raria

Like most of us, I like to buy bikes!

I really like hybrids because your view when riding is much better for taking in the scenery. I just did some riding in Beaujolais (France) and it was such a wasted opportunity to miss all that great countryside of vines.

But I could imagine that upright position for riding distances (to get to the scenery) is a killer for: aerodynamics, arm comfort and backside comfort. All which makes riding a century a literal pain.

But maybe there are solutions or I'm wrong?

Brad_AZ

I'd say yes, it's possible. I'd think aero would be your biggest challenge. If your bike is properly fitted, I don't think your arms or bum would be an issue. Is there a specific hybrid that you fancy?

raria

Thanks Brad. Interesting. I would have thought Aero is a problem but the backside comfort issue would be the biggest. With a hybrid (whih I've ridden many of) it seems that most of your weight is on your backside because of the upright position. But for a road bike your core strength and elongated position means its much less weight on your backside even when on the hoods.

Is there some special saddles tricks people use for hybrids?

Trevtassie

Nice wide broken in leather saddle and a suspension seat post, because who wants to have to hoist yourself off that comfy lounge chair every bump. Personally I use a wide ass Gyes leather saddle and a Use Vybe suspension seat post on my tourer. And some bars with lots of hand positions that vary your back angle so you use different muscles. Like butterflies, crazy bars or H bars. I've used all 3, on road butterflies are good crazy bars are good for a mix of on road and gravel. Any off road H-bars are sweet.
And don't have a sit up and beg position, you need some forward lean.

Alleytom

I've ridden a 'metric' century, and plan on riding a real century this year (wife & work allowing...) on my hybrid. I use aero bars for comfort, and have a selle italia seat with a thudbuster seatpost, it's easier for me to go long distances on the hybrid then my roadbike.

HerrKaLeun

My imperial century last year was with my toughroad and was BEFORe i found my brooks saddle. Only complaint besides fatigue was my butt hurt (the Brooks is much better on shorter rides so far, just haven't doen century again yet)
Average speed is only 22-23 kmh, so aero isn't that important, comfort is everything. All on rail-to-trail with mostly crushed limestone and similar surface.

johnny99

Of course it is possible. Aerodynamics only affects your speed and speed doesn't really count on recreational century rides. Just give yourself an extra half hour or so compared to your road bike friends. Arm and back pain is an issue if you have poor core strength, but can be counteracted with a program of core exercises.

Stormsedge

fietsbob

Start early , try to get in 60 miles by lunch..

bicyclridr4life

Yes. A hybrid can be used for a century ride ... or a ride around the world, for that matter.

If you want to be honest about it, any bike can be used for a century, from an original or reproduction high wheeler/pennyfarthing/ordinary to the "latest and greatest" lighter than a fart pro racing bike. You may not be competitive with those on the racing bikes, (no matter what you're riding) but any bike can be used to ride a century.

Remember: Thomas Stevens rode his 50" front wheel "Ordinary" around the world in the 1890's. (He was the first person to ride a bicycle around the world. His books telling about the ride are available from Kindle for free.)

MAK

I ride my road bike more than my hybrid so I'm used to being a bit stretched and somewhat aero. On my hybrid I installed long bar ends (8-9"). I have then facing forward at a 45 degree angle (Maybe a bit more) and it makes the bike comfortable to ride any distance. Lots of hand positions and it allows me to stretch my back when necessary.

livedarklions

I just started riding full (imperial) centuries last year, and can attest that just about anything can be ridden 100 miles. I started doing them on a comfort bike, but actually wore it out very quickly. The drive train on the old bike just wasn't up to the stress, and the suspension elements just added so much weight that it made me sore. I switched to a '90s era Specialized hybrid (Crossroads Cruz) last fall, and that seemed easier at first, but had some control issues that get worse when you're tired, and it really started hurting my hands when I went in excess of a century. I actually rode it 153 miles in one day, but my right arm actually swelled up from too many shocks, and I had to lay off completely for a few days.

Last week, I had enough of the old hardware and went out and purchased a new Trek FX 3. This bike was built for centuries! I know this sounds nuts, but I did 2 centuries on it last weekend--I'm a little tired today (Monday), but no soreness . The grips are soft, and combined with gloves, I only got a tiny bit of numbness in my fingers towards the end of the last century, and was able to fend that off with some creative hand positioning.

Wind resistance is a bit of a pain, but it's not terrible, and yesterday was a very windy day. Just be prepared to downshift to deal with wind, otherwise hybrids are made to maintain a steady pace. At this point, my cruising speed is quite a bit faster than when I started doing this, and on a calm day, I can complete a century in about 7 hours of riding time.

