Why 30 mile ride is max for hybrid?
 

I have seen it, heard it, and read about a hybrid bike is only good for 30 miles or less fitness ride. Anyone got any real answers or stories of doing a lot more then 30 miles? I just don't really get it. Their geometry is really not to different from gravel bikes. Just they have flat bars.

I was doing 60km, 37.5 miles on a daily basis for the past 2 months... the only reason i could not go further is my physical limitation but the bike.. if you are fit, i dont see why you cant go further

I ask myslef
this each time I head out on a ride with my Verve… for my physical position its more comfortable to ride leaning forward for long periods of time than it to sit strait up… but also
with drop bars I can ride on the flats when I need to sit up more…. I think it comes down to the handlebars and reach for me.

I ride a Jamis Coda, ride 200-250 miles a month....longest ride was my birthday ride in December 65 miles, I ridden the Withlacoochee State trail here in central Florida and it was a 49 mile ride
the only issue I have is time.

I did a 120 mile ride this summer on my Cannondale Quick 1

I have done 110 km (66 Miles) on a day with my hybrid bike, Then, I presented my homework to professor online just after finishing the ride 😂😂😂 30 mile is short distance for a hybrid bike.

Answer: this is a common meme, especially here on t'Biek Forms and similar media. It is complete nonsense.

Folks have been riding across town, across states/provinces/countries, around the world on bicycles with flat bars ('hybrids' [useless term]) for decades. They will continue to do so.

It has to be a sales gimmick. Everywhere says the hybrid is just a bike to ride under 30 miles for fitness, but if you want to ride further gonna need a gravel, road or something else designed to go further. Irritating. Like to see someone make a review and prove this idea wrong on YouTube or something.

30 miles max on hybrid...Nonsense. Do 50 mile runs on my Cypress DX on a regular basis. I seem to have about a 50 mile max on my legs...:)

& you can't ride a road bike on dirt trails :innocent: . if any rules were meant to be broken, they are bike rules

IMHO 'sales' is actually 'marketing' and marketing is all about gimmicks (but, there are some gimmicks that are truthful).

Basically, if you'd like to ride more than 30 miles, you'll likely be a higher level of fitness and in general you will benefit from a road bike for these longer rides. That said, my daughter did a 100-mile ride with her mom's Marin Alp; I was riding a gravel 165-mile ride and shared a lot of miles with a guy on a basic hybrid bike (twist shifting and all). I'm all about 'run what you brung' ... meaning, a hybrid bike can ride long distances, but they are not the preferred bike for long rides. If you're interested in longer rides with a hybrid, I'd recommend upgrade your tires for improved rolling resistance.

The YouTuber you're looking for is Path Less Pedaled https://www.youtube.com/c/PathLessPedaledTV

I have never heard an actual number put to it, but it is a common statement that hybrids are better for shorter rides. The primary basis for this is that flat bars don't have multiple hand positions like a bike with a drop bar, so it might be the case that you are more likely to get fatigued in you arms and hands and shoulders.

In reality, people who ride long distances or tours (from my experience) are on hybrids or other flat-bar bikes half the time or more. The only situation where flat bars are universally undesirable is in mass-start road racing. But otherwise people ride every distance you can imagine with hybrids. If you've got a hybrid and want to ride a long distance, the only thing stopping you is you.

I saw some hybrids on PBP in 2011. That's a 4 day 750 mile ride. OTOH, if I caught them, they were in trouble :)

I don't remember seeing any in 2019. But maybe they were just overshadowed by the guys riding fatbikes.

^ I was just going to mention Sophie Matter's getup for PBP in 2011 -- hybrid city bike with a basket and pannier, wearing dresses. :)

https://www.distancerider.net/photos...P8200137SC.JPG

But fatbikes! How many of those did you see? Any stats on completion? :eek:

I had noticed not long after joining the Bike Forum, this question is asked often. There are some very passionate riders whom believe their way of riding is the only right way for everyone, not just themselves. So then a whole lot of people will join in to either agree or oppose and some arguments ensue and everyone kind of leaves the thread with a level of negativity about others.

