Originally Posted by
The Golden Boy
What differentiates a hybrid from an ordinary bike?
Or more succinctly- what *was* a hybrid in 1990?
From your post, I infer you take a hybrid bike to have a triple, threadless stem, sloped top tube, front shocks and either caliper or disc brakes.
My *guess* is that the hybrid was to be a cross between a road bike and a mountain bike- of the day. So, an upright ATB geometry, 700c wheels and ATB gearing.
Here's the ad copy for the 1990 Schwinn Crosscut:
"... We introduce a bike that literally creates its own category. It's not a road bike, nor is it a mountain bike, yet it possesses characteristics similar to both..."
While the concept wasn't exactly "revolutionary" looking back at it- it may have been at the time. Keep in mind suspension and sloping top tubes were a ways off from being standard offerings at that time.
It was totally new at the time and I agonized over the choice of a Fisher or Miyata triplecross hybrid and a mtn bike. The new Koolaid had unicrowns, canti', Girvin, Indexed thumbies, sharkteeth, rack mounts, Brooks Conquests, beefier butted frames etc.
Bought the mountain bike. The hybrid glass looked half empty.