Cycle - Hybrid or Road

Jean Valjean

Looking at joining the Cycle2Work scheme.
Looking at some of the bikes and routes I could take, there a a few where I could go off road (not extreme terrain)
Been looking at Hybrids.
Some come with suspension some don't.
Road bikes are built for speed not comfort.
My route to work will be roughly 6 miles downhill and then 6 miles uphill.
Not to sure now wether to go hybrid or go road and stick to the road.
Is a hybrid good enough for off-road ?

Wardy257

You don't need suspension, it just adds weight.  I would go for a mountain bike with hybrid tyres whcih both on road, but are not too bad off road too.

Jean Valjean

cheers wardy, went to a local specialist shop today & was informed of a Cyclocross bike which seems to tick all the boxes.

bluedroog

I have a road bike, great for 90% of what I do but I like to use canal towpaths sometimes and feel its a bit much for the bike, that said I love my bike so would rather just get a second bike for more rough stuff if I could. It really depends what non road cycling you want to do, a little bit is fine on a road bike and you'll appreciate it when you are on the road.

PSM1

Get a road bike designed for sportives and will be very comfortable. There is no one bike that will do everything and will always be comprises trying to use one bike for all. This is why I now have 4 bikes and looking for a 5th!! A cyclocross bike will give you options but will not do very rough stuff.

MC77

N 1 Rule always applies.

In my experience it's pointless trying to get a do it all bike as it always compromises whatever you're trying to do at the time.

dUnKle

am I correct in thinking that the road bikes of today are what where referred to when I was a kid as a "racer" the thin wheels the drop handlebars etc ?

I cycle to and from work and got a fairly cheap bike from a local store, it's of the "sit up and beg" variety. It was a gift last Xmas from the parents and don't want to appear ungrateful but it's a heavy clunky thing and even on a flat road it's a struggle to get going

I've road a friends racer bike and the difference was huge, however only issue was I'm not confident with the riding position and the location of the break levers. Back as a kid I swear the breaks could be operated in the drop position and also upright but seems this is no longer an option.

Can I, for 250 get myself a quality bike that I could move on from cycling to work and move up to a 10 mile country cycle on ?

The one big "issue" I do have is that at work the bike has to be stored outside so when it rains it can be left in bad conditions for 11 hours or so, so could do with something that would cope with the weather.

PSM1

A road bike is indeed what you used to refer to as a racer.
Brake levels can be installed on the upright position and you will see them on some bikes but could in theory get them installed on any bike (see them on Islabikes for kids a lot).
Given you intended usage a hydrid bike based on a road frame would be a good option. These would be almost as light as a road bike, have the thinner tyres but give you a horizontal bar instead of the drops.
The other option is that road bikes are more designed to be ridden either on the drops or 'on the hoods' and this allows braking from both positions using the one set of levers.

dUnKle

Cheers

I dont feel so silly now over the racer thing

Just seems such a huge choice out there
I guess I need lightweight (im too heavy myself that I dont want any extra weight to try move )

I googled "best entry level bike" and got shed loads of info, however it did bring me to looking at the following two bikes

Triban 500 Flat Bar Road Bike - Black - | Decathlon and
Original 700 Hybrid Bike - | Decathlon

Idealy 250 is my top point, but dont mind going over if its worth it (althought not by much)

dUnKle

Think going to order Triban 500 Flat Bar Road Bike - Black - | Decathlon