puma1552

Couple tidbits about me - when I was a kid and all my friends were getting freestyle BMX bikes, I went for a racing BMX bike instead. As an adult, I'm a red-blooded car lover - I love high horsepower. Basically, I like fast things, and I like going fast. And I like good engineering, being an engineer myself (albeit chemical and not mechanical).

I'm currently stashing dollars for a big boy bike. The original plan was a hybrid for general use/general fitness/screwing off on bike paths with a buddy at the lakes, locking up to go eat somewhere, etc. I do NOT have plans to use it as an actual commuter in the city. No racks, no fenders, no daily commuting in work clothes. General leisure and fitness. I have a house in the suburbs. I figured I'd get an entry/entryish level Hybrid (Specialized Sirrus or Sirrus Sport). Test rode both (2016 models) and liked them both, but loved neither to be honest. Then again these are entry level bikes, so not sure what you can realistically expect. They also weren't necessarily optimally dialed in or fitted other than saddle height.

But then someone planted a road bike seed in my head. Sure I'd love a Roubaix or a Tarmac, but not at this time. I'm now considering an entry level Specialized Allez E5.

So here's my dilemma -

- I think a hybrid still serves a purpose. Less of a theft target, good for general use and fitness, just a regular old bike for an adult, everyone should probably have one if nothing else. If I buy a hybrid, I *know* I will still buy a road bike down the line, but I know I will still keep the hybrid, and I know I will go straight to a higher end road bike, like the Roubaix or Tarmac since I'll have my hybrid to ride in the meantime. No wasted money here and I get two bikes that serve two purposes. Cons are that I might not really love the hybrid and end up not really taking to cycling, when for close to the same money I could've bought an entry level road bike and potentially gotten really hooked. Could end up missing out?

-If I buy an Allez, I *know* I won't keep it more than a couple years, and will lay out more money to upgrade it to a nicer road bike eventually. But I might have a lot more fun and piqued interest and enjoyment in the meantime than I would with the hybrid because I know I can go faster and ride longer on the Allez than a hybrid. I do want to go for long rides for more serious fitness and weight loss (currently 5'5" 145, could drop 20) than the bike path screwing off with a buddy that I also want to do. Cons here are that I ultimately spend more money to end up with just one bike, and I won't have that everyday hybrid. Less comfortable leaving an Allez locked up somewhere when I am just fooling around on bike paths and going to get something to eat with a friend, which I still plan to do. I have not tested a road bike yet, and I know I still need to do that. I know they are twitchy and drops take getting used to.

-The third option is to skip entry level anything and go straight for a high end road bike. Cons here are that then I'm not on a bike at all now or anytime soon and there's always that chance I spend $3k on a road bike and end up not taking to it. Not really considering this option at this time, I want to get out on the road sooner than later. I also live in a winter state so if I get close to a target price towards fall, that delays me another 6 months until spring.

So what would you do? Go the safe route with a hybrid for now and then buy a nice road bike later, or just get an entry level road bike knowing I'm going to upgrade later?

CliffordK

Another option is to consider a Cyclocross/Gravel bike.

Specialized Tricross or Crux
Cannondale Slate
Trek Crossrip or Boone or Crockett

You get many of the features of a Hybrid, but with road bars and components.
Or, you get many of the features of a road bike, but allowing more cushy tires.

I'd encourage you to try drop bars, but there are also some very high quality flat bar "hybrids", as well as flat bar road bikes.

Bike Gremlin

Here's my 2c:

A bike with mounts for a rack and mudguards is n01 choice for me. If I want a transport, way to haul groceries, commute to work etc. I can go on recreational rides on that bike without a problem.

A bike without rack and mudguards is only good for recreation IMO. Riding it in "civil" clothes through any puddle, or after a rain is a havoc. Carrying things on my back sucks. Also, even for longer rides, I prefer putting things on the rack, than filling my jersey pockets. That's me though.



As far as drop bars go: the more you ride on pavement and the more you ride long open road routes - the better drop bars are.
For any kind of off road riding and for city riding, I prefer flat bars.


Having said all this, most bikes will do most things quite OK. You can't go off road through mud on a road bike, nor ride long paved up hill on a full suspension MTB, but apart from those extremes, the differences are not that great - much goes down to one's preference, totally subjective. And it's hard to know for oneself, until one tries it for themselves.


