Which hybrid should I get?

DoubleJoe7

I'm looking to get back into cycling, haven't done so since I was a kid. Not going all out with a road bike for now but looking at a sporty hybrid.

Basically I'm looking for something for city cycling but with an option to build up my fitness and do longer cycles in time.

Have been to two places so far that have recommended a Merida speeder and a ridgeback velocity - advice would be greatly appreciated.

Plutonium Kun

Its a very competitive area so there isn't a huge difference I think between the hybrids offered by the various companies. It really depends on your pricepoint. I would say the best thing is not to focus on the bike, but to find a good bikeshop that you trust, and go with whatever they stock. But certainly Ridgeback have a good reputation for their hybrids. Merida is a huge Taiwan company which actually makes the bikes for a lot of other better known brands.

Icyseanfitz

any reason in particular why you think you need a hybrid? i hate them myself, dont really see the point in them, if your just doing road cycling get a racer and if your looking to do road with maybe some off road get a mtb,
a hybrid will start to hold you back when you want to start going for longer cycles as they generally have a very upright geometry as well as flat bars (only one position to put your hand as opposed to many on a racers drop bars) and most of them are also pretty heavy

again its just my opinion, but i see them as pointless

couerdelion

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

any reason in particular why you think you need a hybrid? i hate them myself, dont really see the point in them, if your just doing road cycling get a racer and if your looking to do road with maybe some off road get a mtb,
a hybrid will start to hold you back when you want to start going for longer cycles as they generally have a very upright geometry as well as flat bars (only one position to put your hand as opposed to many on a racers drop bars) and most of them are also pretty heavy

again its just my opinion, but i see them as pointless

Agree, seen a good few people buy them on the bike to work scheme and then get bored after a few months as either they aren't able to keep up with friends on the road or aren't able to keep up off-road. If you think you might just use it for a year then move up to a road bike I'd just buy one in the first place. You can't buy again on the Bike to work for 5 years.

Crixus09

i used to own a trek 7.5, it served me well for a year and a half, i sold it, it was a fab bike to be fair, now ive moved on to a cycling race bike, best of luck with what u decide

To Alcohol

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

any reason in particular why you think you need a hybrid? i hate them myself, dont really see the point in them, if your just doing road cycling get a racer and if your looking to do road with maybe some off road get a mtb,
a hybrid will start to hold you back when you want to start going for longer cycles as they generally have a very upright geometry as well as flat bars (only one position to put your hand as opposed to many on a racers drop bars) and most of them are also pretty heavy

again its just my opinion, but i see them as pointless

I'm cycling a Giant Rapid for the last six months and posting times as fast and better than an awful lot of road bikes. The huge advantage of the hybrid over a road bike is in and around the town where the hybrids extra control out manoeuvres a road bike all day long.

At the end of the day if your out on the open road get a road bike. Mix of commuting and out on the road for fitness get a hybrid like the Rapid which is almost identical to the Defy except for the handlebars.

Brian?

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

any reason in particular why you think you need a hybrid? i hate them myself, dont really see the point in them, if your just doing road cycling get a racer and if your looking to do road with maybe some off road get a mtb,
a hybrid will start to hold you back when you want to start going for longer cycles as they generally have a very upright geometry as well as flat bars (only one position to put your hand as opposed to many on a racers drop bars) and most of them are also pretty heavy

again its just my opinion, but i see them as pointless

The main reason people go for them seems to be a fear of drop handlebars. An irrational fear. Some people I've talked to seem to think you spend your entire time with you're hands on the drops when cycling a road bike.

I really don't see the point of Hybrids. I was looking at a friends one the other day a trek something or other. Alu with carbon forks, not too heavy. Wouldn't make a half bad road bike with a bit of swapping out. I actually felt sorry for the bike.

ruffmut

I bought a boardman comp hybrid 2012 model bike from Halfords not too long ago on the bike to work scheme. Like said above I was afraid of the drop bars. I am very happy with it. Joined a local cycling club 6 weeks ago and am keeping up to the rest of the pack.

