Are hybrid bikes worth the money?

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Neriarb
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Are hybrid bikes worth the money?

Post by Neriarb »

Hi buddies,

I kindda hit the wall contemplating on which type of bike to buy. So will need your views on this.

Maybe I share with you guys my cycling habits.
I do mostly PCN/pavement cycling (~90%) and sometimes road (~10% of the time)
Most of the time I go around 20-40km on east coast PCN on rented bikes.

Considering the fact that I will be cycling with my gf most of the time (she has road phobia), I have been looking hybrid bikes. Another reason is from what I read, hybrid bikes hit a higher speed than mtb (i'm looking to do longer distance in the future)

So far I have short listed 2 bikes that are within my budget and looks good on the spec. In fact on the verge of buying this weekend.
1) Diamondback Insight 2
2) Polygon Helios F300 (the shop told me its hybrid? seems like flat bar road bike)

Seeked my friends advice and most of them told me to get a mtb!
Heard things like "7XX bucks for no suspension no disc brake! pls dun waste $. same amt of $ can get you a very good mtb"

It got me thinking, should I get a mtb? But I do not do off-road..
Is hybrid https://bikesbros.com/best-hybrid-bicyc ... the-money/ or flat bar roadbike a definite no-no on off road or even pathways?
Some others adviced me to get a mtb and change to slimmer wheels.. more price efficient. Is it true?

Sorry for many questions.. I only hope to spend my money wisely
Hope the veterans here can give me some advice..
Thanks!
Last edited by Neriarb on Mon, 12 Aug 2019, 12:29, edited 1 time in total.
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woody
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Re: Are hybrid bikes worth the money?

Post by woody »

This is an electric vehicle forum so I’m going to assume you mean an electric bike but the advice is much the same.

I see the bike landscape much like a triangle.
In one corner, Road/Racer bikes are no-compromise speed/endurance machines for the road.
Downhill mountain bikes are in another corner for speed in the rougher terrain with big jumps.
Beach cruiser is probably the 3rd corner, built for comfort.
Nearly every other bike is somewhere in between.
(You could maybe make it a pyramid with rental bikes on one corner where the emphasis is durability?)

Once you get far enough away from the downhill MTB corner and have no suspension there isn’t much difference mechanically; it’s just geometry changes - trading initial comfort for efficiency.

The components which make the most difference are wheels and tyres.

But I’m going to say save your money and get a cheap second hand bike, as a “starter bike” either from a new keen cyclist who is upgrading, or a bike shop like Omafiets, or a common bike like the last two Aldi mountain bikes which were made by polygon.

After you’ve ridden it for a while (or had it for a while and hardly ridden it) you’ll know if you want to spend a bit more what to spend it on (or just sell it)

If you’re riding on the footpath or bike tracks then you don’t want racer wheels (thin 23-25, high pressure) you want fat (32mm+) tyres so you don’t feel every bump.
Planned EV: '63 Cortina using AC and LiFePO4 Battery Pack
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Scotty T
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Re: Are hybrid bikes worth the money?

Post by Scotty T »

woody wrote: Thu, 08 Aug 2019, 19:18 But I’m going to say save your money and get a cheap second hand bike, as a “starter bike” either from a new keen cyclist who is upgrading
Yep it will save you heaps and get you something really good, are you actually looking at electric conversion?
mikedufty
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Re: Are hybrid bikes worth the money?

Post by mikedufty »

I gather from mention of east coast PCN that you are in Singapore?
I think the differences between bikes can be exagerrated. You can almost do anything with any bike.
An MTB will be a little slower on the road, but tyres make up a lot of the difference. Not uncommon to see a really fit rider on a full suspension MTB overtaking casual cyclists on super expensive road bikes. Of course if you are racing someone equally fit, the bike will make the difference.
I think the hybrid or mtb would both be fine on PCN.

I rode from Bukit Timah to Changi last January on an old rigid MTB and it was fine. Only one bit through Bukit Brown where the off road tyres were needed and it would be easy to find an alternative or walk a bit if you had skinny tyres (although it was muddy enough to make walking unattractive).

If you want to go offroad at Bukit Timah or Pulau Ubin, you really want pretty big tyres and preferably full suspension as the trails are very rocky. I ride them on a rigid MTB because I only visit about once a year, but I'm always jealous of the guys on full suspension bikes, would make it much more pleasant.

If you are doing an electric conversion I'd suggest going toward more MTB, as the marginal gains in speed become irrelevant and comfort more important. I've gone from 28 to 37mm tyres on my flat bar bike since adding a front motor, and find myself wishing for suspension.
Rusdy
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Re: Are hybrid bikes worth the money?

Post by Rusdy »

Echoing what Mike has said. However, without suspension, make it easier if you're a DIY-er though, i.e. long term maintenance.

Mine has run close to 50,000km (over the top details here).

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4Springs
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Re: Are hybrid bikes worth the money?

Post by 4Springs »

I've used a hybrid bike for about 10 years. Almost all on the paved road. The paved road here can be a bit gravelly some times, so the slightly wider tyres are useful. I blew out two tyres in the first month, then none for about 7 years, then two in about a year. I'm assuming that a pure road bike would be a bit more fragile in that respect.
The bike I have would not be good off road, the wheels are a bit big and the tyres a bit thin. But it is fine for rough road.
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jonescg
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Re: Are hybrid bikes worth the money?

Post by jonescg »

Rusdy wrote: Fri, 09 Aug 2019, 15:22 Echoing what Mike has said. However, without suspension, make it easier if you're a DIY-er though, i.e. long term maintenance.

Mine has run close to 50,000km (over the top details here).

Image
All on the same battery? ! That's impressive!
AEVA National President, WA branch director.
mikedufty
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Re: Are hybrid bikes worth the money?

Post by mikedufty »

He mentions two batteries in the link. I'm on my third after only 20,000km but I use cheap batteries ($85). Still on the first drive belt and head set too. I did have to replace the front fork, not sure if that was related to the electric drive, the steerer tube came loose so only the mudguard bolt was transfering the steering force. Took me quite a while to realise why the handlebars never seemed to be straight!
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