Dannihilator

Well...

To me, I don't think it really matters.

MilitantPotato

If a comfort bike and a mountain bike love each other very much...

I think most hybrids are a mix between mountain bikes and comfort bikes, maybe a little road geometry thrown in on some.

Bianchigirll 

Hello actualy a road, mountain and comfort bike.. when Bianchi invented and market the first hybrid with the Advantage in '88 the took the took the 700c road wheels and combined it with the upright riding position of a comfort or cruiser bike. then took the a geomentry that was not as steep and agressive as a road bike but not as relaxed as a mountain bike (which had very relaxed frames in '88) and put mountain bike gearing and brakes on it. tires were not as fat as mountain bikes but not super skinny like a road bike. the result was a comfortable stable riding bike that felt like a cruiser but was faster and could handle dirt cycling and hiking paths better than road bike.

tatfiend 

Now it varies all over the map. I have a relatively early hybrid, a Univega Via de Oro which fits the above description well. I also have a Swobo Dixon and a Civia Hyland. The Swobo is a 26" wheel bike closer to the pre suspension MTB in appearance except for disc brakes and IGH while the Civia Hyland is a 700C wheeled frame with pretty much what used to be referred to as 'sports touring" geometry per Frank Berto's book from 1988 on upgrading your bike. The Civia is sold as a fast commuter bike while the Swobo is apparently more casual use oriented.

Novara even offers a drop bar bike that I would consider a hybrid in many respects, as are many loaded touring bikes. In fact to me the loaded touring bike is probably the closest "classic" form of bike to what the average hybrid has become. They had wide range triple gearing, relatively relaxed frame geometry and could take considerably wider tires than the standard "ten speed" road bike. Pretty close to what is now considered a hybrid bike by most riders.

Boudicca

Most roses are hybrids nowadays.

Sorry.

You can get back to bicycles now.

JanMM

Was the Bianchi Volpe not first? Around that same time.

Panthers007

It's a fast bike that allows one to view the panorama around them. Equally at home at a leisurely pace, or zipping along quite fast.

qmsdc15

Sort of a cross between a road bike and beach cruiser. Anything can come out. Comfort bikes, flat bar road bikes and fixies are common types of hybrids.

Sixty Fiver

Hybrid is the term marketers have used to describe the modern urban bicycle which is generally an upright with slack frame angles, a gearing between that of an mtb and road bike, and with provisions for fenders and racks.

A looser description is the combination of different elements taken from all types of cycling to build a bicycle to suit ones particular needs.

cs1

While a hybrid is a great bike, fast is usually a term that doesn't jump to mind when I think of one.

Panthers007

Try to find a Trek FX-series bike. Then you'll understand. Some hybrids are more like a mountain-bike. Such as the 7000-series from Trek. Others are more like road-bikes in terms of the speedy and nimble ride.

Hybrids are like a pendulum swinging between a mtn-bike and a road-bike. Some are more toward the road-bike, while another may be more like a mtn-machine. With a little observation, it's easy to see if Trek 'X' is more this way - or that is more like a road-bike. It's depending on which you favor.

Happy Trails!

NormanF

The term hybrid is a misnomer - it should be the city or utility bike. The classic English three speed and French porteur bikes are the ancestor of today's hybrid. It refers to any bike that is not strictly a road or a mountain bike. As in "between" bikes, hybrids are the Rodney Dangerfields of the bike world. They're dismissed as a fallback bike for the ones people want to get but are either too lazy or too cheap to get. Which is not fair. Hence this new forum.

NormanF

If you like a leisurely ride, the old three speed would take people to the shop or to a picnic in the park. There are hybrids that can go fast but people don't buy them primarily with speed in mind. A hybrid is typically for comfort first and second for utility or touring/cycle camping roles. Another term for them is the Swiss Army Knife of bikes.

al-wagner

I have a Trek 7500FX with disk brakes it weights about 22 pounds. It has a road bike frame with mountain bike handle bars and 700x32 slick tires. It is a lot faster then my mountain but not quite as fast as my Trek 2200 road bike. The 2200 is about 20 pounds with 700x23 tires.

Elad63

so a touring bike is also a hybrid.

Cfd

Like this?

Siu Blue Wind

So would this bike be considered an almost hybrid? Trek Navigator. It's got 26 inch wheels but it's not a mtb bike. Geometry is definitely not mtb.

droobieinop

Well, kinda, sorta, but not really. A hybrid can be set up to be utilized as a tourer, or a touring frame can been set up and marketed as a hybrid.

My bikes shown in the pics thread, we have three different companies, two hybrids and a tourer and the geometry is nearly identical. The trek and performance have fork rack mounts and the third doesn't. The performance, being marketed as a touring bike has a third cage mount that the hybrids do not.

As I've said elsewhere, the reason I ended up with my trek was in part because it was like a really low end/entry level touring type set up that cost maybe half as much as a truely entry level touring bike.

I'd also like to say that I was not very knowledgeable about different bikes when I got my 750 and then a few years later I was working at a shop. I learned quite a bit about different bikes while I was there, but the definition of a hybrid was quite narrow. We drew a clear distintion between hybrids and comfort bikes, often referring to the comfort bike as the ford explorer of the mtb world. Although you could take it offroad, most people never would and if they did, they weren't going muddin'.

I guess generally speaking, a hybrid is a general purpose bike intended for those who don't want a single usage type of bike, ie. trail-tour-race. It attempts to combine all the best features from these, and just like with any recipe, some interpretations work out better than others. But you can always season to your own taste.

droobieinop

Yes, its a hybrid mtb/cruiser (baloon tire) bike. It has the performance features of a mtb with the positioning of an old single/multi speed precurser to the mtb, built to be used predominantly on the pavement.

Siu Blue Wind

Okay cool! I was wondering where it would fit in. Thanks!

qmsdc15

This seems to be the consensus. I'd prefer to give touring bikes their own category, but there's lots of gray area. A tourer with flat bars or 26" wheels would fit my definition of hybrid.

qmsdc15

Well said, I agree.

droobieinop

Thanx... took a little thought and inspiration.

Luddite

To me a Hybrid bike has flat bars, the ability to have fenders/rack/other junk and is lighter/thinner than a mtb. It's meant for general riding, but allowing for going off curbs/bumpy roads/grass/a bit of gravel.

This has been the experience of my hybrid bike, anyway. I get my ass handed to me by roadies, even dirty hippies riding old road bikes wearing flip flops a lot though, so hybrids are (IMO) slower than road bikes. Best I can get so far on my hybrid on a flat road is 32 km/h and that's if I'm working HARD.

Terrierman

Navigators definitely trend to the comfort bike end of the spectrum, super upright riding position and heavy, with the comfort bike suspension fork. A Navigator 300 is what got me back into cycling. It's been moved on and has now gotten a buddy into cycling as well. Great bike for those starting out and for anybody not in a big hurry. They really are a comfortable and reliable ride. I rode mine for about 2000 trouble free miles before moving it along in favor of the Coda.