How much should a hybrid cost?
09-14-09, 11:04 AM
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How much should a hybrid cost?
09-14-09, 11:16 AM
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It depends on the class of Hybrid. Commuter or recreational models can go for three to six hundred. FlatBar rod bikes providing a more aggressive, forward leaning position can cost a few hundred to almost two thousand. These days hybrids can be very upright. I suggest that you read the Jamis site, it's a very simple site and will show you the types. Other sites can be viewed also. Anything can be called a hybrid, yet hybrids can be called other names ; cross trainers, street bikes as well as those I'd stated. Clicking on the pictures will help you sort it out.
09-14-09, 11:22 AM
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I'm not sure if this fits the exact purpose of this thread. I've found someone selling a 2007 Specialized Sirrus Comp for around $350 and was wondering if that was a good price?
09-14-09, 11:24 AM
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I bought my Fuji Absolute 4.0 at Performance (retail) for $250 at an end of season sale last year. I think you can get a decent bike to start with that will allow you to upgrade to better components over time and still get that initial feel for riding the bike up front.
09-14-09, 11:26 AM
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Like many things inb life, if you walk into a sales floor and ask how much XXX should cost, the salesperson will try to diplomatically find out how much you have...
Just go to your local acar dealer and ask the same question about a car, and you will probably be asked how much you have for a down payment, and how much you want to pay monthly... then they will start to sell you a car that sells for a little more than that.
For a hybrid, I would personally try to set a budget of at least $300 to get a fairly robust and durable bike if I was buying new. If you can afford more, you will get a better bike.
Just go to your local acar dealer and ask the same question about a car, and you will probably be asked how much you have for a down payment, and how much you want to pay monthly... then they will start to sell you a car that sells for a little more than that.
For a hybrid, I would personally try to set a budget of at least $300 to get a fairly robust and durable bike if I was buying new. If you can afford more, you will get a better bike.
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09-14-09, 11:36 AM
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aka Phil Jungels
It all boils down to how much money you have, and how much you are willing to part with???
If it's new, or in exceptionally good shape, I'd jump in on that Sirrus, if it fit! I'd tell my wife, later.......
If it's new, or in exceptionally good shape, I'd jump in on that Sirrus, if it fit! I'd tell my wife, later.......
Last edited by Wanderer; 09-14-09 at 11:40 AM.
09-14-09, 12:15 PM
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I think the better question ought to be: "why is there so much apparent scorn for people willing to spend a $1,000 or more on a hybrid?"
I mean if that is the type of ride we like and want the "best" we can afford, how is it any different than spending that or more on any other type of bike? Don't quite grok the hostility.
I mean if that is the type of ride we like and want the "best" we can afford, how is it any different than spending that or more on any other type of bike? Don't quite grok the hostility.
09-14-09, 02:07 PM
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Yeah, I've basically told the guy I want to buy it. It has less than 150 miles on it and appears to be in like new condition. Perfect size, too. Thought the price was good, but wasn't sure. Thanks.
09-14-09, 02:57 PM
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09-14-09, 05:07 PM
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Getting back on subject, much of the price is determined by how thge bike is equipped. Alivio grade components or lower will be relatively inexpensive at $300 to $400. Something like the Civia Hyland Rohloff equipped with dynamo hub, rack, fenders, Alfine level hydraulic disc brakes, Thompson components and Fizik saddle etc is in the $3500 price range.
Like almost any category of bike, except possibly cruisers, the price range is at least 10 to 1 from most to least expensive within the category. And this excludes true custom made bikes.
Like almost any category of bike, except possibly cruisers, the price range is at least 10 to 1 from most to least expensive within the category. And this excludes true custom made bikes.
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09-14-09, 05:26 PM
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Then one might say that alot of mtb and roadies are being used leisurely and one is correct too. However it is the intended purpose of the bicycles that drive the acceptable price bracket.
For me, I wouldn't want to spend more than $700 on a hybrid. Why because the bike will not need such exacting quality for day to day riding around. YMMV of course.
09-14-09, 05:29 PM
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09-14-09, 08:08 PM
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lucky you. i wish i was close to chicago. i could bargain that 7.5 fx i wanted for under $700.
the 7.5s are all out of stock here in philly. i want it in white - not the 2010 colors
maybe next august. do my wallet some good.
the 7.5s are all out of stock here in philly. i want it in white - not the 2010 colors
maybe next august. do my wallet some good.
