Back to hybrids...

My Trek 7500 is one of the stiffest bikes I have ever owned so it transfers power very well, it has a more aggressive frame design which helps with aerodynamics, and is perfectly tuned.

With my road wheels and 700:28 tyres I have been able to ride with some pretty fast guys and they have been pretty amazed that hybrid can come close to matching the performance of much lighter and supposedly faster machines.

More weight does have an effect on hills but as I am a lightweight the combined weight of me and my bike is much less than some of the monsters I ride with... one is six foot three and 220 pounds with a 19 pound racing bike which totals 239 pounds, I am 140 with a 28 pound bike which is 168 pounds.

If we are climbing hard the wattage my friend has to crank out to keep pace with me many times higher and I don;t have to put out the same wattage on the flats to maintain speeds... to do a sub hour 40 I need to be able to sustain a 275 - 300 watt output for an hour while he has to dig a lot deeper (and he can).

He is the guy that will pull you along all day... I don't see much of him during the season as he's out riding 100-160 km a day when he is not working.

And then it all comes down to how well tuned your engine is... I was riding 16,000 km a year and was working as a messenger, was mountain biking and road riding, touring, and as I am car free, doing a lot of utilitarian riding.

Was looking forward to master's racing until I fragged the back and to compete with these guys you need to be able to maintain 40kmh plus in the pack if you want to have a hope of finishing well... these guys are freaks and can put the hurt on guys half their age.

For this kind of riding I have a road bike as for as good as my hybrid is, putting the same engine in a lighter and more aerodynamic package yields some significant improvements.