However I am looking at changing it for a road bike. Will probably change it at the end of the year if I can wait that long. If you get a hybrid make sure you get bar ends so that you can change position.

In the long term if you are planning a lot of long spins or joining a club, I would recommend in buying a road bike as you will be changing not long afterwards.

DoubleJoe7

To Alcohol wrote: »

I'm cycling a Giant Rapid for the last six months and posting times as fast and better than an awful lot of road bikes. The huge advantage of the hybrid over a road bike is in and around the town where the hybrids extra control out manoeuvres a road bike all day long.

At the end of the day if your out on the open road get a road bike. Mix of commuting and out on the road for fitness get a hybrid like the Rapid which is almost identical to the Defy except for the handlebars.

This sums up what I'm thinking, I want it for mostly city cycling with some open road, I'm not going to be cycling with others really

Plutonium Kun

Hybrids have a bad rap because of so many poor quality ones over the years, but some of the latest ones are great. If you are riding mostly in the city flat bars are probably better for the inexperienced rider. Things like mudguards and chain guards mean they are better as 'hop on and go' bikes around the city than drop bar bikes. Also, because you are a little 'higher' on the bike they are nicer for gentle rides in the country, you can see whats going on around you, rather than adapt a 'heads down' attitude. Its horses for courses really.

dfdream

Ive moved up from a hybrid (after 12 months) and was told originally that I should have got a road bike day one. I laughed I said Im no Lance Armstrong (LOL). They were right and lots of poeple I know also moved up from hybrid. I got the hybrid on the scheme and luckily my brother got me a road bike on the scheme as I had mine used. Looking back I should have either bought a second hand Trek FX (Excellent value on Adverts sub €150) to see how Id get on or gone straight for the road bike. But Im glad I have both for going for spins around the locality with family..

Plutonium Kun wrote: »

Hybrids have a bad rap because of so many poor quality ones over the years, but some of the latest ones are great. If you are riding mostly in the city flat bars are probably better for the inexperienced rider. Things like mudguards and chain guards mean they are better as 'hop on and go' bikes around the city than drop bar bikes. Also, because you are a little 'higher' on the bike they are nicer for gentle rides in the country, you can see whats going on around you, rather than adapt a 'heads down' attitude. Its horses for courses really.

Mycroft H

I think the poor old hybrid is getting a lot of flak here, sure they're a jack of all trades but they can do a number of things very well.


Commuting, plenty of options for panniers both front and back and lots of space for quality mudguards.
Braking; Powerful V Brakes and lots of disc brake options nowadays.
Comfort; With a carbon fork and fat 32-35mm tyres, they're ideal for rutted streets and cycle lanes. Add a nice saddle and they're very hard to beat.

Touring; Well, they're not fully fledged touring bikes, but they have of the setup to get by reasonably well including a triple and a wide ratio cassette. Couple that with the decent braking power and pannier mounts and you've reasonably good touring machine.

Icyseanfitz

BX 19 wrote: »

I think the poor old hybrid is getting a lot of flak here, sure they're a jack of all trades but they can do a number of things very well.


Commuting, plenty of options for panniers both front and back and lots of space for quality mudguards.
Braking; Powerful V Brakes and lots of disc brake options nowadays.
Comfort; With a carbon fork and fat 32-35mm tyres, they're ideal for rutted streets and cycle lanes. Add a nice saddle and they're very hard to beat.

Touring; Well, they're not fully fledged touring bikes, but they have of the setup to get by reasonably well including a triple and a wide ratio cassette. Couple that with the decent braking power and pannier mounts and you've reasonably good touring machine.

why not just get a mtb and put slick tyres onto it? only problem i could see would be panniers on it, but then you can also get road bikes with pannier bosses.

Ive sold a few hybrids and as some other posters have pointed out its generally from a fear of drops / Awful skinny tyres or they see road bikes as only racing machines,
i will say its probably easier to get around cities with a straight bar (for novices anyway)

imo i just dont see the reason for them, road bikes = road, mtb = offroad,

dont even get me started on the different types of hybrids the different brands have :rolleyes:

Maidhci

DoubleJoe7 wrote: »

I'm looking to get back into cycling, haven't done so since I was a kid. Not going all out with a road bike for now but looking at a sporty hybrid.

