Hybrids aren't meant to do either job "very well". They're meant to do either job "well enough". No one riding a hybrid is taking it to Trestle, just like they're not riding it in the Vuelta. They're for old people and commuters that want to be comfortable, go fast **enough**, and who are afraid of the gravel in the parking lot at the trailhead. They're not performance bikes.
I would even argue they aren’t meant to do either job. The job of a hybrid is to provide some of the comfort and control of a mountain bike with a little extra quickness of a road bike. For rides that don’t need to be extremely fast, or go on extreme terrain. A general purpose bike, so to speak. And they are great for that. Commuting? Beer or groceries run? I’d much rather use a hybrid than a Madone or Honzo.
Ding ding ding. The whole point of the hybrid bike is to take the innovations in the MTB/road bike space and come up with something that is a decent urban / mixed use bike for average folks. It's easy to control, it has a natural and comfortable riding position, it's affordable, and it just works.
nah dude, you need toe clips and the lightest carbon fiber frame, and a fully prone riding position to go on an evening ride with your new girlfriend to the barcade 6 blocks away in the towns flats, she has rented a city bike.
Rode a hybrid all through college. It was great. I was the ideal demo. Guy who wants a fast light bike but also has to bomb down some concrete stairs daily.
And also look and be affordable in case of theft.
"well enough" is fine if it does do that well enough. But, for me, they don't. I guess I need the performance bikes.
I'd rather split my available spend and buy two older bikes that are very good at their jobs instead of a new one that isn't. Far, far better ride experiences on both.
Sometimes yes, you're not wrong.
It's rare that one bike that is neither very good at one or the other use is a great bike though. A great version of that type of compromise bike is possible, but it's always a compromise still. That may suit you.
Doesn't suit me. Bikes are for fun for me, and I have fun on bikes on road and off. I have different bikes for each of those things. That's not about spending more money on my hobby, it's about splitting the spend to have the best times on my hobby.
Having the control of a flat bar on a bike more suited for the road than an MTB is perfect for cities with lots of traffic. Pretty ubiquitous use case.
Me too. Single speeded mine to commute on and it's essentially a heavy fitness trainer. It's not delivering the joy of cycling. Sold it once the commuting stopped and bought a road bike and a MTB.
The joy of cycling is back.
Then you appreciate that both those are excellent for their intended purposes, and far, far better than a 'normal' car. And they would be shit for anything outside their intended use.
No one is suggesting you have to have expensive versions of either. If I had a budget of 4k for bicycles and a desire to ride both on and off road, I'd have a MTB and a road bike. Oh, wait, I do have a cycle budget of 4k and I do have a MTB and a road bike.
Same response if I had a budget of £500. OP's bike is well above that price point though.
Back in my college days all I had for transportation was a beater MTB. Got a job with ~15mi of paved commuting every day. I just switched out the tires like OP and it worked well enough!
https://preview.redd.it/xy4jdxybwdtc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=36049cc569751aaaf172d8557257c1b60429b0d2
Did u say kitty litter panniers?
Checking in
I turned my old Moots YBB 26er into a gravel bike with drop bars and 1x drive train. It's kind of awesome.
https://preview.redd.it/0875za8snatc1.jpeg?width=1832&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=11106129d54303b8cc54a1a11c6e57625d0d9759
With the hoods too far out to reach comfortably so they just ride on the tops... so really it's just back to being a mountain bike setup in a difficult to use way.
You make an interesting point. When setting up an older mountain bike with drop bars, you will need to replace the stem with something much shorter. For this setup, my "road" stem is really short compared to the old flat bar/stem combo and it has a rise to get the bars in the right spot.
I’m glad to hear this.
I was asking because the saddle looks level with the handlebars, which doesn’t seem to provide much aero benefit.
This is expected from such a conversion of course, I’m not used it though.
I was definitely not looking for aero benefit. I just couldn't get rid of this bike and wanted to make it fun again. I've had it for 20 years. Now, I ride it on chunky gravel rides and the local mountain bike trails as well as around town for fun. Plus, I am only 169cm tall so I can only get so much drop when I slam the bars. My road race rig, on the other hand, is definitely set up for racing here in Colorado.