09-14-09, 11:43 PM
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Then find me an internationally recognized event that hybrids are used? Last I check TDF and the like are all road bikes. And X-Games had not a single hybrid in it.
Last edited by wunderkind; 09-14-09 at 11:47 PM.
09-15-09, 01:34 AM
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I have no idea what you're talking about. You go from one thing to another and offer no connection or clarification along the way. How did we get from "hybrids are generally ridden in a more gentle way" to "find me an internationally recognized event that hybrids are used"? Weird.
At any rate, this has nothing to do with the topic of this discussion (which is actually taking place in another thread).
At any rate, this has nothing to do with the topic of this discussion (which is actually taking place in another thread).
09-15-09, 05:50 AM
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I guess unlike road bikes or MTBs, hybrids are generally ridden in a more gentle way (not subjected to harsh conditions like MTBs or max velocity required for roaddies). By and large, hybrid riders usually go on MUPs or paved roads for commutes and leisure rides. So with that in mind, the components and frame do not need to be in high-grade.
09-15-09, 06:39 AM
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A Trek 7.2 is an adequate bike. It will go faster and ride better with $80 spent on decent tyres and $20 on Kool Stop brake pads. If you want the bike to go faster, then you can swap the stem for a longer one and get better aero - this will cost about $40. BMX pedals are more secure and provide better power transfer for about $20. Ergon grips are always a good option.
So the question a rational person will ask himself or herself is How much extra does a bike costing more than an upgraded 7.2 give me, and do I need it?
What you can't buy is substantially more speed - manufacturers like to imply you can, but other than going to a drop handle or bull horn bike this isn't true. Even cheap frames and powertrains are very efficient; once you've cutting rolling resistance by fitting good tyres there is nothing left to optimize. Yes, if you've got cash handy a 7.5 might feel a little "nicer" and there's nothing wrong with that.
Comfort is a matter of tyres, fit, and the saddle - so nothing to be done there.
Probably the best upgrades you can buy are:
- Internal gear hubs for reduced maintenance (but make sure your LBS is competent to trouble shoot an IGH - this is new technology)
- Disc brakes, if they're good ones. Maybe/depending.
- A tougher frame if you're going adventure touring - this probably means a boutique cromo bike like a Roadrat, Cross Check or Karate Monkey. An average LBS won't stock them.
If you have money left after buying a 7.2 or 7.5 Disc and upgraded tyres, then my suggestion is to think about buying the best possible cycling clothes - premium merino wool T's, an Event rain shell (much better than Goretex if you can afford it), a Paramo Velez for riding in the autum or winter, Sealskinz gloves and socks. And good lights if you're riding at night and a hydration pack if you're planning all-day rides.
Don't forget a chain cleaner and a good pump with a tyre gauge - using both regularly will have more of an effect on speed then spending any amount of cash on carbon fibre.
So the question a rational person will ask himself or herself is How much extra does a bike costing more than an upgraded 7.2 give me, and do I need it?
What you can't buy is substantially more speed - manufacturers like to imply you can, but other than going to a drop handle or bull horn bike this isn't true. Even cheap frames and powertrains are very efficient; once you've cutting rolling resistance by fitting good tyres there is nothing left to optimize. Yes, if you've got cash handy a 7.5 might feel a little "nicer" and there's nothing wrong with that.
Comfort is a matter of tyres, fit, and the saddle - so nothing to be done there.
Probably the best upgrades you can buy are:
- Internal gear hubs for reduced maintenance (but make sure your LBS is competent to trouble shoot an IGH - this is new technology)
- Disc brakes, if they're good ones. Maybe/depending.
- A tougher frame if you're going adventure touring - this probably means a boutique cromo bike like a Roadrat, Cross Check or Karate Monkey. An average LBS won't stock them.
If you have money left after buying a 7.2 or 7.5 Disc and upgraded tyres, then my suggestion is to think about buying the best possible cycling clothes - premium merino wool T's, an Event rain shell (much better than Goretex if you can afford it), a Paramo Velez for riding in the autum or winter, Sealskinz gloves and socks. And good lights if you're riding at night and a hydration pack if you're planning all-day rides.
Don't forget a chain cleaner and a good pump with a tyre gauge - using both regularly will have more of an effect on speed then spending any amount of cash on carbon fibre.
