Quote:
Originally Posted by k2at
What type of bike to buy is dependent upon what type of riding u r going to do. If one goes off the road biking, then a trail bike is best. If one rides only the roads than a touring bike would fit the bill. If one goes touring then a touring bike is the way to go. The only type of bike I would not recommend is the hybrid bikes. Figure out what u will do with the bike and get the one manufactured for that purpose.
Gud Luk
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k2at, you make an excellent point for any serious riding. I used to be a long distance rider and had a rather expensive touring bike.
The hybrids generally combine features of a touring bike with features of a "comfort" bike. They differ from touring bikes in:
- Having somewhat wider tires. Good touring and racing bikes have the razor-thin tires. While these are great for distance and speed, they are unnecessary and not as comfortable for any ride under 50 miles or so, in my opinion.
- Having a comfortable seat. Again, good touring and racing bikes have very skinny seats that contribute little to no drag but "are a drag," comfort-wise. To me, not important for leisure speed rides under 50 miles or so.
- Having straight or upright handlebars instead of the down-turned ones. Again, the down-turned handlebars definitely help you go the distance and/or speed by minimizing drag but "are a drag" comfort wise and unnecessary in my book for any ride under 35 miles or so.
- Not as light-weight as expensive touring and racing bikes, but light enough-- unlike "comfort" bikes-- for leisure rides under 50 miles or so.
The hybrids differ from "comfort" bikes in that they have better performance tires, usually more gears and usually lighter weight. A "comfort" bike is not a good choice to me for rides greater than 10 or so miles.
For off-road riding, a mountain bike is better.