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-   -   Is there something wrong with owning a Hybrid? (https://www.bikeforums.net/hybrid-bicycles/892653-there-something-wrong-owning-hybrid.html)

hybridbike 05-29-13 11:19 PM

Is there something wrong with owning a Hybrid?
 
I know a lot of people with road bikes and it seems like I'm the only one with a Hybrid. Is it looked down upon? The main reason I bought it was so I can ride in both on the road and trails. I'm a runner (training for my first marathon) and thought it would be nice to own a bike to change up my work outs. But for some reason I feel limited on my hybrid.

Does anyone feel this way or maybe since I'm still a newbie on cycling. (<2months)

alexaschwanden 05-29-13 11:28 PM

There is nothing wrong hybrid bikes, i enjoy them as well and they are very versatile and practical.

Bravin Neff 05-29-13 11:51 PM

I own a really nice carbon fiber road bike. I love it.

I also own a pretty cheesy, mediocre-at-best hybrid that just happens to currently be in a very good state of tune. The hybrid is unequivocally the more practical bike. It can go far more places the road bike can. For the surfaces shared by the road bike, it can travel them almost as fast. It is fun. It can go slow without having to apologize. It feels right at home in a caravan of family and friends. It can go on the grass, the dirt, the gravel and the pavement. Its great for going to the park. It can pull a kid trailer. It is comfortable. It holds a ton of cargo very well.

I could go on but I think you get my point.

giantcfr1 05-29-13 11:54 PM

Well just have a look at the sales around the world and draw your conclusions. I see the hybrid as the bicycle version of the Motard.

robble 05-30-13 03:55 AM

Do you want positive or negative replies?

Ask in this subforum and you'll get mostly positive. I the same question in the road subforum and you're going to get all negative - if not flamed.

jbchybridrider 05-30-13 04:13 AM

People may post more in the road & C/V sections here but I actually think hybrids make the largest bike sector around of any type of bikes. Nothing is more versatile and practical in the real world and while many people are modifying there road or there MTB so it's easier to live with they have actually technically built them self's hybrid but afraid to call it a hybrid.
As said above try asking this in the road forum and you'll get shot down by people who think there hotshot roadies while many have a hybrid in there fleet of bikes modded from a road or MTB.

MikeRides 05-30-13 09:49 AM

I was wondering the same thing as the OP when I first went to my LBS. It was the first time I ever bought a bike shop bicycle so I told the salesman I was looking for a comfortable bike to ride long distance tours on, and immediately he took me over to the road bikes. I test rode a couple, but I wasn't comfortable in that riding position(drop bars), and assumed I would find biking too painful if I rode any distance on one. I have a fair understanding of the aerodynamics of road bikes, being faster and all that but I wasn't looking for speed just comfort for touring.

In the future, I may upgrade to a road bike but for now the hybrid does the job. :thumb:

MRT2 05-30-13 09:57 AM

I understand the feeling of bike envy if you do a lot of club rides, but there is nothing wrong with a hybrid. It is a perfectly reasonable choice for rides up to 40 or 50 miles at a stretch. That said, if your goal is to do fast club rides, a road bike is probably a better choice. If you want to do fast club rides and also ride well groomed dirt trails, perhaps a cyclocross bike is in your future.

Sixty Fiver 05-30-13 09:58 AM

The folks in the road forum can go on and on about nothing... like the colour of one's shoes and whether or not that matches the bike and kit.

If it is a bike and you are riding with a smile on your face it is all good.

erg79 05-30-13 09:59 AM

No.

bikeguyinvenice 05-30-13 10:17 AM

There is nothing wrong with hybrid bicycles, I've owned a couple of them. They are considerable more durable than your average road bike. And more useful too, I've had front and rear racks mounted on a hybrid before, not a lot of newer road bikes and take racks, I carried well over 40 pounds of stuff on those racks. That's a lot of weight to carry on a bike frame.

