The comfort of its operation largely depends on the correct choice of a bicycle. A relatively new type of bicycle is the hybrid bicycle. This class has both advantages and disadvantages.
What is a hybrid bike
If you use heavy bicycles for downhill skiing or try to conquer mountain trails on a road bike to ride the city paths, then little good will come of it. A heavy mountain bike with a limited number of gears and a chain damper will only create additional challenges for the cyclist, whereas one could use a road bike and enjoy the ease of pedaling. In everyday life, I would like to have a bike that can perform equally well on the ground and on the highway.
The issue of combining two fundamentally different devices - Often required from the mechanism. Unfortunately, since this excludes the features of operation. For example, for downhill skiing, you need to use a bike with wider rubber, which provides better grip and softness on rocks, and will not break through from strong impacts. On the asphalt, the thicker rubber, on the contrary, interferes with movement due to the greater friction. Considering every part of a bike, different riding styles require a unique set of characteristics for that part.
It would seem that all attempts to combine two bicycles in one will be doomed to failure. However, not so long ago, the so-called hybrid bike appeared in bicycle stores.
The name implies that the bike combines several different designs. The bottom line in this case is that trying to create a station wagon, the designers combined road and mountain bikes.
What is interesting about a hybrid bike
If we exclude the maximalism that is often characteristic of young athletes, then the hybrid bike is a very good universal version of the bicycle.
Its parent is a road bike with some design changes. A straight steering wheel was installed for quick reaction to obstacles, narrow road tires were replaced with wider tires with a tread, the road system was replaced with a mountain one, and a fork with a shock absorber was used. At the same time, all the components described, although borrowed from classic mountain bikes, but
The frame is equipped with points for installing fenders and a rack, which is important for tourists. The entire transmission range is preserved.
All other components are used for road racing. The landing is also close to the road.
The main goal is to keep the weight low, good road behavior, high roll and make the bike more versatile than a standard road bike.
Who is the hybrid for?
The hybrid bike is well suited for operation in 80% city - 20% forest paths. In the forest, he will perfectly ride along the knurled paths, but it is unlikely that he will succeed in laying new trails.
The hybrid feels great on asphalt, even on uneven ones with cracks and pits. It has excellent roll-off and low weight. Such a bicycle does not perceive shock loads particularly stable, so it is better to refuse extreme riding.
In fact, this bike is perfect for riding in the "evening mode" or for long tourist trips. Possessing excellent driving characteristics, it will carry its owner even all day long and will not suffer from irregularities on rural roads or from forest paths.
In fact, this is a bike for all those who like the dynamics of a road bike, but lack the strength and lack the ability to fit fenders or a rack. Once a similar type of bicycles was produced in the USSR and was called "Tourist". The difference was the lack of a front shock absorber. It is for tourists that a bicycle hybrid is best suited.
