My first bike was a Giant Boulder mountain bike. Early on, I discovered that I liked riding on pavement more than dirt and that I needed something more efficient. Knowing very little about bicycles, I "lucked" out and chose a Specialized Sirrus hybrid in the $500.00 range. It had the flat bars and the mountain bike style shifters, but the geometry and tires were more like a true road bike. I still ride this bike from time to time and have over 1000 miles on it. Even at that price range I think it's a great bike. It was perfect for me to ride enough miles on it (including two centuries) to know I wanted to move toward a traditional drop bar road bike. I've since put close to 2000 miles on my Bianchi roadie. In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with any bicycle if you like it and it's fun to ride. I have to admit...that I somewhat cringe when I see kids on bmx bikes..but then I'm an old coot. They are riding "bikes" after all...and that has to be a good thing.

I enjoy seeing kids on BMXer's but for one reason only- If they learn to ride them right- then they will learn skills that I would give my big toe to have- (Need the rest of me to ride a bike)
What gets me are the ones that have one- Can't ride it- and only use it for nuisance value in the neighbourhood. Just like the 20 year old and his mates we have living locally.

Since I never raced in my youth, I have to save my foolish indescretions for my old age. Besides, how much pain and degradation can 20K take out of me? (Don't answer that).

Hybrids are OK bikes for many uses...especially around town rides, riding on bike trails, etc.

But, they are definitely slower than drop bar road bikes. If you're at all interested in speed, you'll want to look into standard road bikes at some point.

Me? I like to go fast, so no hybrids for me (though I do have in mind a project to create an "errand bike" that may end up with flat bars).

I don't think any bikes are "bad." Hybrids get no respect because they incorporate so many compromises. Consequently, they are too fragile and inconvenient for errands and commuting, have the wrong tires for off-road, are too heavy and non-aerodynamic for road riding, and so on. However, although they don't do anything particularly well, they can do everything. That's why they are the "default bike" that an LBS will try to sell you if you have no clear idea what riding you will do. My back-up bike is a hybrid, and I enjoy riding it. That's enough for me.

Paul

Hybrids answered the "little boy" that still lives inside of me. I am no mountain biker -and have asperations, either- but the call of the off-road does appeal to me. When I came back to cycling, I knew I'd spend most of my time on the pavement but if the pavement ran out, or I saw a path or trail to look interesting, I wanted to be able to take it. Voila! The hybrid, not great at either but good at both. I just swapped out the stock tires when I bought the bike and I haven't looked back since. OK, I *am* looking roadies now they are in the "nice to have" bucket. With my Kaitai, I have what I need in the "have to have" bucket.

Why are Hybrids or any other bike without drop bars "bad"? The impression one gets from many cycling forums is that people buy road bikes even for their pre-school kids or install drop bars on their trikes...lol. I remember a time where "flipping" the drop bars up was the "in thing" and people thought it made the road/touring bike a more practical bicycle...how times and attitudes have changed over the years.

If one decides to replace their drop bars with a moustache, north road, on-one mary, etc handlebars...have they essentially made their road bike a hybrid or customized their bike to meet their current requirements? Who cares if the seat is lower than the handlebars. What is a "proper" bike anyways and who has the right and qualifications to make that "expert" distinction?

The main thing is if one enjoys riding their bike, despite the current popular convention/opinion, and if the bike performs they way they expect/want it to...in comfort and with confidence. What someone else thinks about your bike is immaterial...one has to make a decision whether or not their bike is the best for them or buy something else that does.

All I know if it weren't for hybrids I wouldn't be riding. I put trekking bars on mine a few weeks ago, because I didn't care for flatbars, and I have all the hand positions I need to make me more comfort than I was before. Good luck and have fun riding.

Thanks for the replys.
Perhaps, to restate my original question, "what's this fuss about hybrids?"
Like I said, I love my bikes. I owned a Schwinn Collegiate for several decades. I'll bet my hands spent less than a combined total of 5 minutes on the drop position of the handlebars. I don't like flying through space head first, even with a helmet on. Never have, never will (I know, never say never.) It feels like I'm trying to use my noggin for a battering ram. Just not for me, thank you.
I've always been Mr. Upright.

I was just asking because of the comments I hear.

Pee Wee Herman's bike in Pee Wee's Big Adventure didn't have drop handlebars, either.

Pee Wee's da Man! He also knew how to get a good grip on himself.;)

I think this hits the nail on the head. For casual riding, hybrids are fine. but if you get more serious about either off-road or road biking, you'll probably be happier with a bike specifically designed for what you are going to be doing.

I did test ride a hybrid before buying my current bike. I did not like the locked-in-one-position feeling I got from the flat bars. By getting a relaxed geometry road bike and/or raising the bars, you can get just as upright putting your hands on the top of traditional road bars as you can on flat bars but still have the option of putting your hands on the the hoods or in the drops.

Dan

I sure hope they're not bad, I just bought one that I think hits the sweet spot for me. It's a real hybrid. Lightweight steel frame, 700x28s - road. Brakes? Disc- MTB. 52 42 30 triple chain ring - road. 11-32 9 speed cassette - MTB. Carbon fork - road. Riding position - upright (I actually raised the stem a fair bit and put bars on with some lift to get bars slightly above seat height). Speed? Enough for me, comfort, definitely enough for me. I weighed it the other night, fully loaded (air pump and a loaded seat bag and ready to ride but with no water on board) it was 28.5 lbs. Not gossamer by any stretch but for a 21.5" steel framed bike that does not seem all that bad to me. I like mine. Sounds like you like yours too. How can that be bad?

