I am interesting in buying a bicycle for leisure and fitness purposes. I am looking for the comfort and speed of a road bike mixed with the sturdiness of a mountain bike, so something hybrid. Something that can be used to go around town but on the weekends can go wild with. Finally, I am willing to drop $400-500 for one. Can anyone give me suggestions or tips?
Sounds like you know what you want already, so check out the various brands, and find out what they have in your price range, then go to the shops and test ride the ones you are interested in.
If you want to ride off road make sure your tyres aren’t too slick.
I wouldn’t think that a road bike is particularly comfortable by the way, since it’s primary concern is speed, it’s designed for a riding posture that minimises air resistance, with your spine leant a long way forward, for comfort you need a bike that allows an upright spine.
Also if your thinking of riding down anything particularly steep off road, I would reccomend making sure the frame shape allows the seet to be lowered quite a lot. So that you can shift your weight back a lot, and also so you can jump off the back easily if you need to
Also tell the people at the bike shop what sort of riding you intend to do they would be able to give you further advice.
i’m looking at new bikes and i’d really like a hybrid bike but can’t afford it. if i bought a mountain bike and switched to hybrid tires, would it be okay?
You can buy slicks like the Kenda Kross, use comfort bike tires, or buy 1.5 inch road tires.
http://www.amazon.com/Kenda-Kross-Front-Slick-Tires/dp/B002EXE5A2
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dsporting&field-keywords=comfort+tires
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dsporting&field-keywords=26+x+1.5
I’m just wondering if its a suitable bike and whether I should buy another. could someone recommend a bike that maybe has done the trip or maybe whether i should get a road bike and not a hybrid.
I’m not familiar with that area, how far is that? If you can give us the mileage and how long you plan on covering it, then we can answer your question better.
For less than 60-80 miles, your current bike should be okay if your fitness is decent. I would assume you can pedal at about 12-14 mph so it will take you about 6 hours to cover 80 miles at that pace.
I’m looking into buying a new bike for around £300. I’ll be mainly riding it around city streets, with some occasional light off-roading, so I think a hybrid bike would be ideal. Also, I’m not sure if it makes much difference, but I’m around 6’3 tall.
I’m planning to go to a local bike shop to try some bikes out, but if anyone has any advice or recommendations in the meantime, I’d be grateful.
I’m 6’5" tall and ride a 24" frame hybrid. Not ideal, but it was the largest I could get in a similar price range to yours. I agree a hybrid will do you for made-up trails, but the tyres will sink too easily in sand or deep mud.
Have a look at the advice on the CTC website. Their online shop is also with a look, to give you an idea of prices before you go to a real shop.
Hopefully you’ll find that your local shop has the right bike for you and you’ll buy from them. I use my local independent shop for as much stuff as I can. Sadly they weren’t interested in stocking decent dynamo lights, so I bought online – so there are limits.
Hi,
Does anyone know the reliability or quality of Schwinn hybrid bikes like the 2007 Voyageur or Voyageur GS-or is Trek, or another brand more worth it for the casual (bike the path or to work) kind of guy.
Thanks,
Alex
The Schwinn bikes I’ve seen recently have been on sale at Target. The bikes might be okay enough for a casual rider, but I would be very cautious about buying from a store like Target, where the assembly of the bike may not be done by a real bike mechanic. Also, you won’t get any service on your bike there. Many real bike shops won’t work on "department store" bicycles because the quality of the components (the real crux of a decent bike) is pretty bad. If you buy a bike from a bicycle shop with an real repair center and certified bicycle mechanics, they often will provide some free service for a certain length of time… often, a bike needs "tweaking" of the brakes and the like after the first few rides. Good luck!
What are the differences between these bicycle styles i.e. the pros and cons…and which bike style would be best suited for someone who would be using it on a daily basis for extended periods of time on flat somewhat gravelly terrain in a highly trafficked bike area?
Cruisers are for short, casual rides. Mountain bikes are for rough terrain. These can make good city bikes if they’re fitted with slick tires and the forks are locked, but they’re relatively slow riding. Comfort or hybrid bikes are a half way point between road bikes and mountain bikes, faster then a mountain bike not as fast as a road bike. From your description of your requirements, I would recommend the comfort or hybrid bicycle. They’re a good compromise for both gravel and paved roads, aren’t to bad for long rides although your hands may get a bit numb depending on how long you on it, and they make good commuters because they can fit fenders and rear racks.
I mean could I genuinely use one to head up to the mountains and bike on some intermediate trails?
Or are they just used for more commuting and light bike trails?
ijustify
Light trail, packed, gravel and dirt roads … steep, loose, and rugged is not hybrid territory.
Soccerref
I’m thinking about getting a hybrid bike but it’s supposedly more upright than a road bike. I would be using the bike to ride on the road but sometimes when people sit more upright, it look sort of weird. Is it possible to be more haunched over?
To make it more aerodynamic on a upright/hybrid, you can bend your elbows and grab the middle of the handlebar. That means you will move away from the breaks. Also, with the bended elbows you don’t have as good control of the bike
Another adjustment is stem. Go to your LBS and have they find you a longer stem. A stem that’s 1 cm longer will make you reach 1 cm forward and have a lower angle. Going to a bigger frame size will have a similar effect.
I don’t recommend any of these though.
From what I read, the "cool" factor seems to be more of your concern. There are some well-designed upright-bikes by companies like Trek, Fuji, Specialized, etc. that are quite stylish and with good speed. I think you will find one you like there.
I ride on a road bike when I need the speed, particularly if I ride with a group. But I still use my upright Trek FX 7.1 for weekend relaxed rides from time to time.
Whether it’s a road bike or hybrid, have your bike fit correctly, ride with a good posture, with efficient power transfer during pedaling. You will fall in love with it in no time.
would any bike riders help me to understand or know what is the best road bike? to use as commutte? I’ve seen a lot of "hybrid" adds what exactly does this mean and what’s the cm?
A hybrid is a type of bike that is half way between a road bike and a mountain bike. It has road tires with mountain bike gearing and handlebars. These bikes have a more upright and comfortable riding position and offer a wider range of gearing than a traditional road bike. Road and hybrid bikes typically use 700c wheels. They are a lot of great bikes out there. The best way to choose a bike is by size (and not by manufacturer). A good bike shop should be able to help you choose the right size bike for you. Here is a good fit calculator to help you choose the best sized bike:
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO
This will give you centimeter measurements, you can use these to compare bike geometry, as most bikes are sized small, medium, large.
and which brand has the better one depend on my usage?
Get a hybrid or fitness bike, both are lite and fast and be ridden on smooth dirt and gravel roads. The fitness bikes wont have shocks and usually have a more aggressive riding position. Look at the Trek 7100 series or the FX bikes.
http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/bike_path/
