It has been suggested numerous times that hybrid riders don't know what they want or that hybrids are just a temporal solution for people that can't afford a roadbike.
So my question to all of you is: "Why do you ride a hybrid?"
If you can't find your answer in the poll, please specify

It certainly was not #2! Road bikes can be had for half of what I paid for my hybrid and hybrids can be had for twice as much.

I was looking for a road-like bike that would gracefully handle the not always well groomed, non-asphalt bicycle trails that are common in my area. A performance hybrid is perfect for that and that is what I got. More often than not I pass roadies as well as MTB riders on the unimproved parts of the trails and if I can't keep up with the roadies on the asphalt sections, well that is not the bike's fault! So it is about versatility for me. If I had only wanted a road bike I could have gotten a nice one for no more money.

Ken

I was riding an old road bike on some of the gravel paths in our area. It was a bit too rough, with the old bike shedding some parts in the bumpier sections. A hybrid was just about right for the paths and on the roads to get to the paths.

How I came to ride a hybrid:
I wanted to build a bike from scratch and I wanted it to both go fast on roads AND be able to do not too extreme mountainbiking.
So I chose all the components on the bike to be sturdy but still quite light and not too pricey and ended up building a hybrid.
I can keep up with most roadbikes and I can keep up with most mountainbikes ... so I'm very happy with it

the position is the biggest thing for me. My hybrid is simply MUCH more comfortable for me than my road bike was, even after paying for a fitting. It also takes the bumps of neighborhood streets much better.

I don't have a racing suit with matching socks to go with the road bike either . I don't have a desire to look like a "racer wannabe" which is really what too many riders look like.

The hybrid means I can ride when I want, where I want, and with who I want. Sometimes that means I'm riding with with someone on a road bike. Sometimes it means I'm riding around the neighborhood with my wife on her 1982 Schwinn 3-speed.

I don't find Hybrids to be "undecided" or "not good at anything", but rather just the opposite. To me, it is the bike for those who just like to ride, for exercise, for enjoyment, and not for the appearance of a race or training for a race.

I bought a hybrid after going from the MTB trend and didn't know what I really needed/wanted was a road bike. so I roadified the hybrid and then of course bought a road bike

Ken, what is your bike? The performance hybrid might be what I'm after.

I just returned from a visit with my son...used his road bike, and really enjoyed it. I thought about it and decided that for me, the weight of bike is the main thing. My perception was that I was able to ride faster and longer on his bike. On the other hand I'd like to continue using the bike for trails in my area.
Earl

I bought a hybrid for the same reason a couple of people have already stated, to be able to ride roads more quickly than a mountain bike, but still be able to take dirt and gravel paths without fighting to keep the bike upright.

A trusty bad weather/conditions beater bike. the Acera group on the hybrid has exceeded all my expectations. I´ve been running this one for 9 years with only minor and expected faults.

Mine is a Fuji Absolute 1.0, but I am sure that most makes have a similar model if you have a different brand preference. The Absolute series is very similar to Fuji's entry/mid level road bikes other than the flat handlebar (which I did not get along well with and have replaced with a trekking bar). If you want something reasonably fast on the road and reasonably graceful on semi-improved trails it is an excellent option. The other way to go for that mix of uses is to buy a road bike that can accept tires up to 32 - 38 mm, I assume there are at least some out there that will. That would put you in pretty much the same place and if you like the road bike drop bar handle bar setup it would be the best way to go. I've passed roadies on crushed limestone trails that I can't keep up with on asphalt and I am pretty sure that if they had the right tires I'd not be able to keep up with them either place. Performance hybrids are so close to road bikes as to make almost no difference in the same way that trail hybrids can be close to MTB's. For that matter middle of the road hybrids can be pretty close to touring bikes, especially if you put trekking bars on them!

Ken

I got a bike (Bad Boy) where I can throw on a new set of tires/rims and use the bike offroad if i wish. I use 95% of the time on road but it is nice to have the option without buying another bike. now if I only had money to buy a new set of rims/tires.

