Racer, hybrid or 29er hybrid?

[mr2haz]

I already have a mtb but want a designated road bike. Should I go for a racer, hybrid or a 29er hybrid?

I am 6 foot 2, have a budget of no more than £400 and am looking to buy a used bike.

Opinions and advice please.

[itsnotarace]

1. Where are you going to ride it
2. How flexible are you and what kind of riding position do you want

[Mars]

Designated road bike suggests racer but the questions above are pertinent.

[mr2haz]

Will be 20 to 30 miles per trip on road. I haven't had anything other than mtb before.

[GreatGranny]

What about a Chris Boardman Hybrid?

Loads of C2W bikes on Ebay that are hardly used or brand new.

[Mars]

mr2haz said:

Will be 20 to 30 miles per trip on road. I haven't had anything other than mtb before.

It still depends on whether you fancy trying out dropped bars or prefer the geometry of an MTB really, including flat bars.

The Boardman hybrids are fantastic. No suspension, lightweight, and narrow tyres. They also have disc brakes in the UK which is far better than "old fashioned" rim brakes (tongue in cheek chaps).

Problem is, the cheapest on in the UK market is £499:
http://www.boardmanbikes.com/hybrid/hybrid_comp.ht...

You could have a Specialized Sirrus and have £30 change:
http://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk/Detail/12...

Or more in-line with the Boardman price (£450) the Sirrus Sport:
http://www.specializedconceptstore.co.uk/Detail/12...

It doesn't have discs though, which makes the Boardman, even at 50 quid more, seem remarkable value for money. But if you accept you don't need discs, the £370 Sirrus is a great bike. You will definitely notice the difference in speed between that and an MTB.

[Brew]

Blatant plug I know - but I have a 2011 Sirrus Elite (XL) that I have been thinking of selling as I have bought a road bike. Cracking bike - PM me if interested.

[mr2haz]

Since I already have a mtb I feel that if I have a second bike it should be something completely different therefore a drop bar but I don't want to ignore a hybrid just for that reason.

[mr2haz]

Is there also a noticeable speed difference between a hybrid and racer?

No comments on the 29er!

[anonymous-user]

mr2haz said:

Is there also a noticeable speed difference between a hybrid and racer?

No comments on the 29er!

i can understand the point of a mtb 29er but a hybrid 29er is an answer to the question no one asked.

yes, road bikes are much faster than hybrids. the hybrid puts the rider in a far more upright position compared to a road bike which doesnt aid efficient, fast pedalling but the position on hte hybrid does aid visibility. obviously it depends how fast you pedal but from experience, road bikes spin up far quicker and hold the speed easier and for longer. especially with a compact (double ring at the front) set up which will be 53/39t or 50/34t

compare the two riding positions

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/si...

with

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/specialized/al...

incidentally, the spec on that allez shows how value for money has taken a bit of anose dive this year, £650 doesnt even get you sora from one of the big brands these days, they are truly taking the ****. Arent they supposed to have all the buying power?!??! of course its ok stuff and i apprecate that 2300 in 2012 is alot better than 2300 in 2010, and i know it works well enough but a year or two ago that would be a sora/2300 mix maybe even with a tiagra rear mech?

[the_engineer]

'IF' you have the time, maybe build your own? Plenty of used parts are available - some hardly used, where people buy off the shelf bikes and upgrade immediately - and you can build a very nice spec for £400 IMO and have what YOU want. To echo the point above, some of the big brands aren't really offering VFM in terms of the components they are using, the tradeoff being you get a shiny new bike from a factory etc...

As stated, I also didn't want to spend circa £500 for a new bike running Sora spec components. Nowt wrong with Sora et al before anyone starts, just if you're spending all that money...

[mr2haz]

Building a bike might be a good idea but I am worried about mismatching parts or picking the right parts.

What parts would I need and is there a guide anywhere?

[Mars]

There's only really two things that affect speed of a bike (assuming gearing isn't limited) and that's thin hard/high pressure tyres and aero. Given that no bike is especially sail-like, the aero-factor is riding position - the PERSON on the bike. The closer you can get yourself to the horizontal, the better AT HIGH SPEED. Beneath 10mph I doubt there's any difference at all. Thin high pressure tyres will make a difference at all speeds. The difference in my holding speed, even at 10mph with this:



compared with this:



is all down to tyres. I can literally cruise (no pedalling) past people on MTBs who are pedalling on even slight downhill sections with the one at the top.

Then if you compare that with a roadie where you're tucked down, and on even thinner tyres... it's quite a revelation when you witness it.

[BliarOut]

Beg steal or borrow a ride on a roadie, you'll be amazed how much faster it is than an MTB

[clonmult]

BliarOut said:

Beg steal or borrow a ride on a roadie, you'll be amazed how much faster it is than an MTB

+1

I went from commuting on my old MTB to a middling Trek Hybrid, and even that made for a night and day difference in speed. Although I'd never realised how horrible the roads were in central London, I really did miss the suspension at times.

[shalmaneser]

Buy a drop handlebar road bike, no question.

If you get a hybrid you'll just want a roadie in a few months.

[shalmaneser]

Mars said:

That bar brace is pretty silly. I know they were kind of cool a few years ago, but it'll be making your bars too stiff; they're supposed to flex and the bar brace will make your whole riding experience much more uncomfortable, especially on your wrists.

[Mars]

shalmaneser said:

That bar brace is pretty silly. I know they were kind of cool a few years ago, but it'll be making your bars too stiff; they're supposed to flex and the bar brace will make your whole riding experience much more uncomfortable, especially on your wrists.

Thanks.

[clonmult]

shalmaneser said:

Buy a drop handlebar road bike, no question.

If you get a hybrid you'll just want a roadie in a few months.

I've had over 4 years on the Trek Hybrid, never obviously felt it wanting. Its reasonably light, the disk brakes are as good as ever, and I had no issues keeping up with most of the competition on the 50+ mile Basingstoke Big Wheel (not that it was really a competition).

But if you're buying new and have a choice of either, it may be better to see if you can try a few for seating position, see whats comfortable.