Finally, as far as "entry level" bike goes:
You need good frame that fits you, good pair of wheels, and good brakes. The rest is mostly marketing, any class equipment from major manufacturers (Shimano, SRAM, Campagnolo) will shift gears quite OK. Don't concern yourself with that.

jfowler85

tl;dr

road bike.

/thread

kbarch

If you're not sure what you want, how about scrolling through your local Craigslist and picking up the most attractive yet inexpensive bike you find, just to get rolling. Don't spend too much time or money on it if you're just guessing, you just need to get on a bike. Make your selection based on what's immediately available rather than the whole universe of current and future bikes. Then, once you're back to riding, maybe you'll realize you want things that you haven't yet considered, or that you don't really care about things you thought you might. Or you might just luck out, your gut might lead you to the perfect bike right off the bat.

rpenmanparker 

Pretty good advice.

Maelochs

This is Great advice. You can get a really good older road bike for a few hundred dollars and a cheap commuter/rigid MTB for fooling around for another hundred or $150.

Not really. Casual thieves take bikes they can steal easily---get a good u-lock and a strong chain and lock all the bits together and your bike is safe from everyone but pros—and Nothing can stop pros.

If you plan to leave your bike in high-crime areas, get a $50 Craigslist bike—or actually get two or three—and if you have to call a cab one night because of thieves, the cab ride will cost more than the bike—and you will have another one waiting at home.

If you get a really good road bike or good mountain bike or Any kind of high-quality bike ... don’t leave it unattended for more than a few minutes, and never in any area you think is even a little sketchy. if you paid $2500 or three grand, a thief can sell it for a third or a quarter of that, and that’s what they do. Four-foot bolt cutters, angle grinders, a buddy driving the van ... goodbye bike.

Basically, check out where you will be locking up and act accordingly.

Since you definitely want at least two bikes ... buy two good cheap used bikes. I would Not advise getting a cheap hybrid—at least, nothing with a cheap suspension fork. The fork is usually the weakest link, because it is more for looks in the showroom on the cheap bikes. Cheap suspension forks tend to be heavy and either too soft or too stiff, and in any case don’t do the job well ... and most riders don’t need them anyway.

if you are going to be “fooling around” on trails, a rigid MTB or a cyclocross bike will serve you just as well as a cheap suspension hybrid. If you mean “playing games, doing tricks, trying to one-up each other over obstacles—all in good fun,” then get a good entry-level hardtail MTB—the whole rig will last longer and work better off-road and about the same on pavement (you can always swap wheels between knobby/slick tires.)

If you want a hybrid to sort of tool around town and occasionally ride a packed-earth trail, get a rigid MTB or a cyclocross bike—a rigid MTB is sort of made for exactly that sort of riding (and can handle real MTB trails, just not at high speeds (unless you have a lot of skill and talent.))

Really, your best bet is to buy used. If you have any confidence in your ability to do the most basic maintenance then buy an old rigid MTB of decent quality, and if you fear theft, get a couple $50 throwaways, and get a decent used road bike, and in a year or two you can decide what kind of bike you need for the way you really ride.

10 Wheels

Nothing wrong with having two or more bikes.

Stalk Craigslist dailey and be quick about buying a good deal.

I got two great road bike deals from CL.

Kevindale

Great advice here, the one thing I'd add (which is implied in most of the answers) is to ignore what you assume might be the ideal bike for you in a few years. Make your best guess for what will work for you right now, and go with it. The best is the enemy of the good.

You have no idea what bike you'll lust after in several years, or what kind of riding you'll be doing, or if you'll be riding. New bikes depreciate fast, so if you change your mind, you'll pay a serious price. And it's common to lay a bike down a few times as you get used to it, and scratch it putting it in the back of your car, or fall onto the curb as you get used to clipless pedals, etc. And you'll cringe every time you sit your high-end beauty against a bike rack and put a heavy lock on it and wonder if some other bike owner is going to drop their clunker against yours.