Not even professional roadracers stay in the drops most of the time. The standard position for most road riders is on the hoods. Don't believe me? Here is Daniele Contrini on the last lap of the finishing circuit in Macon of today's stage of the Tour de Georgia.
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...conwinner3.jpg

Nice tandem behind her...

My favorite bike? The one I'm riding at the time. Road, mountain, hybrid, single speed, flat bar road, aluminum, carbon, steel....it doesn't matter, they all rock! :D

Not the time for a flat bar vs. drop bar debate. A matter of preference anyway. Personally, I can't imagine doing 30 or more miles on a flat bar-- on the road. Trail riding requires so much in the way of body shifting and movement it is hard to get frozen into a position. On the road, more subtle body movements come into play. The drop bar allows more relaxing changes of trunk, shoulder, arm, neck, and hand position. It's that subtle variety that keeps one from being frozen into a static position-- one source of discomfort on a long road ride.

For what it's worth, I started two years ago with a hybrid and really enjoyed it. As I started to get into club riding I realized that the 40 lb hybrid was holding me back.

I too worried about the leaning and stretching on a road bike but my new Felt 80 is wonderful. I had brake levers put on the top of the handlebars and quite frankly, I'm on the hoods about 85% of the time without thinking about it. Saving the 18 lbs or so of bike weight has made my riding much more enjoyable so the body weight is shrinking too. I also find that I'm a bit more of a minimalist with the road bike so the saved weight of not carrying extra gear helps too. Specialized Armadillos give me added resistance to flats and I couldn't be happier.

Daniele Contrini is a him, not a her. And I forgot to mention he was about 2.5K from winning the stage when I took that picture. But yeah, nice tandem.

Technically, my road bike, a Cannondale SR500 is actually a hybrid because it has a head shock. But with turned down bars and 700X23 tires, I just make believe its a road bike, nobody seems to notice. I ride what I like, when I want to.
My favorite bike mechanic once told me, ride to have fun, those who force themselves to ride for whatever reason, soon find reasons not to ride and leave the sport.

Fragile???:eek: Would you explain, please?

Well, he's got nice legs! :D

Think of your Hybrid as a commuter,has a trendier ring to it. The term Hybrid seems mundane,Commuter has it's own appeal these days. Example : roadie, fixie, tri .

I would say it is a road bike with front suspension, not a hybrid.

Un huh. I've got a Cypress 2005 model, and keep it for improved, but rough trails. I love it. I recently got a touring with drop bars (Randonee), and couldn't handle the drops. I switched to a moustashe bar, and am starting to love it too. It does work way better on pavement, but it's kind of become a hybrid, too. On those flat bars, by the way, the size is slightly different, so you may have to choose between replacing the shifters to match the bar, or compromising on the bar. I was very tempted by the On One Midge, but couldn't part with the cash without being sure it would work for me.

I guess I'm saying I have two hybrid bikes, one with one set of compromises, the other with a different set.

Of coure they are bad.....Super Bad!

I think the idea that with a suspension front fork your going to get a better ride or maybe bomb off a cliff, naw. The front fork adds alot of weight and you are starting to see some of these bikes with solid forks again, which is good. Raleigh for one and Jamis.

Responding to a few comments:

1) No, putting a North Road or similar handlebar on a road bike does not make it a hybrid. It makes it a customized/modified road bike.

2) The gearing on many hybrids is exactly the same as many mountain bikes. In fact, hybrids often use the same front cranks, rear cassettes, front and rear derailleurs as used on mountain bikes. However the gearing can run from standard mountain bike to standard road bike, or be anywhere in between. Most will tend to have the more hill friendly gearing of a mountain bike.

3) Hybrids are not "fragile." Many have quite rugged frames. The shocks are lighter duty than a mountain bike, of course not all hybrids have shocks. A cheap hybrid might have cheap wheels that could get beat up, but you get what you pay for. They might get beat up on tough mountain trails, but a decent hybrid be fine for just about anything else.

4) A hybrid weighing 40 pounds is a rare beast. Most are around 30-32 pounds. Fitness hybrids tend to be closer to 25 pounds, with some of the higher end, road bike-oriented ones being down around 21-22 pounds.

One need only look at the different types of hybrids available from Specialized to see how much variety exists in bikes classified as hybrids.

Specialized Sirrus Pro:
- Lightweight A1 aluminum frame with carbon fiber fork, seatpost, and seat stays
- flat handlebar with slight sweep
- 50/39/30 front crank
- Shimano 105 12-27t rear cassette
- Shimano 105 rear derailleur
- Crank Brothers eggbeater pedals
- 700x28 tires

i.e. a lightweight, flat bar, near-road bike with road bike gearing.

Specialized Expedition Elite:
- A1 aluminum frame, heavier weight
- Relaxed geometry with slight crank forward pedal position
- Suspension fork w/63mm travel
- Suspension seat post
- Adjustable stem
- Wider, more padded seat
- 42/34/24 front crank (super granny gears)
- 11-32t rear cassette
- 26"x1.95" tires

i.e. several pounds heavier, cruiser-type gearing & tires comfort bike.

Both are considered to be hybrids. The Specialized Globe and Crossroads hybrids lie between these extremes.

Other companies have different takes, some being very close to mountain bikes.

Thus it is hard to generalize about hybrids as there are so many different types.

Wait until Jet Travis shaves his legs!!!

Unfounded claim. Don't worry about it Yen. One of the things that hybrids are known for doing best is running errands.

Most of the commuter or "practical bikes" in Amsterdam or Japan look suprisingly like hybrids.