What do you think in the most durable Hybrid which can handle nature's elements like rain, snow, mud, slush etc. the best? A bike which is not necessarily the lightest but has excellent quality components to withstand extremes of nature.

A Worksman ( https://www.worksman.com ) You will probably not enjoy riding such a monstrosity, but it will last forever. Otherwise, just buy a mountain bike made by any of the major manufacturers, from a bike shop with a good rep for service for $5-600, replace the tires with street tires and it will last you for many years. It won't be the MOST durable, but it will still, almost certainly be better for your purposes.

Koga - Miyata? I think most things of a decent origin looked after with regular maintenance could go the distance. That is just me though.
The thought of building from scratch appeals to me starting with some thing like a Soma frame, while finance dictate otherwise, I am mucking around with some early 90's Cro Mo "hybrid" frames. Cheap and I can decide what goes on the bike, and end up cheaper in most cases than a new bike buy.
Enjoy the research process as you can learn a lot, fast.

What about Jamis Coda?? All steel? Maybe not the lightest but perhaps a good, durable alternative. (I was thinking "tough" durable but since most components are similar across lines, I'd say mid-grade mountain bike types would be sufficient).

No bike is impervious though.

My '99 Trek 7500 is going just as strongly as ever... sold it to my friend several years ago with at least 40,000 km on the bike, I had upgraded the wheels, crank, and derailleurs for her and the bike has been ridden daily ever since.

MOst frames will stand up to a great deal of use and abuse... it is the components that need to be chosen for their reliability that will make the difference.

I totally agree.

me too...

My personal choice would be a bike with an MTB frame, and disc mounts.
Once I replaced all the crappy parts on my hybrid, it is capable of both Road and MTB. Mainly due to the fact it has discs, so you can swap and change rim sizes at will, without having to worry about v-brake or road brake caliper alignment.

The key question is which is the most durable hybrid? Putting new components /tires on a mountain bike frame doesn't make it a hybrid or does it? Something to think about .

If you put components on a mountain bike that make it more street worthy, you are by definition, creating a hybrid.

Don't have to think about it. Many hybrids have this combination. My bike is a hybrid, and it came stock with an MTB frame and components with 700mm rims.

Of course it does, to the extent that the term 'hybrid' has any useful meaning at all. The re-purposing of mtbs to street riding is in fact the origin of the marketing term 'hybrid'. Most 'hybrids' sold as such these days tend to fall into one of two main categories: "twenty-niner light" (with or without front suspension; examples: Trek DS; Giant Roam; Specialized Crosstrail); or "flat-bar touring/commuting/fitness" (examples: Trek FX; Giant Escape; Specialized Sirrus) and/or "flat-bar road bike" (examples: Giant Rapid; the high-end carbon Specialized Sirrus bikes).

My Novara Safari has well north of 10k miles. It's been through many rain and snow storms,has been ridden through the salt numerous winters,carried mucho groceries,and got abused at polo. Zero issues. It's got a 3x9 drivetrain and alloy frame. I've also ridden a Trek 7200 and Giant Sedona through the winter and polo'd them as well.

As long as you do proper maintenance,and don't genuinely abuse a bike,almost anything will be reliable. SS/FG/IGH drivetrains will require less maintenance than derailleurs,hydro discs will require less maint than canti's,and belts will require less maint than chains,but all will work just fine if kept up with.

Forgive my ignorance but do you mean you play bike polo??? Or is polo slang for something else?? (I'm assuming if bike polo you mean it gets abused from the bumps & grinds on the.....errrr...court)

Kinda hard to say what is considered "Durable". Are we talking frames or components? Components, well..are pretty self explanatory..u have the less expensive ones, they will fail. By brother had some low model Shimano component and the drerailer failed and wrapped around his spokes. Obviously, the higher end components of Shimano are far superior. As far as Frame..well..in HYBRID terms, they ALL should be durable enough to handle 95% of what an average Hybrid rider does. There are the 5% who put their bikes to the extreme..but most Alloy/Steel/Carbon frames on a hybrid should handle most people's needs.

I did,I don't anymore due to my back(can't do the twisting).

The Safari got banged around pretty good,and since it was my commuter I decided it would be best to get a dedicated polo bike before I messed something up on it. I used a Swobo Otis after that;beat the crap out of that bike,and despite the fact that the frameset was 'only' aluminum,it never failed me. Even the lower-end Alex Rims wheels did ok;had to have them trued a couple times,and replaced two spokes in the rear,but they never failed or tacoed.

Thanks everyone for your input! Having talked to some friends and from what I've researched here and elsewhere online, Jamis Coda Elite seems to be strong candidate in the durable department. It has a sturdy steel frame and excellent components. Anything tougher in the sub 1500 dollar range?

I estimate that my old '99 Trek 7500 has 50,000 km on it now... the frame and fork have held up fine and the components I upgraded it with before I sold it are still going strong.

My friend needed a good bike and as she loved borrowing it, it became hers and she commutes on it daily.

I consider components, especially drivetrain parts, to be consumables. I don't pay much attention to them when buying a new bike, because I will be replacing a lot of those parts within a couple of years anyway. Getting the "right" frame with good fit, all the necessary mounting points, clearance for studded tyres etc. is more important to me.

One exception is IGH and front dynohubs... they're relatively expensive and once installed they're there for decades even, hopefully. It makes sense to try and make sure you're happy with your choices there.

--J

The most durable will be the one you never ride!! I dont think any bike is the most durable....

Also would like to add how a good bike tuning done at the LBS by a knowledgeable mechanic can add to the durability and riding comfort of a bike. I bought a much cheaper hybrid than I intended because the bike was a better fit. My LBS fine tuned it to such perfection that it rides like a million dollar bike.

Durable would be the bike that carries my Clydesdale rear around the street....
Seriously, I have no idea if this Orbea Carpe will hold up, but all seems to be well thus far.... I certainly dont know enough to be pushing advise.. But i love this ride... Maybe something for someone to consider.... Im a newb for sure I will remain in the Clydesdale section for the most part, but thanks for letting me out to look around..






.... Yes, I fully expect to be slapped around for posting a canned bike picture when i have less than 10 posts... But it sure looks like mine

Start out with a Boat Anchor Schwinn Varsity perhaps?

Drum Brakes , 3 speed hub . the steel rims wouldn't matter then ,. brakes in the Hub.

what ever handle bar you like .. it can be steel Too ..

If you keep it clean, oiled and service regularly - any bike with Shimano/Sram components will be durable.

Is this still the case if the components are towards the very low end of their range?

Yes. It's possible to get many, many miles and years of happy use even from low end components. The cheapest Shimano is built like a tank lol It's heavy, not perfect in any way, but will last the life of a bike if you take care of it. I'm "abusing" my bikes, but I also service them regularly.
There is a fine line between price/quality/weight...I always try to choose something in the middle...not too heavy, good quality and good bang for the buck.