Get a decent used road bike on CL and you'll be able to resell it in a couple of years for nearly what you paid. Almost no risk, unless you wreck it, and even then you've save a ton of money wrecking a cheap bike.

samir13k

I'd grab the gmc Denali hybrid that Kent makes, I have one and I also have a trek 5000. At the end of the day I normally opt for the Denali because it's a bit more robust, I don't worry about popping a tube when I ride on gravel. For the 200 I paid for it, I've gotten well over a few thousand miles on it. At 200 dollars, it's heavier than the average road bike but my comfortable cruising speed honestly isn't much different on it vs my trek

I think you can pick them up at Walmart.

datlas 

Allez!

MRT2

1. A new Specialized hybrid is not less of a target for thieves than a high end road bike. In some ways, it is more of a target. Since they are so common and popular bikes, it would be easier to flip quickly and wouldn't draw much attention.

2. A hybrid is no safer a choice for you than is a road bike. It comes down to what you want, and how comfortable you are with drop bars, as opposed to flat bars. IMO, if you think you will eventually want a road bike, just go with a road bike.

A hybrid is a good choice for many people looking for an all around bike for short to medium length rides riding at slow to moderate speeds. And, there are people who ride fast and can and do ride centuries or multi day tours on hybrids. On the other hand, there are lots of folks who are just as comfortable taking their road bikes or touring bikes on a slow 20 mile social ride, or even 5 miles to the coffee shop. We are talking road bikes here, and not time trial or triathlon bikes (which would be really poor choices for around town bikes). If you really want a road bike, you can just as easily ride around town on an entry level to mid priced road bike as you can with a hybrid.

2a. It is silly and wasteful to buy 2 entry level bikes (say a $500 or $600 hybrid, and a $700 or $800 entry level road bike. There are some fantastic bikes in the $1,200 to $1,500 range that are incredibly versatile. Better than entry level flat bar hybrids in every way and almost as fast as higher end road bikes, but capable of handling rough pavement and light off road with aplomb. Consider one of those bikes.

3. The trend is towards road bikes with clearance for wider tires. Buy a bike that has clearance for 28, or even 35 mm tires and you can ride it around town, or on a short tour, or on gravel. Switch to narrow tires pumped up to high pressure and lighter wheels, and you have bike built for fast club rides.

4. Buy a bike for the next two to three years. $1,000 to $1,500 retail will get you a really nice bike that should be more than adequate. As light as anything Lemond, Merckx, Hinault or Inderain ever rode, with more and more versatile gears. I wouldn't go with a super high end road bike to start. You need to get a couple of thousand miles under you to figure out what works and doesn't work for you, and to know what you want in the future. Nothing worse than spending thousands of dollars just to find out you don't like road bikes as much as you thought you would.

Maelochs

I wouldn't. For the same money you can get a Much better bike.

Maybe Samir13K doesn't ride much or ride hard ... but I'd say, as respectfully as possible, that he doesn't know much about bikes.

If you are popping tubes on gravel, you are using the wrong tires ... not the wrong bike. Simple test: swap the wheels from the Trek to the Denali and vice versa and ride gravel for a couple weeks. The Denali has thicker, heavier tires, so it is more suited to gravel ... but hey .. . the tires come off the bike. if you want to ride the Trek on gravel get it suitable tires.

Nothing against Wal-Mart bikes, except that they tend to be underbuilt. The cheapest components, the cheapest materials ... fine if you tool around the bike paths enjoying the sunset, but not so fine if you want to push them hard.

For the same money as the 32-lb Denali you can buy an older steel bike that weights eight pounds less and has components good enough that you would never need to upgrade, even if you decided to keep it for the rest of your life. Up to you to decide which seems like the better investment.

By the way, I have ridden a Lot of cheap bikes. I swore off after I was pounding hard on a Huffy trying to cross a busy multi-lane intersection in the few seconds between lights, and the crank arm broke loose from the chainrings, leaving me stranded in the middle of six lanes of traffic.

I rode hard back then, though. I was used to wearing out cheap bikes and getting more cheap bikes-- I always had a handful in my garage. Then I got a couple real bikes: an '83 Canondale and an '84 Raleigh, which I still ride to this day. Again, up to you to decide what sounds like the better investment.

or ... simply never ride hard.

MRT2

My view is, life is too short to ride a Wal Mart bike.

Mulberry20

Kona makes some nice bikes that do both very well. The Roadhouse is particularly nice.

