Hybrid v's Road bike

[jowwy]

Afternoon Gent/ladies

I have recently bought a felt qx65 hybrid and also have a raliegh sprint road bike, but my query is around the gearing and climbing of hills

Raliegh sprint - Compact 50/34 - 12/25
Felt QX65 - Triple 48/38/28 - 14/28

my query here that is open for discussion / debate is why is it that i am finding the hills just as hard on my hybrid in 28/28 as i am on the road bikes 34/25.

Tyres are thicker on the hybrid 37mm compared to 25mm, bike weight is virtually the same

but i am thinking that my saddle is a tad to high as i am losing a bit of power at the bottom of the pedal stroke, could this be the problem???

Cheers guys

 

[gaz]

Cycling never gets easier, you only go quicker.

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

You might find this page useful: you can see how the gears on the two bikes actually compare to each other.

You will notice quite a difference between 37mm and 25mm tyres and although the overall weight of the two bikes might be similar, if the hybrid's wheels are heavier this will have a bigger impact than total weights.

Try this page for bike fit advice.

 

[jonathanw]

Probably the tyres and wheels as already mentioned. Depending on the terrain you normally cycle with the hybrid, you could try 28-32 mm tyres and slick or semi slick. You will notice a huge difference.

 

[Cyclopathic]

You might find this page useful: you can see how the gears on the two bikes actually compare to each other.

You will notice quite a difference between 37mm and 25mm tyres and although the overall weight of the two bikes might be similar, if the hybrid's wheels are heavier this will have a bigger impact than total weights.

Try this page for bike fit advice.

Does wheel weight have a disproportionate effect on performance? I have not heard about this. At what sort of overall bike weight do you reckon that it starts to become a noticeable issue?

 

[gaz]

Does wheel weight have a disproportionate effect on performance? I have not heard about this. At what sort of overall bike weight do you reckon that it starts to become a noticeable issue?

when accelerating, a rotating component not only has to gain a higher translational speed, but it must also be made to spin faster. This tendency to resist changes in rotational velocity is related to mass and to the square of its distance from the axis of rotation.

 

[Cyclopathic]

Oh, that. Yes yes, of course I knew that. But thanks anyway for just refreshing my memory there.

 

[jowwy]

just used the bike set-up guide and i need to lower my saddle just a tad, as to not lose power at the bottom of the pedal stroke due to over stretching the legs.

 

[HLaB]

I think my saddles are quite high but on the Sirrus with longer cranks I found I had to lower its saddle a smidgen to account for the longer cranks on that bike.

 

[Ace Demon]

Afternoon Gent/ladies


Raliegh sprint - Compact 50/34 - 12/25
Felt QX65 - Triple 48/38/28 - 14/28

my query here that is open for discussion / debate is why is it that i am finding the hills just as hard on my hybrid in 28/28 as i am on the road bikes 34/25.

Me too. The limiting factor on climbing is either the strength of the legs or the heart rate. Once the latter limit is reached, gearing down further shouldn't matter much. But something I notice is the layout of the bike; in relation to the hybrid, the road bike's pedals are slightly further back in relation to bar and saddle and I feel more "on top of" the pedals when putting power down, whether seated or standing.

 

[zizou]

If you just have flat bars (with no bar ends) then when you are climbing you will be pulling with your triceps, whereas on the road bike you will likely be climbing on the hoods so pulling using your biceps which are a bigger muscle. Makes a surprisingly big difference, particularly on a steep climb.

 

[brokenflipflop]

Have you tried swapping the bars on both bikes to see what the results might be. Then swap the wheels over. Then swap one wheel from one and vice versa. Then swap the wheels from back to the front then vice versa. Then swap just the saddles. Then swap the cranks with the same pedals. Then swap the pedals. Then try the swapped pedals and change the wheels again. Then try the tyres at 90psi, 100psi, 110psi, 120psi. Then do the same with the other tyres, Then do the same with one wheel from one bike on the front, and then on the back. Remember to keep your energy levels constant so your results aren't adversely affected. Also make sure it's the same line of the same hill for the same reason. Also account for head/tail winds.

Good Luck.

 

[HLaB]

If you just have flat bars (with no bar ends) then when you are climbing you will be pulling with your triceps, whereas on the road bike you will likely be climbing on the hoods so pulling using your biceps which are a bigger muscle. Makes a surprisingly big difference, particularly on a steep climb.

Its hard to say for definite, but I think my Sirrus with a flat bar climbed better than the same bike converted to drops

 

[brokenflipflop]

Its hard to say for definite, but I think my Sirrus with a flat bar climbed better than the same bike converted to drops

Swap the bar tape off the drops to the flats handlebars, then vice versa. Saw the drops off then weld to the flats then weld back again.

 

[Ace Demon]

Have you tried swapping the bars on both bikes to see what the results might be.

Pointless. My hybrid has a 600mm top tube with 120mm stem, road bike 560mm + 90mm which makes the reach nominally the same. All the differences between bikes contribute in different ways and can easily be analysed independantly of each other.