Originally Posted by East Hill
....About hybrid bikes, though--most people think that hybrids aren't a great idea because, like all compromises, they want to be two different things at once. It's not a road bike, so it can't be a great road bike, and it's not a mountain bike, so it can't be a great mountain bike, so it's kind of an ok road bike and kind of an ok mountain bike....
Tsk tsk tsk.
Hybrid bikes originated because casual US riders preferred the more-comfortable riding position of MTB's to road bikes, but didn't need heavy-duty MTB construction.
The same
enthusiasts who insist that hybrids are a poor choice are a lot of the same people who say that comfort bikes are a poor choice as well--but in 2005, the combined number of hybrid and comfort bikes sold in the US was nearly equal to the number of MTB's and road bikes sold:
http://nbda.com/page.cfm?PageID=34 (scroll down to "Specialty Bicycle Sales By Year, Units, 2002-2005")
IF you buy a comfort or hybrid bike, you
certainly won't be alone.
...What a lot of enthusiasts simply
don't like to admit is that two of the post popular bicycle features now are a suspension fork and suspension seatpost. This is because ordinary casual riders are attempting to mitigate the saddle pain and hand numbness associated with upright bicycles.
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If you want
maximum comfort, consider a recumbent (or a semi-recumbent).
http://www.norcom2000.com/users/dcim...ide/bents.html
Much of the pain of riding an upright bicycle doesn't really occur at all on a recumbent--and a bicycle that hurts to ride is no bargain at any price.
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