will cost you a little more speed off the line. They can handle light off road, trails, dirt roads, but if your thinking motocross tracks and jumping trees & ramps you will destroy it. Hybrids swing hard right and hard left & everything in between. So your more interested in speed. Personally I own a Trek FX 7.2 Your budget is the FX 7.3 Look at the Trek line and see if there is anything that catches your eye. Others will join in there are many great bikes to chose from, Go into the picture thread and look at the member bikes and what they have done to trick them out. Good luck

Thanks for the reply, the Trek looks good. I am not planning to be hitting any trails, this bike will be exclusively used for getting in and out of the city (fast!). I would like to build it myself though, as I like to have projects on the go.

For ease of perusal:

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/bike_path/

The FX-series are leaning toward the road-bike in their nature and handling characteristics. The Hybrid-series lean toward the mountain-bikes in their character.

In addition to the Trek FX series, the Specialized Sirrus is also worth a look. The Sirrus is essentially a skinny-tire road bike with flat bars.

Also check out the Cannondale Quick series. Usually will give you better components at a lower price than Trek, although I've been told that they're not so good honoring their warranties.

Another one to consider is the Raleigh performance hybrid line http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/performance-hybrid/ and the Diamondback line http://www.diamondback.com/bikes/performance-hybrid/

I believe they are the same bikes with different names and minimal changes. I know you want to build one yourself, so these can give you a basis of what to look for.

I believe that the Raleigh USA and Raleigh GB lines are different and not even the same companies any more. Doubt if Raleigh USA bikes are available in Europe where I presume the OP is based on the listed spending limit being in Euros.

4li5t4ir;

When you say 3 speeds are you referring to 3 front chainrings or a 3 speed internal geared hub? If a 3 speed hub take a look at the Swobo line of bikes. They do a 3 speed hub narrow tire bike, the Novak. They also have an 8 speed IGH 700c narrow wheel bike, the Baxter.

http://www.swobo.com/bikes/collection/

For a DIY bike project take a look at the various Surly frames. Several can be built up either IGH or with a derailleur gearing setup such as the Crosscheck. Usually though, unless you have a lot of parts on hand, it is hard to beat the cost of a fully assembled bike as the bike manufacturers get a much better price on parts than you can find retail.

Jamis Coda if you think a steel frame is worth looking into. They are basically flat bar road bikes and have very good componentry for the money.

Fuji gives you much better bang for the buck than Trek. Trek and Fuji both get their aluminum frames from the same 3-4 (?) factories in Taiwan so they are same class. Afterwards, both have Shimano components. A Trek 7.3 FX runs you $570 whereas a Fuji Absolute 2.0 costs $460.

With the Fuji you get Deore derailers (front and back), Deore shifters (left and right), Carbon Fork, Double Butted Aluminum. The Trek has only a Deore derailer in the back. Trek's advantage is that their aluminum frame is double butted (like Fuji) and hydrotreated (for extra strength and lightness). That's great and all but I don't notice as big of a difference with hydrotreatment as I do with a change in components.

I have to be honest, I am not familiar with how good or how bad the shifters on the 7.3 FX are but if it is anything in the vicinity as that of the 7.2 (which I own)- it sucks! Deore is great. With Fuji you have similar class of frame, much better components, and you save yourself $100 bucks.

Don't go just by the brand name which seems to be the main difference between an Absolute & an FX. Go with what you feel comfortable, makes you happy, but do give the Fuji a test drive. Finally, get the size that fits you best (this includes the test drive too)! There' a noticeable difference in comfort between the right size and one size too large IMHO.

i actually loved the shifters on my old 7.2 FX! lol

i would recommend the trek fx 7.6 but you said you might be doing bunny hops... the 7.6 is essentially a road bike with a flat bar.... it has a sturdy frame but i am not sure if the heels could handle jumps/hops. etc.

i actually loved the shifters on my old 7.2 FX! lol

which is why you dumped it and spent an extra $1000 for a new bike? :D

i suppose you ride at a respectable cadence and the streets of nyc are flat and moderate. in my limited experience, the shifters of the 7.2 don't do very well on hilly terrains. sometimes i change gears just to take it easy on myself (which means I'm going at a relatively low cadence). The Deores are not as dependent on a high cadence as the Alivio. of course the performance of the component / perceived qualty depends on how you ride & what terrains you do. for me, there's a big difference with deore but i admit it could be just me. perhaps the deore compensates for my lazy riding better than the alivio and i'm being unfair to alivio in that sense.

wrong! it was an extra $1200 on the new bike! LOLOL!

you're right - it was on flat terrain but i did shift often - sometimes when i was winded, i'd ride on the lowest gears, and when i had energy, i'd shift up to go much faster.

i really dont even pay attention to cadence - i just pedal when i have the energy then slack off on the lowest gear possible when im exhausted. i think we have the same riding style. LOL :D