Hybrid or Road

fatpop
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2015 11:34 pm

Hybrid or Road

Postby fatpop » Wed Mar 18, 2015 11:41 pm

Hey, I need some advice in terms of buying my first bike. Just wondering what people thought in terms of both hybrid and road bikes? advantages/disadvantages? I am planning on using the bike for daily commute travelling on roads the entire way there therefore i was leaning towards getting a road bike, i am just worried that in the event i just go for a leisurely ride on the weekend that I will be stuck if i come across unpaved bike trails. How would a road bike cope on something that isn't paved (crushed rock or fine gravel etc)? are the majority of trails in melbourne paved? Will a hybrid bike handle it that much better or am i just being paranoid.

Thanks so much in advance, this is the first proper bike i plan on buying so I am in need of some advice

User avatar
silentbutdeadly
Posts: 2294
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2010 9:52 am
Location: Somewhere flat...

Re: Hybrid or Road

Postby silentbutdeadly » Thu Mar 19, 2015 10:34 am

Most road bikes are tougher than the people that ride them. They'll cope with unpaved roads no problem but they may be a handful in the process. Road bikes with wider tyres (28 to 32 mm) and a long(ish) wheelbase will do better.

They'll also be more comfortable for commuting with the very slight tradeoff that they won't be quite as capable in a bunch ride...but since you have no intention of this then it is no tradeoff.

Hybrid bikes add a further tradeoff by being even heavier and slower but they can often be cheaper and more comfortable (especially for beginners and older riders). They are not any stronger. And if they have a suspension fork on the front then they are savagely compromised...

I would lean you more towards the road styled bike with wider 700c tyres than the typical hybrid bike.

Have a squiz at the Giant Revolt 3 or the Giant Cross City 0 Disc and use them as a starter to determine what else is out there you might be interested in.
Ours is not to reason why...merely to point and giggle

vosadrian
Posts: 1176
Joined: Fri Mar 22, 2013 4:58 pm

Re: Hybrid or Road

Postby vosadrian » Thu Mar 19, 2015 11:17 am

Years ago I was after a bike to ride to work and was going to get a Hybrid, but a road bike came up cheap second hand. I am so glad I got a road bike. I still use it for commuting but my cycling interest ended up taking me on bunch rides and then (road) racing with it, and a Hybrid would not have been suitable (and would be a distant memory now if I had gotten it). This bike has seen many a dirt road and bush trail and handles with no issue. Sure a MTB would be better in some circumstances, but unless it was more than 50% off road, I am happy on the roadie. I doubt a Hybrid would be any better than roadie on most off road scenarios, but the roadie will be better on the road in most any scenario. The only plus for the Hybrid I see is a more upright position which may serve you well if you have back issues. A road bike can be set-up fairly upright if you get the right frame anyway.

User avatar
bychosis
Posts: 7250
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2012 1:10 pm
Location: Lake Macquarie

Re: Hybrid or Road

Postby bychosis » Thu Mar 19, 2015 11:36 am

If you are considering relaxed riding flat bars are preferable, providing more upright and relaxed positioning. There are some models that can be quite fast too, essentially somewhere between the sit-up suspension fork hybrids and a drop bar road bike. How much leisurely riding will you be doing? Will you be riding with others? Leisurely riding on a road bike is fine, but they are naturally faster than hybrids and riding slow isn't as easy on a road bike, so if your riding with others on relaxed hybrid or MTB bikes you'll be held back. I find that for family rides an old Mtb is much betterer than my road bike as it's easier to ride slowly and provides more work for me (the most cycling fit in the group) if our speed gets up a bit.

To add further confusion if I was getting a new bike for commuting on I'd be looking at a cyclocross bike. Built tough, disc brakes, wider comfort tyres with a road bike aero-ish position. Disc brakes work much better than rim brakes in the wet, but are not an essential upgrade if you will be a fair weather commuter.
bychosis (bahy-koh-sis): A mental disorder of delusions indicating impaired contact with a reality of no bicycles.

Calvin27
Posts: 2435
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2013 5:45 pm

Re: Hybrid or Road

Postby Calvin27 » Thu Mar 19, 2015 11:52 am

Road bikes will do hard pack gravel no problems. The real consideration is your comfort/performance tradeoff.

Bigger tyres are more comfortable, smaller are faster. Pick one.

