Hip Priest
Veteran
I've seen hybrid used to descibe anything from a flat-barred road bike to a MTB with slightly less knobbly tyres.
Road Bike VS Hybrid Bike
- Thread starter paulb55
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
terry_gardener
Veteran
- Location
- stockton on tees
looking at the specialized crosstail comp bikes they look closer spec'ed towards a MTB than road bike. with 700x45c tyres and just shy off 14kg bike, with front suspension is going to slow you down a little.
where as a road bikes are less then 10kg and 23 or 25mm tyres and without suspension it is going to faster.
i moved from a hybrid to a road bike and i find it is faster and hills are easier than before.
best thing to do is try and borrow a road bike from a friend to have a ride on one, or go and have a test ride on one at your price range and make a decision on your findings.
used the following bikes for my answer.
specialized crosstrail comp
and
specialized allez 16 road bike
where as a road bikes are less then 10kg and 23 or 25mm tyres and without suspension it is going to faster.
i moved from a hybrid to a road bike and i find it is faster and hills are easier than before.
best thing to do is try and borrow a road bike from a friend to have a ride on one, or go and have a test ride on one at your price range and make a decision on your findings.
used the following bikes for my answer.
specialized crosstrail comp
and
specialized allez 16 road bike
Piemaster
Guru
- Location
- UK City of Culture
Yup.
I've got an older Giant Escape, basically their hardtail frame of the time with a rigid fork and (26") slick tyres. Giant sold it as a hybrid.
My son has a Carrera Gryphon. A flat barred road bike. A hybrid
Hybrids from opposite ends of the hybrid spectrum.
paulb55
Über Member
- Location
- Birmingahm
Good explanation terry, i got the spaecialized comp as i do a fair bit of road cycling but when i see a canal tow path i just have to go on it so it suits me for that purpose.
I recently changed the tyres from 700x45 to 700x 38 and find that makes a slight difference but could i go lower on the tyres to say a 25 as you state
The only thing that is stopping me from getting an all out road bike is that i love to change my rides from road to canal tow path etc and yes, i must turn off the front suspension when i am on the road, which i can do on this make of bike
Cosmicned
Active Member
- Location
- Swindon, Wiltshire
I pondered this very question for ages - so I ended up with one of each! I find if I'm off on a dryish weekend 25+ mile jaunt, it's the road bike - but it's not much good for my short six mile commute - way too twitchy for dodging the traffic... that's where the hybrid comes into its own- I've got two Boardmans... the Hybrid is not too far removed from the road version anyway in 28c vs 23c tyre size - a few pounds heavier maybe but the disc brakes & inherent maneuverability have saved my bacon in many a tight spot hacking to work... just my two penneth... 
The term hybrid is becoming obsolete isn't it? Replaced with 'city', 'urban', 'commuter', etc etc as the market differentiates to fill every niche and persuade us to buy the +1 we think we need, just as Marx predicted.
I think you should all come to your senses and buy a good sturdy MTB. A bike for all seasons.
I think you should all come to your senses and buy a good sturdy MTB. A bike for all seasons.
paulb55
Über Member
- Location
- Birmingahm
well i may have to buy one so what about this one
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...uctId_786805_langId_-1_categoryId_165710#dtab
vs
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...uctId_810675_langId_-1_categoryId_165710#dtab
or
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/triban-3-173178017/#INFO-DETAIL
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...uctId_786805_langId_-1_categoryId_165710#dtab
vs
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...uctId_810675_langId_-1_categoryId_165710#dtab
or
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/triban-3-173178017/#INFO-DETAIL
I'm no expert, but they are all cheap road bikes aren't they?
paulb55
Über Member
- Location
- Birmingahm
yep you're right there, that's for sure, but for a first road bike well !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh. In that case I should just edit my last post to 'I'm no expert'.
Although you can't go far wrong with Decathlon for pretty much anything in my view.
