MacAttack

I'm shopping for my first bike in 15 years and the choices have me confused.
I narrowed it down to a hybrid bike that leans more towards the road side of the equation, or a cylcocross.

What I don't understand is why would anyone buy a typical hybrid when a cyclocross is better on the road and better on the trail? (at least that's what I've gotten from all that I've read).

I think that's my last question, and then I'll pick a bike.

KevinF

Not everyone likes cyclo-cross bikes because:

• For some people, the drop-style handlebars that are prevalent on cross bikes leads to neck and back discomfort. This can usually be alleviated by a good fitting session, but not all shops are "good".
• Also, cross bikes aren't very common in the shops I've been to. Many people probably don't even know that they're an option. If you're just casually looking at bikes, then cross and road bikes look virtually identical.

Fastdrive

I agree with Kevin. On my hybrid I only had to get used to the saddle but had no neck or shoulder pain. On my cross bike it took about 100 miles and constant reminder on proper road bike form to alleviate the shoulder pains. I still find the hybrid more comfortable but maybe I need to out more miles Into the cross bike.

Also only 1 out of 5 LBS that I visited had cross bikes in stock or to try out.

Buzzbait

At my LBS, the cyclocross bikes were about a million miles out of price range. The hybrids were not.

spooner

I think the hybrids favor the mountain bike side.

The cyclocross favors the road side.

So I'm thinking it goes like this:

road--cx--hybrid--mtb

I just bought a CX from BD and so far so good. I swapped out the tires for some 700x25c and I'm riding it stock for now. Will be adding a rack, fenders, and panniers later.

dynaryder

Price and usage. Cross bikes are more expensive mostly due to the brifters,which cost alot more than flat bar controls. Also,the extra hand positions are pretty much moot if you're riding around a city. You generally aren't going more than a couple miles,and you can't go very far without having to come to a stop,which means you can let go of the bars and sit up. Why pay extra money for something you don't need?

edit: forgot to add that many cross bikes have cyclocross gearing;usually something like a 46/36 up front with a road cluster in the rear. This gives a much narrower gear range that the typical hybrid.