I'd personally just go with the trend and get a sportif road bike (comfortable more upright geometry, kind of between a hybrid and road racer) or a cross bike. Both will do roads and some questionable gravel roads too. Think of it this way:

Lower number is faster but less able on the rough stuff.
1. Pure road bike
2. Sportif road bike
3. Cross bike
4. Hybrid road
5. 29er rigid
6. 29er front suspension
Heavy road bike
Cushy dirt bike
Very cushy dirt bike
Bike crushed by car (RIP)
No brakes bike
Ebike

jasonc
Posts: 12170
Joined: Thu Feb 24, 2011 3:40 pm
Location: Brisbane

Re: Hybrid or Road

Postby jasonc » Thu Mar 19, 2015 12:44 pm

calvin is on the money

i started with a hybrid to ride to work
I now have a flat bar and a roadie

dinga78
Posts: 137
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 4:32 pm

Re: Hybrid or Road

Postby dinga78 » Thu Mar 19, 2015 1:09 pm

agreed, i started commuting on an avanti inc 3 with flat bars, after a while i put drop bars on it, now the only compromise with the alfine hub and inc frame is the 12.5kg weight. if it was lighter it would be a perfect commuter.

i looked at cx bikes as options but limited my search to di2, hydro discs......in the end i couldnt commit to the chain/cassette maintenance required from riding externally geared bikes in all weather every day, so i stuck with the belt drive.

the di2 was to remove the last cable from the setup to further reduce any maintenance issues etc but in the end the 4-5k price tag was too much given i was only gaining a lighter bike to go faster on.

fatpop
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2015 11:34 pm

Re: Hybrid or Road

Postby fatpop » Thu Mar 19, 2015 1:15 pm

thanks so much for your replies

the majority of the riding will be just a daily commute to and from uni which is in the city. i don't know how much leisurely riding i plan on doing, most likely not too much, was just worried that i would be limited getting a road bike if i came across unpaved surfaces but it seems like for the most part that the bike will take it quite well if it has to.

Any recommendations for an entry level road bike?

unbent
Posts: 28
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2015 6:31 pm

Re: Hybrid or Road

Postby unbent » Thu Mar 19, 2015 7:10 pm

I bought a hybrid in jan and am already looking to upgrade to a road bike... While I am enjoying it the bike Its speed tops out at and is hard to maintain past 30km on the flats... Heavy , hard to push into a headwind because of the upright position and .. Well it's all about beating my strava pb's and I have platued a bit ....

ebs
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2014 11:49 am

Re: Hybrid or Road

Postby ebs » Thu Mar 19, 2015 7:50 pm

Have both and seem myself as having 'graduated' to the roadie. For commuting, a hybrid offers more comfort, arguably better control and more versatile. This is at the expense of performance / responsiveness. If not commuting long distances, a hybrid would be my pick, if I wanted to do some road work at speed, the roadie would be better. Your money generally goes further with a hybrid as well e.g. a $600 hybrid is a decent bike, a $600 roadie is very entry level.

User avatar
lardass71
Posts: 217
Joined: Wed Jul 17, 2013 8:09 am

Re: Hybrid or Road

Postby lardass71 » Thu Mar 19, 2015 8:14 pm

unbent wrote:I bought a hybrid in jan and am already looking to upgrade to a road bike... While I am enjoying it the bike Its speed tops out at and is hard to maintain past 30km on the flats... Heavy , hard to push into a headwind because of the upright position and .. Well it's all about beating my strava pb's and I have platued a bit ....
yep that sums it up, try them all, get whatever strava says your faster on :D
Image

unbent
Posts: 28
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2015 6:31 pm

Re: Hybrid or Road

Postby unbent » Thu Mar 19, 2015 8:16 pm

These things are important are they not ... I have heard sacrificing small puppies on an alter of Lycra and carbon also helps

Calvin27
Posts: 2435
Joined: Sat Feb 09, 2013 5:45 pm

Re: Hybrid or Road

Postby Calvin27 » Thu Mar 19, 2015 8:31 pm

Give us a budget and we'll shoot some bikes your way.
Heavy road bike
Cushy dirt bike
Very cushy dirt bike
Bike crushed by car (RIP)
No brakes bike
Ebike

jdh500
Posts: 60
Joined: Thu Mar 19, 2015 9:19 pm

Re: Hybrid or Road

Postby jdh500 » Thu Mar 19, 2015 9:27 pm

If riding purely on roads then I'd say go with a road bike, however if at some stage you think you will use bike paths with the odd bumps and dips I'd go with a flat bar bike with road bike gearing and wider tyres. I use mostly shared cycle paths with a lot of pedestrians etc and with the flat bar bike it is easier to move around them, tight turns etc.

I'm currently using merida T5 to commute to work 3 days a week and another ride on the weekend of about 7 to 10km each way.

JDH

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users