Altair 4 05-30-13 10:23 AM

I have a hybrid - I equate it to a Swiss army knife. Want to ride on the street? Gravel? Hard-pack dirt? Wet trails? In the city? Tour? A hybrid can do all of those things pretty well, but maybe none of them excellently. Generally, a hybrid will be heavier than a roadie. Generally, it will be geared more like a mountain bike. I like mine - it's comfortable, durable, and affordable. That covers my bases.

flan48 05-30-13 10:52 AM


Originally Posted by Sixty Fiver (Post 15684291)
The folks in the road forum can go on and on about nothing... like the colour of one's shoes and whether or not that matches the bike and kit.

If it is a bike and you are riding with a smile on your face it is all good.

I absolutely agree!
Best regards

tom4416 05-30-13 11:24 AM

I think the line between hybrids and road bikes gets more blurred every day because the definition of hybrid keeps expanding. They can be anything from what is essentially a flat bar road bike to a full suspension/fenders/racks bike. My current bike is a true hybrid and my next one is a flat bar road bike but still considered a hybrid because it's not a drop bar bike that weighs less than 20lbs, is drilled and tapped for a rear rack (gasp!) and has pedals that weight more than 2.1 oz. each ;). I can't ride drop bar for a variety of medical reasons but still get told over and over by web guru's to consider a "true" road bike.

However, my reception in person is entirely different - riders of all abilities and income levels have encouraged me, strongly, to get the bike I'm most comfortable with and to ride with them whenever I wish. They've been helpful about suggesting brands and features to look for, how to equip it for best utility while saving weight, etc.. Some of them ride $10,000+ full carbon bikes, some ride more affordable ones and some very experienced and competitive riders are on hybrids.

hybridbike 05-30-13 11:46 AM

WOW thanks for the replies so far...

That makes me feel a bit better now. When I went bike shopping I didn't have a clear view of what I wanted to do. I literally went to 5 bike shops on a Saturday trying to figure out which bike and brands felt good. As for the weight of the bike, I didn't really care, I'm using this for fitness and to complement other sports.

I want speed but then I also didn't want to miss out on different terrain.

However I want to do a century ride but it looks like I'd need a road bike.

So far I love my bike and it does put a smile on my face...but I guess I can't have the "best" of everything in a bike that does a little bit of everything.

erg79 05-30-13 11:56 AM


Originally Posted by hybridbike (Post 15684750)
However I want to do a century ride but it looks like I'd need a road bike.

Why? There's no law saying that you need a road bike to do a century. If you're comfortable on the bike, and have the endurance, that's all that matters.

Go over these old threads:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...n-Century-Ride

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ry-on-a-Hybrid

hybridbike 05-30-13 12:00 PM


Originally Posted by erg79 (Post 15684786)
Why? There's no law saying that you need a road bike to do a century. If you're comfortable on the bike, and have the endurance, that's all that matters.

Go over these old threads:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...n-Century-Ride

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ry-on-a-Hybrid

Interesting! Thanks for linking this!

ka0use 05-30-13 01:04 PM

i'm not looking down- i'm looking at the back of you pulling away!
don't go getting all neurotic on us, just ride it like you stole it.

robble 05-30-13 02:42 PM

Century on a hybrid is no problem. If the engine could do it on a pure road bike, it can do it on a hybrid.

Dunbar 05-30-13 02:51 PM

Where is all of your insecurity about hybrids coming from? The best bike is the one you ride the most.

hybridbike 05-30-13 03:21 PM


Originally Posted by Dunbar (Post 15685519)
Where is all of your insecurity about hybrids coming from? The best bike is the one you ride the most.

I just keep seeing road bikes..that's all.

CenturionIM 05-30-13 03:26 PM

i converted to riding road bikes exclusively a while ago. And frankly, I miss flat-bar bikes, that's how I learned to ride. Hybrid IMO has a hop on and go wherever mentality. With roadies I often find myself trying to go fast and stuff. Just feels more intense.

