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Will I regret getting a hybrid instead of a road bike?

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Will I regret getting a hybrid instead of a road bike?

Old 08-26-09, 05:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Timber_8
Why would they have flat bars, it isn't a requirement to have flat bars to carry extra wt. but you can't change the fact that a wider flat has greater stability, the wider the tripod the greater the stability that is basic geometry my friend It also offers greater leverage to power a heaver load again not a requirement but an advantage
Okay, let's run with this. So what you're saying is your bike (don't forget the aero bars ) fully loaded (2 racks/4 panniers) would be more stable and have greater leverage than say, a touring bike built specifically for this task?
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Old 08-26-09, 05:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Timber_8
I understand your analogy, Jack of all, master of none & too a degree you are correct. Hybrids cover many tasks. They are geared to pull trailers or loaded panniers great for shopping, kid hauling, the same bike can be used for commuting to work or school at a decent speed. Flat bars offer better control when carrying extra loads. Clearer view and comfort with there upright position. It's ability to cover many terrains and climb hills with a load. I agree it is not a choice for everyone but these characteristics are valuable to many, People living car free, Commuters, Couriers, Homemakers, not to mention it is the ultimate 2nd bike for people running carbon. But then there are always going to be people that feel that because they have no use for it that nobody should have a use for it, Go Figure
I can do all that and more on my commuter


on my touring bike


and even on my big dummy.


But I do have a hybrid for getting trashed in the salt and snow...


fyi, the bars on the Big Dummy and the Superbe are wider than those on the hybrid...go figure.
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Old 08-26-09, 06:16 PM
  #103  
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Originally Posted by mijome07
Okay, let's run with this. So what you're saying is your bike (don't forget the aero bars ) fully loaded (2 racks/4 panniers) would be more stable and have greater leverage than say, a touring bike built specifically for this task?
Yes
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Old 08-26-09, 06:22 PM
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I love those Big Dummy's, I believe you can do all that with every bike you have
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Old 08-26-09, 06:35 PM
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There are BF members who have toured on their hybrids (fully loaded) with great success. Also depends on how you load your bike. I just thought a touring bike with a longer wheelbase and wider drop bars would be more stable. Cheers.
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Old 08-26-09, 06:36 PM
  #106  
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You will regret it! buy a road bike!
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Old 08-26-09, 06:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Timber_8
I love those Big Dummy's, I believe you can do all that with every bike you have
Not all of them, these three have some limitations:

Not suited for carrying large loads (in addition to me), bad weather or off-pavement.


Not suited for carrying large loads (in addition to me), I can jury-rig fenders if needed and it goes off road fine.


Not suited for long, steep climbs
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Old 08-26-09, 06:39 PM
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why don't you ride a road bike to see if you enjoy it more? A little over a year ago, I never would have predicted that I would be an avid cyclist. It came from riding a road bike for the first time in my life. Nothing like it.

For around the $1200 you were planning to spend on a hybrid (better be one nice hybrid), you could get a very nice entry-level road bike. At this price point, you can get a nice frame and components that will neither fail nor frustrate you.
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Old 08-26-09, 07:29 PM
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I'm not in the Bicycle business or the Hybrid business. I just point out the things I feel are appropriate to the discussion, I just happen to like my hybrid, I don't believe I have ever trashed or discounted the value of any other style of Bicycle. I believe all of them have there strong points & weak points. What matters most is the people simply enjoy there rides
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Old 08-26-09, 07:51 PM
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Originally Posted by mijome07
There are BF members who have toured on their hybrids (fully loaded) with great success. Also depends on how you load your bike. I just thought a touring bike with a longer wheelbase and wider drop bars would be more stable. Cheers.
I bet it would be a more comfortable ride
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Old 08-27-09, 10:15 AM
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Originally Posted by njkayaker

The lines between bicycle types are fuzzy. It appears that, now, "classic" hybrids are "tamer" than mountain bikes for more casual riders. And that "performance hybrids" like the Quick are more for less casual riders who (for some reason) need or want a more upright position than a road bike or don't like dropped bars. (Note that the default position of the Quick is less upright than the Anventure.)
And the line between a hard tail MTB and "hybrid" can be non-existent. I know a guy who built up one of the old hard tail Kona Hei Hei's as a 17lb singlespeed - with off road tyres. So you certainly can't say the difference is weight. (The bike I most want in the world is a 17" Hei Hei with pre suspension adjusted geometry - I'll then fit it with Sala Bell Lap drops, Campag road shifters, and Rubino Pro slicks, a Nexus hub and JTEK shifter. Big fat cost aside, pre-suspension Hei Heis are very rare, so I'll probably never get to do this! I am building up a cromo Lava Dome with the same geometry as a derailered 26 drop handle bike.)

I like the looks of that!
https://www.cotic.co.uk/product/roadrat
Reviews are very enthusiastic. The geometry is very close to a classic Kona Hei Hei or Lava Dome, btw.

The 7.x FX series looks OK to me and appears to be very similar to the Quick line.
I think the lower end 7 series are the default safe to buy, easy to find bike.

A bike with drops isn't faster unless you ride in the drops, which most people appear to do only occasionally.
Indeed. Possibly because today's race bikes are over-demanding on average body types, making the drops much less usable.

But a more-skillful rider is hopefully going to make this occurance [hitting a pot hole while evading a truck] a rare one!
Certainly. Cycling isn't dangerous enough to that your primary focus in buying a bike should be safety. However, most riders - even people who have spent $3000 on a road bike - have very poor skills, and even fewer understand the performance characteristics of the bikes they ride. (A good example would be that so many people can't manage a decent emergency braking manouver, as Sheldon Brown said.)

