Ok, so maybe this is something basic I should just know, but many years ago (2010) I went to a bike store rather than a Wal-Mart to get a bike as an adult. I wanted to bike to work, and the LBS helpfully said that what I was describing as my use case was a hybrid. I got it (a giant), had some different tires installed + fenders, and some pedals, and was on my way. I really enjoyed it, this was my first bike as an adult and it was aluminum so lighter than anything I had ever owned previously (Steel 1990s mountain bikes). I basically fell in love with the bike and biking again. Then life happened (yep) and I stopped biking for about a decade.
Flash forward to this year, and I decided to get back in the saddle. I'm being told that gravel bikes are the do anything bikes now, and I go look at one and the price is… yeah, up there. I go to the meagre hybrid section (now called city) and immediately find three nice bikes (in my eyes). I go online to do some research, and immediately see a bunch of 'why hybrids suck" posts. Everything from "they suck at everything" to "they're boring".
Maybe I am just basic, but the idea of a bike that can do most of everything is appealing to me. The relative simplicity of a basic bicycle I find appealing. And while the tires may not be the fastest, the durability on some city rubber (Schwalbe Big Ben for example) is extra appealing for someone who is unsure if they could perform a roadside repair. I also really like that most hybrids can in a pinch cut through a park/unpaved area with no real difficulty. Not to mention mounting points for practical things like racks abound on most city/hybrids I have seen. I dunno, maybe I am just weird and I find utilitarianism appealing.
But I think what I really do not understand is how these bikes are seen as boring? I think they look smart, and I kind of dig their utilitarian vibes. Yes flat bars aren't aero, but I find them easier to control (full disclosure I've never owned a drop bar bike).
Anyway, if anyone wants to explain the hate for hybrids, I would be interested to hear why they seem to get so much scorn?
by 2Tun21
38 Comments
Just call ’em *flat bar garvel bices* and they’ll sell like hot cakes.
Both me and my wife ride *hybrids.* Specialized Sirrus X 3.0 and 2025 Cube Nulane One EQ. They do have gravel bike geometry but lack drop bars. We love them and they are really practical, comfortable and best all round option if you need 1 bike for everything.
I never knew there’s a hate for hybrids. I only own gravel hybrids or mountain bikes due to my purpose of riding bikes. They’re a tool for me more than recreation. With that said I like that my tool is also suitable for recreation when the time calls
Who wants one bike that can do two things when you can get two bikes that do one thing?
I think they basically got the minivan treatment. They’re not flashy, they’re not fast, they’re not sexy, but they’re practical and good at what they do. Plus they’re used mostly by pretty normal people for normal things, not the youngsters ripping through city streets on their track bikes or down a mountain on their downhill bikes.
I get why people think they’re dorky, and to be honest they kinda are, but I’m pushing 40 with a couple of kids so cool has left the conversation for me. I like hybrids.
You’ll find online criticism about everything and anything. Sometimes with good reasons, sometimes not. Some written by knowledgeable people, some by ignorantsw other by trolls. If you don’t regard that person we’ll, do not care about their opinion and get what you like.
Also, some of the most fast and nibble hybrids are sometimes called fitness bikes, depending on your market. Always worth an eye!
Love me a hybrid.
I think they’re perfectly great bikes, but the problem is that they’re a complete afterthought in most brands lineups right now. It’s also an impossibly vague descriptor, basically being a catch-all for any sort of rigid forked bike that has flat handlebars. You will have tire clearance from 35mm up to 2,2″, no mounting points to full on trekking level mounting options, the groupsets might be a hodge-podge mismatch of whatever the manufacturer found in their spare parts bins or a well thought out high quality setup.
idk what the trend is nowadays, but my mom got me a specialized sirrus when i turned 18, im still rocking it at age 41. i rode it to school then, now i ride to work
For most people, they’re probably the best option. I just find it difficult to do a lot of riding on flat bars after having ridden road bikes for a number of years (apologies to my oft neglected mountain bike)
Hybrids are like a Swiss knife to me, getting multiple jobs done. I love boring, it gets me out on the bike 🙂
I like my Merida 400, it only costs $900 in my country and it’s the bike I need for the lane. I don’t need anything faster because I don’t wear spandex for 100km rides. Got a steel minivelo but it more of a fun bike, and the Switchblade for trails. I have never understood the gravel as well, they just reinvented xc with roadbike parts and it costs more to perform less
There’s hate for cheaply made hybrids that use shit suspension forks as bait for unwary newcomers.
The most recommended bikes for entry level utility riding are nearly all hybrids: Trex FX, Spec Sirrus, Giant escape.
I happen to love my hybrid ,had a set of summer rims made up this year
https://preview.redd.it/u3fx7126v92h1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2a5a2fac632e0dbc8a73bf616f2cca0551d33ec
see them everywhere, the hate not so much. maybe just change where ya hang.