Basically I'm looking for something for city cycling but with an option to build up my fitness and do longer cycles in time.

Have been to two places so far that have recommended a Merida speeder and a ridgeback velocity - advice would be greatly appreciated.

I do not propose to go through the advantages/disadvantages of road bikes / hybrids - its horses for courses etc. I own a road bike and have done so for many years, however, there are many leisurely cycles that can be undertaken on a hybrid that would not be possible or perhaps more correctly, not recommended on a road bike. For example, last year we cycled the Westport Greenway to Achill and decided to rent a hybrid for the cycle. It was a Giant Cypress City which is an excellent bike, very comfortable, fast, equipped with pannier and mudguards etc etc. I subsequently decided to buy one and find it great for cycles which would not be very suitable for my road bike. I also looked at the Kelly's Lagoon at time of purchase, an excellent bike, equipped with dynamo and all the trimmings of the Cypress but a little outside my budget at the time. Take your time and make your decision on what you feel comfortable with. Best of luck.

smacl

Icyseanfitz wrote: »

why not just get a mtb and put slick tyres onto it?

Because you're turning a perfectly good MTB into a poor hybrid. If you want a hybrid, why spend more money for a MTB, which probably has unwanted suspension, smaller wheels and may prove more attractive to thieves?

Seaswimmer

My daughter has just taken delivery of a trek 7.3 FX hybrid. She loves it.

I think most of the people on here are regular cyclists so always lean towards a road bike but for my daughter and most of her friends a hybrid is perfect for them. They commute to college, visit friends, do a bit of light touring during holidays, use panniers to carry books and locks but never go out to do 30 or 40km for the sake of it.

Most of us on this forum probably have more than one bike but for young adults I think a light hybrid serves all their needs pretty well.

Dermot Illogical

DoubleJoe7 wrote: »

I'm looking to get back into cycling, haven't done so since I was a kid. Not going all out with a road bike for now but looking at a sporty hybrid.

Basically I'm looking for something for city cycling but with an option to build up my fitness and do longer cycles in time.

It's at that point you'll buy a road bike. If you're going for a hybrid, buy 2nd hand.

Guill

I got a Hybrid on the bike to work scheme. I notice some people are more inclined to write them off than help but here's my 2 cents.

Firstly, I had no idea that I would enjoy the cycling so much but when I did the bike to work scheme and went to the local bike shop. All I wanted was to get from A to B. No racing, no off road so racers and MTBs were not on the table.
The first 3k of my commute s very poor surface country lane way so a racer would be useless. The last 5.5k is very good road. I told this to the bike guy, we chatted, he suggested a Hybrid (i had never heard of them before). So we had a look and I pick one with a very light frame and no suspension. I find it great.

I am getting much fitter and faster on it and can hold about 25 kph steady the whole way into work (not bad for an extremely unfit man that's 2 stone over weight, and reducing!).

I do about 70k a week on it (3 times to work and a hour at the weekend) at the moment but hope to do much more when the weather improves. I love the bike and treat it better than my car! I hope to someday upgrade to a road bike if my enthusiasm for cycling keeps up and that is what it is, I wouldn't think that I made a bad choice at the start there was no way for me to know at the time that i would enjoy it so much so i'm still happy with my decision. There would have been no point me buying a road bike and not knowing if i'd use it.

So I think the hybrids have a place but it depends on your needs and goals, I certainly wouldn't write them off, each individual has different needs and requirements.

ford2600

"If you're going for a hybrid, buy 2nd hand."

This is good advice. Given all the lads who move from hybrid to road bike and the bikes that never get used at all there is plenty decent hybrids for sale under 250. Cycle away for a year, if you like it upgrade to road bike next year, at which stage you'll be more informed as to what your needs are.
If you don't take to cycling sell it and get most of your money back

ciotog

I've cycled two different hybrids, over the past 5 years, as a commuter. Currently I do ~80km/week at ~22km/h average pace. I've no desire to 'upgrade' to a road bike as I prefer the hybrid as a utility cyclist.