Still, if a friend of mine was going to start riding in NY or London with no previous experience, I'd recommend a flat barbike with fast but wide tyres (and wide tyres can be very fast, if you're willing to pay for that much low hysteresis rubber).

I think the a suspension fork on a hybrid appeals to people who think that it will make the bike more comfortable.
They're pure marketing and to be despised for that reason. I understand the Cannondales with sus-forks do ride well. I still hate them for adding an expensive unnecessary component just to sell the bike - a totally rigid bike could give the same quality ride for much less.

Last edited by meanwhile; 08-27-09 at 10:30 AM.
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Old 08-27-09, 10:29 AM
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Originally Posted by mijome07
Okay, let's run with this. So what you're saying is your bike (don't forget the aero bars ) fully loaded (2 racks/4 panniers) would be more stable and have greater leverage than say, a touring bike built specifically for this task?
For most of the countries where people cycle in large numbers a tourer *is* what you'd call a hybrid, fitted with euro-style trekking bars - flat bars with built in extensions. The drop handle bike that you think of as a tourer is a nostalgia piece produced in tiny numbers.
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Old 08-27-09, 03:07 PM
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Originally Posted by meanwhile
For most of the countries where people cycle in large numbers a tourer *is* what you'd call a hybrid, fitted with euro-style trekking bars - flat bars with built in extensions. The drop handle bike that you think of as a tourer is a nostalgia piece produced in tiny numbers.
I would think of those *bikes you speak of* as commuter bikes.
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Old 08-27-09, 03:15 PM
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We're moving off topic here.

I still want to know what bike(s) the OP bought.
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Old 08-27-09, 03:18 PM
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I think he was looking at folding bikes now
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Old 08-27-09, 03:41 PM
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Originally Posted by Boudicca
We're moving off topic here.

I still want to know what bike(s) the OP bought.
He went with the Quick 3 (it appears) from a thread in the hybrid forum.
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Old 08-27-09, 05:08 PM
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Originally Posted by njkayaker
He went with the Quick 3 (it appears) from a thread in the hybrid forum.
Thank you.

Good to have that one sorted out.

You can get back to the other ranting now if you wish.
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Old 08-28-09, 03:11 AM
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Originally Posted by mijome07
For most of the countries where people cycle in large numbers a tourer *is* what you'd call a hybrid, fitted with euro-style trekking bars - flat bars with built in extensions. The drop handle bike that you think of as a tourer is a nostalgia piece produced in tiny numbers.
I would think of those *bikes you speak of* as commuter bikes.
I'm sure that you think a lot of things, but I'm puzzled why you think anyone would care.

Trekking bars are designed for (doh!) trekking/touring and that's how Europeans use them. They'd be lousy bars for the typical European urban commute because the extra positions aren't needed for short journeys and they take your hands away from the levers.

Cf flats and trekkers:



Trekking bar positions:


Last edited by meanwhile; 08-28-09 at 03:14 AM.
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Old 08-28-09, 12:30 PM
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Originally Posted by meanwhile
And the line between a hard tail MTB and "hybrid" can be non-existent. I know a guy who built up one of the old hard tail Kona Hei Hei's as a 17lb singlespeed
I don't doubt that. It is somewhat confusing to talk about old bicycles.

Originally Posted by meanwhile
Indeed. Possibly because today's race bikes are over-demanding on average body types, making the drops much less usable.
As far as I can tell from people I ride with, most good/fast riders spend most of the time on the hoods. (That doesn't mean the drops aren't useful.)

Originally Posted by meanwhile
The drop handle bike that you think of as a tourer is a nostalgia piece produced in tiny numbers.
In the US, a touring bike (like the Trek 520) is not usually equipped with trekking bars (trekking bars are quite rare in the US).

Last edited by njkayaker; 08-28-09 at 12:43 PM.
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Old 08-28-09, 03:03 PM
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[QUOTE=meanwhile;9571349]I'm sure that you think a lot of things, but I'm puzzled why you think anyone would care.

Trekking bars are designed for (doh!) trekking/touring and that's how Europeans use them. They'd be lousy bars for the typical European urban commute because the extra positions aren't needed for short journeys and they take your hands away from the levers.

Don't get butt-hurt over it.
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Old 08-28-09, 03:53 PM
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Originally Posted by Boudicca
We're moving off topic here.

I still want to know what bike(s) the OP bought.
I think he got a hybrid sports car instead.

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Old 08-28-09, 08:33 PM
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Originally Posted by wunderkind
I think he got a hybrid sports car instead.


He'll want a folder with that car!
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Old 08-29-09, 09:23 AM
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Originally Posted by mijome07
Originally Posted by meanwhile
I'm sure that you think a lot of things, but I'm puzzled why you think anyone would care.

Trekking bars are designed for (doh!) trekking/touring and that's how Europeans use them. They'd be lousy bars for the typical European urban commute because the extra positions aren't needed for short journeys and they take your hands away from the levers.
Don't get butt-hurt over it.
Why aren't I surprised that you can't tell the saddle end of a bike from the end with the bars!

(Or turn a witty insult. As opposed to an insult that's wit-free...)
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Old 08-29-09, 11:11 AM
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Originally Posted by alhedges
He'll want a folder with that car!
You mean like this one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs2Q-KaeICQ
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Old 08-29-09, 01:24 PM
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I purchased a comfort bike for the trails, and a quality road bike for the roads. I love them both and alternate between road and trail rides. Keeps things from getting boring.
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