Hybrid

GT_TDI_150

guys,


I'm getting a bike for myself and will be getting a hybrid.
I think the type of bike I'm going to get is a hybrid racer.

The only thing that would worry me is the racer tyres ... are they hard to get used to? Do the get hard to handle if the roads were to get moist/wet? Is there a greater risk of skidding with racer tyres?

Thanks

blorg

Racer tyres are fine outside icy/snowy conditions. If you are thinking that way you should probably just get a road bike though.

CianRyan

Any particular reason you want to get a hybrid over a proper road bike?

GT_TDI_150

CianRyan wrote: »

Any particular reason you want to get a hybrid over a proper road bike?

2 sales guys said that if i have back problemms to stay away from racers

Lumen

GT_TDI_150 wrote: »

2 sales guys said that if i have back problemms to stay away from racers

I have back problems and find road bikes more comfortable. I wouldn't take medical advice from a bike shop.

smacl

I went for a hybrid based on perceived comfort, and more than a little nervousness of drop bars tbh, and in retrospect it was probably the wrong thing to buy. Longer spins in the more upright position do tend to leave me with with a sore lower back the following day, which I'm guessing would be alleviated by better weight distribution afforded by drops.

The other thing to be wary of is if you put road tires on a hybrid, you're losing a fair amount of shock absorption provided by the wider tires more normally found on a hybrid. So when you hit those bumps and potholes, and you're sitting upright, the shock is going to be transmitted to your ass, tail-bone and lower back.

Might be worth borrowing and/or renting a couple of different types of bikes, trying them out on slightly longer spins, and see how you get on. IMO, comfort is discovered near the end of a long spin rather than at the start of a shorter one.

happytramp

Everything you are nervous about now you will come to love. Skinny tyres, drop bars, saddle etc. After a couple of weeks flying around, going much further and faster than you thought possible, you will find all other bikes and indeed all other modes of transport utterly pointless.

MungoMan

Everytime someone asks about getting a Hybrid on this forum, people always steer them towards getting a road bike instead.

Personally, I wouldn't want a a Hybrid, mainly because I go on 3 hour spins at the weekends on roads.

Do Hybrids have a place, they seem like neither one thing nor the other ?

Some people on this thread even think they are less comfortable

Who should prefer a Hybrid to a roadbike ?

blorg

If you are doing shortish spins around urban areas they make a lot of sense. They will have wider tyres for comfort and will generally take luggage and mudguards better than a road bike. They are a LOT cheaper- you can get a decent hybrid from €350 or less, not so with a road bike. Fit is less critical with the more upright position and they are more manoeuvreable at low speeds... for someone only interested in riding about a town or short (20-30km) rides for fitness they make more sense than a road bike- and many fit this category, indeed the overwhelming majority of cyclists in countries where cycling is actually popular for transport, rather than primarily a sporting activity.

But if someone is asking about a hybrid with skinny racer tyres a lot of the benefit is gone and they might well be better off with the road bike.

Lumen

MungoMan wrote: »

Who should prefer a Hybrid to a roadbike ?

I find drop bar bikes make cycling in normal clothing (trousers/shirts) uncomfortable. The clothes aren't designed for the position, and mudguard issues mean problems when the roads are wet.

So hybrids are probably perfect for people who ride around in normal clothes. Utility cyclists?

GT_TDI_150

may be i'm naming the bikes wrong, it more of a flatbar racer than a hybrid... I've never like the racer bars, just a personal thing really

instinct

go for something like a Giaint Rapid (hybrid racer). I can rub shoulders with the lycra clad roadies on my commute (until fitness become a factor). Maybe the drops would be nice as sometimes I would like to choice to get down low but am going to stick on some TT bars as a cheap easy soulition.