MTB or Hybrid

[Roscoe]

I’m looking for something to ride on hard packed trails, mainly at the local wind farm. Perhaps the odd rocky trail.

One thing I really don’t want is disc brakes! I’m old school, I just don’t like them. Any recommendations? The majority of non disc bikes that seem to fit the bill and <£500 budget are hybrids. Would a hybrid be up to light off road use?

This is purely for easyish off tarmac routes. Ive got a decent road bike for road riding.

One that‘s caught my eye is the Ridgeback Terrain 1. V brakes and fully rigid, simplicity! Thoughts?

 

[Roscoe]

I’m looking for something to ride on hard packed trails, mainly at the local wind farm. Perhaps the odd rocky trail.

One thing I really don’t want is disc brakes! I’m old school, I just don’t like them. Any recommendations? The majority of non disc bikes that seem to fit the bill and <£500 budget are hybrids. Would a hybrid be up to light off road use?

This is purely for easyish off tarmac routes. Ive got a decent road bike for road riding.

One that‘s caught my eye is the Ridgeback Terrain 1. V brakes and fully rigid, simplicity! Thoughts?

Just to add to this, I do have a hankering for an older Kona but always concerned I’d be buying someone else’s problems.

 

[T4tomo]

Your choices are limited for "not disc brakes" I was thinking 2nd hand 90's rigid MTB, but apparently your choice is available new and at a very reasonable price, it says 2022 model, it might as well be 1992
https://winstanleysbikes.co.uk/ridg...OytRHTX_vLSV2dClGDkYrEBoCJVwQAvD_BwE#187=4581

I cant see you doing any better given your parameters

 

[Jameshow]

My kids have ridgeback bikes similar level and they gave been built proof. Basic but strong...

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I have an ebike - but it is basically a hybrid
Most of my rides involve long section of paths and tracks - including canal banks - so some of them are tarmac but a lot are gravely or hard packed clay/soil
some depend on the weather and can be covered in mud

The tyres I use and basically designed for the road

I have to say that there a tendancy for the tyres to make a huge difference - if it is slippy underfoot/wheel then they will slide around a bit - but on the surfaces I ride on they work just fine
and the rolling resistance is far less than for people with knobbly tyres - especially on the tarmac sections in dry weather
at one point I got my wife's son's old "mountain bike" sorted out and took it for a ride or two - the difference was amazing on normal roads!

The frame geometry will also be a bit different - a hybrid is more built for long commuting type rides where effiency and comfort are important
and MTB would be designed more for control on difficult terrain

In my opinion the tyres make the main difference on a day-to-day basis

However, you also have to remember that a hybrid is designed and built to stand up to normal road use mostly and is fine for smoother tracks and trails
but if you hit major bumps and lumps and any speed then the frame is not designed to take that sort of punishment very often

a proper MTB however is designed for that and can take more punishment - and is also designed for wider tyres and has wider spaces to allow for it.

So if the places that your ride - and will ride in the future - are fairly flat and don;t have large rocks and stuff - then a hybrid would be fine
and cheaper
and you can always have a second set of tyres for winter

but if you think you might want to go over bumpier stuff the an MTB would take the extra better
BUT make sure it is actuall an MTB - some of the more popular brands that I have looked at have had the phrase "MTB stye" somewhere in the description - ina locked basement in a filing cabinet marked beware of the leopard!
If it said that I would suggest that you might as well get a hybrid and have the extra comfort!


IMO - a lot of others know more about this stuff that me

 

[Kingfisher101]

A hybrid will be O.K. but in very muddy/ wet conditions when its a bridleway etc a MTB outperforms a hybrid tyre in my opinion. I have both a MTB and a Gravel type bike.
Just look at what's available and make a choice. Plenty to choose from in that budget.

 

[Cycleops]

You should be okay with a hybrid as long as you go for those which are 'mountain bike lite', in other words ones which have the fatter tyres.
I use a gravel bike here with 42c tyres which cope well with the mostly hard packed dirt roads.
In mud there will no difference in grip compared to road tyres as the tread will just fill up with mud.
A £500 mountain bike fork will have just have a heavy piece of metal with a spring in it anyway so you are best off on a hybrid with a solid fork so money saved on that will go into the rest of the bike, not to mention weight.

 

[Alex321]

I’m looking for something to ride on hard packed trails, mainly at the local wind farm. Perhaps the odd rocky trail.

One thing I really don’t want is disc brakes! I’m old school, I just don’t like them. Any recommendations? The majority of non disc bikes that seem to fit the bill and <£500 budget are hybrids. Would a hybrid be up to light off road use?

This is purely for easyish off tarmac routes. Ive got a decent road bike for road riding.

One that‘s caught my eye is the Ridgeback Terrain 1. V brakes and fully rigid, simplicity! Thoughts?

Hybrids are designed specifically to be OK on both roads and light off-road, so yes it should be suitable.

But there is a good reason why all modern mountain bikes (and most hybrids) have disc brakes. They really are very much better if you start getting into wet or muddy or even dusty terrain.

If you are only riding hard packed gravel in decent conditions, then the Ridgeback should cope well.

 

[Hacienda71]

A second hand CX bike. Canti brakes were preferred until a few years ago so plentiful supply of good brand bikes, plenty of clearance for appropriate treaded tyres. I run a ten year old CAADX great for a bit of off road stuff and you could get a bike like that for a couple of hundred pounds.

 

[Cycleops]

The Ridgeback looks okay but bear in mind that at that price point puncture protection will likely be zero.
If I were shopping around that budget I'd look at used. Many bargains to be had for hybrids and you might even get some better rubber if better aftermarket stuff has been fitted.

 

[Jameshow]

The Ridgeback looks okay but bear in mind that at that price point puncture protection will likely be zero.
If I were shopping around that budget I'd look at used. Many bargains to be had for hybrids and you might even get some better rubber if better aftermarket stuff has been fitted.

But like a car you pay a premium for a new one.

If your happy to check over a s/h bike that's fine, but if the op wants the reliability of a new bike it's a low as I'd want to up tbh.

 

[raleighnut]

Ridgeback are good bikes, I've had a couple but it's an aluminium frame (mine were both CrMo steel) still it has a 'lifetime guarantee' on the frame so should be fine, tyres seem a bit 'fat for me but then I prefer 25/28's even on trails

 

[Kingfisher101]

https://www.halfords.com/bikes/hybr...bike-2020---silver---s-m-l-frames-346142.html
There you go, that would be suitable and not too expensive.

 

[fossyant]

A second hand CX bike. Canti brakes were preferred until a few years ago so plentiful supply of good brand bikes, plenty of clearance for appropriate treaded tyres. I run a ten year old CAADX great for a bit of off road stuff and you could get a bike like that for a couple of hundred pounds.

Same here. Picked up a 10 year old Colnago World Cup last year for £330. Spent a bit on new tape, cables and tyres. Now doubles as a very capable climbing road bike/winter road bike with a switch of wheels (that I had spare) and clip on guards fitted in a few minutes.

 

[Cycleops]

Good spot by @Kingfisher101 That Carrera Parva is £120 less than the Ridgeback for more or less the same specs.
That money could buy you a pair of puncture proof tyres or just use the originals until you get fed up mending punctures.