What is a hybrid a hybrid of?
At their inception they were ostensibly a hybrid of a road and a mountain bike. Given what mountain bikes have become, that doesn't seem to be an apt definition any more. Are they currently hybrids of anything, or did the name just outlive the concept?
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I think the name sort of outlived the concept to a point.
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Kinda like asking the owner of most Sport Utility Vehicles or a Cross Over vehicles what's the difference from a true off-road vehicle or station wagon, isn't it? Just raise the body up a few inches, put on some sportier (and bigger) wheels/tires and you're done, maybe throw in an all-wheel-drive system to make yours unique from the neighbor's vehicle (not necessarily a 4WD system).
I always thought they were a cross between a road bike and an urban bike of years-gone-by (Schwinn Collegiate & Suburban models come to mind). You combine the frame and seating style of a road bike with the larger tires and flat handlebars of an urban bike, and there you have it. Maybe throw in some design characteristics of the old rigid MTBs of the past, (as you suggested), and a touring bike for added 'street credibility' |
Just like tire sizing, it's continued use of the term by the masses. So pretty much your last suggestion...
or did the name just outlive the concept |
They've become hybrids of hybrids and other hybrids.
A while ago, some local dude put a Trek Zektor up for sale and called it a hybrid in the add. Even though I wanted the bike and made the highest bid, when I tried to explain to him that this was a flat-bar road bike and not a hybrid, he blocked my ass and canceled my bid! |
Originally Posted by sjanzeir
(Post 22722748)
They've become hybrids of hybrids and other hybrids.
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Modern hybrids are just flat bar gravel bikes.
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Originally Posted by wolfchild
(Post 22722781)
Modern hybrids are just flat bar gravel bikes.
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Originally Posted by Rolla
(Post 22722832)
Hybrids lack the tire clearance and gearing for gravel, but nice try at being incendiary, gangsta. :rolleyes:
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Originally Posted by veganbikes
(Post 22722734)
I think the name sort of outlived the concept to a point.
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Originally Posted by wolfchild
(Post 22722855)
There are some higher performance hybrids out there which have 1X drivetrains. carbon forks, hydraulic brakes, braze-ons to mount all manner of accessories and enough frame clearance to run 700 x 40 mm - 50 mm tires. The only difference is the style of handlebars.
Can you show an example of one of these higher-performance 1X hybrids that has a carbon fork, hydro discs, gear braze-ons, and big tire clearance? I don't think I've encountered one. |
Originally Posted by Rolla
(Post 22722832)
Hybrids lack the tire clearance and gearing for gravel, but nice try at being incendiary, gangsta. :rolleyes:
Looking at Trek. The Checkpoint ALR 5, for example, takes up to 45mm tires and has a 46/30, 11-34 drivetrain ( 23 gear inches). The Verve 3 takes the same 45mm tires with a 46/30, 11-36 drive train (22 gear inches). The Dual Sport 4 takes up to a 54mm tire with a 1x 42 tooth crank and 11-50 cassette (23 gear inches). The Verve and the Dual Sport are definitely hybrids. Even if you compare the Checkpoint to a FX1, the FX doesn’t come out all that badly. Yes, it will only take 38mm tires but the gearing is lower than the Checkpoint by just a squidge (30/34 vs 28/34). |
Originally Posted by Rolla
(Post 22722909)
Thanks for clarifying that when you said earlier that "modern hybrids are just flat bar gravel bikes," you really meant that "some higher performance hybrids" are like gravel bikes.
Can you show an example of one of these higher-performance 1X hybrids that has a carbon fork, hydro discs, gear braze-ons, and big tire clearance? I don't think I've encountered one. |
When I've talked about my hybrid bike in the past to someone, they thought I was talking about a motorcycle with an electric motor drive and a gasoline engine to charge the battery.
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
(Post 22722921)
The Trek FX Sport 4 is damned close. The Sirrus X 4.0 is closer as it can take at least 42mm wide tires and maybe wider.
Neither the Trek nor the Sirrus has tubeless-ready tires or wheels, so maybe that's what distinguishes them from true gravel bikes. I suspect the geometry is different as well, but I haven't bothered to compare. IMO, all of this just further establishes that "hybrid" is an outdated term for a vague-at-best bike category. |
Originally Posted by Rolla
(Post 22722909)
Thanks for clarifying that when you said earlier that "modern hybrids are just flat bar gravel bikes," you really meant that "some higher performance hybrids" are like gravel bikes.
Can you show an example of one of these higher-performance 1X hybrids that has a carbon fork, hydro discs, gear braze-ons, and big tire clearance? I don't think I've encountered one. |
A hybrid is a bike that does everything poorly. LOL. So they are sold to beginners that are poor at knowing anything about bikes.
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Originally Posted by GamblerGORD53
(Post 22722971)
A hybrid is a bike that does everything poorly. LOL. So they are sold to beginners that are poor at knowing anything about bikes.
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Originally Posted by Rolla
(Post 22722714)
Are they currently hybrids of anything, or did the name just outlive the concept?
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Originally Posted by wolfchild
Marin DSX and Marin Muirwoods ??...both of them look like beefed up hybrids.
They call the Muirwoods a “transit / urban” bike, which I guess is the new “commuter.” Marin’s actual hybrids have little in common with gravel bikes. |
A lot of marketing semantics in the bicycle sales world
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Originally Posted by sjanzeir
(Post 22722748)
They've become hybrids of hybrids and other hybrids.
Your hybrid is obsolete, now you need a metahybrid! |
Originally Posted by dedhed
A lot of marketing semantics in the bicycle sales world
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Originally Posted by Rolla
(Post 22722909)
Thanks for clarifying that when you said earlier that "modern hybrids are just flat bar gravel bikes," you really meant that "some higher performance hybrids" are like gravel bikes.
Can you show an example of one of these higher-performance 1X hybrids that has a carbon fork, hydro discs, gear braze-ons, and big tire clearance? I don't think I've encountered one. I use it as a flat-bar road bike; would make a perfectly competent 'gravel' bike with a simple tire change. I find the 32s fine for the surfaces I ride: paved and dirt roads; the occasional hard-packed, non-technical dirt trail. Oh, and yes: the term 'hybrid' is utterly meaningless in today's bicycle market. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...29f7614ea7.jpg |
Originally Posted by Rolla
(Post 22722940)
Interesting. They call the FX Sport 4 a "fitness bike for riders who want the speed of a lightweight road bike with the comfort and control of a flat handlebar," so I guess it's a "hybrid" of a fitness bike and a flat-bar road bike.
Neither the Trek nor the Sirrus has tubeless-ready tires or wheels, so maybe that's what distinguishes them from true gravel bikes. I suspect the geometry is different as well, but I haven't bothered to compare. IMO, all of this just further establishes that "hybrid" is an outdated term for a vague-at-best bike category. A “gravel bike” is kind of nebulous as well. There’s racing, all road, gravel, bikepacking, etc. It’s just as open a term as “hybrid”. In fact, “hybrid” is probably a better name since gravel bikes are just road bike built to act like a 1990 mountain bike or a 1990 mountain bike modified to act like a road bike. |
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