Also, there will be people on here shortly directing you to second-hand options.
vickster
Legendary Member
Just do what I did and spend £1300 on your first road bike 
I had a Crosstrail sport, heavy lump of bike for road riding. Sirrus is my daily hack hybrid, quicker than the Crosstrail certainly, but won't beat a roadbike
To be honest, I think the rider's fitness and technique is far more important than the bike...look at the pros, all have the best bikes but some are far better than others
I had a Crosstrail sport, heavy lump of bike for road riding. Sirrus is my daily hack hybrid, quicker than the Crosstrail certainly, but won't beat a roadbike
To be honest, I think the rider's fitness and technique is far more important than the bike...look at the pros, all have the best bikes but some are far better than others
paulb55
Über Member
- Location
- Birmingahm
Just do what I did and spend £1300 on your first road bike
I had a Crosstrail sport, heavy lump of bike for road riding. Sirrus is my daily hack hybrid, quicker than the Crosstrail certainly, but won't beat a roadbike
To be honest, I think the rider's fitness and technique is far more important than the bike...look at the pros, all have the best bikes but some are far better than others
To be honest, I think the rider's fitness and technique is far more important than the bike...look at the pros, all have the best bikes but some are far better than others
Nail being hit on the head by hammer i would say, and that says it all don't you think
Simba
Specialized Allez 24 Rider
- Location
- Tottington - Lancashire
The Carerra TDF is a pretty solid road bike.
[QUOTE 1512409"] A Hybrid is a bike that has been designed to incorporate different facets of the various cycling classes that exist within cyling with the sole aim to give the user a bike that can be used as a multi purpose bike (with respect to terrain) and in all weathers. [/quote]Sounds like a cyclo-cross to me.
[QUOTE 1512409"]Typically this involves:
Flat barred MTB geometry for comfort and toughness.
MTB wheels that can take a MTB slick
Higher gear ratio for speed.
Wider gear ratio for off roading.
fitted lugs for taking a pannier.
[/quote]I'm not surprised to see that list which has several things many would disagree with, specifically, MTB wheels and pannier lugs.
One of these would fit many people's first thoughts when the word hybrid was used, with 700c wheels and 28mm road tyres.
A great bike, the Sirrus, I'd love to have one but 700c wheels with 28mm tyres, linear pull brakes... it's a road bike with flat bars, it would be outclassed by the proper choice when it hit its first woodland climb.
Also called a hybrid is one of these.
Again, a fantastic bike but front suspension, disc brakes, 37mm tyres and a 28x32 bottom gear are not exactly ideal for a bike to be used on the road and, if the OP was riding one, I wouldn't be surprised that he was scalped.
Hybrid means so much that it means nothing. Rigid MTB, flat-barred road bike, cruiser, shopper, Dutch, step-through, these are all words which mean something. "Hybrid" could mean any of these designs and more, so using it, particularly for peeps who are wanting to know what bike to get, is not helpful. Going back to your original response, Lee, if you thought about it you might realise how much saying "the clue is in the name" showed that you didn't really think about it at all. A "hybrid" between a road and an MTB could be a cyclo-cross, a fixie, a Charge Steamer, a Pashley Princess, a... well, people take it to mean so much that it means nothing.
IMO.
[QUOTE 1512409"]Typically this involves:
Flat barred MTB geometry for comfort and toughness.
MTB wheels that can take a MTB slick
Higher gear ratio for speed.
Wider gear ratio for off roading.
fitted lugs for taking a pannier.
[/quote]I'm not surprised to see that list which has several things many would disagree with, specifically, MTB wheels and pannier lugs.
One of these would fit many people's first thoughts when the word hybrid was used, with 700c wheels and 28mm road tyres.
A great bike, the Sirrus, I'd love to have one but 700c wheels with 28mm tyres, linear pull brakes... it's a road bike with flat bars, it would be outclassed by the proper choice when it hit its first woodland climb.
Also called a hybrid is one of these.
Again, a fantastic bike but front suspension, disc brakes, 37mm tyres and a 28x32 bottom gear are not exactly ideal for a bike to be used on the road and, if the OP was riding one, I wouldn't be surprised that he was scalped.
Hybrid means so much that it means nothing. Rigid MTB, flat-barred road bike, cruiser, shopper, Dutch, step-through, these are all words which mean something. "Hybrid" could mean any of these designs and more, so using it, particularly for peeps who are wanting to know what bike to get, is not helpful. Going back to your original response, Lee, if you thought about it you might realise how much saying "the clue is in the name" showed that you didn't really think about it at all. A "hybrid" between a road and an MTB could be a cyclo-cross, a fixie, a Charge Steamer, a Pashley Princess, a... well, people take it to mean so much that it means nothing.
IMO.