09-15-09, 06:54 AM
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As for "hard like a road bike" - sure. You're just as fit as those guys who train 15 hours a week with power meters doing hill intervals to raise their lactate levels, and who spend their off bike time stretching, reading their coaches emails, and sending blood samples to their lab. Obviously! You could probably enter a Cat 1 race and win any time you like! So there is no doubt at all that your frame takes the same sort of hammering that a real athlete will give to a racing frame. None. Completely!
Seriously: while by definition not as tough as an MTB, a decent hybrid should survive anything that a road bike can. But that doesn't require as much engineering as the road bike needs - because the hybrid doesn't have the same design restrictions on weight, frame angles, tyre type, etc. I know a guy who rides a 1950's club racer (basically a Sirrus like hybrid - but rather nicer) as his main bike. It's still fine after half a century of thrashing because the frame wasn't pared down to the absolute minimum to reduce weight.
09-15-09, 07:05 AM
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(I ride a cross bike with a very expensive Italian power train - and I know exactly why. "Appreciation" is not the reason!)
Good brakes are awfully good to have when pedaling fast downhill on the streets in town.
www.sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html
(Although discs are better in the wet.)
And will anyone blame me for choosing the saddle that fits my sit-bones, even though it's a bit spendy?
09-15-09, 07:08 AM
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(yes,internationally recognized event,do your own Googling)
Also,I dare say that city living(commuting,exercise,grocery hauling,being locked up outside) in all weather is prolly just as abusive over time as any road or MTB race. The average rider also keeps their machine for many 'seasons',and doesn't have a team of professional mechanics going over the bike after every ride and sponsors to upgrade the components every year.
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09-15-09, 07:50 AM
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09-15-09, 07:51 AM
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Also,I dare say that city living(commuting,exercise,grocery hauling,being locked up outside) in all weather is prolly just as abusive over time as any road or MTB race.
The average rider also keeps their machine for many 'seasons',and doesn't have a team of professional mechanics going over the bike after every ride and sponsors to upgrade the components every year.
Really - I hope I'm not just being grumpy with flu, but there is a reason why hardtail MTBs cost more and weigh more than hybrids. It's the cost of more and (ideally) tougher metal and first rate welding, tougher quality control. There's nothing wrong with a hybrid because it is made lighter and cheaper - lighter and cheaper is better for what hybrid customers need. But you shouldn't expect epics of endurance like:
This is not a garage queen, it is a daily rider, and is showing the signs of twenty years of use, and is a Frankenbike, so the purists might want to look away now.
I have owned this bike since 1992 (ish), I paid the princely sum of £35 and two pints of cider for it, and it came in bits in a box. The seat post was stuck solid, and even then it was a hotchpotch of bits.
This bike has seen service as a weekend rider and everyday commuter (30 miles a day for a while). It has sported racks and panniers and been used as a tourer, and was ridden from Tel Aviv to Cairo years ago. It has seen service as a courier bike in London, the only change I made was putting a road crank on it, so its paid for itself and the bits that have gone on it over the years.
Its been used as a pub bike, left out in the rain and even jumped into the sea from the harbour wall at Lynmouth. Its been crashed, bashed and generally mistreated, but has never let me down.
It is currently painted in a very unflattering shade of 'too fugly to steal' rattle can black, which seems to be effective, as the last colour it sported was 'to fugly to steal' rattle can red, and that was on the bike for over ten years, and it never got stolen, despite being left in some dodgy areas including being left unlocked outside a bar in Eilat for over 24 hours before I remembered where I had been drinking the night before.
It is still used almost daily, only last week it was towing a trailer full of live chickens back to our house.
I have other bikes, but they all seem to stay in the garage, I love this bike and just don't want to ride the others. Its far from perfect, the top tube is dented and its too small for me, but its been that way since I bought it, and I still love it.
One day it will be returned to its pistachio coloured glory and be hung in my lounge as remembrance of its greatness, but only after I get too decrepit to ride it any more, and only if my son won't ride it.
I have owned this bike since 1992 (ish), I paid the princely sum of £35 and two pints of cider for it, and it came in bits in a box. The seat post was stuck solid, and even then it was a hotchpotch of bits.
