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What's your definition of a Hybrid

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Old 11-19-15, 01:42 PM
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What's your definition of a Hybrid

I see several discussions about hybrids and people coming from hybrids to road bikes but very often in the real world I see people refereing to hybrids as anything that it's not a road bike or a mountain bike.

Do you consider a flat bar road bike with skinny tires (32c) a road bike or a hybrid? Does it have to have suspension? Fat tires? Or the lack of a drop handlebars automatic make it a hybrid??

A co-worker came to me and said he just bought a "hybrid" from a LBS and the thing looks more like a beach cruiser than anything else.
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Old 11-19-15, 01:47 PM
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700c road bike with flat bars.
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Old 11-19-15, 01:49 PM
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I'm with Lazyass, except that I would say that a sprung fork doesn't disqualify a bike as a hybrid.
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Old 11-19-15, 02:01 PM
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Hybrid is usually a pejorative term for a cheap flat-bar bike that is a cross between a MTB and a road bike.
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Old 11-19-15, 02:11 PM
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Originally Posted by datlas
Hybrid is usually a pejorative term for a cheap flat-bar bike that is a cross between a MTB and a road bike.
It's like a dual sport motorcycle. One that does neither very well.
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Old 11-19-15, 02:14 PM
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BITD, they were pretty much 700c x 32-40 MTBs , but now there's a huge hybrid spectrum. From flatbar road bikes to comfort bikes.

Just like how in the '80s there was pretty much one "mountain bike", now there are 5 or 6.
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Old 11-19-15, 02:20 PM
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Basically, a Trek 7.5fx fits the "hybrid" designation perfectly for me.
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Old 11-19-15, 03:21 PM
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Guess I'll answer all the sub Qs, too, just for the hell of it.

Originally Posted by TheRef
Do you consider a flat bar road bike with skinny tires (32c) a road bike or a hybrid?
hybrid
Originally Posted by TheRef
Does it have to have suspension?
no
Originally Posted by TheRef
Fat tires?
no
Originally Posted by TheRef
Or the lack of a drop handlebars automatic make it a hybrid??
No, if it had northroads, fenders and a chainguard I'd call it a townie, maybe.
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Old 11-19-15, 03:36 PM
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Flat bars + road tires for me.
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Old 11-19-15, 03:56 PM
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Originally Posted by TheRef
Do you consider a flat bar road bike with skinny tires (32c) a road bike or a hybrid?
I don't consider 32c tires to be skinny.

To me, anything over 25c is oversized.

FWIW, I currently ride 28s...
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Old 11-19-15, 04:00 PM
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Old 11-19-15, 04:07 PM
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A hybrid is a mountain bike that by design is no good on mountain bike trails, and somewhat slow on the road. A good MUP bike and townie. A good "fitness" bike for someone biking to get into shape or loosing weight. Also make a good commuter. Of course has flat handlebars.
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Old 11-19-15, 04:15 PM
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In the dim and distant past, before mountain bikes were invented, there were bikes and there were racing bikes. The bike I rode as a kid, with flat bars, a horizontal top tube and a Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub, would now be called a hybrid. Then, it was just a bike.
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Old 11-19-15, 04:19 PM
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Broadly, 700 wheels, flat bars, wide gearing, maybe a rack/fenders. But there are many exceptions/variations.
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Old 11-19-15, 04:21 PM
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Not a MTB and also not a road bike.
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Old 11-19-15, 04:54 PM
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The term hybrid doesn't have a strict definition. Anymore it's a very broad term.
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Old 11-19-15, 05:16 PM
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Alternative definition: What makes you scream OMG when you go from it to a road bike: https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycli...-road-omg.html
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Old 11-19-15, 05:21 PM
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A bike which is capable of doing more than one thing! Not narrowly focused! Fits a wide variety of stuff easily! Fun to ride! Much more practical!
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Old 11-19-15, 06:02 PM
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Thanks Siri.
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Old 11-19-15, 07:36 PM
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One of my favorite olde 26" hybrids:

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Old 11-19-15, 07:37 PM
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I am thinking about getting a hybrid. My mom has a hybrid and I figure when I ride with her on some gravel rail trails near her a hybrid will be just the thing! I am leaning towards the Giant Rove lite Rove Lite (2016) | Giant Bicycles | United States

Only thing is I would like to change the tires to 35s or 32s. It comes with 700x40. I don't know how small tires I could go with.
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Old 11-19-15, 08:01 PM
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I'm with Siri. A hybrid has a multitude of traits from a lot of different sources. It's, by all accounts, "just a bike". You can do anything with it, poorly. A more effective solution would be a cross check or lht, unless you plan to do serious off-roading, in which case a hybrid won't cut it either.
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Old 11-19-15, 11:56 PM
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hybrid = **** i won't ride
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Old 11-20-15, 01:06 AM
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I used to be in the anti-hybrid camp. However, some of the newer hybrids are pretty boss. I mean, it's not like I like Bose speakers or something terrible like that.
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Old 11-20-15, 08:31 AM
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Anything that is not a racing bike, per craigslist. The more neglected and worthless, the more hybrid.

Originally Posted by TrojanHorse
hybrid = **** i won't ride
Pretension.
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