From: josh@Happy-Man.com (Joshua_Putnam)
Subject: Re: Definition of a "hybrid" bike ???
Reply-To: Joshua_Putnam@happy-man.com
Organization: Happy Man Corp., Vashon Island, WA 98070-7399
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 22:01:46 GMT

In <65552@cup.portal.com> selliott@cup.portal.com (J Steve Elliott) writes:

>I've been asked recently by someone considering a bike purchase whether
>he should get a mountain bike or a hybrid bike. I must admit I'm a little
>out of date for this question, my mountain bike is 8 years old and my
>road bike is 10 years old. I'm of the opinion that one should ride a 
>mountain bike for off road riding, and a road bike for road riding. I
>haven't looked at bikes with purchase in mind since I bought mine.

>So, can anyone define exactly what is a "hybrid" bike, specifically, what
>is the difference between it and a mountain bike in terms of frame,
>components, gearing, etc. Also if anyone has any opinions on the topic
>I would appreciate that also. 

There is such a huge range of designs being sold as hybrid
bikes these days that I can't think of a definitive
answer.  My drop-bar hybrid looks like a road bike to most
people, but has big tire clearance, cantilever brakes, and
drivetrain components usually found on mountain bikes
(e.g. XC-Pro bottom bracket, XC-Ltd crank).  It still has
standard road bike features like 700c wheels and drop
bars, and works very well on the road, much better than
any mountain bike I've tried.  Still, I would prefer to
use my mountain bike for really technical single-track and
really rough, rocky trails.  This might change if I had
two sets of wheels, so I could leave one set up with 700c
Smokes and the other with 700x28 road tires.  (And maybe
if I could get 700c Rock Shox at a cheap price.)

On the other hand, there are flat-bar hybrids with
thumbshifters that use 26" wheels but have less room for
fat tires and fenders than some road bikes I've owned, and
have drive trains that wouldn't stand up to heavy road
use, let alone offroad.

In general, a hybrid combines SOME traditional road
features with SOME traditional mountain bike features.
The selection of which features are roadier and which are
more mountainous depends on the manufacturer's design
concept.

For mostly-city, some-offroad riding, I'd look for a bike
with the following features, regardless of what the
manufacturer or shop calls the bike:

* Good bike fit.  This is by far the most important.  I'd
rather do 1000 road miles on my mountain bike with
knobbies than on a poorly-fitted touring bike.  Almost any
other component can be swapped or adjusted more easily and
less expensively than the frame.

* Room for wide tires and fenders.  Even if I rode only on
the road, I'd still want room for 700x32 tires and full
length fenders so that I could ride on really bad roads in
sloppy weather when I can't see to avoid every pothole and
bump.

* Wide gear range -- with triple cranks and 7-speed hubs
so readily available, I see no reason to limit myself to
gearing suitable for only one type of riding.  Get your
gearing optimized for your primary riding environment,
then fill up the extra gear availability with extra-low or
extra-high gears you only need once in a while.

* Durable components.  I'm not racing, so I'll gladly
accept a little extra weight for a significant increase in
life expectancy, e.g. 36 spoke MA-2 rims instead of 32
spoke Open-4.

-- 
 Joshua_Putnam@happy-man.com    Happy Man Corp.  206/463-9399 x102
 4410 SW Pt. Robinson Rd., Vashon Island, WA  98070-7399  fax x108
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From: mjs@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Marc Sabatella)
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 15:40:55 GMT
Subject: Re: Mountain Bike Magazines
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA