bbbean 

I have both a hybrid (Roam XR2) and a road bike (Defy Composite 0). They're different tools for different jobs. For light singletrack, mud, gravel, rough-as-a-cob rural roads, carrying groceries, or quick rides to the bar for a beer, my hybrid can't be beat. It is worth noting that my hybrid has lockout front suspension tat stays locked out most of the time, but when you're riding a mile of washboard field road, roots, or especially rough pavement, that front suspension is a lifesaver. The triple crank was nice for hills when I was getting back into riding, too.

On the other hand, I spend 90% of my time on the road bike. For serious riding, pavement, distance, or speed, thre is no comparison. If I'm training, racing, or serious about burning miles and calories, I'm on the road bike. But it's a carbon fiber frame, and the only thing I'm carrying is what fits in my jersey pocket or the tiny space left in my seat bag after stuffing in a spare tube, multitool, and pump.

So you have to serious with yourself about what sort of riding you think you'll actually be doing. Since you say you have a limited budget, you might consider finding a deal on a used bike and investing in a few tools so you can perform your own upgrades and mods once you get a better handle on what you like and don't like.

Also keep in mind that you're not buying one bike for the rest of your life. Buy a bike you enjoy riding now. In 6 months or a year, if you decide you'd rather have some other type of bike, you can trade for another bike. I doubt many riders bought a bike at 20 and stuck with the same bike or more than a few years.

BB

MRT2

Don't disagree, though I would say that OP should think ahead, maybe, 2 to 5 years. 6 months to a year timeline is too short, IMO, unless OP buys something used. New, it can get expensive to take 50% depreciation for a few short months of riding. Obviously, nobody has a crystal ball, but OP should imagine himself in 1 to 5 years and (within reason), buy the bike he imagines a leaner, fitter version of himself riding, next year or the year after that, and so on. That is why some of us so strongly object to the so called comfort bikes. Not much room to develop or grow (or shrink) as a cyclist. If OP buys the right bike, he should be able to get at least 3 to 5 years out of it. I still have the bike I bought 16 years ago. Still ride it sometimes, and also keep it around as an extra for guests. My son even rides it sometimes.

While I am as guilty as anyone of this, I would urge OP and others to avoid the N + 1 trap. Unless you do radically different sorts of riding (Time trialing and mountain biking, or racing and loaded touring), you can usually adapt what you have for different kinds of rides with changes in gearing, wheels, tires, and accessories. So, the touring bike can be adapted for commuting, group rides, or rides on the tow path with the family, or the 50 mile charity ride, as can the hardtail mountain bike, as can the hybrid, as can the cyclocross bike.

squirtdad

put the biggest tires you can generally a 28 on the road bike. for a gravel drive way...no problem

converting a hybrid flat bars to drop is more bucks than you would think. New bars, new brake levers, new shifters would be needed, and the bikes geometry is still not the same a a road bike.


here is an example of a value on craigslist..this bike is older but looks in great shape...it would be for a tall person with the frame at 25" so that could be part of $200 price (bigger sizes tend to be cheaper)

https://greensboro.craigslist.org/bik/3949866707.html

MikeRides

While I agree with you on one bike not lasting forever, I think 6 months to a year is a little short to get a new bike especially for someone with a limited budget.

I bought a urban/path Hybrid back in April. It's my first "real" bike from a bike shop. Coming from a clunky department store mountain bike that I had for well over a decade, I wasn't sure what I wanted but I knew anything would be an improvement. I kept my budget under $500 and told myself once I got in better shape, and complete a 500 mile/8 day bike tour I could then treat myself to something faster perhaps a road bike.

bbbean 

I didn't suggest that he'd HAVE to trade/upgrade/buy another bike in 6 months to a year. I was suggesting that it would take riding a bike regularly for 6 months to a year to get a realistic idea of what kind of riding he was going to do, how often he was going to ride, and what he liked or didn't like about the bike he had. Obviously, if he picks the right bike for him, it could last for years.

