hybrid bike for sportive or audax?

zonular

Well I've a trek 7.1fx that has held up the commute, I've since moved to a far more fun single speed for my commute.

Could I fit it with racks and mudguards and get into some long distance cycling or am I wasting my time?
Cheers

quozl

Why not? Try it out and see how you find it.

You'd probably at least want a cheap pair of bar ends so that you have a 2nd hand position.

My body would seize up in a ball of agony if I tried to do a long spin on a hybrid but some people do do it. So try it out and if you find your neck, back, shoulders and hands killing you after a while then consider getting a drop-bar bike where you can move you hands around more. Even I can do 30 to 40km on a flat bar bike and enough spins of that distance if you're not already doing them will get you fit.

Alek

Do you find it comfortable on your long rides, especially when it comes to your hands/arms/neck? If so, no problem with Audax rides - nobody will mind, although you may be the only person with straight bars around

I've done 6 or 7 200km brevets on a hybrid and I was grand

zonular

Truth be told, I've never done a big spin on it. I have mainly been cycling a fixed gear langster. Got 50km in yesterday on it furthest I've done it about 70km.
I realise audax riding is about comfort over huge miles, just the hybrid is badly due a service/new parts and its a case of keep and do up with this in mind or trade up.

Fian

My brothers and I did the ring of kerry (over two days) on a hybrid two years ago. It is likely to mean sore shoulders/neck but we had never cycled more than 40k previously i guess, and we managed it on hybrids. we did stop for breaks though and we were not concerned with the time it took, just wanted to finish it.


We went killarney - cahirciveen (clockwise) on the first day.

Alek

I've done it about 70km.

Why not try 120km next? If there will be no unbearable pain in your wrists / palms and no numbness the next day, I'd say you'll be grand for 200k