hybrid v touring bike

[lipso]

I have a Claud Butler 21 speed city/hybrid bike - its a Legend or Odyssey. I thought about selling it and getting a touring bike for rides in the countryside. I would prefer to have a bike with drop down handlebars. Is it worthwhile to buy a tourer such as Dawes Galaxy or just put drop down handlebars on the Claud Butler and continue to use it?

 

[Fandango]

I had a Schwinn hybrid which I used for my first few tours and it was fine. My wife wanted to buy me something nice for my 50th birthday so I ended up with a Ridgeback Panorama tourer. This has drop handlebars and is more like a strongly built road bike. I noticed right away that the Panorama is about 20% faster on the roads which was great, but it doesn't like gravel or tracks much which suited the hybrid fine. The extra speed is, I think, mainly down to the width of the tires so maybe you could put skinnier tyres on. I should say that while the new bike is faster on the road, and seems more stable when fully loaded than my old hybrid, it doesn't pedal for me, the hills still hurt!

Not sure how helpful this is but I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will come after me. It might be useful to know if you are just planning to ride around the countryside or actually tour with panniers etc?

 

[vernon]

Have you considered leaving the Claud Butler as it is and enjoying the ride?

Before you commit to spending money on a drop barred bike or converting the existing bike to drop bars, see if you can borrow a drop barred bike for a weekend and see if you enjoy the experience.

I used to tour on a Dawes Galaxy until the frame snapped on me in France and I bought a Decathlon flat barred hybrid to continue my tour. Muh to my surprise, i found the ride just as comfortable and no slower than the Galaxy and I now tour exclusively with flat barred bikes.

I do have a couple of drop barred bikes that I use for Audax events and they are used for day rides of 100km+

You might not find a great deal of improvement of your enjoyment of the rides when using drop bars....

 

[Brommyboy]

If buying a touring cycle, watch out for BB height! Most new ones now have 300mm+ but with the pedals this high either your saddle is too low or you are unable to put a foot down when stopping! The Dawes BB should be at the right height: my Raleigh Tourer has a BB height of about 10+1/2 inches or around 260mm. Your hybrid probably has a high BB. If the saddle is low then your pedalling efficiency falls off, making longer rides far more tiring.

 

[MarkF]

I agree with Vernon, try the hybird out first.

I use a Dawes Discovery 501 for touring, I've tried to replace it twice, once with Dawes Horizon tourer and then with a Ridgeback World Tour, before deciding that I find the hybrid comfier, for longer and no slower. It suits me, yours might suit you too.

 

[lipso]

Thanks for the advice - I would be doing local countryside tours not long tours with panniers. For hills what is best - a certain bike or more gears or it doesn't really matter?

 

[rollinstok]

A hybrid with triple chain set like yours is pretty well suited for hill climbing.
Bar ends can help a great deal when climbing or just to provide a couple more options with hand positioning on long rides.
FWIW I go touring on a hybrid bike and love it, prior to this I used a converted mountain bike with equal success

 

[vernon]

Thanks for the advice - I would be doing local countryside tours not long tours with panniers. For hills what is best - a certain bike or more gears or it doesn't really matter?

The number of gears isn't as important as the number of teeth on the smallest sprocket at the front and the largest sprocket at the back. I first started touring on a twelve speed bike. The rear sprockets were too small and the front sprockets were too large. Nevertheless I only had to get off and push a few times on a coast to coast ride.

I'd stick with what you've got and see how it goes. I'd only bother thinking about getting a different bike if yours proves to be totally inadequate for what you want to do.

 

[furball]

I started touring on a hybrid but always had a hankering for a 'proper' drop handlebar tourer.
Having acquired my four figure pride and joy, I ask myself what it's added to the touring experience and I have to admit, although I love the tourer, the answer is, not a lot. To me, touring is about getting out and enjoying the experience, the bike (as long as it's well maintained) doesn't make any difference.

 

[simon.r]

... or just put drop down handlebars on the Claud Butler and continue to use it?

Apologies if I'm teaching you to suck eggs here, but changing the bars will probably mean changing the gear shifters and brake levers as well, so potentially not a cheap job.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I've come to enjoy my Hybrid alot in this application over the drop-bar . I still keep both. Hybrid is a Cannondale H-300, Fuji Sports 10 converted to 700c is the drop - bar . Both very nice, light bicycles .

 

[TheDoctor]

A Legend or equivalent is perfectly up to touring - we've taken one down the Danube before.
Definitely fit bar ends, or butterfly bars. Both of these are quick and easy, and let you keep the existing levers. Fitting drops is trickier - you'd need to get 7 speed STI levers for a start, which aren't made any more.

 

[Bluenite]

You could try a CX bike. Some come with rack mounts.