This is my first post as a member on this forum..Hi! fellow bike riders! I switched from a road bike to a hybrid few months ago - I enjoy commuting on it on a daily basis and have been doing it all through this winter. I've kept the bike geometry very similar to my road bike with a high saddle and a low flat handlebar on a smaller frame .

Wishing Everyone A Happy New Year!

- Andy

Care to give any details on your old bike/new bike and/or some pics?

My commute involves going over pavement, dirt, slush, poodles of water, mud etc. etc. I started looking for a hybrid bike with tires wider than the 23c's on my trek 1.5. My choice for a replacement bike was trek 7.4 fx disc. However just before buying 7.4 I test rode the diamondback insight 1 & 2 - the diamondback frame was a much better fit than the trek. I chose insight 1 as it had a much smoother ride with an alloy fork compared to insight 2 which had an aluminum fork. Unlike the trek the insight does not have disc brakes. On the suggestion of my LBS I replaced the brake pads on insight with heavy duty koolstop brake pads.

I ended up buying a much cheaper bike than I intended - it fits me like a glove and the koolstop brake pads have tremendous stopping power.

Some of my friends think I made a mistake by not opting for a trek and disc brakes. What do you guys think ?

If the bike fits, ride it. I have a bike with a disc brake on the front and it does provide good stopping power but it is also more dificult to diagnose and repair when not functioning well. Calipers with pads that are in good shape and properly tuned are sufficient.

Thanks! This is exactly what the LBS mechanic told me as well.

I have been using Koolstop brakes for three years now, love them!

I've had them for 4 months now - How often and when should they be replaced? (I ride a moderate 45 miles a week).

I haven't tried disk brakes but I find the V brakes on my trek 7100 to be excellent in terms of stopping power... I also have a road bike with side pull calipers and find that they don't have quite the same "umph" in terms of being able to stop.

I agree - The linear pull V-brakes I have on my hybrid tend to have a better stopping power than the traditional cantilever brakes I have on my road and mountain bikes. Superior brake pads and how well a brake is adjusted can make quite a bit of a difference too! Since at times I do my biking in the rain and mixed terrain, I always have to make sure brakes on all my bikes work flawlessly.

One bike has had the same ones for three years, doesn't get ridden much, the other I replaced once in that time when about half of the raised areas of the pad were wore down. They were probably still good at that point.

I would be lucky if my pads survive more than 8 months. I do quite a bit of biking in rain up and down on sloping terrain. That was one of the reasons I wanted disc brakes although I am perfectly happy with what I have now.

Most people tend to move up to a road bike. Your the only person I know that moved up to a hybrid bike. I still prefer hybrids over roadies. Two things that I was never sold on bicycles were grip shifters and disc brakes. I still prefer rubber pads.

I was biking over mixed terrain for my commute to work and the road bike was just not suited for this. Rain, mud and slush made things even worse. I had no choice but to move to a hybrid - something with wider tires and a light frame.

I have an old store bought 70 dollar MTB that I ride occasionally on weekends that uses grip shifters. The bike has been been tuned to perfection by the LBS and the grip shifters work flawlessly! Do they still make grip shifters for bikes? Haven't seen them around.

I was biking over mixed terrain for my commute to work and the road bike was just not suited for this. Rain, mud and slush made things even worse. I had no choice but to move to a hybrid - something with wider tires and a light frame.

I have an old store bought 70 dollar MTB that I ride occasionally on weekends that uses grip shifters. The bike has been been tuned to perfection by the LBS and the grip shifters work flawlessly! Do they still make grip shifters for bikes? Haven't seen them around.