Hybrid vs Road.

[John the Monkey]

... it's noticeable that the saddle and bars aren't that far out of level.

Your body position might not have been that different though - modern road bikes and the compact frame have changed the way that the drop from saddle to bars works, compared to steel frames with horizontal top tubes. My Giant SCR2 was set up with bars level with saddle at first (I insisted on it, as I was transitioning from a traditional steel frame) and it felt far too upright compared to the old bike!

I ride the SCR2 in rural Cheshire, on a variety of surfaces, e.g.;

or

Granted, I had 25c tyres on it for a bit, and I like Michelins, which I think ride a little more plushly than other brands.

I think the only surface I'm unhappy on on this bike is loose gravel - for that, I'd probably ride the Long Haul Trucker (42c tyres).

Your mileage may vary, of course, but I've not ridden a flat barred bike other than my Brompton since about 2009. I'm glad the op likes his Hybrid. I have a Raleigh Pioneer in the shed that was the first bike I rode any significant distance at all, and I remain fond of it. For fun though (and, indeed, for not fun - drop bar bikes have always been my commuters), I'd sooner ride my SCR2 & LHT (road bike and tourer, respectively).

 

[MarkF]

I am a long term hybrid fan, had most major brands and use them for everything, commuting, leisure (with wife on hers), shopping, trail,towpath and have used them for 1000+ mile tours. They are utilty cycles for me. Whilst I would say that I definitely do not need a tourer or CX, I do need (and own) a road bike, it might only be used for 5-10% of my annual mileage but it provides most of the "fun".

 

[John the Monkey]

As usual, there seems to be some comment on lack of hand positions on hybrids. Other handlebars than flats and risers can be fitted there, you know?

More positions where you still have access to the controls with drops, mind. And there's any number of shapes and setups within the set of drop bars too (I think the "wing" bars on my SCR2 are the most comfortable bar I've ever ridden) and they can be fitted so you have an upright position, or a head down position, or anything in between.

 

[mjr]

More positions where you still have access to the controls with drops, mind.

That also depends on what levers you have fitted, just like on other bar types. It's good to put the levers at the primary position because nothing else is quite as effective - it could be quite comical when a new-to-drops rider rolled off into a field as they rediscovered why secondary "suicide levers" had that name!

 

[KneesUp]

That also depends on what levers you have fitted, just like on other bar types. It's good to put the levers at the primary position because nothing else is quite as effective - it could be quite comical when a new-to-drops rider rolled off into a field as they rediscovered why secondary "suicide levers" had that name!

Interrupter levers are much better. And 'suicide lvers' werent that bad.

 

[John the Monkey]

That also depends on what levers you have fitted, just like on other bar types. It's good to put the levers at the primary position because nothing else is quite as effective - it could be quite comical when a new-to-drops rider rolled off into a field as they rediscovered why secondary "suicide levers" had that name!

That's another thing that's changed since the days of the steel roadie - by all accounts, the new interrupter levers are pretty effective. (I'm on the hoods most of the time, so I've never felt the need for them).

 

[mjr]

Interrupters are better than the bendy suicides, but I've still seen some amusing overshoots from new riders... as for steel, I'm still rolling on it. Not as bad as many say ;-)

 

[400bhp]

To be honest a 45 mib difference over 10 hours feels about right for the speeds you are doing.

About 1mph give or take between the two.

 

[KneesUp]

Interrupters are better than the bendy suicides, but I've still seen some amusing overshoots from new riders... as for steel, I'm still rolling on it. Not as bad as many say ;-)

There must be some bad cyclists around your way! There aren't even any hills!

 

[Rob3rt]

The hybrid is a cheapy Riverside 3 from Decathlon. The current roady is a MY 14 Boardman pro Carbon. Over a 170 mile ride, on back roads, main roads, paths, tracks and urban, the Boardman was only about 45 minutes quicker (over 10 and a bit hours). The Riverside is running M+ (700*35c) the Boardman was on 700c*23c Aksion slicks. There was a difference in speeds on the hilly bits, but it was cancelled out by being able to barrel along on the Riverside without having to constantly avoid the rubbish bits of road. The opportunities to stretch the legs of the Roady properly are so few and far between, and the costs are so different, I find it difficult to justify the Roady now.

