Hybrid Bicycles - New to hybrids

Hey all, been riding sense i was 10 (give or take) and they have all been mountain bikes. Mostly Pacifics, and my newest one, which i got 10 years ago about is a giant ds 3. I am living in Washington D.C. right now and it sucks to have a truck and drive around the city. I have been looking at new bikes for a while and my brother just bought a specialized sirrus sport. I dont want the same bike as him, and truth be told, its not really my style. I much prefer the looks of the Cannondale Cx4 and maybe the quick 4. I dont really know all the differences between the two besides the cx4 has disc brakes and the quick 4 has the V brakes?

Some more that caught my eye are the Jamis Allegro 2, Bianchi Camaleonte 1 and the Scott sub 20, although the latter is a tad bit pricey.

I know that i will be happy with any of these and i am going to head out to some LBS to look at them and maybe take them for a spin but no one shop carrys all these bikes from what i see online. I will need to drive all over the city to different shops.

The Scott sub 20 i hear awesome things about, im guessing it has some decent components because of the price but i dont know whats good and whats not.

I am not set on any of these bikes but they are just the ones that caught my eye when i was window shopping online. Anyone have experience with one or a couple of these bikes? Is the scott worth the extra money? Differences between the CX 4 and the Quick 4?

Thanks in advance all
steve

I'm very familiar with the Cannondales, but unfortunately not the others. (If you put in links I'll take a quick look.)

Cannondale has a number of bikes that are closely related. For now let's just talk about the Quick, Quick CX and the Flash 29er. (Yep, a mountainbike!)

The Quick is a flatbar road bike. The series has v-brakes / rim brakes, rigid forks, and narrow chainstay & fork (which limits tire width). The Quick should be used on the road, just like a normal (dropbar) road bike. The wheels, fork, frame, etc aren't intended for offroad use or even jumping up & down curbs and sidewalks.

The Quick CX is a true hybrid. The low end ones have v-brakes and rigid fork, the more expensive discs and suspension forks. I believe that all of them with suspension forks have lockout, which is important for pedaling efficiency climbing a hill or sprinting. They have fair narrow frames and can only fit 35-40mm (1.3-1.5") tires. A Quick CX is durable enough to handle urban terrain such as curbs and potholes.

The Flash 29er is a 29" MTB. It has disc brakes and suspension fork, and a wide frame/fork that can take big 29x2.3" knobby tires. It can also mount 32-40mm hybrid tires for better on-road use. It is very durable and could handle just about anything you would encounter on or off road.


In general terms, the Quick is going to be the lightest and the Flash 29er the heaviest. The Quick shouldn't do any offroad more than a gravel road, the Quick CX can do on/offroad equally, and the 29er is best offroad but can get the job done on road if you don't mind being slower/working harder, or installing hybrid tires.

I assume you're going to be urban riding since you are in Washington DC. I would suggest the Quick CX.

Thank you for the reply. I just came back from my local rei store to look at the scott sub 20 and the quick. they do not have any quick cxs at the store, dont know if they carry them at all. they didnt stock any scotts either, so it was kind of a pointless trip but damn do the 29s look good. you are right, right now i will be doing mostly urban but i am from NJ and live right next to the Appalachian trail which i ride part of often, then take back roads to the deleware river and ride a dirt road for 10-15 miles until i get to a local highway. then its another 10ish miles until i reach the starting point. The CX is probably my best bet. Thank you for the help