I think they probably get a lot of flack because they are by definition, a compromise. Not fast like a road bike, not able to handle rough trails like a mountain bike.
My first bike as an adult was a hybrid. I bought it 20+ years ago and I still have that bike, although it’s now a secondary bike i use when I need to take a quick trip to the store. Another commenter said they are basically flat bar gravel bikes. My main bike is a gravel bike, and I would say thats really true. Usually they come with quite narrow tires, maybe 32-25 which would be small for many gravel bikes, but many of them can accommodate larger. My old hybrid from 20 years ago currently has 42mm tires on it.
I bought a hybrid for each of my three kids when thye got big enough for a adult sized bike. Very useful for going to school or just riding to a friend’s house. Way easier to pedal than a mountain bike, and I bought decent quality ones from a bike shop which were maintenance free for the most part. People who buy buy low quality mountain bikes from the department store usually run into issues, and at best those are inefficient and make regular neighborhood riding harder than it needs to be.
So good in the city.
I absolutely love my hybrid. Riding my second Specialized Sirrius – its the best
There is a whole subset of cyclists who think the only real bike is one with drop bars and they’ll give you 57 reasons why drop bar bikes are better including “more comfortable”, “do longer rides”, etc.
I’ve ridden hybrid style bikes since the 90s and love them. They’re utilitarian, comfortable and versatile. I ride most everywhere on mine. A mile to the library or a 50 mile fundraiser.
Another huge hate the community seems to have is flat pedals.
Its a good city bike
Maybe hate is too strong word, they are just not fashionable these days. So they tend to have lower-end components, get no reviews etc. I admit I don’t own one despite having several road, mountain bikes and one gravel I had opportunity to acquire very cheap. I use this gravel for commuting, as I’m used to drop bars, and it makes me happy just looking at my bikes when not riding them.
Just buy bike you are going to ride most and that makes you happy.
The hybrids I’ve owned have been entry level bikes for the casual cyclist. I found them heavy and poorly geared for anything except flat trail riding.
For someone who cycles a lot, moving to purpose specific bikes is the natural evolution. I have a very nice road bike, a gravel bike for bike packing, and a full suspension mountain bike.
If your hybrid does everything you need it to do, then that’s what works for you. Bravo!
Hybrids are fun as hell to ride. If I had the extra space I would add one to the fleet. Especially because they are cheap new, and really cheap used.
I have Specialized Sirrus 4.0 2021 and I think it’s perfect for first bike when starting out an have no idea what types of ride you prefer
I like things that are purpose-built for my use case. I like to use the right tool for the job. I don’t like to shove a square peg (even if the edges are rounded) into the circle hole.
I do not feel that a hybrid bike fits any of those descriptions. A hybrid bike is purpose-built for bebopping around town, rolling around the neighborhood with the kids, and pedalling around the park three times a year. If that’s your use case (which, frankly, is the main use case for a bike in America), a hybrid should be the bike you buy. And, yeah, most cyclists don’t see the appeal in a slow lap around the cul-de-sac and back, hence the “hate.”
That being said, what can a new hybrid do for ya that a 90s mountain bike or a 10 y/o road bike can’t? If you’re just here for the vibe, having a good time on a bike, what’s a hybrid going to do for you that a big comfy beach cruiser isn’t? There are valid answers to those questions, don’t get me wrong. But they might be worth considering.
It’s not hate, it’s just hybrids aren’t as cool as more sporty bicycles.
From utilitarian perspective Gravel bike can do everything Hybrid can, but faster.
I didnt realise there is bulk hate for them. I still have plans to downgrade from my road bike to a Kona Dew. Chuck on some Renthals, purple Ourys and purple OneUp pedals and ill be set for a city cruiser before my midlife mtb crisis kicks in….
I ride hybrid and built one for my spouse.
I am very happy with the lack of suspension service, and I believe for 90% of riders suspension makes things more complex in both learning how to ride and actual riding. 10% that ride trails and bike parks know which kind of full SUS they need.
I use my hybrid for everything: commute, weekend rides, light flowy trails, pump track, bike packing – and it holds for over 15 years now.
One thing I DON’T like is max tire clearance. 1.75″ tires are still too slim and i have to run them above 2,5 bar to survive in rocky terrain. That’s why a kind of “monster hybrid” or “flat bar monster cross” would be an ideal option for me
I think only elitists hate them because they are a ‘jack of all trades master of none’. I have a mid range hybrid bike and objectively it’s absolutely fine for road and light gravel riding. I have also used it for long distance riding with loaded heavy pannier bags. But yes it’s not suitable for mountain biking or racing on it ( although I have raced with it against people on road bikes and didn’t come last lol)
In an ideal world I would have multiple bikes for different types of riding but I don’t have the room to store multiple bikes securely or the money so hybrid suited me. I think this is what a lot of elitists overlook, not everyone has the budget or space for a decent bike. Also hybrid is a wide spectrum so some lean more towards mountain biking and some more towards road so lots of options.
