Hybrid Bicycles - Hybrids and commuter bikes are where the market is heading

For people that like numbers this is what the bike market looked like in Canada in 2008. Click on the adobe icon on the bottom left for the detailed report. I find this kind of stuff exciting because it shows me that manufactures will have to pay attention to hybrid riders and we'll see more and more of the cool and interesting hybrid bikes coming to the market. Exciting times ahead for hybrid riders I think.

http://www.btac.org/members/annual_bikes_sales_report.html

Wow! Hybrids have overtaken sales of the all the rest. This is quite interesting. I guess bike-mechanics better not put off completing their collections of hybrid-tools. Myself included.

I guess that some of us are just ahead of the curve, eh!!??

I agree, it is an interesting article. Would be interesting to see bike mfrs' marketing research data. I can only go by personal experience and my limited observational skills. But I see more 50 +(45?) year olds and Boomers then ever before on MUP's and rail trails. Most of them are on hybrids.

I used to be a roadie some years ago. Rode various upper mid range road bikes during the 70 and 80's bike boom. But when it came to buy bikes for my wife and me: I bought hybrids.

Given increasingly rough roads and more (not less) cars, IMO, MUP's, rail trails, and gravel back roads make for a more enjoyable ride. And hybrids handle those quite well.

Hybrids and city bikes are do it all bicycles. If you have to own only one bike, that is the bike to keep.

A friend, just getting back into cycling with his wife, had me go to a few bike shops this weekend. He test rode many hybrids, and as a non-hybrid owner I was surprised and the variety and diversity of hybrids. If I was getting started over, I wouldn't hesitate to get one.

I don't se mounain bikes on the report. Maybe they are considered hybrids?

MTBs are probably the 26" class of bikes.

The data seems to point to price more than anything else as a driving factor. Hybrids are cheaper per unit than all other types with the exception of youth.

It makes sense if you think about it, people like me would rather buy a bike based largely on cost. Many of us entering/reentering the market aren't sure we want to spend >$500 on a bike we may or may not like 6 months down the road, but we still want a good quality bike.

Here we go again. I was born 1 month into the post WW2 baby boom - July '46. Throughout my life I have found myself an accidental "predictor" of trends just based on this demographic position. Six months ago I bought a hybrid (Cannondale Quick 4) and started fitness biking on local trails; paved and not. Last week, I bought another hybrid (used Specialized Sirrus Elite) so that I can have one for fast smooth trails and the other for rough and/or unpaved trails. The Specialized has a road triple and Schwalbe Speed Cruiser tires (super deal on these 700x30C tires at Schwalbe.com - $13.95). I know that for fitness its not how fast you go but how hard you go - even so, I still like to go fast within my limits.

Wow! Hybrids have overtaken sales of the all the rest. This is quite interesting. I guess bike-mechanics better not put off completing their collections of hybrid-tools. Myself included.

What are "hybrid-tools" and how do they differ from other bike tools?

Well I guess my wife and I are a couple of the sheep pushing this trend. We just bought a couple of hybrids at the beginning of August. On the plus side they are very comfortable and it good to run with the pack, even if they are sheep.

I was told by my LBS that a few boomers are starting to replace their road bikes with flat bar "fitness" hybrids.

Sometimes, you start out on a "bike type" and find it's not working out. We bought hardtail MTB's as we thought we'd be riding a lot of the area mtb trails but the Mrs. isn't very found of "bouncing down mountainsides" so we ended up "re-creating" our MTB's into more "roadworth" hybrids. It's been a fun project, different, tires, suspensions seat post's, bar extensions, racks, bags, etc. Ya I guess we should have really "LOOKED" at hybrids but our MTB's make great hybrids, I even pull a cargo trailer so it's nice having the "Heavy-Duty'ness" of the MTB frameset. :thumb:

What are "hybrid-tools"?

People who post in the hybrid forum, of course. :thumb:

People who post in the hybrid forum, of course. :thumb:

Nope! They be roadies who wander in here, by mistake....

This should benefit the LBS I go to; they pay lip service to high end road bikes and carry many hybrids and city bikes. Their other specialty is recumbents. If they can keep things going through the downturn, they are well positioned to serve the aging boomers.

I got a hybrid last year, but the flat bar came off in favor of an Origin8 Space Bar; easier on the wrists and hands.

I'm not in the habit of answering questions from that poster. However one needs to go over the common components found on hybrids and have tools that will remove/install Octalink-type BB's, parts and small wrenches of the sizes needed to handle v-brakes. Tools to overhaul pedals. Tools for installing a variety of racks and other support systems. Tools to install and apply proper torque to external bottom-brackets, and other components.