Maconi

You could just split the difference and get a carbon Specialized Diverge (wasn't a fan of the aluminum ones I rode). After riding the carbon Sirrus, Robaiux, and Diverge I went with the latter and love it. This is also after comparing it to all the competitors back-to-back (Giant, Cannondale, Trek, BMC, etc.).

The only other bike I have my eye on is the 2017 Roubaix (assuming they truly do revamp it this year). Who knows what they'll do to it but I have high hopes.

(images of the Sirrus and Diverge I rode)

samir13k

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not super knowledgeable when it comes to cycling, and normally I wouldn't post because I'm well aware of that, but I felt as if it was a good fit for the OP. At 200 for a new bike, I would like to know what a comparably priced higher quality new bike would be. (I'll honestly pick one up if there's a good one).

I have ridden/broken plenty of cheap bikes prior to purchasing the Denali, if anything, I haven't found an under-built component on the Denali. I've put a few thousand miles on mine, only have had 2 flat tires and I had to change the front rim once (to no fault of the original rim).

I agree that the bike is heavier than anything trek/specialized/cannondale/etc. make, but I think it's a happy medium for someone who wants to go relatively fast but was originally looking at a hybrid. It has a steel frame at the end of the day, it's beefy.

Yes I agree that I can change the tires, but each bike has a purpose for me. My trek is for road riding/hard riding, the Denali has made a great adventurous riding bike for me. I'm just not afraid to leave pavement with it. I put 30+ miles a day on it (country roads) for 5-6 days a week for two years, so it's done well for me.

Maelochs

My apologies, sir, if you feel I have offended you. it just seemed odd that you would blame flat tires on the bike, rather than the way you used the bike.

As for what to buy for $200, i would shop Craigslist, and i would get something with a steel frame most likely, or maybe not. I got my Canondale (when it was a few years old) for (I think) $150 and I paid $35 for my Raleigh at a yard sale about a year earlier.

I know there is a guy here, Johnny Mullet, who swears by older Huffys---good for him. He is as serious a rider as you and more than I, and they have been working for him. As i said, i had that one bad experience and never went back, but as a poster here once noted, "the plural of anecdote is not 'data'."

I am sure there are good Huffys and Denalis and whatever out there. I just tore up so many cheap bikes that I lost patience. The way I ride nowadays, I bet I could make it to the end of my days with an old Huffy. Such is the passage of time.

TenSpeedV2

Yes. After working at a bike shop now for a short while, and seeing what comes in from Wal-Mart and the issues most of these bikes have, they are a complete waste of money.

I will second the thought of a cx bike. After picking one up, it really is a versatile bike. You can easily swap the tires out if you want to be riding hard on the road vs a gravel road.

ltxi

I come from a primarily road bike background. After being off bikes of any sort for 20 years I decided to get back into it the beginning of last season. With the notion that what I wanted these days was a more relaxed geometry and facing your same "am I gonna stick with it?" dilemma, I bought into an LBS used Tiagra Cannondale Synapse for $650. I was a very good choice for my re-entry.

Now really back into cycling, I added a BMC Ultegra GF02 this year and it's a very good fit for me now but it would not have been a smart, right at the outset purchase. A full season on the Cannondale was needed to lead me to it.

alexdi

We have similar goals and the same outlook. Cars, engineering, speed: count me in.

My first ride after a decade away was a skinny-tire hybrid. I tested a couple of road bikes and wasn't impressed. I grew up on mountain bikes, so the drops felt narrow and awkward. The brakes sucked. I wanted more control and the easy ergonomics of a flat bar. I knew the aerodynamics would suffer, but it was a fitness bike. What difference if it was fast?

Then I found out I'm the cycling equivalent of Ricky Bobby. For the last three months, I've been ramping up my pace on the flats into the 20s. It's exhilarating. Feels like flying. Problem is, I've hit an aero wall. More power won't yield much more speed. There's no good way to modify the rig to support a tuck, so the writing is on the wall: I need a road bike.

I don't regret this hybrid because it was a necessary step. I didn't know enough about fit, maintenance, and the kind of riding I enjoyed to spring for a high-dollar ride. Now I do. If I'd started with an entry set of drops, it'd just have postponed the inevitable purchase of a carbon fetish object a few more months. I've already put a few hundred into the hybrid to bring the weight down; there's no way I'd ever be content with a Craigslist castoff.

