ronilmehta
09-09-10, 03:57 AM
I've been hearing about Hybrid bikes but cudn't actually make out what is it... are cannondale
bikes one of them...Seriously confusing..somebody tell me!
bikes one of them...Seriously confusing..somebody tell me!
Hybrid Bicycles - somebody tell me!
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khutch
09-09-10, 07:11 AM
There are several kinds of specialized bicycles: road bikes, mountain bikes, touring bikes, cargo bikes, folding bikes, and cruiser bikes to name the ones that come to mind. Each has features that are intended to make them ideal for their primary purpose. A hybrid bike is a bike that includes features from two or more of the above and it is intended to be used for a variety of purposes. Normally people consider hybrid bikes to be a combination of mountain and road bike features but they generally have or can take the racks you would find on a touring bike, use wheels and tires a touring bike would use, and may have the fenders you would find on cruiser bikes. Hybrid bikes generally use flat mountain bike handlebars but a few have road bike drop bars and many of us put "butterfly" or trekking handlebars borrowed from the touring bike crowd on our hybrids. Some hybrids have frames very much like a road bike frame, others have frames like a rigid mountain bike, and others yet have light duty suspension forks like a hardtail mountain bike though most hybrids use 700c wheels so the ones with suspension forks are a bit like light duty 29er's. If you only do one kind of riding or are willing to buy a separate bike for each purpose a hybrid is not for you. If you mostly ride on roads or asphalt paths but like to run on limestone or gravel paths too a "performance hybrid" can be ideal. If you like to ride on mild dirt trails, limestone and gravel paths, and some road riding too a "path" or "trail" hybrid which will often have a suspension fork and be ideal for you.
I don't believe there is any manufacturer that makes only hybrid bicycles. Most of the major brands make some hybrids. The Cannondale Quick bikes are performance hybrids, the Adventure and Comfort series are trail hybrids. More or less, I am sure some would argue.... Trek, Fuji, Jamis, Kona, Giant, Marin all also make hybrids and are beloved brands by large contingents here and I have probably slighted a brand or two with intending too. Very few web sites list their hybrid bikes under the name hybrid which makes it difficult for newbies to find them. They are often called path, trail, city, urban, lifestyle, recreation, etc, etc, etc, almost anything but hybrid. I don't know why, do the manufacturers feel that the term hybrid carries a stigma they are trying to avoid?
Everyone knows that the one thing you don't do with a hybrid is race it and many would argue that I left cyclocross bikes off the list of "pure" types above. I would argue that cyclocross bikes are hybrids that are designed for that kind of racing. Whether you accept that or not, if you are in the market for a performance hybrid the cyclocross bikes have many of the same characteristics and they are well worth considering too.
Perhaps you can tell from the above that the term "hybrid bicycle" is a bit fuzzy and ill-defined. That is the nature of the beast but I hope these comments help.
Ken
I don't believe there is any manufacturer that makes only hybrid bicycles. Most of the major brands make some hybrids. The Cannondale Quick bikes are performance hybrids, the Adventure and Comfort series are trail hybrids. More or less, I am sure some would argue.... Trek, Fuji, Jamis, Kona, Giant, Marin all also make hybrids and are beloved brands by large contingents here and I have probably slighted a brand or two with intending too. Very few web sites list their hybrid bikes under the name hybrid which makes it difficult for newbies to find them. They are often called path, trail, city, urban, lifestyle, recreation, etc, etc, etc, almost anything but hybrid. I don't know why, do the manufacturers feel that the term hybrid carries a stigma they are trying to avoid?
Everyone knows that the one thing you don't do with a hybrid is race it and many would argue that I left cyclocross bikes off the list of "pure" types above. I would argue that cyclocross bikes are hybrids that are designed for that kind of racing. Whether you accept that or not, if you are in the market for a performance hybrid the cyclocross bikes have many of the same characteristics and they are well worth considering too.
Perhaps you can tell from the above that the term "hybrid bicycle" is a bit fuzzy and ill-defined. That is the nature of the beast but I hope these comments help.
Ken
Wanderer
09-09-10, 07:51 AM
Wow, Ken, nice job!
AdelaaR
09-09-10, 08:55 AM
Wow, Ken, nice job!
Uhuh :D
I hereby offically nominate Ken as our hybrid spokesperson ;)
Uhuh :D
I hereby offically nominate Ken as our hybrid spokesperson ;)
Exit3
09-09-10, 04:34 PM
Maybe he could explain the difference between the Quick series, quick CX, and the BadBoys? I can not decide which bike I should be dreaming about.
acidrock23
09-09-10, 06:03 PM
Everyone knows that the one thing you don't do with a hybrid is race it Ken
I would quibble that I totally race myself on my hybrid. I have a Garmin watch gizmo that MrsAcidRock originally got for me as I did a couple of 1/2 marathons in the spring and it was very useful for training. I have been biking more towards the end of the summer and it's also fun for that? It is very handy and has tons of useful features but I mostly watch average speed and am always racing something or other w/ myself, keep at a certain speed in wind, race faster for shorter rides, race faster on longer rides if there's no traffic, etc.? I don't really 'lose' when I have a 'clunker' but it's fun to have some numbers to keep an eye on? Other than that, I agree that was an awesome definition. The term is pretty nebulous but they are really nice bikes to ride!
I would quibble that I totally race myself on my hybrid. I have a Garmin watch gizmo that MrsAcidRock originally got for me as I did a couple of 1/2 marathons in the spring and it was very useful for training. I have been biking more towards the end of the summer and it's also fun for that? It is very handy and has tons of useful features but I mostly watch average speed and am always racing something or other w/ myself, keep at a certain speed in wind, race faster for shorter rides, race faster on longer rides if there's no traffic, etc.? I don't really 'lose' when I have a 'clunker' but it's fun to have some numbers to keep an eye on? Other than that, I agree that was an awesome definition. The term is pretty nebulous but they are really nice bikes to ride!
khutch
09-09-10, 09:25 PM
Maybe he could explain the difference between the Quick series, quick CX, and the BadBoys? I can not decide which bike I should be dreaming about.
I appreciate the kind words from the others but I am hardly the world's expert on hybrids, just the satisfied owner of a performance hybrid. I would say all of the Quick series are performance hybrids, from its name you would think the Quick CX would be a flat bar cyclocross bike. You can judge for yourself if you think that assessment holds up. The Bad Boys are ... unique. They are trail oriented but they are intended for urban riders. High speed urban riding through potholed streets and over curbs can be as demanding as 29er territory so it isn't surprising that trail bikes can make good urban bikes. And then the disk models can take either "29" or 26 inch wheels....
Ken
I appreciate the kind words from the others but I am hardly the world's expert on hybrids, just the satisfied owner of a performance hybrid. I would say all of the Quick series are performance hybrids, from its name you would think the Quick CX would be a flat bar cyclocross bike. You can judge for yourself if you think that assessment holds up. The Bad Boys are ... unique. They are trail oriented but they are intended for urban riders. High speed urban riding through potholed streets and over curbs can be as demanding as 29er territory so it isn't surprising that trail bikes can make good urban bikes. And then the disk models can take either "29" or 26 inch wheels....
Ken