hybrid, help

[rowan 46]

I was looking at another thread and there seems to be some argument, with some views as diverse as "there aint no such animal" to it's just a marketing term. I have been into some lbs and when I have asked to see a hybrid they have shown me one. Did I imagine these occurences and all the references in the forums to these bikes? I have just realised I may be riding around on an imaginary bike. Help

 

[stoofer34]

MTB style
700c wheels
My Hybrid does exsist

Giant Roam2

S

 

[HLaB]

I don't believe you, some idiot once said the world was round ;-)

 

[corshamjim]

The term 'hybrid' has been around ever since someone realised that some aspects of mountain bikes were good but not so good that normal people would want to ride one.

 

[Norm]

And the reason that I despise the word hybrid, which manages to be meaningless, useless and positively harmful at times. These three are all described as "hybrids" and they range from the Spec Crosstrail, a rigid mountain bike which would be good on all surfaces, to the Charge Mixer, which would struggle on even rough tarmac.

From the other thread, the OP was looking for:
- Suitable for roads, pathways and very gentle x-country (cycling through woods etc). I'm not going to be doing any major off-raoding or anything like that
- Preferably something that I can attach a kids bike to so that my son can ride behind me (he can't really cycle on his own yet)

Now, imagine they were told they needed a hybrid, walked into a bike shop asking for one and walked out having bought one of these.

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.

The next "what bike" thread is someone who wants a commuter but will never go off road and gets told "you want a hybrid". He says that in his LBS and comes out with 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 road bike.

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.

IMO.

 

[mightyquin]

I came up with a new one, Compromise Bike! It's more meaningful.

 

[rowan 46]

If I went into an lbs told him what I wanted it for and came out with the wrong one I would be surprised as the reason I go to an lbs is to get advice its why I pay the premium. Its not in their interest to give bad advice.as to being inexact we have had a bso thread so being inexact doesn't appear to be a problem with some in the cycling community. I maintain when I go to an lbs and say hybrid he knows what I'm talking about.

 

[Norm]

If I went into an lbs told him what I wanted it for and came out with the wrong one I would be surprised but the reason I go to an lbs is to get advice its why I pay the premium. Its not in their interest to give bad advice.

A bit of a straw man, as it's a very different situation from the one you originally suggested.

And it is correct, but if you are going to ask in the LBS anyway, then why ask on here first?

Or, if we know peeps are going to ask in the LBS anyway, then why give advice?

Why suggest someone should "get a hybrid" when it won't actually help the person who has asked the question to narrow down their selection? Especially when "Get a road bike / shopper / Dutch / cruiser" is all that is needed to actually mean something?

When you asked to "see a hybrid", what bike were you shown? Or did the chap in the LBS ask you more questions so they could actually get a level of understanding that they couldn't get from you saying that you wanted to "see a hybrid".

 

[rowan 46]

A bit of a straw man, as it's a very different situation from the one you originally suggested.

And it is correct, but if you are going to ask in the LBS anyway, then why ask on here first?

Or, if we know peeps are going to ask in the LBS anyway, then why give advice?

Why suggest someone should "get a hybrid" when it won't actually help the person who has asked the question to narrow down their selection? Especially when "Get a road bike / shopper / Dutch / cruiser" is all that is needed to actually mean something?

When you asked to "see a hybrid", what bike were you shown? Or did the chap in the LBS ask you more questions so they could actually get a level of understanding that they couldn't get from you saying that you wanted to "see a hybrid".

The point I am making is that hybrid is an acceptable term and is understood by bike shops, If I went in and asked for a hybrid they would know what I meant and would be able to show me a range of bikes that fitted into that category as to getting advice from the lbs it's an answer that has been given many times on this forum

 

[Norm]

The point I am making is that hybrid is an acceptable term and is understood by bike shops, If I went in and asked for a hybrid they would know what I meant and would be able to show me a range of bikes that fitted into that category as to getting advice from the lbs it's an answer that has been given many times on this forum

And the point that I am making is that hybrid doesn't mean much at all and the thing understood in the bike shops is that more questions are required, many of which wouldn't be required if you had said something like "shopper" or "flat-barred road bike".

The range of bikes you would be shown could include some which were completely unsuitable, again something which would be avoided had you not used the word "hybrid".

Getting advice from an LBS is something that is often suggested but you are again taking yourself off on a tangent there.

Going back to your original post, you said...

I have been into some lbs and when I have asked to see a hybrid they have shown me one.

Which, if any, of the following styles were you shown and do you agree that there are differences between them which could have been avoided had you used a word other than "hybrid".

 

[rowan 46]

I agree norm. the term is inexact but I still think it's a starting point. but thinking it over you may be correct in its applicability to to a new rider at least without qualification.Although as a newbie I wouldn't know what the terms for all the different kinds of bikes were

 

[albion]

Its quite strange that 700c with fat tyres are more the hybrid definition.It threw me.

 

[Norm]

I agree norm. the term is inexact but I still think it's a starting point.

Indeed it is, but it's a tad... I don't know... lazy is probably too emotive... maybe "inexact" is just the right word.

All of those styles have different names which would give significantly more information to the listener / reader than the word "hybrid". People can, do, and probably always will use the word "hybrid" but I wonder what the writer means by it every time I read it on here.

Apparently, these are also considered to be "hybrids" but I bet not many people have these in mind when they write the word...

 

[rowan 46]

Indeed it is, but it's a tad... I don't know... lazy is probably too emotive... maybe "inexact" is just the right word.

All of those styles have different names which would give significantly more information to the listener / reader than the word "hybrid". People can, do, and probably always will use the word "hybrid" but I wonder what the writer means by it every time I read it on here.

Apparently, these are also considered to be "hybrids" but I bet not many people have these in mind when they write the word...

Does this mean I don't have to worry about riding an imaginary bike

and thanks for the discussion it was interesting

 

[abo]

The point I am making is that hybrid is an acceptable term and is understood by bike shops

But, from a n00b point of view anyway, there are so many bikes which fall under the term 'hybrid' I can understand why people say it is meaningless.

IMHO if person 'X' walked into a LBS and said 'I want a hybrid', the first question they should be asking is 'what do you want it for'. Then they can actually work out what sort of 'hybrid' would be fit for puropse, sell the right bike and have a happy cyclist on the road/towpath etc.

Same as someone buying say, a computer from me; if they came up and said 'I want a laptop' that's a pretty broad range of product so I'd want to know whether they wanted to play games on it, cart it around a lot, have it as a desktop replacement etc. etc. and go from there.