OP, you do seem to be approaching cycling from a sporting perspective so you would probably be advised to follow the advice here. Your intent does seem to match a lot of those on here to get into distance cycling and on that basis a road bike would seem to be better suited to your needs in the longer term. Second hand hybrid may well be the way to go after you've tried out some road bikes to see if you can resolve what you currently dislike about them.

Run_to_da_hills

A lightweight sports bike with straight bars is my option for a hybrid.

I prefer the narrow wheels, lightweight frame and components than whats offered on most of the stock built hybrid bikes.

Icyseanfitz

smacl wrote: »

Because you're turning a perfectly good MTB into a poor hybrid. If you want a hybrid, why spend more money for a MTB, which probably has unwanted suspension, smaller wheels and may prove more attractive to thieves?

29er ah whatever keeps ye happy folks, just get out on a 2 wheeled contraption of some sort

one more thing to take into account when buying a hybrid is that it will probably be harder to sell on if you so wish than a roadbike

as for the lad saying he cant use a road bike because of bad roads id beg to differ, i live in kerry and we have some of the crappiest roads you will find anywhere, just keep out of the craters and watch the loose gravel and a road bike will go over just about anything

robertxxx

Hybrids are great for commuting and weekend spins, not 100km spins though.

They are great in the city due to having normal pedals for the stopping and starting at traffic lights.

You can keep your fingers on the brakes when expecting the unexpected when cycling through traffic and not scoot down to use the brakes of the drop bars, which might limit your visibility to other traffic.

Hybrids can have tires as thin as some road bikes ie;23*700 and can be very light as well.

Road bikes are great as well but usually cost more and are really suited to long spins, but still can be used city centre.

So it depends on really how much your going to us it and what for.
Are you going to use it 1 day per week during summer time or 2/3 times per week in all weather conditions or mammoth cycling sessions.

All the gear and no idea type of thing.

Tobyglen

Brian? wrote: »

The main reason people go for them seems to be a fear of drop handlebars. An irrational fear. Some people I've talked to seem to think you spend your entire time with you're hands on the drops when cycling a road bike.

I really don't see the point of Hybrids. I was looking at a friends one the other day a trek something or other. Alu with carbon forks, not too heavy. Wouldn't make a half bad road bike with a bit of swapping out. I actually felt sorry for the bike.

You don't see the point because you completely fail to observe the practicalities of them. Hybrids are very useful for novice cyclists, cycling around cities, older people & for many people who just like cycling.

You're also missing a key issue and that's some people can't use drop handlebars because of back problems. I use a Giant Rapid & find it much easier on my back than a racer and can most definitely see the point of using them.

Brian?

Tobyglen wrote: »

You don't see the point because you completely fail to observe the practicalities of them. Hybrids are very useful for novice cyclists, cycling around cities, older people & for many people who just like cycling.

I don't "fail to observe the practicalities" of them. I dismiss them as advantageous over a normal road bike.

People keep mentioning that they're good for novice cyclists, but I don't see why they're any better than a road bike for a novice.

Worried about drops: don't use them to begin with much.

Worried about tyre width: put wider tyres on.

I think most people who favour hybrids don't understand the benefits of a true road bike.

You're also missing a key issue and that's some people can't use drop handlebars because of back problems. I use a Giant Rapid & find it much easier on my back than a racer and can most definitely see the point of using them.

Well thats the one decent reason someone has given me for choosing a hybrid over a road bike.

So if you have a back back, buy a hybrid. Otherwise it's a road bike.

bedirect

I agree with "couderlion". lots of people find Hybrids are not suitable. Some shops will really sell "anything" to customers. A road bike will always sell for what you paid for it via the BTW scheme. In reality when do you ever use the dpop down handlebars ? This seems to be the main reason people wont buy road bikes. The main issue is the weight of the bikes. I bought a mountain bike a few years back but found it too heavy to cycle

Mycroft H

Brian? wrote: »

Well thats the one decent reason someone has given me for choosing a hybrid over a road bike.