I myself see hybrids, mtn bikes, road bikes take long rides on rails to trails / canal trails. Example: Pittsburgh to DC. I've seen all of these bikes and a few fat bikes as well make this journey. There is no right bike for everyone, but a right bike for the rider.
Anyone able to ride over 330 miles on any of the above bikes to me has proved the riders and bikes are capable of long distances.

I myself am looking forward to riding a metric century this fall on the Great Alleghany with not just a hybrid, but a "sport" hybrid with a suspension. :eek: That is an entirely different subject about having or not having a suspension! :lol:

I must not be reading the right threads, because I don't remember actually seeing anyone here espouse the supposed 30-mile rule. The only time I hear of it is when threads like this pop up every so often asking why people make that claim. And invariably the overwhelming response from the forum members is "ride whatever you enjoy."

And I concur with that response. Earlier this year I was doing some work on my gravel bike (what I typically use for road rides) which took longer than expected. After a day or so I was itching for a ride, so I hopped on the mountain bike and took it out for a road ride. On that ride I set a PR on two different segments - that was on a mountain bike with 2.1" tires. For longer rides I'm definitely more comfortable on the gravel bike, but to say you NEED drop bars for longer rides would be silly.

You are just making this up. Ride your hybrid 30+ miles and see for yourself.:rolleyes:

This is true -- and touring with a drop bar today is largely a United States or at least North American thing. Many or even most Europeans tour on flat bar or riser bar bikes, which is relatively uncommon on "this" side of the pond. While it does (or should) come down entirely to what is comfortable for you, there are also geographical, regional, and cultural preferences as well. Focusing on what's comfortable to you will enable you to maximize your comfort and time on your bike, whatever bike that is and whatever shape the handlebar takes. :thumb:

Gallery: On the gravel at the Dirty Kanza 200 | VeloNews.com

200 miles on all sorts of bikes. Flat, drop, fat, tandem, etc.

The first 24 hour race I did (as part of a relay team), there was one person riding a long wheelbase recumbent around the 18km singletrack loop. If they can do that, 31+ miles on a hybrid is nothing.

I've done RAGBRAI twice on a road bike and saw hybrids on both rides (also saw a unicycle, folding bikes and one guy with no bicycle seat on multiple days). One year, my group had a guy riding a mountain bike with knobby tires finish the ride. I don't remember the mileage on my two rides, but according to their web site:

"The RAGBRAI route averages 468 miles and is not necessarily flat. It begins somewhere along Iowa’s western border on the Missouri River and ends along the eastern border on the Mississippi River."

That's an average of 468 miles over 7 days for a bit over 66 miles a day. Add in a few miles that some ride to get to their overnight and then back to the route and it's probably 70 miles for some/many. I've also seen hybrids on the full Erie Canal ride twice, and the Bike Ride Across Georgia (BRAG), 4 times. Both are 300-400 mile rides over 6 or 7 days.

Hybrids can certainly exceed 30 miles a day.

I was thinking more about this thread and came back to say the same thing as badger1. "Hybrid" covers A LOT of VERY DIFFERENT bikes.

IMO the "comfort-hybrid" bike has a limited useful range, but that is only limited by the rider and how much time they have.

"Hybrid bike" also includes bikes intended for long distances, like "trekking-hybrid" bikes.

Other bikes that are can be called "hybrid": cross bike or flat-bar road bike; commuter bikes; city bikes; ....

So "hybrid" is basically a useless term, the OP should be more specific.

Yep. Neither new bike (black) or its predecessor has ever held me back as far as rides of whatever distance/duration are concerned. Both are commonly referred to as 'hybrids'. Neither is a 'hybrid' of anything. They are just my bikes. If I called them anything, I'd call them 'flat-bar road bikes'. I've set them up to suit me and the cycling I do: city streets, MUP system, paved and smooth dirt roads; anything from 20 minutes to a long day out; anything from a few blocks to the shops, to a hundred miles* -- all solo.

* Only three times over the years, just to see if I could. Gettin' too old and decrepit now. 40>60 miles is a more typical long ride for me.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...49ded2e3a7.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c82b53135d.jpg

On a tandem it's sixty miles.

Really what an odd straw man. Like one bike company says in their ad copy, "You can ride your bike wherever the hell you want"