Hybrid vs Road for bad hip

[tigerknome29]

Hi all,
I am in need of help for which bike to choose. From what i've researched I have narrowed it down to a hybrid or road bike. (open to other suggestions)
Main requirements and use of the bike will be for:
- communting mon – fri 5km through suburbs with a change of clothes and laptop (undecided on backpack or side carry bags)
- Exercise – for rides usually no longer than an hour around twice a week, no dirt tracks

Another important consideration is that I have a bad hip and I would prefer a style of bike which would require the least arount of hip flexion, if it is any different with the different types of bikes.

My budget is roughly $1000

Cheers

[Duck!]

When set up correctly both will give a similar range of hip motion. Getting on & off is what will stress the bung hip. Road bikes typically are a feww millimetres lower than hybrids & MTBs, but there's still the issue of swinging a leg over. If the bung hip is quite restrictive, then a low step-through traditionally ladies style hybrid bike may be the only option.

[tigerknome29]

Only one hip is bung so I can always swing my good hip over to get on. So from that I may as well get a road bike considering I'm not going off road and the range of motion is very similar ?

[Bunged Knee]

What clipless pedals are you going to use for your bung hip?

I`d recommended Crank Bros Candy pedals as it is easy to unclip for hip or knee problems.

I don`t have bung hip but got mended broken patella hence of my username and rides roadie and flat bar bikes on Crank Bros Candy 1 & 3 pedals and it had been kind to my knee. I`ve used the SPD-SL and SPD pedals and it caused me problems of unclipping at the loose setting before I changed to CB pedals.

[CKinnard]

you better work out what peak hip flexion you can comfortably maintain while riding...and it would help if you knew what was actually bung about your hip

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/menus/hip.cfm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

for some conditions, an orthopedic surgeon would advise you not ride at all.

[Duck!]

I`ve used the SPD-SL and SPD pedals and it caused me problems of unclipping at the loose setting before I changed to CB pedals.

You don't state how long since you tried them, but in recent years Shimano have introduced some "light action" pedals that have much lower spring tension in the mechanism, so are a lot easier to get in & out of. Click'R, based on the SPD design is more well known, but there is also a R540-LA SPD-SL model.

[Bunged Knee]

I`ve used the SPD-SL and SPD pedals and it caused me problems of unclipping at the loose setting before I changed to CB pedals.

You don't state how long since you tried them, but in recent years Shimano have introduced some "light action" pedals that have much lower spring tension in the mechanism, so are a lot easier to get in & out of. Click'R, based on the SPD design is more well known, but there is also a R540-LA SPD-SL model.

I`ve used this R540 SPD-SL for under 2 months over 3 years ago for road bike, not the light action and I googled it and found that it got the new model of LA and it looks good. I fell off bike 4 times trying to unclip on road due to my knee problem. I changed into SPD 530 MTB Trail pedals for 6 mths before changing to SPD 520 MTB pedals for flat bar bike. CBC1 pedals on flat bar bike.
CBC3 pedals on 2 road bikes. I find it better on my knee without more force to unclip.

Heard about the Click`R but haven`t used or tried it. But I`m happy with CBC pedals and I`ve got 2 of CBC3 on specials for $65 at the time.

Thanks for info, Duck.

[tigerknome29]

I have a cam lesion which i had an athroscope to remove. However some of the cam is still there and there is potentially a small labrial tear which was picked up on a post op mri. My hip flexion ROM is around 120 degrees. Funnily enough I have a cam and pincer lesion on my other hip but it is asymptomatic and I have a greater ROM. Hope this helps. Orthopod I found somewhat unhelpful when he it came to what I can and can't do, I'll leave it at that.

[koshari]

for some conditions, an orthopedic surgeon would advise you not ride at all.

dont listen to him then.

[outnabike]

for some conditions, an orthopedic surgeon would advise you not ride at all.

dont listen to him then.

I'll second that.
10 years ago I rode a ladder down that slipped on a smooth concrete floor. "Not my fault as I was too stupid to know that a ladder with a wood base would slip."

Any way the prognosis was that I would never walk again etc. etc. and the doc would fill in the "invalid forever" papers. The left heel was badly crushed. So i started to ride the old repco exercise bike, and made the most rapid recovery the docs had ever seen, and then joined this forum and am still active today. The Docs said "I don't know what you are doing but don't stop doing it...... They reckon use it or lose it.

[CKinnard]

I'll second that.
10 years ago I rode a ladder down that slipped on a smooth concrete floor. "Not my fault as I was too stupid to know that a ladder with a wood base would slip."

Any way the prognosis was that I would never walk again etc. etc. and the doc would fill in the "invalid forever" papers. The left heel was badly crushed. So i started to ride the old repco exercise bike, and made the most rapid recovery the docs had ever seen, and then joined this forum and am still active today. The Docs said "I don't know what you are doing but don't stop doing it...... They reckon use it or lose it.

for every one of you, there's 19 that pay for surgeons to send their kids to private schools and holiday in the south of france.

This year alone, I've had 2 teenaged kids have to give away all exercise until their hip jts were remodeled at great expense. Google FAI. and even then, they are unlikely to ever bear the pain of repetitive hip flexion. hiding your head in the sand works.....until it doesn't....which is when it tends to fail catastrophically.