Basically someone who specialized in road-bikes should be ready for their customers to roll in on a hybrid and/or commuter. As MorganRaider alluded to in his last posting.

I'm not in the habit of answering questions from that poster. However one needs to go over the common components found on hybrids and have tools that will remove/install Octalink-type BB's, parts and small wrenches of the sizes needed to handle v-brakes. Tools to overhaul pedals. Tools for installing a variety of racks and other support systems. Tools to install and apply proper torque to external bottom-brackets, and other components.

Basically someone who specialized in road-bikes should be ready for their customers to roll in on a hybrid and/or commuter. As MorganRaider alluded to in his last posting.

In other words, the same tools most of us have always used.

In other words, the same tools most of us have always used.
Yeah, except the new hybrid tools are "special".

Hybrids and city bikes are do it all bicycles. If you have to own only one bike, that is the bike to keep.

That is a very wide assumption. I find that a cross style bike is the best do it all bike. Difference of opinion possibly but tell me what a flat bar bike can do that a cross bike can't and better......
1. Cross bike with drops has many more hand positions than a flat bar.
2. Cross bike can use anything from a thin 700c road race tire to a 700x38 knobby and everything in between depending on the job at hand.
3. Rack mounts.....check.
4. Fender mounts....yup.
Maybe I am missing something here but I can tell you that my flat bar bike has not come off of the garage hook in some time.

What works for one, doesn't necessarily work for another. The best do it al bike, for me, happens to be a Hybrid.

Not that I dislike cross bikes. The handlebars usually associated with them won't work for me any longer.

And, for me, there is nothing a cross bike can do for me, that a traditional Hybrid can't do better..

That is a very wide assumption. I find that a cross style bike is the best do it all bike. Difference of opinion possibly but tell me what a flat bar bike can do that a cross bike can't and better......
1. Cross bike with drops has many more hand positions than a flat bar.
2. Cross bike can use anything from a thin 700c road race tire to a 700x38 knobby and everything in between depending on the job at hand.
3. Rack mounts.....check.
4. Fender mounts....yup.
Maybe I am missing something here but I can tell you that my flat bar bike has not come off of the garage hook in some time.

Like I always say, if I had to have only one bike, it would be my touring bike. I think the lower BB, longer wheelbase and wider gearing range make them even better 'do-it-all' bikes than even cross bikes. Hybrids really do nothing well...which is why they are hybrids.

Hybrids tend to be cheaper than both tho...which is probably the appeal.

That is a very wide assumption. I find that a cross style bike is the best do it all bike. Difference of opinion possibly but tell me what a flat bar bike can do that a cross bike can't and better......
1. Cross bike with drops has many more hand positions than a flat bar.
2. Cross bike can use anything from a thin 700c road race tire to a 700x38 knobby and everything in between depending on the job at hand.
3. Rack mounts.....check.
4. Fender mounts....yup.
Maybe I am missing something here but I can tell you that my flat bar bike has not come off of the garage hook in some time.

I would agree re. "very wide assumption", but OTOH so is the assertion implicit in the question "what can a flat bar bike do that a cross bike can't and better". I would turn it round: what can a cross bike do that a flat bar bike can't, just as well or better?

1. Flat bar: set up properly, and especially with bar ends, lots of hand positions excluding the drop position, which many, many riders can't or don't want to use. Further, some (self included) have tried and tried (and yes, I've had professional fittings) to adapt to drops/brifters; I just don't like 'em. Others do.
2. "use anything from a thin 700c road race tire to a 700x38 knobby and everything in between..." check. Examples? Giant FCR series; Trek FX and 7000 series; etc. etc. etc.
3. Rack mounts? Check
4. Fender mounts? Check
5. Disc brakes? Sure, if you want 'em (a few 'cross bikes out there too)
6. Suspension? Sure, if you want it -- some do.
7. Take part in 'cross racing? Probably not:D, but ...

I don't think a semi-serious or serious 'cross racer would use, say, a Surly CrossCheck for a 'cross race either -- that is, a bike marketed as a "cyclocross bike" which is in fact rather more a sport road bike "in the style of" a cross bike. Nothing wrong with that -- the example I gave is in fact a great bike, but typically bikes intended for 'cross racing don't have rack/fender mounts etc., and have pretty aggressive geometry.

