hybrid distances
 

I originally bought a hybrid bike solely to commute to work, and it was my first bike in years. Now I am completely enjoying riding again and doing many rides just for the fun and exercise.

So the question to the group is this:

For those who have hybrids what is the most distance you've covered in a day?

I did a 25 mile loop this morning before work <- newbie.


Rob Perkins

Trek 7.2 fx
Bonty Aerobars
700X28 tires
SPD clipless

I've never actually owned a hybrid but I rented an ill-fitting, malfunctioning hybrid POS one year on vacation and rode that thing 20 -25 miles a day for a week. And it was a piece of crap!

There's no reason you can't ride one just as far as a road bike - you might be a little slower, but there's no other real restriction.

I've done 50 mile rides in a day with mine. Hoping to up that mileage in a given day soon though.

I did many [solo] metric (100 km / 62-ish miles) centuries on my "comfort" hybrid with no issues whatsoever. Keep the wheels turning and the distance can and will add up! :) As for speed, I only average maybe 1-2 mph greater on the road bike, not a huge improvement IMO. As they say it's not the bike it's the "motor" ( person ) on it, I've personally witnessed someone on a mountain bike with knobby tires finish a 50-miler faster than someone on a racing roadbike, of course there's always that one exception that stands out...

FWIW, there was a thread on BikeForums not too long ago about a guy riding across country on a NYC bikeshare "Citibike" - i don't recall the specifics but if someone can do that on one of those heavy rent-a-bikes I don't see why someone can't ride any sort of distance on a much lighter bike like the Trek 7.2 assuming the rider has the determination to ride far.

I did 75 miles once, and 100k another time :-).

I did a century on my hybrid.

I've done a metric century on mine with 4K feet of climb.

I did a 200k and three 100-mile rides on my Worksman cruiser. Not a hybrid, but still not the bike you'd normally use for that.

90 miles on a fully loaded Trek 8.4 DS (front suspension hybrid). When I say fully loaded, I mean with bags and tent and stuff. Bike and gear was 80 lbs.

I'm a newbie and I've done 32.5 mile on my Trek FX 7.3 - 6.5 miles in errands then a hop on a bus, ride the bus to the end of the line (the line has a dedicated bike path all along the entire route), ride bikes home for an additional 26 miles.

My roommate has a Marin hybrid that he uses as his road bike. He's ridden it on the StP (Seattle to Portland ride - 202 miles) 2-3 times.

I did a double century on my Trek 7.3 on the first day of summer of 2013. It was a ride called Summer Solstice 300K but I decided to go ahead and do 200 miles. Haven't done one since, but will eventually do another one.

good job OP! thinking about mine, 60-70 something I think, but I roadified mine with bars, tires & saddle

I have a Giant Escape 1 as well as a road bike. I prefer the Giant. I'm an overweight 61 year-old man and in the summer I ride my Giant 100 miles a week. This means riding it everyday when I can and on a few longer rides (30-plus miles). I've done 50-mile, 60-mile and even 100-mile rides and I ride with people on road bikes. I'm slower climbing but I'm faster descending. My point is this: If you like riding the bike and it's comfortable, don't worry about what kind of bike it is. The more you ride, the more you'll discover for yourself what you like and what you don't like. I do know a number of people who started on a hybrid (the Trek fx 7.2 is a very popular choice) and got a road bike after about a year and were glad they did. They appreciated the lighter bike. Maybe that is what you will do too. Good luck.

Some of your posts motivated me. I was on vacation last week - camping, took my bike.

Rode 4 days:
30 miles
30 miles
69 miles
49 miles.

35 mi on average

I took my hybrid on a ride to Germany (I live in the UK), my friend was on a mountain bike with road tyres. We did 4 days - 98 miles, 102 miles, 105 miles, 146 miles.

We were touring and spent most of the day in the saddle with stops for coffee, drinks, look at the map, enjoy the scenery.

This is going to seem like a stupid question. What is the difference (besides .1) in the Trek 7.2 and 7.3? What do those numbers refer to. I see a $200 price difference.

Those trek 7.2 looks like a really nice bike, is this a good bike for a Clyde. I don't want to go to my local bike shop, and have them look at me with a Oh Hell no look, when I ask to sit on one.

I got my answer from Trek Chat Customer Service:

I got my answer from trek:
Upgrades from 7.2 FX to the 7.3 FX:
Alloy fork w/tapered legs
Bontrager IsoZone handlebar
Shimano 27-speed drivetrain

Thy have a weight limit of 275 lbs.



They*

@NYSteve - the Sweethome/Wirecutter did extensive testing and decided that the Trek FX 7.2 is the best hybrid bike for most people. Here's the link - it's a great, long article that talks about other bikes as well: The Best Hybrid Bike | The Sweethome

They talk about the differences between the 7.2 and 7.3 and ultimately conclude that the differences are minor/not noticeable to most riders, and that the price of the 7.2 makes it the better pick. I disagreed, but mostly because of aesthetics - the 7.2 women's version in 2015 was either a creamy purple, or white, while the 7.3 had black with purple accents, or a sweet sea blue with red. Also aesthetically pleasing to me is that the cables are tucked neatly inside the frame, so it might be a matter of simple preference / affordability.

Just came back from Cycling the Erie canal in NY end to end, 386 miles on my Jamis Coda Hybrid, longest day was 63 miles, hybrids and flat bar bikes are much better on the back , 220 Lbs clyde myself.

It depends on your back. Road bikes actually put less loading on the back then the more upright position of hybrids and flat bar bikes.

GH

A couple of years ago I did a 70 mile group ride, and one of the riders was on a Jamis Coda Sport.

Respectfully, that website is worthless. First, in picking a bike, they focus on minor things, like tires and pedals, that will likely be replaced anyway. And, even in comparing tires, they basically lie. I suspect Trek paid them for the review. They latch onto perceived weaknesses of competitors.

For example, they implying the Jamis is heavy and sluggish, though not mentioning the weight of the Coda Sport, which if you look up the specs yourself is the same or slightly lighter than the Trek. Also criticizing Jamis for "downgrading" from a Shimano Chain to a KMC, despite the fact that at this price point, 8 speed chains are functionally identical. But, Trek downgraded the frame on the 7.2, but somehow, this is a minor downgrade most commuters won't notice. It is especially odd way to do reviews. If the consumer isn't satisfied with his chain, it is a $10 or $15 replacement item, which they will replace eventually anyway.

They prefer the Trek because it has puncture resistant tires and metal wrapped pedals. On the first point, I just checked Giant Escape 2 has puncture resistant tires, as does Jamis (Vittoria Randonneur) and Specialized Sirrus. So the one big feature is no feature at all. They all offer basically the same stock tires.

Pedals? To be honest, I take the stock pedals off all my bikes. For light use, the plastic pedals are fine. If you plan to commute or use the bike for more than occasional use, chances are you will be getting your own pedals anyway.

I am not saying the Trek is a bad choice, but it isn't clearly the universally best choice either. It is just one of a number of similar, or even identical choices in a crowded field of $450 to $500 bikes.

Maybe people on this forum will replace tires, pedals and chains, but the standard buyer won't until they need to. I am not saying people just blindly buy the FX, but it does lay out a few comparisons for people to find a starting point.

I personally have the Sirrus Sport, but my girlfriend rides a 7.2.

The thing about only Trek supplying puncture resistant tires is a flat out lie. If I were looking for an entry hybrid, I might consider the 7.2, but I might just as easily save a few bucks and go for a Giant Escape 2, or go steel with the Jamis Coda Sport.