goagain

Just chiming in with my single bit of knowledge: I'm a real newbie, but I have memorized the Cypress info, at least for the women's models. Giant calls the Cypress a "comfort bike," but it has been described to me by a biker as a hybrid. I don't have a clue which it is. In the women's, there is a Cypress "ST" that is cromo with a rigid cromo fork, instead of the suspension fork on an aluminum frame. (I'm trying to decide what to buy.) Just FWIW.

It is very frustrating and annoying to me that the bike weights are the mystery of the universe. Even a bike shop (Trek) told me, "They aren't published." duh Give the weight for a medium, or for each size, with everything that is included when you buy it but nothing extra added. I know models wouldn't be identical, but it would give you "the weight." Seems simple to me.

Oh, and thanks! You just added to the "no suspension fork model" votes on what the best one for me would be.

LesterOfPuppets

It's both. A hybrid can mean anything from a comfort bike to a flat-bar road bike, IMO.

Just like there are at least 5 different Mountain Bike sub-genres these days, hybrids also have sub-genres.

Scooby214

+1 My wife's Cypress has the suspension fork, and it has always been very squishy feeling. Any heavy pedal work tends to make the fork compress with each stroke, sucking pedal power. If the bike was for me instead of my wife, it would've been a Cypress ST with the rigid fork.

EDIT: I should mention that my observation about the fork is based on my own usage of her bike when taking my youngest daughter out with her tandem tag-a-long attachment. The heavy pedal work I mentioned was from standing and pedaling up hills and through unprotected intersections. I can take these hills and intersections on my own bikes (including my hybrid with susp. fork) without fork compression issues, so I really notice it when riding her bike. My wife doesn't stand and pedal, so she has never had this issue. Sorry if my wording caused confusion for anybody. I do think the fork on my wife's bike is suited to her riding style. It just wouldn't work for me.

Scooby214

Those Jones bars look awesome! I'm glad you posted about them here, as they are much different than the swept back riser bars that came stock on my bike. Part of my reason for getting rid of my riser bars was to lower my hands and make me bit less upright (the quill stem is at its lowest position). The other part was hand position, as my wrists hurt when using the stock bars. I have seriously considered getting a set of Jones bars, as they look to be the best of both handlebar setups.

AdelaaR

Two things:

1) adjust the pressure on the fork until it is less wobly ... I did this with my wife's hybrid and she's comfortable with it now.
2) you should try and teach your wife the correct pedalling technique that does not make it wobble. This will be beneficial in general on every bike.

Scooby214

1) Good suggestion. If the fork in question was on one of my bikes, I would do the adjustment. My wife rides the bike in a relaxed manor, so she doesn't have problems with it being wobbly. She actually likes how it feels now. My observation of the fork having too much give has come from my use of her bike to take our youngest daughter out on her tandem tag-a-long attachment. (The mounting bracket stays on her bike, and I haven't ordered a second one from Trek yet.) I don't think I should adjust the fork to suit me, as my wife is the main rider of the bike.

2) I'm not sure my wife needs instruction on pedal technique. She doesn't have the "wobble" problem with the bike. I was simply stating that the fork demonstrated the potential to bounce up and down when standing and pedaling based on my usage of her bike. I don't think this means I need work on my pedaling technique, as it happens when standing and pedaling to go up hills or through unprotected intersections. I ride hundreds of miles per month. Some of my cycling time is in a group on my road bike, but most of my time commuting to and from work on my hybrid with suspension fork. I feel confident that I cycle using proper pedaling technique, and that the bouncing of my wife's fork isn't a symptom of poor pedaling technique.

I am able to ride my own bikes, including my hybrid with its own susp. fork, in the same places without the fork bouncing up and down like it does on my wife's bike. It's a good thing, too, as the hybrid is my main commuter bike on my 27 mile round-trip commute that includes some high traffic areas. That makes the difference in forks quite obvious when I do ride my wife's bike.

edenooch

u guys keep saying its the bikes? why not the rider?

qmsdc15

Many have suggested it's the engine (the rider) but the same rider is riding both bikes, so that can not explain the difference in (perceived) climbing performance. I suspect there maybe something else involved beyond the lighter, stiffer bike, a shift in the mind, that made it easy to climb hills on his new bike that he had to walk with his old bike. Typically a change in equipment will inspire a greater effort, often without the rider realizing he is applying more to the task. Faster riding through positive thinking!

AdelaaR

Indeed. Placebo effect is something that many people find insulting to their intelligence yet it remains scientifically proven that it is a huge factor.

Seve

I suspect it has to do with the rotational effect of the earth on the grade of the hill.

Scooby214

I had no problem climbing my big hill today on the way home from work using my commuter hybrid. Perhaps it was the significant stress from work that needed to get out of my system before seeing the wife and kids. My 13.5 mile commute home is generally uphill, with one large hill. It usually takes me about ten more minutes to get home when pushing myself than it does to get to work without pushing myself. Today, I got home in the same amount of time it took me to get there this morning. The hybrid and I climbed that hill at a much faster pace than usual (Google My Tracks says I kept my speed at around 15 mph while climbing that hill.)