Can I keep up with a road bike on a flat bar road bike or hybrid?

[Cyclist33]

Turned it into the bike I need it to be

Classic mistake... how you gonna justify n+1 if you did that?!

 

[vickster]

No more bikes needed...but I did see a lush de rosa yesterday, fortunately the wrong size!

 

[G3CWI]

If you do find the roadie getting away from you, tie the piece of string mentioned above to their seat stay and your handlebars. Job done.

http://www.bicyclebungee.com/

 

[Piemaster]

If you could ride against yourself on both bikes you'd be quicker on the road bike, but how much quicker depends on things like how much advantage something like getting tucked up into a head wind would make.

 

[Big Nick]

I've actually set my highest average speed on my hybrid (on a 32 mile ride) so yes I could keep up with myself on my road bike !!!

 

[Nigeyy]

I can give a definitive answer to the second question: yes, if I was riding the road bike.

What kind of average speeds can you achieve on a flat bar or hybrid around relatively hilly area?

 

[bike1049]

I've actually set my highest average speed on my hybrid (on a 32 mile ride) so yes I could keep up with myself on my road bike !!!

What was the average speed?

 

[nappadang]

Chances are, you'd wipe the floor with me mate, even if you stuck me on a 10 grand bike and gave me a five mile head start.

 

[bike1049]

Yeah true

 

[ColinJ]

What is it that you really want to know?

Are road bikes quicker than hybrids - probably, if both were ridden flat out by equally fit riders.

Could a fit person on a hybrid keep up with someone less fit riding flat out on a road bike - probably.

 

[Cubist]

I had a Boardman Hybrid Pro. A 9 odd kg bike which, by the time I finished fettling, had 25mm tyres, a compact chainset with a top gear of 50/11, flipped stem, loads of seatpost, head down arse up geometry/position. The flat, narrow bars had ergo grips and the whole thing stopped on a sixpence thanks to the hydraulic disc brakes. I rode with several roadies on out and out road bikes, and never once felt underbiked in comparison. It had very snappy acceleration, and because of the hydraulic discs out braked everything in the wet, so was very confidence inspiring. Hand on heart, I'm not sure I'm much faster on my road bike.

 

[classic33]

How fit are you?
How unfit is the roadie?
How long is a piece of string?

25% of its original length.

 

[vickster]

25% of its original length.

+/- 10%

 

[slowmotion]

My fastest speed as an unfit cyclist on the flat, on a hybrid , is a little faster than a bit fitter, on my road bike. Strange but true.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Rider for rider, the road bike would be quicker, but all riders aren't equal.

To give an extreme example, I could be riding the most state-of-the-art aero TT bike in the world, and Tony Martin would still beat me on a full-susser MTB.

Are you sure of that Hipster? He might be an excellent pro' road cyclist but aren't they only used to the tools of their trade? Him on a knobbly tyred mountain bike would be like a champion jockey on a shire horse maybe?