sjanzeir

I'm sure that millions of people in China, India, Egypt, and even the Netherlands would strongly disagree.

rsbob 

OMG will the bickering and “I’m right”, “No, I’m right” over inconsequential nothingness ever end? I’ve seen better behaved school children.

sjanzeir

Herzlos

Not at all. I'm saying that to the self determined "serious cyclist", hybrids are somehow not serious, and the worst choice for most cases. The worst choice thing is sort of fair - a proper mountain bike is better off road, and a proper road bike is better on the road, but a hybrid will be better off road than a road bike and better on the road than a mountain bike.

Our local cycling org ride leader switches between a road bike and hybrid based on the ride length, and he certainly racks up more miles than I do in my car.

sjanzeir

Exactly (or roughly should be good enough) how much experience riding hybrids of any kind would you claim to have had? I'm asking because for you to say that "hybrids are somehow not serious, and the worst choice for most cases" is making assumptions about a lot of riders you don't know, never met, and know nothing about. Has it occurred to you that there are millions of riders of hybrids who ride them because they are serious about their own particular type of riding, and that the hybrids they ride are the best choice for them in most cases?

fishboat

It doesn't end, but some adjustment helps

sjanzeir

I'm flattered.

livedarklions

I'm absolutely not a FX detractor, quite the opposite, and the one I had was used very effectively as a flat bar road bike. I really don't care that it wasn't being marketed as such.

dedhed

So, new around here?

livedarklions

Two things and I'm probably out:

This conversation just shows how stupid it is to try to classify cyclists as serious and non-serious. To be honest, substituting the word "mediocre" is even worse. Y'all are doing a whole bunch of No True Scotsman stuff here and there's no way to do it without sounding like a snob because, basically, it's snobbery.

Second, I find it hilarious when people will say something about how bad a category of bike is and then accuse people who defend their use of the particular kind of bike of trolling or being argumentative. When you post an attack on a category of bikes, you are quite clearly telling people that like the category that they are wrong. Don't do that if you don't want an argument.

indyfabz

Funny. This morning I was listening to a morning radio show. The hosts talked for a bit about how Luis Guzman says he is constantly mistaken for the actor who played Willie Lopez in "Ghost."

indyfabz

Eric F

It appears to me that Trek is marketing the FX as a flat bar road bike...for serious riders!! LOL

"FX Sport 6 is the lightest and fastest fitness bike in the lineup. It has every performance feature of a high-end road bike, with the added benefit of a flat handlebar for additional comfort and control. A lightweight 400 Series OCLV Carbon frame, a high-quality Shimano drivetrain, and Bontrager carbon wheels make it the best choice for serious fitness riders with serious goals."

I have come to a better understanding of this specific variation of bicycle, and the kind of riders it makes sense for, thanks to this discussion.

sjanzeir

/thread.

Tacos, everyone?

rsbob 

apparently.

rje58_too

Well said!

Agreed, except that they aren't necessarily telling people they're wrong. They could just as easily be saying "you're stupid" or "you're not a cyclist, you're a poser, so go back to walking, or better yet, crawling, and leave the bicycles to us REAL cyclists!"

Eric F

Is it fair? You just described my gravel bike - which is really just another variation of a hybrid. Yet, that "worst choice" has turned out to be the best choice for routes that combine a wide range of surfaces. On many dirt fireroad climbs, it's a better choice than my MTB. For rough pavement descents, it's a better choice than my road bike. I wouldn't pick it for fast group road rides, or for technical rocky singletrack, but I have been pretty impressed by how well it handles the wide range between the extremes, and it has opened up ride route options that I wouldn't do on my other bikes.

That said, I understand that your intent is probably more about the bikes I previously referred to as "mediocre".

freeranger

A rose by any other name....... Don't have any idea how this pertains to the original ?, but the way the topic is progressing, it will probably stir something up

livedarklions

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_tea_rose

livedarklions

While "you're wrong" is argumentative enough, I don't think it's the equivalent of calling someone stupid or any of the other insults you're imagining here.

Herzlos

Sure, there are exceptions to the rule.

I have 3 bikes:
A 29" hardtail mountain bike, which I use on proper trails, mud, etc.
A 700x28c road bike, which I use on good roads when it's dry, and
a 700x45c gravel bike, which I use for everything else.

Because of the weight difference, the gravel bike is better than the mountain bike on easy trails and paths, etc, and because of the wider tyres and D-Fuse trickery the gravel bike is better than the road bike on really rough roads.
But I'd never use the gravel bike on a red mountain bike trail, or on a long fast road ride.

Not at all. My intent is actually the opposite (I don't know if I'm wording it badly). A style of bike doesn't have any relation to the quality of the bike or rider - there are hybrid bikes that are better specced than my road bike, and there are many many better cyclists on a hybrid than I am on my road bike.

My point was that the people who regard themselves as serious cyclists (not me, I'm a fat guy on a bike) seem to look down on hybrids as inferior for whatever reason. To people who aren't serious cyclists (or are limited in space/money) then a hybrid bike is a decent all round bike. I've almost always had one in my garage, though it's not a gravel bike rather than a traditional flat bar hybrid.

StanSeven

This thread has run its course. Closing before the insults start.