BTW, I've no axe to grind here; I'm one of those crazy people who actually prefers to ride a cross-country race hardtail mtb on the road, with slicks:thumb:

My biggest beef with flat bars is the parachute effect...unless you run aero bars or bar ends that give the aero positions of drop bars, you are nothing but a big ole parachute. Of all the factors that make cycling the toughest, wind is at the top of the list.

The biggest factor here: Price.

I think that's what drives most people to hybrids. There aren't many sub $800 road, cyclocross or touring bikes. Hybrids have plenty of options well below that price.

Having said that, I wouldn't buy a hybrid again. I love the drop bars on my Sirrus and won't look back.

My biggest beef with flat bars is the parachute effect...unless you run aero bars or bar ends that give the aero positions of drop bars, you are nothing but a big ole parachute. Of all the factors that make cycling the toughest, wind is at the top of the list.

Bend your elbows. Put your chin on your bars and your parachute won't open.

The biggest factor here: Price.

I think that's what drives most people to hybrids. There aren't many sub $800 road, cyclocross or touring bikes. Hybrids have plenty of options well below that price.

Having said that, I wouldn't buy a hybrid again. I love the drop bars on my Sirrus and won't look back.

I swapped out the flat bars for drops on my first mountain bike in 1986. You'll be back, it's a long road and we all have to ride it at our own pace.

this finding is hardly surprising considering the general public who wants to get into a cycling would be put off or intimidated by a road-bike drop bar position and MTBs (good ones at least) are expensive, heavy and sometimes to be honest look anarchaic. A Hybrid with straight bar and simple rigid fork is more "welcoming". Besides how many hardtail MTB owners go on unpaved trails?



My biggest beef with flat bars is the parachute effect...unless you run aero bars or bar ends that give the aero positions of drop bars, you are nothing but a big ole parachute. Of all the factors that make cycling the toughest, wind is at the top of the list.

But the majority of cyclists do not care about outright speed. Alot of riders that I see on nice days here are casual weekend cyclists who just want to putter around and get in some fresh air and bit of exercise. Therefore why would they want to be crouch down and stick their arse out? :)

Bend your elbows. Put your chin on your bars and your parachute won't open.

Extremely uncomfortable for extended periods of time. On my 10 mile ride today, I spent at least half of it in the drops. The wind was terrible. I didn't get uncomfortable at all.


I swapped out the flat bars for drops on my first mountain bike in 1986. You'll be back, it's a long road and we all have to ride it at our own pace.

Why will I be back? Just what makes flat bars so appealing over drop bars?

Yeah, sure, flat bars are great and have their purposes. Just not for me in my day-to-day commuting. If I get a mountain bike, I'll have no problems with flat bars.

My biggest beef with flat bars is the parachute effect...unless you run aero bars or bar ends that give the aero positions of drop bars, you are nothing but a big ole parachute. Of all the factors that make cycling the toughest, wind is at the top of the list.

I couldn't agree more -- absolutely right! Trick is to design a flat-bar bike AS a flat-bar bike, which means a longer top tube (relative to an equivalent drop bar bike), so that the rider can achieve a position which emulates the 'hoods' position on drops when riding on bar-ends. That's why I've to this point stuck with my 'roadified' xc race hardtail. I can't make any real use of the 'drop' position anyway on drop bars (back issues) for more than a few seconds; I can emulate that for short periods by dropping my elbows (as said above -- an old mtb race trick). On the other hand, I can't stand the (conventional, old-style hybrid) sit up and beg position either; as you say it's horribly inefficient, and tiring, not only re. wind resistance but also re. pedaling efficiency.
Fortunately, it seems that some of the major manufacturers are now 'getting' this, producing flat-bar bikes which for a given size have longer top tubes than their drop-bar counterparts. I'm thinking e.g. of Giant: Defy medium 54.5 t/t; FCR (or now, the Rapid) medium 56.5 -- that kind of thing. Hmmm, might be tempted yet:D

Not everyone's main objective is to go faster than the other guy.

Statements like "hybrid bikes do nothing well" are complete crap and any person making such statements is most likely at one or the other extreme of the bike gamut (i.e., hardcore mtn or road bike rider) and won't see anything less than what's ideal for themselves as being good for anyone else.

I'm very happy with my hybrid (which wasn't cheap btw) and have tons and tons of fun on it. It serves my purposes well and allows me to ride in all the places that I intended to ride it -- and I ride it a lot. I specifically looked for a hybrid -- I could have looked for any type of bike that I wanted (price was not an issue) but picked the bike that I felt would be best for me. I've no regrets and suspect that I'll be riding this bike for quite a long time to come.

