I recently purchased a "Specialized crossroads" hybrid and I am impressed. I’ts the smoothest, most comfortable riding bicycle I’ve ever ridden. I was curious about the high-end hybrids. Are they really that much better and if so, why?
On a high end hybrid, the biggest upgrade is usually the components and suspension fork. Most entry level hybrids are 7 speed possibly 8 speed and have no adjustment on the fork to make it a softer or stiffer ride. The mid to slightly higher end hybrids are usually 8 speed but may use a 9 speed rear derailleur. The fork will have some adjustment to it but nothing really spectacular. The high end models are 9 speed and will use a "rapidfire" or "easyfire" type thumb/finger shifter instead of the gripshift usually found on lower end models. The suspension fork will probably have a little more travel (100 vs 80mm) and still have the adjustment for compression. The high end ones will also use a disc brake instead of the "v" brake. The advantage of the disc is that you can warp the wheel a little or get stuff all over the rim and you still have brakes. The "v" style can pose problems (rim rubbing brake) if the wheel is knocked out of true and can be clogged by mud (not that one would usually go mudding on a hybrid). The "v" style is lighter than the disc brake and a little cheaper to work on should the need arise. Is a high end one better, technically yes, but it also depends on usage. If I were to commute and put a lot of time in riding, yes I’d been more inclined to buy a high end model. It is usually cheaper in the long run to spend the money up front than to upgrade later on. If I were to use it just for exercise or not ride a whole lot, I’d be more inclined to go with a less expensive model. There isn’t much point in shelling out a lot of money for something that may sit more that it is ridden.
Has the higher rate of bicycles/hybrid cars/ etc affected the crude oil price?
Statistics and figures would GREATLY be appreciated. thanks! 
I think Ike affected them more..
I am trying to decide between 3 different bicycles…
First choice is the Cannondale Adventure 4 for $450.
Second is the Specialized Crossroads Elite for $480.
Third is the Trek 7200 for $480.
If you could tell me which you would choose and why I would appreciate it.
Thanks.
The price of the Trek 7200 may be wrong.
Cannondale is an American company, the other two outsource their labor to other countries. Cannondale is also a great bike, I have not idea what that other user is talking about.
Also I know that you said that these were your options, but you could get a bike that was just as good for less from a different company. Try: Raleigh, Giant, or I commute to work on a Jamis Explorer, that I love.
online? for under £400
Please stay away from online purchases of bikes unless you are a pro and piecing a bike together yourself.
The assembly of the bike will make or break your experience and I can tell you that most consumers are not able to assemble their bike properly and safely. Even if you are a good mechanic remember that we assemble many, many bikes per year. We are good at our job just like you are at yours – because we do it over and over again. Also, we get some annual technical orientations and regular publications that you don’t see. We often work on racing team bikes and others that see super heavy duty so we know what things to look out for the average back yard bike mechanic does not know. We are familiar with the parts on your bike and familiar with all the earlier generations of parts that have been made by that manufacturer for many years back. Some of our mechanics have gone away to school and acheived certifications for their expertise. Others are just folks from other super qualified mechanic who moonlight at the bike shop. People that are race car mechanics and others. One of my mechanics worked on Bonneville land speed record car and motorcycles.
Any savings you have on the bike will easily be offset by the expense you incur when you have to take the bike into a local shop for work.
Mail order bikes are recognizable and shops will not do this for free like they would be doing for their customers. On bikes we sell we give away a package of free adjustments. We will charge you. The average tune-up is about $30-$50USD minimum. When we see a mail order customer coming we want to help teach them a lesson on what a poor idea their purchase was so we will be meticulous in pointing out what they need. We don’t make up things but we don’t have to either. Also since the bike is now coming into our umbrella for work, it is our responsibility for us to assume you didn’t put it together correctly. In this day of litigation we must assume you are an idiot. This is for your protection and ours so you don’t sue us when your handlebars come off from you not torquing the bolts correctly when you only wanted us to adjust your shifting.
Bikes are not toaster ovens. You don’t set it and forget it. They will take adjustments and repairs. We don’t mind sharing all we know with you freely. We hold free classes to teach you how to work on your own bike, how to ride your bike safely and how to compete if you wish. We visit employers in your area to do the same classes for their employees to help them ride safer and keep the air cleaner.
