Originally Posted by
JerrySTL
There are flat-bar road bikes available. More like a roadie geometry and weight.
I'd say if your hybrid has suspension, lock it out if possible. Maybe get a solid seatpost if yours is a suspension model. All that energy used going up and down could be put to better use going forward.
Smoother, skinnier tires are a great idea, but use the appropriate tire pressure for the conditions. That's usually not the max pressure on the sidewalls. I use 80 PSI on my 700x32 tires on the road, but more like 65 PSI on gravel trails.
Good points. The road bike has a shorter wheelbase and can be "twitchy" and less stable. I put a flatbar on a road bike and it was a great bike, but it was different than a hybrid. Climbed hills better, but not really any faster.