Maybe the problem is I cannot just stroll at whatever paces I want, unless I go to specific places like trails or MUPs.

Wanderer 05-30-13 03:42 PM

Hybrids are wonderful bikes..... If you are looking for more hand positions, Niagara Bicycle has a pair of Origin 8 bolt on drops. I have them on mine, along with regular bar ends bolted on, and Ergon Grips.. I seldom use the drops, but a change of pace is nice too.......

Don't let miles scare you - hybrids handle everything, and are much better for vision, when in traffic.

corwin1968 05-30-13 04:13 PM

I've always maintainted that for the average person, a hybyrid is the best choice of bicycles and that road and mountain bikes are actually the fringe. :)

I see far more people in regular clothes riding flat-bar or riser-bar bikes than I see spandex warriors on carbon fiber wonders. I'm not knocking road or mtb's and if I was young and athletic I might own one of each but I'm neither so I ride a hybrid.

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...951808&thumb=1

aramis 05-30-13 04:17 PM


Originally Posted by giantcfr1 (Post 15683047)
Well just have a look at the sales around the world and draw your conclusions. I see the hybrid as the bicycle version of the Motard.

not even close. It's the cycling version of a UJM maybe. Slow but it will get you to the store and back.

Motard is some guy on a super-light hard tail mountain bike with slick tires.

CenturionIM 05-30-13 04:31 PM


Originally Posted by corwin1968 (Post 15685836)
....flat-bar or riser-bar bikes than....spandex warriors ... carbon fiber wonders.... a hybrid.

Not mutually exclusive.:D

http://www.colnago.com/wp-content/fi...da_cf9main.jpg

http://www.colnago.com/cf9/

xoxoxoxoLive 05-30-13 04:36 PM

Really high end Hybrids can be harder to sell, because there not really the best at anything. That's why the entry and midlevel ones sell the most. What are you going to do on a 2000.00 dollar Hybrid, that can not be done on a 650.00 bike ?

chasm54 05-30-13 04:45 PM

I'm a roadie, but I have no snobbery about hybrids. Different bikes serve different purposes. However, I don't own a hybrid because I have more than one bike, and in those circumstances one can choose to specialise.

Having said that, my expedition tourer has flat bars and it would be difficult to come up with a definition of "hybrid" that it didn't fit. And when I was growing up (so long ago that mountain bikes hadn't been invented) virtually everyone who was not on a "racer" was riding something that today would be called a hybrid.

Don't worry about definitions or snobbery. Ride the bike that meets your needs.

Yo Spiff 05-30-13 04:51 PM


Originally Posted by jbchybridrider (Post 15683245)
many people are modifying there road or there MTB so it's easier to live with they have actually technically built them self's hybrid but afraid to call it a hybrid.

I frequently refer to my drop bar MTB with road tires as "hybridized". Hybrids usually don't have drop bars, but that's a matter of preferences. The position is still more upright than my road bike. The 1.5" tires soak up the potholes and handle gravel trails quite nicely.

To me, hybrid is simply a point somewhere between a skinny tired road bike and a bike made for serious off roading.

a1penguin 05-31-13 02:09 AM

Anybody who rides a bike gets two thumbs up and a friendly nod from me. Bike shopping is kind of like car shopping. There are people who want to buy a performance car and then ride it on city streets in traffic at 35 mph. I love my bottom of the line Honda Civic which is reliable and inexpensive although it is a dog. We all want different things from our bikes. Personally, hybrids aren't for me, although I keep saying I should either ride my hybrid or sell it. I much prefer a road bike.

Lots and lots of people bike to work. What do they ride? Mostly hybrids, followed by mountain bikes and some road bikes. Clearly hybrids are VERY popular.

My only caveat when giving people advice on bike purchases is that there are a fair number of posts where people start out with a hybrid and six months later decide they want a road bike. I like to ask people to think about a road bike.

Different strokes for different folks!


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