BB

godschoice

I have a Giant Escape 2 Hybrid 2012 for $399, but have put a bit more into it with accessories. The 2013 Escape 2 would have been $499. I had never heard of Giant before I bought this at the end of June 2013. I have put more than 700 miles on it in less than 2 months. I love this bike. I ride mainly on the road, but do ride a nearby trail from time to time. The wider and treaded tires on the hybrid makes it a better deal for the road; I have only had one flat with them and that is because I ran over a industrial box staple. I first bought a comfort bike, but it only had 7 gears and made the hills a chore. I took it back and got a road bike, but kept getting flats. I prefer the hybrid. I have old Mountain bike that needed tons of repairs too; I am glad I got this bike instead of repairing the older bike that I hated riding when it was properly operational, but I could have saved some money on accessories if I had gotten the Giant Escape City that comes with the rear rack, fenders, kickstand and bell.

ill.clyde

No offense, but you DO know that flats have NOTHING to do with the type of bike you ride, yes?

A road bike with better tires resists flats just as well as a hybrid.

achoo

I wouldn't go that far - tire size does matter. If he weighs 275 lbs and was trying to ride undersized 23s without checking tire inflation - or just riding directly over everything - he'd sure have a huge problem with flats, especially compared to riding like that on 32s or larger.

Another thing I haven't seen metioned in this thread yet: a hybrid has one position, all of them uncomfortable on a longer ride.

ill.clyde

Riding "without checking tire inflation" and riding "directly over everything" both matter, I agree... but that has NOTHING to do with the type of bike being ridden and is more a function of the rider being inattentive.

And honestly, I'm 275, I ride 23s on my roadie. It's not a matter of being undersized ... it's a matter of buying quality tires and maintaining them (i.e. checking inflation before every ride).

MRT2

At the very least, tire pressure is more critical on 23s than on 32s or bigger. That said, I check tire pressure at least twice a week and I run 32s on my Salsa Casseroll.

MRT2

Agree with ill.clyde. Great you only had one flat with your hybrid, but your experience is anecdotal. Sometimes flats or lack of flats are just the luck of the draw. And you can get road tires with flat protection, even a light tread. I am running Panaracer Ribmo 32 c on my Salsa Casseroll, my wife has Panaracer Urban Max 28 c on her Jamis Satellite Road Bike.

godschoice

I can only go by experience. I never got a flat in my mountain bike over years. Each season I would just need to add air after sitting all winter.

Thw road bike and the stock tire got several flats in a very short time. Once was a snake bite due to low pressure and a huge bump.

I ride 20+ miles (one way) twice a week, plus each Sat morning I ride 25-35 miles with a ride group on my Hybrid. I don't have any discomfort from my position. I weight about 175 for the record and about 5'7".

I ride the 20+ mile in just over 1 hr on the hybrid. I hadn't tried it on the roadie before I took it back due to the constant flats.

ill.clyde

If that's how you take care of tires I CAN'T IMAGINE why you had issues with road tires ... not to mention said "roadie" was a Schwinn from Wal-Mart.

you get what you pay for, and further, you reap what you sow. Take care of the bike, it takes care of you.

To castigate all road bikes based on anecdotal evidence, and based on off the shelf tires from wal-mart is utterly asinine.

You can only go "by experience" ... and your experience is limited. Don't preach it as gospel.

BaseGuy

cody,

Back in 2012, I started just about where you are now. Here's my suggestion:

Get a good hybrid or rigid mountain bike off Craigslist. Plan to spend $150 - $250. I had an old, steel mountain bike, one with a rigid fork (no shocks), and just put 1.5" slicks on the 26" MTB wheels. I still have the bike and it's still a great, all around bike.

For a big guy, a converted MTB gave me super-low gearing for getting up those hills. The frame and wheels were strong enough to support my weight. Its slightly more upright riding position was more comfortable for me. With the high-pressure, skinny tires, the bike is 90% as fast as a road bike.