This bike has seen service as a weekend rider and everyday commuter (30 miles a day for a while). It has sported racks and panniers and been used as a tourer, and was ridden from Tel Aviv to Cairo years ago. It has seen service as a courier bike in London, the only change I made was putting a road crank on it, so its paid for itself and the bits that have gone on it over the years.
Its been used as a pub bike, left out in the rain and even jumped into the sea from the harbour wall at Lynmouth. Its been crashed, bashed and generally mistreated, but has never let me down.
It is currently painted in a very unflattering shade of 'too fugly to steal' rattle can black, which seems to be effective, as the last colour it sported was 'to fugly to steal' rattle can red, and that was on the bike for over ten years, and it never got stolen, despite being left in some dodgy areas including being left unlocked outside a bar in Eilat for over 24 hours before I remembered where I had been drinking the night before.
It is still used almost daily, only last week it was towing a trailer full of live chickens back to our house.
I have other bikes, but they all seem to stay in the garage, I love this bike and just don't want to ride the others. Its far from perfect, the top tube is dented and its too small for me, but its been that way since I bought it, and I still love it.
One day it will be returned to its pistachio coloured glory and be hung in my lounge as remembrance of its greatness, but only after I get too decrepit to ride it any more, and only if my son won't ride it.
awesome.
I plan to trail and XC race this frame 'till end of time.
we have survived many fine crashes together on big mountains, the most painful from Butchers Creek and Second Divide (the lesser known trail than Third Divide, yet satisfying). I dig all the paint scratches and scars on my stout and lively frame. I don't mind buffing out the rust and coating with varish. I keep it inside (and locked).
I have replaced all part from the frame at least twice...
Considering Rohloff hub geared drive train, Magura Thor 100/140mm 20mm TA fork, and ceramic bearing UST disk wheelset.
Best "upgrade" so far -- local builder Bernie Mickelson brazed on disk tabs, YEAHH
and did a masterful job. Thank you, Bernie.
While I'm shopping for a 140~160mm light AM bike and will, in good time, a Kona StabDelux bike for WC level DH bike to supplement, my main ride, Lava Dome, can handle majority of my off-road saddle time.
If you can find a used steel Lava Dome or a similar steel Kona HT (or Vodoo, both are designed by Joe Murray) then grab it.
I plan to trail and XC race this frame 'till end of time.
we have survived many fine crashes together on big mountains, the most painful from Butchers Creek and Second Divide (the lesser known trail than Third Divide, yet satisfying). I dig all the paint scratches and scars on my stout and lively frame. I don't mind buffing out the rust and coating with varish. I keep it inside (and locked).
I have replaced all part from the frame at least twice...
Considering Rohloff hub geared drive train, Magura Thor 100/140mm 20mm TA fork, and ceramic bearing UST disk wheelset.
Best "upgrade" so far -- local builder Bernie Mickelson brazed on disk tabs, YEAHH
and did a masterful job. Thank you, Bernie.While I'm shopping for a 140~160mm light AM bike and will, in good time, a Kona StabDelux bike for WC level DH bike to supplement, my main ride, Lava Dome, can handle majority of my off-road saddle time.
If you can find a used steel Lava Dome or a similar steel Kona HT (or Vodoo, both are designed by Joe Murray) then grab it.
My own Lava Dome is an 88, btw. When I bought it the bike was on its way to finishing at least its second groupset of high end off road components - the hell had been beaten out of them by wear and corrosion, which takes a hell of a lot. Except for paint worn off by chain slap and greying lacquer, the frame is still perfect.
09-15-09, 09:28 AM
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But riding a hybrid is not riding a mtn bike. If someone rode a hybrid like a mtn bike it would surely fail. Just like if I drove my Porsche 911 alongside of my 4x4 buddy's up an old logging road, it would be inadequate for a purpose that it was not designed for -- it doesn't mean that the Porsche is any less a vehicle or that it's not capable for it's intended purpose, just that it's designed for a specific purpose. It's hardly apples to apples. In the case of hybrids, it's not reasonable to expect the bike to perform as a full on mtn bike. Not sure what the point of your post is.
09-15-09, 09:30 AM
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Ultimately, even if it's the wrong bike for the guy, if he wants it and he has the money for it, he's fine to buy it. The purchaser is ultimately responsible for how his money is spent, whether you think it's the best decision or not. That's the way it works.
Last edited by WCoastPeddler; 09-15-09 at 09:41 AM. Reason: typo