So if you have a back back, buy a hybrid. Otherwise it's a road bike.

Touring? Wide tyres? Disc brakes? Travel over poor surfaces?

Not really road bike territory.

Brian?

BX 19 wrote: »

Touring? Wide tyres? Disc brakes? Travel over poor surfaces?

Not really road bike territory.

Why would touring be a problem. What do you think people used to tour on before hybrids were born?

Wide tyres are not something you want on the road in fairness. But if you do you can get a wider tyre on a road bike, varies from bike to bike how wide.

Disc breaks? Are they on most hybrids? I didn't think so.

If I'm travelling on poor surfaces I want the appropriate bike. A hybrid is no more appropriate than a true road bike.

You seem to be talking about a mountain bike in fairness.

Mycroft H

Brian? wrote: »

Why would touring be a problem. What do you think people used to tour on before hybrids were born?

Road bikes that you could squeeze fatter tyres on. Touring bikes were also a lot more common. As were racing frames with eyelets that would take tyres wider than 25mm (with mudguards)

Brian? wrote: »

Wide tyres are not something you want on the road in fairness. But if you do you can get a wider tyre on a road bike, varies from bike to bike how wide.

Depends on the purpose. Fatter tyres are almost as fast. Negligible difference anyway. Why don't you want them?

Brian? wrote: »

Disc breaks? Are they on most hybrids? I didn't think so.

Depends on your price point, but you can get loads.

Brian? wrote: »

If I'm travelling on poor surfaces I want the appropriate bike. A hybrid is no more appropriate than a true road bike.

You seem to be talking about a mountain bike in fairness.

Fatter tyres with strong rims to soak up the bumps along with beefier forks. Seems more approprite that a skinny 23mm 130psi tyre on a 16 spoke rim trying to cycle along a tow path.

Icyseanfitz

BX 19 wrote: »

Touring? Wide tyres? Disc brakes? Travel over poor surfaces?

Not really road bike territory.

Paris–Roubaix :pac: tbf there are different types of road bikes for different jobs (race, tourer etc.)
tyres, yeah hybrids can have wider tyres but you still wouldnt want to fly into a pothole with them either,
as for disk brakes, no need for them really but they are supposed to be coming into the road scene in the future

a lot of people dont seem to understand that many road bikes can be set up to be a relaxed ride, inverted stem, flat peddles lower saddle etc. which in my opinion makes hybrids obsolete,
a lot of novices also think that all the gear changing braking has to be done while in the drops whereas you can just as easily do it on the hoods so you still have a very good view of everything

again all my opinion so take it with a pinch of salt

Seaneh

BX 19 wrote: »

Touring? Wide tyres? Disc brakes? Travel over poor surfaces?

Not really road bike territory.

Allow me to introduce to you the Specialized Tricross the perfect do-it-all road bike.


The only thing it doesn't have is disc breaks but I maintain they are pointlessly fiddly and heavy for anything but hardcore cyclocross and proper mountain biking, so why bloody bother? The canti's on the tricross have more than enough stopping power for anything but rolling through 5 inches of ****e down hill.

Has full rack eyelets, takes 35c tyres and full mudguards, has a stem that is adjustable to an insane degree thanks to the ingenious comp-set stem which allows 4 different angles -16 degrees, -8, +8 and +16, which means for touring you can be upright and relaxed and if you just want to put in some hours on the road for a bit of training, flip the stem and shim and you've an very "aggressive" racey position. And it has bar-top breaks so using it in the city is a doddle, never had to reach for the drops to break so you stay upright and visible and maintain perfect control and it handles rough roads a crap ton better than any of the hybrids I've owned in the last few years (flat bar "road" style Lapierre RCR and 2 proper "city" hybrid) because of the brilliance of the frame and fork design.

There are drop bikes for racing and off road (CX) and touring and then there are do-it-all's like the tri-cross.