I use mine to noodle around , ride with g.f. -- as a heavier bike to train on versus my lighter touring bike

I got mine.. (Trek 7.2) when I went to go take a look at low end road bikes... and my wife came along and decided that it would be BETTER.. if 'WE'... didn't get a road-bike but 'we' got hybrid/comfort bikes... hers has 100ish miles.. mine has several thousand

It took 3 years and quite a lot of riding alone.. before I decided I wanted a road-bike.. I still have the 7.2. I have thought about selling it, but I am keeping it for reasons unknown.. I was leaning to 'put slicks and some kind of road-like bars'.. Now I am leaning in the "put max size off-road tires and find some trails to ride' either way its nice to be able to offer 'non-biking friends a decent come along ride..

I ride a "hybrid" (Sirrus Comp) because ... I'm too <stupid; ignorant; uneducated; indecisive; inexperienced [pick one or more]> to realize that I "really need/want" a <road racing; touring; cyclocross [pick one or more]> bicycle with drop bars in order to ride on the road.
That is all

Um, none of the above. I wanted a step through frame for my arthritic bod, internal gears for emergency stops, and 46cm chainstays for cargo capacity. That added up to "hybrid" at the time, and it still does. I ended up relatively upright, but that is largely due to my body type... it'd be tough to build a flat bar bike that'd be really aggro given how long my torso is.

I could definitely have gotten a road bike for less.

I bought a mountain bike because it's more versatile than a hybrid.


Hauling the old bike with the new one because the old bike has carbon seat stays and is unlikely to survive the hitch clamp. The trails the hybrid can handle are limited while I've yet to encounter a road that is too smooth or too flat for a mountain bike to handle.

My hybrid can't haul much, can go off-road but not very well. Limited to light duty on-road, light terrain off-road. Fun ride though.

I'm an old roadbike *and* mtn bike rider who'd fallen out of practice and gotten way out of shape. at 225 lbs, I was too heavy for my full suspension mountain bike, AND for my old 1970s all campy road bike... so I was riding a cruiser I'd fixed up as a 7-speed to get back into shape, only the cruiser frame cracked (crappy 13/16" seat post and a seat tube that was too thin and stuck up too far above the top tube), so i built up a hybrid as a bike-trail-n-round-town special to start doing 15-20 miles a few times a week to get into adequate shape that I can consider mountain biking again. I'll probably keep the hybrid, although I'll likely be swapping for better wheels and maybe a lighter aluminum frame at some point, as it makes a great town-bike.

I dont know if my 7.5 FX will handle a dirt or gravel path. Its almost as fast as my roadbike and a lot more comfortable, especially since I added bar ends. When I'm in a go faster mood its the roadbike. If I want to putt putt along and smell the daisies its my 7.5.

I ride a hybrid because I like to be upright. Both so traffic can see me, and so I can see everything. It's also very comfortable for me. Bigger tires too, which I prefer. And my hybrids are pretty fast - quite a bit faster than my mountain bike with street tires, which I like, but there really is no comparison. Fast = Fun. Oh, and the chainstays are long enough for rack/panniers. Fenders, attachment points. So many reasons.

how about, "i didn't want to spend more on a road bike"? i could certainly afford a road bike. i wanted a good flat-bar road bike that i could lock up and not be super-paranoid about. a good road bike, that i wouldn't let out of my sight, is probably in my future, though...

j

I ride a hybrid because I like having a kickstand on my bike

thats pretty silly, as a kickstand can be mounted on almost any bike, except maybe a full out race bike.

I ride a hybrid because it fits me perfect untill I lose all the weight I have to then I am going into a road bike...

take a look around at your next charity bike ride and count how many drop bar bikes have a kickstand

just because they don't, doesn't mean they can't.

I wouldn't mount a kickstand on a bike with carbon fiber chain stays. Also, its difficult to fit a conventional kickstand behind the bottom bracket of a short-stay racing bike.