So just exactly what IS a hybrid anyway?
 

My Specialized Sirrus Limited was really a "flat bar road bike" in that it had skinny high pressure tires, a carbon frame, and basically road componentry. It was fast, light, and to tell the truth not quite as comfortable for knocking around on the MUP's. After a few months I wanted more (or less). I really wanted a bit larger tires and a little less "twitchiness" if that's a word.

So I found this Specialized Crux Elite at my local LBS and fell in love. The drop bars really added some comfort, and the cyclocross tires gave me the option of light off-road sturdiness. But is a cyclocross bike a hybrid? It seems better suited for my fitness/recreational style of riding, and actually seems faster than the Limited. But at the same time, it's more comfortable, stable, and a lot less twitchy. Looks like a hybrid. Handles like a hybrid. Must be a hybrid!

http://i1050.photobucket.com/albums/...rux/file-9.jpg

It's a hybrid if you think it is. I thought a hybrid was an MTB frame with a mixture of road parts but somehow folks with flat bar road bikes started to appear in here so, it's any bike that can't appear in the 41 forum.

"flat bar road bike" = expensive hybrid

Cyclocross bikes are designed for racing (or at least styled like cyclocross racing bikes), though of course like road racing bikes, a lot of them are not always used for racing.

as it turns out, a softened cyclecross race bike makes a damn good all around road bike. the classic road bikes have all trended towards being full out road RACING bikes, and are a little too purpose-built now, while a CX bike is much more of an all-around ride. back when I rode '10 speeds' (as we called road bikes in the early/mid 70s), I always preferred a longer wheelbase touring oriented frame to a short wheelbase 'criterium' frame.

the one downside about a pure CX bike is they generally don't have the mounts for fenders, racks. there are some CX-like bikes which do, like several of the Surly lineup.

and yes, originally, Hybrids were street oriented mountain bikes, typically with 26" wheels, but more and more of them nowdays are 700c, which are more suitable for road riding. of course, 700c is the same rim size as '29er' albeit usually narrower. 700c hybrids go back at least 20 years, with bikes like the Specialized Crossroads.

A cyclocross bike looks like a road bike, but usually can fit much wider tires. Usually a CX bike will have more compact and relaxed geometry. A CX bike might also have derailleurs routed thru the top tube as opposed to the bottom bracket. Sometimes the bottom bracket is higher on a CX bike than on a regular road bike.

A hybrid is a bike that shares features of both road and mountain bikes. It almost always has flat-like handlebars and slightly wider tires than a regular road bike.

Sweet Bike!....been thinking bout that kind of bike...hadn't road one with drops since late 80's ..then my cousin came down from Atlanta with this...took it for a spin....kinda wished I'd hadn't got on it!
http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/c...G_0556-001.jpg

I think being capable of using 38 tires - most modern road bikes can't - has to do with being a hybrid.

My Schwinn is a MTB with a mix of MTB and road parts, and while it's obviously a hybrid in the sense that it literally is a cross between a road bike and MTB, the result mostly feels like riding a road bike to me. With how the word hybrid is used in regards to bikes, I'm not really sure if I consider it one.

The boundaries of a hybrid, road bike, cruiser, mountain bike etc are not well defined. Who cares, anyway? If someone you know does, I suggest you not listen to that person.

But your bikes core strength "frame" gives you the advantage over the road bike and then there's the advantage of more tire options. Would you ride as fast down a rough dirt road with a road bike? I know I wouldn't and I have the same style hybrid as you.

Exactly http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/a...icons00812.gif

Yea, who cares! My Kona was listed as an Asphalt bike. Now you got em listed as commuter, city, urban, fitness, exercise, comfort, fully rigid mtn like my Sawyer and etc. I had never heard of a Hybrid little over a year ago...seems like a CX bike would fit in too! Plus it's so easy to alter any bike these days!

except cyclocross bikes, they often take tires well up into the 40's

and many more touring oriented traditional road bikes now are taking wider tires, such as the Surly Long Haul Trucker, which take take up to 700x47 tires (without fenders, x42 with). While I suppose you could put flat bars on this and call it a hybrid, I call it a classic road/touring bike.

I got news for ya...

Your Sawyer ain't nuttin' but a Cruiser!!! :lol: :roflmao2: :lol:

You got that Right!:roflmao:

But I almost got it up to 30mph today!

:speedy::speedy::speedy::speedy::speedy::speedy:

The defining feature of a hybrid to me is that's usable both on and off road. That's what I like about the bike I have right now, which is a hybrid. CX-style bikes fit here as well IMO.

I don't really think flat bar road bikes are hybrids - no matter what those dweebs on the road bike forum think ;)

*ALL* bikes are usable on and off road.


heck, I used to ride the trails of Mt Tamalpais on my road bikes with tubular tires. AND we dragged up heavy steel frame 1940s schwinn cruisers and bomb the fire roads. And of course we all see people riding mountain bikes on the road (I suspect if you factor in total miles ridden and all mountain bikes, I bet there's far more pavement than dirt miles).

Damn! I sure did love those things...

Trek sure had it right that time! :thumb:


PS.

...Ain't nothing like a Sawyer!

Totally agree. If the road frame (relaxed, comfort , compact or traditional) has road calipers...it's a road bike. The bars make no difference.

It's like if "Bob" wears a ladies wig and dress at work. It's still "Bob", no matter what he says. I think the people with flat bar road bikes should create a Flat Bar thread on 41 and be proud. (like Bob ;))
I don't see why anyone would concider it a hybrid.

My thinking is that companies like Trek, Specialized and Giant market flat bar roadbikes as Hybrids, just to appeal to the customers who don't like to wear lycra. Of course many of those customers do end up wearing Lycra, and then buy a bike marketed as a road bike.

DISCLAIMER... BTW, If anyone on here is called Bob, I'm not suggesting you are a cross dresser.

EDIT...I created a thread for you proud flat bar dudes / dudettes.. http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...oad-Bikes-here

again, bikes like the Specialized Crossroads, with 700x38 wheels, 3x7 gearing, more or less flat bars, were marketed as hybrids 20 years ago (early 1990s)

here's a 1994 Crossroads...
http://lp1.pinkbike.org/p4pb5909555/p4pb5909555.jpg


I note that Wikipedia has a pretty good page on Hybrids, that further break them into a couple subcategories.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_bicycle

I agree, it's a hybrid. It has cantilever brakes not road calipers.

cantilever brakes were common on tandems and heavyweight touring bikes long before the first mountain bikes were made.

my 1983 Stumpjumper (2nd year of the first mass production mountain bike) came with french Mafac cantis, which were truly awful, I replaced them almost immediately with early Shimano cantilevers, which it still the to this day. The Mafac's stopped OK but they squealed something fierce, and there was nothing you could do to stop it. Those same canti's were used on 1970s vintage tandem and touring bikes.

Capable on both then. I felt squirrely riding modern road bikes even on gravel.

on said modern road bike, try a good tough 28c tire like a gator hardshell or even a CX tire instead of the more typical race-weenie 25c or worse 20-23c. lower the air pressure a bit, and a bit more in the front, and you'll find its not bad at all on gravel. ride lightly, steer around the bigger rocks, bunny hop the stuff you can't dodge. :thumb