Originally Posted by
spence89
I'm a newbie to biking and I'm going to start commuting. It's in a big city (Boston), I was thinking about getting a standard road bike but I didn't know if they would be sturdy enough for city streets, sidewalks, potholes etc. So then I found hybrids. So my question is, are there hybrids with drop bars? Or do I have to customize one? If there are, can you name some? Thanks for any tips and info ahead of time.
By definition, hybrids have flat bars, with drop bars it ceases to be a hybrid. However, similarly sturdy bikes with drop bars are widely available, including common touring models such as the Jamis Aurora, Surly LHT and Trek 520, or Cyclo-cross ("Cross") bikes such as the Surly Crosscheck, Rocky Mountain Solo, and Jamis Nova.
At a low price point, buying used is the way to go. 10-speeds and similar bikes from the 70s and 80s are popular commuter bikes, look for ones that had better builds in the first place (they're pretty much all steel frames), and adequate clearance for the larger tires it sounds like you want to put on.