Biggest piece of advice--get some bullet-proof tires with fairly smooth tread. I'm running 700c 32cm Gatorskins at about 95 psi, and you might prefer something different, but you definitely need to keep puncture resistance really high up on your list of priorities. At those distances, it's a matter of when you're going to run over an obstacle, not if, and changing flats roadside is not that much fun. Also, you need a rack and trunk bag packed with enough gear to deal with minor mechanical issues. It's a long walk back if you can't get it rolling.

Saddles are real trial and error. As far as I can tell, everybody's butt is different. Online reviewers seem to hate the saddle on the FX 3, but after 300 miles in a week, I think it's great. But whatever you get, be prepared to swap it out if it's hurting you.

livedarklions

Agree with you on the lean. However, I've done multiple centuries with and without a suspension seat post, and I really don't think they are worth the added weight and maintenance. If my seat fits my butt, I just find that I don't get sore no matter how long I ride. Ride enough centuries, and the muscle makes its own padding.

Also, I find that the wide seats slow me up enough that it's really noticeable over a very long haul. They also force my legs farther apart which seems to increase the likelihood of cramping. After I switched to narrower seats, I've never had that problem.

livedarklions

"Start early , try to get in 60 miles by lunch.".

Early, yes! First light is good--you can really get off a lot of road miles while it's still cool and there isn't much traffic.

Scooty Puff Jr

I rode my Fuji Crosstown and my Surly Ogre over 100 miles a few times and they both weigh north of 30 pounds. Just depends on the rider and the route, I could do almost 80 on the MUP and the rest were on nice wide bike lanes going down the beach on Gulf Blvd. I picked days when I knew the weather was going to be good, and planned a lot of food and beer breaks along the way. My total time from start to finish may have been 9 hours, but I was in no hurry. I find its easier to ride my Surly longer distances than my Domane (FXS6) because the Surly is more comfortable on long distances.

livedarklions

Follow up to my above post--I have now ridden my FX 3 168 miles in one day. So yes, it's possible to ride a hybrid an imperial century AND a metric century in the same day.

1nterceptor

"Is it possible to ride a hybrid a century?"

Yes. You could even complete centuries on a folder.

100 Miles(160 Km.) on a Brompton by 1nterceptor, on Flickr

prj71

The bike isn't the limiting factor...

livedarklions

[QUOTE=1nterceptor;20388593]"Is it possible to ride a hybrid a century?"

Yes. You could even complete centuries on a folder. QUOTE]


Holy cats! I'm impressed. I thought I was nuts. How long did it take you?

1nterceptor

[QUOTE=livedarklions;20390392]Honestly I don't remember. I don't own/use any bike computer; Garmin, Bolt, etc.
Also don't bother with apps; Strava, MapmyRide, etc.

I also have to keep on stopping since I usually ride as a volunteer marshal. Have to help
other riders with their mechanical problems; mostly flats. My green Brompton is 6 speed.
If I get enough training time this year; hoping to do the 100 mile route again with my nickel
finish folder. 2 speed.

2015 New York City Century by 1nterceptor, on Flickr

BROMPTON HELMET AND BIKE by 1nterceptor, on Flickr

livedarklions

I can knock off a century pretty quick on a hybrid (about 6 hours 40 minutes), but I think I'd have to time my century with a calendar if I used your bike!

raria

I've ridden centuries on my road bike and two things hurt me after it: i) base of hands, ii) backside.

i) Is because I lack good core strength and rest too much on my hands.
ii) Will be a big problem since I'm more upright.

After you've done long rides are those an issue for you?

livedarklions

There's huge amounts of trial and error involved, but I can only say what what has worked for me. I switched to the upright position because it is much easier on my backside and groin. I get some really nasty numbness if I stay in a crouch too long. A good wide flat bar on a well-fitted bike gives you a lot of room to vary your posture, and by far the biggest enemy of long-distance riders is pressure and fatigue caused by staying in the same position for too long. If nothing else, just stand on the bike periodically while riding to take off the pressure every so often. I wear regular gym shorts when I ride and there's no special padding on my saddle and I can honestly say I never have any serious backside pain or problems after a long ride. Conditioning might be a factor here. I've found that the butt muscles become their own padding as they develop.

The hand issues I've had have related to doing a bunch of centuries on a too small bike and initially without gloves. I got a well-fitted FX3 a few weeks ago and started wearing padded gloves a couple months back. The FX3 has a great handlebar setup that really protects your hands from bumps and gives you some nice hand position options. Also, the carbon fork is a great shock absorber. All I can say is that after 218 miles this last weekend and 205 the weekend before, I'm not having hand problems anymore.

raria

Judging by your handle your either a devout christian (Lived Ark Lions) or a unibomber style person (live dark lions)

livedarklions

Well, neither, but I would have gone with Satanist instead of unibomber--y'know, Mark of the Beast makes more sense, plus nice contrast with devout Christian.

I had a case of raria once, but the doctor gave me a cream and it cleared right up. (rim shot)