Incidentally, I ran into a fellow the other day at a local BMX track -- he and his wife were there watching his kid race. This fellow has hardcore mtn and dedicated road bikes and has been riding bikes for years but the reason we got talking was because he recently bought the same Kona Dew FS bike that I have. He said that he really likes the ride and even coming from a primarily road background, uses his hybrid more than any of his other bikes -- and he commutes with it 30 km each day.

So, for those reading this thread and wondering about the merits of a hybrid bike, don't be dissuaded by the pundits who claim that the hybrid is not worth considering or that it's less of a bike -- if you're looking for reasonable speed, comfort, and the ability to ride on the road and also do light trail riding, the hybrid is perfectly suited.

Mike, I'm just talking. I don't know what you'll do. A lot of guys twice your age are switching to flat bars because they want a more upright position. To be honest I ride hybrid because of price, but the bike I bought before my first hybrid was a touring bike, which I swapped out the drops for flats before I ever rode it. Nickel plated Ritchey stem, Salsa bars, Suntour thumbshifters, Diacompe brake levers, it was sweet. Totaled in an auto collision.

I feel like riding on the hoods is sketchy because if I have to stop really fast, I don't think I could brace myself very well. Riding in the drops is how I rode drops or holding onto the flat part or hoods when I knew I didn't need to brake. I never used brifters though which shifts the equation a lot. Hmm, maybe only the cost is why I'm still using flat bars...

I rode at least twice as far as you did today with risers, no bar ends.

I couldn't agree more -- absolutely right! Trick is to design a flat-bar bike AS a flat-bar bike, which means a longer top tube (relative to an equivalent drop bar bike), so that the rider can achieve a position which emulates the 'hoods' position on drops when riding on bar-ends.

So your emulating a drop bar bike......makes me wonder why you don't just get a drop bar bike?
Honestly just wondering. Not saying your wrong just trying to understand.

Its unfair to state that a hybrid does not do well at anything.

In fact, there are many things that make a hybrid wonderful. The longer wheel bases, the room for fenders, provisions for racks, many of them have suspension forks and/or seat posts. They're designed to be a comfortable ride.

That said, a hybrid would not be a good choice in stock form for:
Road racing - get a road bike
Mountain biking - get a mountain bike
Loaded Touring - get a touring bike
Cyclocross - get a cyclocross bike

Get the idea? They do lots of things well. Hybrids make good commuters, weekend casual rides, etc.

... so that the rider can achieve a position which emulates the 'hoods' position on drops when riding on bar-ends.

Actually, flat bars are typically set such that the grips are in the same position as the hoods on a drop bar. The bar ends are farther out there and may allow a position similar to being in the drops.

I rode at least twice as far as you did today with risers, no bar ends.
And did you have your elbows bent so far that you could move close to the handlebars in a more "aero" position? If you did, how long? Five miles? Probably not.

I still don't see what makes flat bar so appealing. Just the same as people don't see what makes drop bars so appealing.

To each their own.

Mike, I wasn't using flat bars, I was using risers without bar ends. My grips are a lower position relative to my saddle than your hoods are to your sadddle. I don't have to bend my elbows to get more aero than you.

Not everyone's main objective is to go faster than the other guy.

Statements like "hybrid bikes do nothing well" are complete crap and any person making such statements is most likely at one or the other extreme of the bike gamut (i.e., hardcore mtn or road bike rider) and won't see anything less than what's ideal for themselves as being good for anyone else.

Is this my cue to post pics of all my bikes...road, touring, xcross, city, hybrid, ss/fg & long bike - again?
Some of us have lots of bikes of all different sorts and, unlike the obvious one-bike-fits-all zealots (as you appear to be) can state our opinions objectively based on actual experience. Most hybrids are cheap bikes that do nothing well but fill a needed price point and general purpose. After over 40 years of riding bikes of all shapes and types (even a bent or two) I get a giggle out of posts like yours. Ya know what I use my hybrid for? A snow beater...cuz that's about all it is good for compared to my other bikes.

Bend your elbows. Put your chin on your bars and your parachute won't open.

or, ride a bike that naturally puts you in a more aero position? But hey, if putting lipstick on a pig is your thing... :lol:

or, ride a bike that naturally puts you in a more aero position? But hey, if putting lipstick on a pig is your thing... :lol:

Chip, my grips are a lower position relative to my saddle than your hoods are to your sadddle. I don't have to bend my elbows to get more aero than you.

So your emulating a drop bar bike......makes me wonder why you don't just get a drop bar bike?
Honestly just wondering. Not saying your wrong just trying to understand.

