Putting the Hybrid on the Bench
 

Less than 4 months after the purchase of my 2009 Trek 7.2 FX and getting into biking, my hybrid has been demoted to backup. Based on my budget and forum postings, it sounded like the perfect bike for my daily 18 mile round-trip commute.

However, a few rides on the 1986 Schwinn Prelude road bike I inherited from my father recently quickly proved that assumption wrong. While the Trek may only average 1-2 mph lower on the commute overall, the Schwinn is just a much more enjoyable ride. With the addition of aero brake levers, new chain, freewheel, tires, and rack - it is now my primary ride. It is simply a more enjoyable ride and suits my riding style better. When yucky weather comes, the Trek will be called off the bench.

Moral of the story, picking out the right bike as a new biker is just plain difficult. Even though you can research bikes and other people's experiences all day, there is no way to know what kind of rider you will become. On my daily commute, I am a (I think) higher-than-average-cadence rider - 100-120ish rpm. I do not need the lower gearing of the Trek - my commute is relatively flat. Not only do I not mind the lower position of the drop bars, I am quickly liking it better already. It helps that I am 27 years old and 150 lbs, which does not seem to be the norm in the hybrid and commuting forums - the forum member demographic bias may have skewed my initial research.

Hindsight, a road bike with a more relaxed position and the braze-ons to accommodate a rack and fenders would have been a more ideal initial purchase. However, without hindsight, I would not have known how much I would enjoy biking and that the additional cost would have been worthwhile. That being said, the Schwinn probably would have been too much bike for me before I got into shape on the Trek, and may have turned me away from biking too soon.

I suppose my takeaway for first-time buyers is that there is a significant chance you will guess (educated or not) incorrectly on the bike you buy. If you guess the right type, but go entry-level, you may soon want an upgrade. If you guess the wrong type, but go ahead and get a more mid or high-level, you may have the right components but the wrong frame, bars, gearing, etc. Or you could get a entry or mid-level hybrid and be perfectly happy for many years. Without any real data or number crunching, I would guess that the option which would have the highest probability of wasting the least amount of dollars would be to get an entry-level hybrid and see what happens. That's what I did. Nonetheless, it is still frustrating to know hindsight that your decision could have been much better with perfect foresight knowledge. OK, I am done rambling now...just wanted to pass my experiences along!

An excellent post.

Unfortunately typical modern road bikes aren't as friendly as older models. They've been re-designed in ways that make them, in the hands of the most athletic riders, marginally faster - but are much less comfortable and practial as a result. And when I say "marginally faster" I'm talking about speed differences on the order or perhaps 1% on the flat and 3% on a steep hill being the difference between an 80s steel bike and a $9000 modern carbon fibre pro racer.

My recommendation to anyone buying a mid-range hybrid is always to try a cyclocross bike as well. These drop bar bikes are designed for on and off road and are even the choice of many professional road racers for events on rougher roads like the Paris Roubaix. They're tougher, more forgiving and more practical than modern road racing bikes and, again, 99% as fast.

If you're going to ride mostly on the road then fit your crosser with slicks. The Tricross and Kona Jake will probably be the easiest crossers to find, Surly Cross Checks have a great reputation as tough all-rounders, and Bikes Direct have a range of cyclocross bikes at astonishing prices.

Both crossers and road bikes come geared faster but with hill climbing power than typical hybrids. As I'm always telling people, gears are easy to change - your LBS should be very willing to change the chain rings or cassette to get your money.

I have a 1986 Schwinn Prelude road bike also (black),bought it new then. You must have a lot flat land around there.It's very hilly here and being that my legs are are over 20 years older then when I bought the Prelude it would be hard for me to get up some of the hills here.
The Prelude is a nice light bike and I always liked riding it on select roads.It's currently my 3rd back up bike,haven't rode for I don't know how many years.