When the mayor or city counsel is wanting to cancel that bike path that will make riding safer in your city we and our friends are the first people down there to remind them that a bike path is a good thing for you and your children. When you fall off your bike because of a dangerous set of railroad tracks we are the ones organizing the petition drive to get them fixed.
We show up at the bike race events and tech inspect bikes to be sure they are safe. We set up a complimentary repair area for bikes at local events and work on bikes all day for free. Some of our mechanics ride the following vehicles and perform lightening wheel and bike changes when competitors require assistance.
We are the people that help local cyclists, like you or your kids, learn how to race. We take them under our wings and help them learn to ride fast and safe and have a sport that can last a lifetime. Some of them get good – very good. We sponsor the cycling teams that they ride for. We pay their entry fees and help give them a discount on parts when they don’t have the money to do that. Even if they never become professionals, they learn about teamwork, sacrifice and discipline. A few of them end up with a jersey on their back representing their country at the Olympics.
Just go buy your bike at a local shop. Isn’t the few dollars worth it…
I am looking into buying a hybrid bicycle. Any advice on what I should look for, good brands, models, stores, etc?
The advantage of a hybrid is its combination of versatility and durability. Its pretty good on the road and in the city. Its comfortable to ride and probably a little faster than a mountain bike on roads. But its broad tyres, greater weight and upright stance mean it is not as fast or fun as a dedicated road bike.
Unlike a road bike however, the hybrid can be used off-road. Its tough and it’ll take it. It isn’t as good as a mountain bike in the rough but it’ll serve you well on a long multi-terain ride. A hybrid is also good for touring and will happily take panniers.
So its a bit a Jack-of-all-Trades – it does most things well, but it excels at none. A good all-rounder.
I owned a Cannondale H600 Hybrid some time ago. It was a great bike and served me well. I gave it to a friend about 3 years ago and although its about 12 years old now, its still going strong.
A hybrid is a good choice if you want only one versatile bike. Go for a good make though, the best you can afford and always look for good componentry – I recommend Cannondale, Trek or Specialised.
Happy riding!
I commute in on a bog standard hybrid, and the guys on road bikes sail past me with what looks like minimum effort.
I understand thats what they are designed for but what exactly is it that makes them so much quicker?
Road bikes are faster due to their generally higher gearing and especially due to their narrower tires that pump to much higher pressures. Think of your bike like a boat. When you start a boat it gets up to speed and eventually is up on top of the water (what is called planing) and then you can actually reduce the throttle and mantain the same speed. In the same way narrow tire road bike riders can get their bikes up to speed and actually throttle back and keep the bike going at a similar tempo. The tires on a hybrid bike do not inflate to the 100-130 that many road bikes tires do. We used to have a pair of racing wheels and tires at my bike shop that we would let hybrid owners borrow. They could not believe the difference.
On the gearing side of things think of yourself as a racing car engine. Race car engines and the human body produce power in a very narrow power band. For the human body the RPM at the cranks is optimum at about 60-90RPM. If you slug away at the pedals at lower than 60RPM you can fatigue and injure yourself. If the spin the pedals above 90RPM it takes special training and techniques to prevent bouncing on the saddle. Track racer Rebecca Twigg could spin at 200RPM but that is definitely the exception. So if you ride a mountain or hybrid bike these usually are equipped with an extra front sprocket for hill climbing and have very wide gear ratios. The overall high gear on the hybrid bike may be lower because they have a smaller large front sprocket and a larger small rear sprocket. This would mean that on a steep downhill you may not be able to pedal any more and catch up with the road rider who can pedal away from you. Also, the wider ratios mean that when you shift up one gear your crank RPM may drop more that the 30RPM split between 60 and 90 RPM. This means it takes you a second to readjust the bike speed to get the crank RPM back in the comfortable range. So the idea gearing for flat land high speed running is one that has only small jumps between the gears. Racers will use gear clusters that have only 1-2 tooth changes between their gears. Those little incremental changes allow the road rider to just slip into a slightly higher gear and take the bike speed up by tiny increments until you see them ride off into the distance. This is while you are trying to catch up and battling the big ratio changes with your legs going from 40RPM to 100RPM and back to 70RPM.
Then last factor is you may be riding with riders who are in better shape and enjoy dropping hybrid riders. Let’s face it we all enjoy going fast and doing better than the next rider. Who knows maybe the rider that is passing you is riding 300 miles per week and you are riding 40 miles per week.