I bought another bike two months ago. It's a racing mountain bike. Rocketing down trails with the fitness I've spent months acquiring with the hybrid is ridiculous fun. A road bike will inevitably follow, but for now, I'm scratching two itches and making new friends at double the pace. Maybe you'll feel like pursuing the same.

deapee

Get a road bike...the best you can afford...then supplement your collection later to add on to your road riding. Whether that be with a new purchase or something you check Craigslist for every few days. The road bike is the basis of my riding, it's what I love. Then get a cyclocross or gravel or touring or mountain bike to beat around on off days or when it's too hot, or whatever.

maremalin

Hi,
I was in a very similar situation as you describe. Hybrid, road - road, hybrid - had no idea. In the end I've picked up Diverge Sport and I'm loving it!! Great on the road, good on the paths I think it's a great compromise.

eosckar

Heya OP. Reading this post and some of the replies, I am glad to hear that I am not the only one in the same shoes! I have also been mulling over hybrid vs Road and I finally ended up choosing Road and I am very happy and glad that I do so. Obviously everyone has different reasons, goals and use of the bike, so I am not saying that my choice should be your choice. But I'll tell you what makes me made my decision

A little bit about me. I have not had a worthy to mention bike my entire adult life. I have just picked up healthy living and active lifestyle and I would like to supplement my lifestyle with a little bit of cycling. Most of my cycling will be on the road or (paved) trails and I foresee doing so with families and friends as much as I will ride alone.

I first set my eye on a Trek 7.4 hybrid. I looked hard at that bike and almost pulled the trigger on this bike, however I decided to do a little bit more research on road bike and read up on the Specialized Allez E5. So I went to my local bike shop, test drove the bike and was eventually sold on Specialized Allez DSW (~$1200). I put down the deposit on the bike and decided to check out my local craigslist listing.
I am glad I did because I found a pretty good condition Specialized roubaix around the same price and I pulled the trigger on that bike instead.

I am so glad that I bought the road bike as I know that I will be performing upgrades on my bike and I am not sure if I want to throw that kind of upgrade money on a hybrid. I initially thought I will be purchasing 2 bikes. Hybrid for hanging out with families and road bike for a more serious riding. However the flaw that I see in this idea is that I will be dumping $800-900 on the hybrid and this is a healthy budget that I can use for my road bike upgrades.

I have rode my road bike twice now since I got it last week (22mi and 30mi) and I prefer to go fast and really getting a good exercise out of cycling. I am glad that I am riding road bike as I will always wonder what would road bike feels like if I had a hybrid instead.

I don't plan to commute, use my bike to go to a shop, store my bike in public area, or anything like that. One of the curse of having a good road bike is that I'd have to protect it like a child and can't afford to lose it or leave it in public area for fear of it being stolen, or even scratched. I may consider an el cheapo used hybrid in the future if I will be using the bike for commuting, but I really doubt I'd ever use my road bike for anything like that. If I can regularly stick to cycling, I plan to save up and buy a better road bike like tarmac or cervelo in the future. Until then, I am happy that I made my decision to purchase a road bike vs hybrid bike.

Good luck!

puma1552

Really appreciate all the feedback - it has been a great help and I've considered each and every reply.

I've done the CL thing, but it can be harder to find frame sizes in my size (smallest size sold usually). I DO however have access to my mom's 1970s era Peugot road bike which I forgot about, so I can take that out and test out drop bars. Then I can lay that bike down without laying down and ruining a new one until I get a feel for the twitchiness of drops.

Nonetheless, I think I have finally decided to stick to my original plan and get an entry level hybrid and get my cycling legs, and then step up to a Tarmac/Roubaix/etc when I have a better feel for what I want and like. Plus, like I said, a hybrid still serves a purpose and I will plan on keeping it after I buy a road bike.

But for now I'm just interested in getting out, now just need to decide between Sirrus base, base disc, or Sirrus Sport.

Edit: LBS has a '16 Sirrus Elite marked down from $810 to $690 which is tempting, and in my size. Didn't love the look of it in person though? Not sure why.