Hybrid to Road bike and back?

[bobbyg]

Brief summary.

had a Specialised Crossroads Hybrid for years. In 2016 I got a Fuji 1.3 Road Bike. Took my cycling up from just 13 mile commutes to eventually managing 120 miles in one day. I had assumed I would have kept using the hybrid for commuting but realistically once I got used to the road bike there was no turning back.

May 2017 I got knocked off my bike, confidence (and desire) to get back on the bike disappeared. Now looking to get back on and went out for first time at weekend there. Managed 3 miles on the road but I was taken aback by the state of the roads, it really wasnt pleasant and with skinnier tyres and ruts, potholes, broken surface it was quite uncomfortable.

One part of me is thinking should I consider getting another Hybrid / Commuter with chunkier tyres, more upright visibility? They are a lot lighter now that mine was, get decent tyres, gears, disk brakes (my road bike has these). I could get on a cycle to work scheme so cost would be ok. And I think it would be a comfier ride for the commute (which is my ultimate target - to be able to commute to work again).

Thoughts? Anyone here went from road back to upright? Is there a happy medium maybe upright with bar ends?

[landsurfer]

Well ... i have drop bars on all my bikes but never ride on the drops ... ever.
So the bikes effectively have upright bars but with so many more options for hand positions than straight bars ,,,

[Si]

Is there a happy medium maybe upright with bar ends?

Yes there is...and you can retain the drop bars....the new trend called 'Adventure road bikes' or 'gravel bikes'. They tend (although not all of them) to be a little shorter with a longer head tube so you aren't in a 'race bike' position, but also have big clearances for fat tyres and disc brakes for good stopping power.

I've a knackered neck/shoulder which means I can't get down onto the drop bars on my old road bikes any more so I bought one of these: https://www.giant-bicycles.com/gb/bikes-anyroad-2018

..or.. you could look at a traditional touring bike - again wider tyres (although not as wide as some gravel bikes) and a more upright position. But these are built for all day comfort with a heavy load rather than speed.

[PH]

I have bikes with straight bars and drop bars, they've convinced me that if you get the other elements of a bike right, particularly fit, the bars are just somewhere convenient to rest your hands and the overriding factor is what gear and brake controls you want on that particular bike. The narrower drops are more aerodynamic and the wider flats offer better control in some circumstances, but the differences for my cycling are minimal.

[landsurfer]

..or.. you could look at a traditional touring bike - again wider tyres (although not as wide as some gravel bikes) and a more upright position. But these are built for all day comfort with a heavy load rather than speed.

Like this ..... viewtopic.php?f=7&t=121616

[roberts8]

I ride 28s on my touring bike which are fine but you should try the roads in Surrey. We are blessed being one of the wealthiest counties and one of the worst performing regarding potholes, most of our back lanes are awful.

[Eton Rifle]

I have three bikes; a Dawes Galaxy tourer, a Vitus road bike and a Spesh Crosstrail hybrid. The hybrid is specifically for commuting as it has flat bars for better control, disc brakes that can stop on a sixpence, great visibility due an upright riding position and fatter tyres (38c) for the terrible roads we now have to put up with. It is light enough to get away swiftly at the lights and has sufficient gearing and hydraulic front shocks for mild off-road stuff at the weekend.

My commute is too short and stop / start to warrant clipping in on a road bike. Thing is, at the weekend, I tend to choose the hybrid for pootling about. There's something so 'rideable' about it. It's probably because I use it more frequently than my other bikes. Your commute is a lot longer than mine, so a hybrid would undoubtedly be less efficient, as you discovered before but there are advantages to a hybrid over a road bike in an urban setting. Have a test ride of a couple and see how you feel.

[ratherbeintobago]

My road bike nerve has gone having been knocked off.

Quite happy riding about on an ancient Raleigh Pioneer though, which weighs rather a lot.

I have shortened the stem and put wider (low) riser bars on which I think helps with confidence, though not getting through gaps.

[Patrickpioneer]

I have a Pioneer, I bought new 27 years ago, but only the front wheel and frame is original. Lots of road type bikes available now with wider tyres, shop around you may find exactly what you want.
Patrick

[mjr]

Thoughts? Anyone here went from road back to upright? Is there a happy medium maybe upright with bar ends?

Well, sort of: I had uprights when I was young, then switched to a road bike at secondary school (riding further), then to a hybrid aged about 30, then that slowly got kitted out with more roadster-like parts (first bar ends, then swept handlebars, plus plusher tyres, dynamo lighting, sprung saddle...) until I bought a second-hand roadster, then another (primarily for the more solid rack, longer wheel base and more modern mainstream parts compatibility than the first, but the frame is also better). I do still ride a road bike for fun, but the later roadster is my most-ridden bike.

Upright with ski bar ends is OK, but I feel North Roads or Porteur bars are better because the brakes are on the default/natural/ergo hand position where I more often want them - I move my hands in to the bends or tops only when I'm sure my path is clear. Sitting upright works actually against you on comfort a bit - there's less spring in a more upright spine - but plusher tyres, a sprung saddle and more forgiving steel frame help a lot, plus I feel it's easier to spot road defects from the higher viewpoint.