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Observations Riding My Hybrid vs My Friend's 29er

2K views 13 replies 10 participants last post by  j102 
#1 ·
As I mentioned earlier I have been riding my hybrid since the pandemic started. Its been a long time since I have ridden on the road. My friend lent me his Cannonale 29er with two sets of rims - mountain and road.

Anyway here are some things I have noticed from riding both on the street and off road.

Hybrid:

My hybrid is more road bike than mountain bike. On anything but very smooth roads the bike shutters over the less than perfect roads that we have. I do my best to stay away from pot holes, debris and other stuff that rattles my teeth. The bike is ok enough for riding on the road.

I tried to take it off road but it got bogged down very quickly. Unless the trail is really packed down it just sucks. The tires aren't wide enough to go over anything. And you absolutely have to avoid pretty much anything. Even riding across the grass on my property was an ordeal.

29er:

This thing is a true mountain bike. On the road with the smooth tires it rode BETTER than the hybrid. Why? Because of the front shock and wider tires. It easily eats bad road for breakfast. I found I could pedal just as fast as the hybrid. Both bikes had an upright riding position so it makes no difference.

Off the road with the mountain tires it eats up terrain like its nothing no matter where I road. Mud, grass, sand... it didnt care. Even fooling around on my property it handled it very nicely.

Here is the reality - if you want one general purpose bike I think a mountain bike is the answer. It rides on all terrain regardless. You want to go faster, put smooth tires on it and you have a hybrid.

Hybrids make no sense. They are just ok on the road but not great, not so good off road, at least mine. They don't do anything great.

You guys probably knew this all already but for me its a revelation. I had suspected this for years and now this confirms it.

I should have bought one sooner.
 
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#2 ·
Don't know if your are comparing apples to apples ,if the 29er is a higher quality bike that could be the difference or even if it just has better wheels. That said hybrid are a compromise and on the cheaper side. Most who buy one think they might ride some dirt roads ,but doesn't happen very often. Next you should compare a real road bike to the hybrid, you most likely will come to the same general conculsion ,road bikes are better on the road than hybrid's.
 
#5 ·
Hardtail with good tires or modern short travel fs are quite fast on the road. The big advantages of the skinny tires are when your speeds approach 20mph. I'll ride an mtb all day on the road, as long as I'm not trying to keep up with a group. Hardtail 29er is the new "hybrid".
 
#6 ·
I think hybrids main market is someone who hasn't ridden a bike in decades but wants a bike to ride with their young kids or grandkids, just around the neighborhood. They aren't going off road so they don't want a mountain bike and they are intimidated by the skinny tires and drop bars on a "racing" (road) bike. I've never understood the fear of skinny tires but I've heard that several times.
 
#7 ·
Agreed. The marketing is somewhat misleading.

I bought mine after I got hit road biking - I was under the delusion it would replace my road bike and allow me to ride off road as well. I would not ride in the street for a long time and it wasn't good on trails so it sat. I started riding again recently because my gym got closed due to the pandemic.

Still don't care for riding on the street but do enjoy the trails and being away from the cars.
 
#8 ·
Former Hybrid rider here.

I've heard someone call Hybrids the Minivan of bicycling, LOL. True.

I went from hybrid to skinny tire road bike. Yes faster and more efficient on roads but horrific discomfort from vibration! Aluminum frame even with a carbon fork. I also couldn't take this bike off-road at all which limited my riding.

Had about enough of that and got a fat bike with Mt Bike geometry and gearing. Heavy slow but comfy and fun. Loved the 1x11 NX SRAM drivetrain. Got a second 29+ wheelset with 2.2" tires., Easy to swap with thru axles. I was on to something.

Next, got a steel frame, drop bar, gravel bike with 40mm tubeless tires. Near perfection for 95% of the riding I do. 1x11 drivetrain again works great for my riding style and is KISS simple.

Will look at a Hard tail Mt bike for dedicated use off road in the future as I want to get into that more and doing single-track bike packing.









Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
 
#10 ·
Bike snobs and conspiracy enthusiasts, just chill. Not everyone wants to ride skinny tires with drop bars, or hit the trails.

Bikes with flat bars and 40-45mm tires are a great for: riding around town, riding rail trails, riding where ever someone wants to take them. I still have one of my first bikes, a Cannondale Silk Path that I rode for years. Yes, I tried taking it into the woods, and soon after bought my first mountain bike. So while we might smirk at the old folks on a hybrid with monkey bars and a 20 lb gel seat, all that matters is that they're out there on something with 2 wheels and 2 pedals.
 
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