I rode that bike for 1300 miles in about six months. I got lighter (by 75 pounds) and faster. I knew I loved riding, so I bought a road bike.

If you go this route, I suggest the following:
- If you get a mountain bike, get an old, RIGID one - no suspension fork, no shocks, nothing!
- Do get the skinny tires! Choose ones that have a max pressure of at least 90 PSI. This makes the bike MUCH faster, and still plenty comfortable.
- Make sure you get the right frame size. Do some internet searching and find a calculator that takes height and inseam into consideration.
- Be ready to swap out the seat if you're not comfortable.

Then keep riding! It'll be a substantial upgrade from what you've got. Best part, if you decide to go all roadie after a while (like I did), you can just sell your home-made-hybrid on Craigslist for darn near what you paid for it!

MRT2

You do a healthy amount of riding, and if you can do, on average, 20+ miles in an hour on a hybrid, I can certainly respect you as a strong rider.

Stock tires, like stock saddles are among the first things I consider replacing on a bike. Bikes are built to a price point, and they have to meet that price point by saving money somewhere.

godschoice

Not sure what crawled up your butt and hatched. I am not preaching anything but laying down the experiences as I have seen them. I couldn't give a hoot what route anyone goes as long as it works for them. I went the route that works for me. Lighten up and take a chill pill. The OP will base his decisions on the things that matter to him; add data to the board not insults and personal attacks.

scamutz

I've had a similar experience - I recently started riding at 295 - and just wasn't feeling comfortable with the bent over position of a road bike, so I went with a hybrid - a Jamis Explorer 2 from my LBS. My old mountain bike was just too uncomfortable to ride for any distance at all. I just ordered a solid seat post because at this weight, the suspension post just bottoms out and wiggles around - but I've LOVED the experience. It's got a big fat ass seat and I have been riding back and forth to work (6miles each way) over mostly road, with some gravelly trail when I cut through the greenway, and it's been really great. That said - I expect that once I'm more fit, and weigh less, I'll likely be looking for a road bike for more efficiency. Good luck!

colbydog

I recently got into cycling in May. My old mountain bike was not cutting it. I started with a Giant Hybrid DX. It served the purpose for about 2 months. It was nice, but.... Once I got to a certain level of fitness, I needed something different. The hybrid is great for pulling my daughter in the trailer and cruising with my wife and daughter on the bike path. I regularly go on 30 mile+ rides, and find that I'm lumbering along. That's ok, more work = more calories burned. But with the suspension seat and fork, some energy was lost compressing the fork rather than turning the wheel. I was really working hard and 14-15 mph is fast for this bike on level ground, and you are fighting the wind. And the components are, "ok". They do the job. The bike is fine, comfortable to ride, but I've moved beyond that now, and having ridden the road bike I just bought a couple for a couple of rides now, WOW! is all I can say. Different geometry, body needs to get used to, etc. I am worried about the weight on the tires, but we'll see. I'm at 250 right now. Those skinny little tires have a lot of work to do holding me up! Don't break the bank, but look for a decent road bike. I went with a new Giant Defy. If that's not in your budge, look for a used one. Lots to be had, someone is always upgrading.

copswithguns

I started at 320 on a Specialized Expedition Sport just a month ago and am already almost 10 lbs down. It works well for me, but as I pointed out in another post recently, I'm having a bit of buyers' remorse and am wishing I would have just bought a road bike. Don't get me wrong, I like my Expedition, but I find that I'm topped out on it on speed and am wanting something with much less rolling resistance. As stated above, if you're gonna be mainly on road, go with the road bike.

sonatageek

I have 6 years experience with an older rigid mountain bike with slick tires and can say it makes for a great all around riding package. Good tires and a set of trekking bars (to give a variety of hand positions) and you are ready for miles of fun.

Old but high quality rigid mountain bikes sell for much less than even so-so road bikes making them a great deal.