Like Brian said, unless you have a bad back (and I'd say even with a bad back, drops could be more comfortable with the right setup) there is no reason to by a hybrid, there is zero benefit if you buy the right road bike to suit your needs.

It took me until last june to convert to drops and I honestly cannot believe it took my so long, years wasted on hybrids!

smacl

Seaneh wrote: »

It took me until last june to convert to drops and I honestly cannot believe it took my so long, years wasted on hybrids!

It took me a couple of years as well, albeit I'd been three decades off the bike prior to that. I also found moving from a flat bar to drops, and actually using the drops, took some getting used to. I don't buy the argument of having a drop bar bike and never using the drops; it doesn't offer any advantage over a flat bar, and is probably worse if you use bar ends. For long spins, being comfortable with all the hand positions is beneficial. Personally, I'd use the drops for steep descents, into heavy winds, on crappier surfaces, and just to change position.

Would I advise someone to buy a road bike as their first bike? If it's within their budget and they're planning on spending a lot of time in the saddle, absolutely. If they're just not comfortable with drops, have a limited budget, or won't be doing long spins, go for a hybrid. Most of 'em work just fine, and I still use mine in preference to the road bike as a commuter.

thesimpsons

I'm in situation where have hybrid for 2 years and doing 70km Sunday spins now and signed up for few longer ones for the summer (Ring of Kerry included :eek:) so I'm looking at upgrading to road bike. my main worry at moment is being quick enough moving from handlebars down to the drops when I need to brake. it possible to get brakes fitted to the handlebars (this used to be the norm many many years ago when I was cycling to school)

smacl

thesimpsons wrote: »

I'm in situation where have hybrid for 2 years and doing 70km Sunday spins now and signed up for few longer ones for the summer (Ring of Kerry included :eek:) so I'm looking at upgrading to road bike. my main worry at moment is being quick enough moving from handlebars down to the drops when I need to brake. it possible to get brakes fitted to the handlebars (this used to be the norm many many years ago when I was cycling to school)

I found myself in the same dilemma moving to a road bike, and actually considered the same solution re brakes on top. While it is possible, my advice is don't bother. Find a flat section of quiet road and go up and down getting used to hand position changes, and using the controls from hoods as well as the drops. It certainly didn't come naturally to me, but was fine with practice, and is now entirely natural.

Don't do what I did and climb the steepest local hill only to find out your not really happy descending in the hoods, and you're too awkward to change into the drops. Memories of arriving in Enniskerry via Glencree wanting to do nothing more than chuck my road bike in the nearest skip, and go back to my trusty hybrid.

novarock

I had this one for a year until it got stolen, if I dont get it back ill buy another.

http://eurocycles.com/ie/product/felt/xcity-3

it has a slightly different riding position to a straight hybrid, I got it as I didnt want to use drop bars, and wanted something that could stop pretty much instantly

the longest cycle I did on it was 40k, could go further.

Dermot Illogical

thesimpsons wrote: »

my main worry at moment is being quick enough moving from handlebars down to the drops when I need to brake.

I tend to keep my hands on the hoods. Comfy and no need to change position to brake.

thesimpsons

Dermot Illogical wrote: »

I tend to keep my hands on the hoods. Comfy and no need to change position to brake.

by "hoods" do you mean the general area of the curve where the gears can be flicked before the lower part of the drop bar (not sure how to describe it)

Dermot Illogical

thesimpsons wrote: »

by "hoods" do you mean the general area of the curve where the gears can be flicked before the lower part of the drop bar (not sure how to describe it)

The top of the gear/brake levers.
See here for what I mean.

From that position you can change gears and brake at will. It's quite comfy too if your bike fits you.

quenching

I bought a Specialized Sirrus Pro recently to use as a commuter into Dublin city centre. I have a road bike too but just don't feel quite as safe in busy traffic so the hybrid is used for commuting. The road bike is certainly more efficient than the hybrid but the combination of clipless pedals, drops, and crappy caliper brakes don't inspire as much confidence in traffic as the hybrid. I cycle about 4000km per year so wouldn't consider myself a novice.

Some people just prefer a hybrid