people like obsessing and being opinionated over gear and everything. We often fall victim to marketing and forget that things are just things, most of them are imperfect and it is okay. You get what you like/can afford and make it work. Most of the time discussions about shimano/sram, flat/drop, 2x/1x are just rubbish and people are talking online more than they are riding bikes. I think basically the venn chart for people who ride hybrids and people who are posting opinions on bikes on the internet just don’t intersect lol. This is why the opinions are very one-sided. People love flexing their tiagras and their carbons
I never rode a hybrid but i’m sure there’s time a place for them. I love my drop bar gravel bike for “serious” riding but I also love my flat bar single speed for fucking around and commuting. I probably would never get a hybrid bike because it is too complicated to get me around town or to a pub or anywhere between point A and point B and because it is not going to take me 100 kms on a weekend. But i’d love just at least to try one because i fucking love bicycles
The issue is that a hybrid is a jack of all, but master of none – it is decent on the road, but is slow and heavy compared to a proper road bike and with much more relaxed geometry. It will ride along a decent condition path in the woods or along a fire road, but unlike a mountain bike which will love it, it will be stopped dead if it gets any rougher. If you want a town bike? Close, but without the convenient step through frame, baskets and could almost be said to be not relaxed enough in posture and seating.
Which means for the sort of cycling enthusiasts who bother posting online, most will be looking at more specialised bikes to meet their needs, and not more basic ‘jack of all’ options, and when it comes to recommending bikes to mothers will tend to default to their favoured styles first.
The reality is though, that hybrids absolutely have a place – for all the people who do want a ‘jack of all’ bike – something to chase kids along a canal path or cycle way, ride down to the park on a Sunday, or nip round to the shops on. The bikes to take on holiday to a caravan site on the coast, not a trail centre. The folk who want something that sits between all of the specialist bikes that end up filling the garages of the enthusiastic cyclist…
And those fans are just not the ones who are posting about bikes online.
I love hybrids.
Comfortable ride, jack of all trades and more than capable for a range of tracks and surfaces. If I just want a chilled ride down a canal path or forest trail, i’ll take my hybrid any day.
For an average joe, they are excellent.
Personally I dont really see the point for them, when I could get a (at least for me) bike thats better in every way by putting drop bars on it. Gravel Bikes are imo the greatest day to day bikes to do everything. They are fast, nimble, more comfortable and can still carry about the same as any other non cargo bike if you attach panniers to it.
As someone who sells bikes everyday at a local bike shop that is a Trek, Specialized, giant, and a cannondale dealer. I sell mostly hybrids (Fx, Sirius, Quick) or entry level MTB’s (Marlin, rockhopper, talon).
Most product hate about bikes online is from consumers that buy a bike, never have anything serviced then complain when they need whole new drivetrains because they never replaced their chains.
Most people are riding hybrids or should be because that’s what most people need.
I bought my Marin Larkspur in 2005 and it is a hybrid. I keep it maintained and it is wonderful. I always bought my bikes from bike repair shops which sell used and refurbished bikes so you will encounter less marketing and more veloculture. They were fans of 3- and 5-speed, like Dutch bikes, not so much fans of fixies and generally cool toward ebikes. You need to find your people in the bike space.
98% of the time your hands are on the flat part of the drop bars. So why have dropbars when you do not use the drops. Flat bars for me.
a few thoughts
1. Hybrids have always been a catch-all for people who aren’t specifically into bikes and dont specifically want a city/dutch style bike. This means while they can have a good spec, they are usually the format offering the absolute cheapest lowest spec frame and components and won’t last you long (in good condition).
2. Hybrids are fine for everything but good at nothing. If you literally just roll to work or the store, that is the intended use case. Some trails, longer rides, even a big bike camping trip, they will survive. But if your friends go mountain biking, gravel riding, road riding you will struggle.
3. The flat bar adds a lot of drag relative to a road/gravel bike. Some people love it because it is more stable and what they’re used to from childhood, but bike snobs looks down on it for being slow.
4. Gravel, touring or “all road” is the new do anything format according to marketers. I personally am sold on the format too after riding hybrids for the better part of 30 years. It will usually do road/ mixed terrain commutes better (read: slightly less drag and slightly more aggressive posture) than a hybrid and give you more options for riding with biker friends but comes with a marketing premium.
Hybrid’s essentially are boring because they are built and branded to be boring, unfortunately. The good thing is, bikes inherently are interesting, bike snobs are not.
I loved my Trek FX3. When i first started cycling i didn’t know if it was gonna stick so i didnt wanna buy an expensive road bike and went for the “Hybrid” FX3 as it was useful as a regular bike for daily tasks too.
I ended up riding that FX3 on so many cols in France like the Mont Ventoux, Alpe D’huez, Grand Ballon, etc. Really awesome bike.