Originally Posted by
LeeG
no. "hybrids" are an abomination that came out of the 80's when folks discovered that mtn. bikes really didn't have a more upright posture but they could utilize the inexpensive 26" alloy wheels to make light bikes with fatter tires than "10-speeds". The most important part is that the bars were higher than the seat. Later on they got 700c wheels and shocks. Hybrids are a 60's 3spd bike tarted up with cheap mtn drivetrain and cheap shocks.
Touring bikes are road bikes that can carry a load.
here's the first "hybrid" which has a better hand position for upright riding than the ubiquitous straight bars used in hybrids.
Your history is a little off. Hybrids were an attempt to capitalize on the mountain bike fad of the late 80s by offering a more upright bike that 'could do it all!'. Almost all of them were designed around 700C wheels to begin with which was part of the problem. You couldn't get wide 700C tires and the bikes were geared way too high for climbing off-road. It made them harder to ride especially before the advent of suspension.
There were some 26" hybrids...the Specialized Rock Combo was one...that were more 'mountain bike-like'. I owned a Rock Combo and it was a very capable mountain bike with flat bars. I swapped the drops for flats before I bought it and I'm glad I did.
Hybrids quickly morphed away from the mountain bike side of the equation, however. They were really a 'do it all bike' but rather a bike that only did part of 'it' and usually did that part poorly.