VeryPrivateGent

My road bike sits in my garage gathering dust - I just don't see any use for it. I bike almost daily and everything my road bike does my hybrid does the same if not better with a higher degree of comfort. I've done a few centuries on my chromoly hybrid (Jamis Coda Sport) without too much of an extra effort compared to my road bike. The only modification I've made is an addition of a good suspension seat-post for extra comfort.

The hybrid especially shines on mixed terrain - It performs flawlessly on road, dirt, grass, slush, mud and even light snow.

What are your reasons to give up on road bikes.

sfrank

My road bike is also sitting in the garage for the same reasons. My Trek 8.4 DS is currently equipped with 700 X 38 semi-slick tires for the paved roads and trails but I have a spare set of wheels with 29 X 1.9 tires for dirt trails. The only reason I would use my road bike is if I were doing very long distances. My hybrid has become my multi-purpose bike.

Wanderer

I sold my road bike, when I realized it hasn't been ridden in over a year......

VeryPrivateGent

Doing a century ride on a hybrid compared to a road bike has always been far more comfortable for me personally. But if comfort is not a factor, then yes road bikes are a better option being faster and for tackling steep climbs.

limbot

@sfrank for interest what semi slicks you running?

sfrank

After looking at my tires again, I was mistaken about them being semi-slick. I must of been thinking about another tire. They have a center ridge (for lack of a better word) which is approx. 1/2 inch wide and then side sipes to move the water away. They are made by Kenda and I bought them at my local bike shop. I run them at 70 psi although the maximum is 80 psi.

badger1

I didn't "give up on road bikes"; my main bicycle is a road bike. It simply happens to have flat bars w/bar ends as opposed to drop bars.

Johnny Mullet

I soldmy road bike because it was not comfortable and I experienced handand shoulder pain riding it. I put urban tires on my MTB and enjoy riding it!

carbon14

I didn't give up road bikes either but just switched to a flat bar road bike. My reason for switching is that the flat bar riding position suits my use of the bike better than a drop bar bike does. I daily commute and do long fitness rides with the occasional group ride and I almost never got low on the drops on my old Specialized Roubaix so for my 60th birthday I took the plunge for a 2014 Sirrus Comp Carbon and couldn't be happier with it. Except for the handlebars it's everything my old bike was and more.

a1penguin

Funny. I have about 200 miles on my Trek FX 7.5 and it sits in my garage unused. I'm need to sell it and put funds with my bonus toward a Ti road bike :-)

NormanF

My 29er is fast.... I think of it as a fat tire cafe cruiser. Do I miss buying a road bike when I have a speedy urban pothole crashing rig?

I really feel my bike is sufficiently fast and does everything a road bike can do... and it can go places a road bike can't.

I have no real regrets and I'm happy with it.

Daddy Wags

As a road biker during most if my life, I finally had to switch to a flat handlebar bike to relieve the discomfort in back and neck.

At first I went to a mountain bike and now a performance hybrid. I can honestly say that I am more comfortable on my hybrid at 71 years old than I ever was on my road bikes. I wish I could have had a performance hybrid back in the day. I don't feel I am compromising by owning a hybrid.

Who Dey3334

I have a Specialized Sirrus Comp and a Giant Defy 2 and I like my Sirrus 10 times more then the Defy. Give me a flat bar road bike over a drop bar any day.

Jaeger99

My hybrid definitely does not do everything as well as my road bike. I'm glad I have both and don't see myself getting sick of either one anytime soon. I suppose I might be equally sick of "hybrids are the mistake purchase you make before getting a real (road) bike" threads as I am of "road bikes are pointless, hybrids rule!" threads. But then I guess I don't have the need to validate my choice by denigrating the different choices made by others.

I get that drop bars aren't for everyone, but the more endurance-oriented road bikes are a pretty easy transition from a flat bar hybrid. I certainly tried some more aggressive race-type setups that were definitely NOT for me. If that were the only type of fit available in a road bike, I would not own one.

