Hats off the the Hybrid!

[thefollen]

Tackled the 'King of the Downs' Evans half sportive (57 mile) Ride It event yesterday... on my £325 Giant CRS 3 Hybrid. Very impressed with how it performed. Must say mine was the only non-road bike I saw and possibly the least impressive bike there. Adding to that I had no lycra and full backpack (with lock) on. No problems with it whatsoever.

Couldn't really go for a time since I was there primarily to support a mate but I did my own pace up the 5 rather steep featured climbs:

• Leith Hill (451ft climbing in 2.1 miles)
• Pitch Hill (559ft climbing in 2.1 miles)
• Combe Bottom (422ft climbing in 2 miles)
• Ranmore Common West (271ft climbing in 1.5 miles)
• Box Hill (567ft climbing 2.6 miles)

Even scalped a couple of riders up them ;-)

Very fun day out with the absolute joy of NO TRAFFIC LIGHTS. Some amazing downhill runs too that I could only describe as the most fun I think it's possible to have on a bike.

Not nearly as impressive as the chap I spoke to who claimed to have done the Alps on a Brompton however.

 

[deckertim]

Nice one. I did the KOTD last year on my touring bike, complete with handlebar bag and felt similar to you as everyone else seemed to be on some very slick racing bikes. However, just like you I was able to scalp a few people on the hills, simply because their fashionable compact doubles were not geared low enough for some of those hills. This year I was on my shiny new bike, but I still ended up cycling alongside a guy in his 60s on a hybrid as we went up Box Hill. He was setting quite a pace, but I was determined to stay with him.

 

[corshamjim]

It's really not essential to use a road bike for a sportive. I completed the SW Tour Ride "Challenge Ride" (the 75k one) last year on a Dahon 7-speed folder. I somehow even managed to stay upright all the way up Peak Hill too.

I've not yet tried a full-distance sportive yet on a non-road bike though. I'm booked in for the Wiggle 100 mile Mendip ride in August, but confess I will be doing that on my Trek Pilot, not the folder. Maybe next year.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Nice one. I did the KOTD last year on my touring bike, complete with handlebar bag and felt similar to you as everyone else seemed to be on some very slick racing bikes. However, just like you I was able to scalp a few people on the hills, simply because their fashionable compact doubles were not geared low enough for some of those hills. This year I was on my shiny new bike, but I still ended up cycling alongside a guy in his 60s on a hybrid as we went up Box Hill. He was setting quite a pace, but I was determined to stay with him.

or an alternative view would be

simply because their fashionable compact legs and lungs were not powerful enough for some of those hills.