Fair enough:)
1. I do in fact like to ride a)long and b) reasonably quickly and efficiently, but also accumulate a lot of ride time commuting in traffic
2. I'm old:D (58), and have mild spinal stenosis and pretty extensive spinal (and elsewhere:() osteoarthritis (shoulders, wrists, thumbs etc)
3. If it matters, I do ride about 7000 kms./year or more (depending how long our bl__dy winters last:notamused:(I'm too old/decrepit to risk breaking a hip!) Usually at least one century a year included.

As I mentioned above, I am in fact picky about things like efficiency, fit etc., AND would, if I could, ride drops/full-on road bike. Problem is, I've tried -- twice in the past few years -- to 'convert', including professional fitting etc. Just can't get on with drops; just can't use the drop position itself, and do tend to prefer (if you will) the 'mtb-style' braking/shifting position. As I say, I've tried!

So, for me (can't generalize from this, but I think there's lots out there like me) flat bars properly set-up (and that, I believe, is the key) work extremely well. I do think that here in North America, as in Europe, that is why what we might call 'flat-bar road bikes' (and variations thereon) are selling increasingly well. As I've indicated now in a couple of posts in this thread, a 'conventional' or 'old-style' hybrid doesn't appeal to me at all -- I see nothing there that my 'roadified' hardtail doesn't do as well or better:) The new, properly-designed (in my view at least) generation of 'flat-bar road bikes' is a different matter, and I just might be tempted:D These do tend to get placed in the 'hybrid' category, hence my interest in this board.

Some of us have lots of bikes of all different sorts and, unlike the obvious one-bike-fits-all zealots (as you appear to be) can state our opinions objectively based on actual experience.
Wrong. I've owned many, many bikes of different types of the years. I'm hardly a one-size-fits-all zealot and do know of what I speak.

Perhaps this discussion would go better if you addressed the other aspects of my post rather than try to twist one small aspect of it into something that it's not directly about.

But the majority of cyclists do not care about outright speed. Alot of riders that I see on nice days here are casual weekend cyclists who just want to putter around and get in some fresh air and bit of exercise. Therefore why would they want to be crouch down and stick their arse out? :)

It's got nothing to do with speed...more to do with enjoyment. Much easier to enjoy the ride when you ain't having to fight the wind more than you have to. The fact that you think you gotta crouch down and stick your arse out on a drop bar bike just kinds bears out that you have little experience with drop bar bikes. :thumb: I can putter on my Superbe just fine, but the reason I have inverted albatross bars on my Big Dummy is because hauling groceries 5 miles uphill, or hauling a bunch of crap the wife bought in Amish country 40 miles home, is just a little bit easier if I ain't using my luscious bod as more of a wind catcher than it has to be.

I enjoy my bike just fine. Who are you to tell me (or anyone else) that it's not suitable for my needs?

Wrong. I've owned many, many bikes of different types of the years. I'm hardly a one-size-fits-all zealot and do know of what I speak.

Perhaps this discussion would go better if you addressed the other aspects of my post rather than try to twist one small aspect of it into something that it's not directly about.

Seems like you are the one who took issue with one of my posts...if I had a problem with other aspects of your post I would say so. I was just addressing the rubbish of thinking people that are not impressed with hybrids are some kind of one-bike zealot. When one spouts such nonsense I have my doubts that they know of what they speak. ;)

You're worried about aerodynamics at 5 mph?

I enjoy my bike just fine. Who are you to tell me (or anyone else) that it's not suitable for my needs?

Where did I say it wasn't suitable for your needs...or are you projecting my needs to yourself? Flattering, but dude, I don't swing that way. Ride what you want...but what works for you may not work for others.

You're worried about aerodynamics at 5 mph?

Ever ride into a 10-40mph wind? Did you enjoy it? Did you try to make yourself just a leeetle bit smaller to it? Are you sure you ride a bike?

Chip, my grips are a lower position relative to my saddle than your hoods are to your sadddle. I don't have to bend my elbows to get more aero than you.

I don't care how low your bars are...you are not more aero on flats than in drops or even on the hoods.


Put your arms in front of you, palms down. Now turn your wrists so your thumbs are up. I rest my case.

So your emulating a drop bar bike......makes me wonder why you don't just get a drop bar bike?
Honestly just wondering. Not saying your wrong just trying to understand.

You can only emulate drop bars if you put some kind of bar ends on the flat bar that allows you to turn your wrists perpendicular to the ground, rather than parallel.