Daddy Wags

Good point......there are road bikes and then there are road bikes. The road bikes I owned all sought to mimic a race bike. Some of these newer bikes like the Salsa Vaya, Salsa Casseroll, Giant Anyroad , and other light touring bikes and relaxed geometry bikes have degrees of comfort the old dropped bar bikes could never approach.

Having been on some of these "comfy" road bikes, I still find hybrids like the Trek FX and the Giant Escape more to my liking but that is just me. A lot of folks bad mouth hybrids on the grounds of the hybrid's limited hand positions. In my own case, I don't find this is true. With bar ends and no clutter on the middle section if my bars, I have multiple hand positions. Even with regular flat bars, I had at least 4 different positions I would use. Granted, if you are riding into a tough head wind nothing can compare to getting down in the drops, but stretching out on my bar ends is an improvement over standard flat bars.

QUOTE=Jaeger99;17007353]My hybrid definitely does not do everything as well as my road bike. I'm glad I have both and don't see myself getting sick of either one anytime soon. I suppose I might be equally sick of "hybrids are the mistake purchase you make before getting a real (road) bike" threads as I am of "road bikes are pointless, hybrids rule!" threads. But then I guess I don't have the need to validate my choice by denigrating the different choices made by others.

I get that drop bars aren't for everyone, but the more endurance-oriented road bikes are a pretty easy transition from a flat bar hybrid. I certainly tried some more aggressive race-type setups that were definitely NOT for me. If that were the only type of fit available in a road bike, I would not own one.[/QUOTE]

1Treky

I just moved from a Trek 750 Hybrid that I have been riding for years to a new carbon fiber Trek 7.7. Essentially the 7.7 is a road bike with straight bars. I absolutely love that thing!

Jaeger99

The 7.7 is all kinds of awesome.

ps249

I was actually looking at getting a road bike last fall. I was looking at the 2014 Giant Defy until the LBS salesman said he had a Giant Escape RX carbon unstairs still in the box. I did some research on this bike and decided to go for it as it was a carbon bike at a reasonable price. Im glad I stayed in the hybrid market. Not sure if I would ever go to a road bike as long as they keep making hybrids like the RX.

practical

I had a road bike and then bought a bike at a yard sale for $20 that was a touring bike with a flatbar and grip shifters. I instantly loved it and never went back to drop bars. I now ride a Giant Escape 1.

Atakuweh

I went the other direction – after a year on the 2013 Jamis Allegro Elite performance hybrid that got me back into cycling after a long absence, I just bought a 2014 Jamis Icon Pro road bike with a racing geometry. Now I'm wondering when I'm going to ride the hybrid again! I'm sure I will, though. I spent the last year gradually modifying the setup on the Allegro Elite to make it more aggressive, flipping the stem and adding long bar ends out front so I could stretch out and be more aero, which made the transition easier. Nice to have the option to ask yourself "Which bike shall I ride today?"

linnefaulk

Mine is sitting unused as well. I didn't think it could hold my weight. I know that is not true but but now worry about the glass I see on the side of the rode. I avoid as much as I can but worry the thinner tires will not be able to handle it.

MickeyMaguire

The Fuji Absolute2 that I ride is a road-bike with a flat bar. I love it. Still, I have my eyes on a Gran Fondo.

VeryPrivateGent

My Jamis Coda Sport is sort of similar - road bike like geometry with a flat handle bar. I prefer these kind of performance hybrids over more upright comfort hybrids.

MrCoffee

Getting a 700x38c hybrid bike with a suspension fork has mostly to do with my purpose, dropped bars or not. I have some very rough pavement, many construction areas, curbs, and dirt roads to ride on. There are also some areas I have to get to that would qualify as single-track for MTB's. The bike will be for work, not recreation. When I have the funds, I will opt for a road bike for pleasure; when conditions are optimal and pleasant, with plenty of smooth riding surfaces.

quattroG

Funny, I did just the opposite. After riding a hybrid for a while on roads, I decided I really wanted a road bike. Better position for climbing hills and much much faster.