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They've changed the name of the hybrid, but it's the same bike.

So despite you recording a 7.5% increase in speed on the road bike vs the hybrid bike... you don't see a big difference in the 'stats'?

Also can you clarify what you mean by a 'path' or 'track'? My inclination is that they are a surface that a road bike is not designed to be used on? Thus you have essentially crippled one of the bikes being tested (yet it still trounced the hybrid by 7.5%).

Your interpretation if the (limited) data and mine would be vastly different!

 

[mjr]

There must be some bad cyclists around your way! There aren't even any hills!

There speaks someone who hasn't ridden the Norfolk chalk ridge much. Also, I lived on the foot of a 25% in Somerset.

 

[nickyboy]

I started off on a cheapo Apollo aluminium hybrid from Halfords. Fast forward about 4 years and I ride a fancy carbon road bike. Last Sunday I did exactly the same loop as I used to do on the hybrid. Maximum effort, but that was the case on the hybrid.

The loop is hilly; 40 miles with 3,800ft of climbing. When I was riding the hybrid I got reasonably fit doing a lot of hilly miles, probably similar level to now. The hybrid was heavier, but I weigh about 3kg more than 4 years ago so they probably balance out.

Best average speed on the hybrid - 11.9mph
Speed on road bike last Sunday - 14.8mph

So a really big difference. Of course there are variables that I can't quantify. Maybe I'm fitter now, maybe I tried a bit harder on Sunday. But it's a big difference. Weight of the bike isn't a big deal. I suspect it is down to riding position, stiffness of the bike, some efficiency gains from better components, tyre rolling resistance and using SPDs instead of flat pedals with toeclips

 

[Racing roadkill]

I started off on a cheapo Apollo aluminium hybrid from Halfords. Fast forward about 4 years and I ride a fancy carbon road bike. Last Sunday I did exactly the same loop as I used to do on the hybrid. Maximum effort, but that was the case on the hybrid.

The loop is hilly; 40 miles with 3,800ft of climbing. When I was riding the hybrid I got reasonably fit doing a lot of hilly miles, probably similar level to now. The hybrid was heavier, but I weigh about 3kg more than 4 years ago so they probably balance out.

Best average speed on the hybrid - 11.9mph
Speed on road bike last Sunday - 14.8mph

So a really big difference. Of course there are variables that I can't quantify. Maybe I'm fitter now, maybe I tried a bit harder on Sunday. But it's a big difference. Weight of the bike isn't a big deal. I suspect it is down to riding position, stiffness of the bike, some efficiency gains from better components, tyre rolling resistance and using SPDs instead of flat pedals with toeclips

That's the thing though. The maximum difference I've recorded between feather light Carbon roady, and alloy hybrid (on the flat) is about 26 mph for the roady, vs 21 mph for the Hybrid (back to back rides, on consecutive days, in similar conditions). On the hilly bits of the same course, about 14 mph up a 10% hill on the roady, and 11 mph on the hybrid. I wouldn't call that enough of a difference, admittedly there felt like there was a lot more to come from the roady, state of roads, traffic were the limiting factor, the Hybrid was going about as fast as I could be bothered to push it, crap roads / traffic or not. But that's the problem. There's no point in having a capable expensive road bike, on open roads, I can't get anything like the potential out of it. Given closed roads and a free reign on how much of the road / line I could take, the Hybrid wouldn't see which way the roady went. I wouldn't get enough opportunity to be able to use it in that manner though.

 

[Rob3rt]

You keep quoting massive differences in speed and then saying things such as "I wouldn't call that enough of a difference". Could you please indicate what you would expect for the different to be "enough" because as far as my opinion goes, 3-5 mph is HUGE.

 

[MisterStan]

On the hilly bits of the same course, about 14 mph up a 10% hill on the roady, and 11 mph on the hybrid

You keep quoting massive differences in speed and then saying things such as "I wouldn't call that enough of a difference". Could you please indicate what you would expect for the different to be "enough" because as far as my opinion goes, 3-5 mph is HUGE.

Especially uphill - that's 27% faster!