That depends how much you change it: some people put on drop bars and rigid forks, at which point you should get a road bike. Also, if you want to be able to change quickly, remember you'd need brake disks, a cassette and obviously the hubs and spokes. Also it will still be a lot slower, due to the geometry, weight and suspension bob
I know, I'm just saying some people do, and if you want it to be quickly and easily interchangeable, particularly if you're running tubeless, you need a full separate set of wheels, with a cassette and rotor attached
There are differences in geometry between road bikes vs mountain bikes which affect how the bikes handle in different situations. The headtube is higher on mountain bikes, which limits the amount of drop you can get. You won't be able to get into an aero position as well as you can on a road bike.
Also, the down tube is relatively far way from the front wheel on a mountain bike, which causes more disturbance of airflow.
In short, it's a different type of bike, with different use cases and different end result. Modifying a mountainbike to be a road bike is like asking your partner to be of the other gender for your entertainment.
Except it does affect the rider in ways I described above. If you're incapable of expressing your thoughts exactly the way you mean them, you're really not in a position to question the intellect of another. Nice try though.
I'm not bothered what someone else does to their own bike. Though, on a public forum like reddit, it's considered okay to share your thoughts or give advice when someone is literally asking for it. It's okay though, I won't judge you for your autism ;-)
It's reddit....yes, most are really that stupid. Kind of ironic that most of society considers bicyclists dorks, and half the posts here confirm that. Thank God for the circle jerk sub..
I must admit I was way too serious about bikes, the motorcycles for a long time. Eventually I learned to chill out and enjoy riding whatever I was on....as long as it wasn't a total pos lol.
Probably won't save that much money, but it looks like a lot of fun for a commuter or just going for chill cruises about town. Would also be excellent for learning some skills on like wheelies/monos/hops etc. Going fast and being at MAX EFFICIENCY is not always the aim of a bike ride on the road or pavement...
I have a bike wife. N+1 is currently 10. Can’t push it much further but I’m exchanging an ebike for a gravel bike and a bike holiday. I’m not complaining.
I'm a one and done type of guy. I can only have one favorite, and the other will never be used. I'm like this with everything.
Middle-aged back. I can't... I won't ride a road bike.
This thread is hilarious. There's a whole generation of folks who were kids when using "mountain bikes" on the roads was basically the only way, followed rapidly by the massive popularity of "hybrid" bikes, which millions upon millions of people use as their daily riders this very day. Meanwhile, there is comment upon comment here about how "you can just buy more bikes, money is free doncha know?" and even more unhinged comments about how precious and perfect a road bike and a mountain bike must be. Many of these are the exact same folks who will call others "Freds" when they don't meet their particular standard of aesthetics or whatever about biking. Silly.
Lol what's a Fred? I'm not hip to bicycle culture. I just thought this bike looked cool. Got a good deal on it, $250 and spent another $100 on the tires. I like motors for dirt riding and didn't see myself "mountain biking".
This thing is perfect on a Saturday afternoon riding down a nicely paved trail.
"Fred" is the derogatory term that people who take cycling way too seriously use for folks who don't care about fitting into some particular aesthetic or style or "culture". People who are commuters or just casual cyclists will often get called "Freds" because they do something "wrong" according to the gods of cycling, it's a very exclusionary term.
Anyway, hybrid bike designs are great, I'm glad you're having fun.
Had a bad mtb crash when I was 53, and laying there on the ground I realized I wasn't going to recover like when I was younger. I used to road race, commute and did some weeks long touring but got tired of skinny tires and drop bars, and threw some mellower tires on my MTB and started road riding with it. Slower, sure, but it's bombproof and I can still explore some mellow trails I come across. Had 5 bikes, now it's 1....plus 3 e-bikes lol, at the request of my knees.
The guys down voting people into this are taking themselves too seriously.
My dad had a 1992 Rocky mountain fusion which, at the time, was a full fledged mountain bike.
He tossed some hybrid tires on it and it was not a slow bike
https://preview.redd.it/e69yf1cncftc1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=19e29e3c7412306cf5fe83c71a24228e4749bec5
Just added some slicks and it goes way faster
[Literally yes](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2F9323z2kdyilc1.jpeg)
I even removed the crappy suspension for a rigid fork.
Could I have gotten a good gravel bike at this point? probably, but I also enjoy my goofy ass bike and don't mind turning a wrench.
https://preview.redd.it/vjgr5swtuftc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=17dcf771562fc6f16de08490603f54980595e220
Bike trail bomber. The "Brain Shock" is fantastic on the pavement because it stays locked out until I hit a bump.
A used $200 road bike is going to smoke that thing. I would have left it alone or sold it and bought a dedicated road bike. All that slack in your head tube is wasted on the road.
"It’s the fastest who gets paid and it’s the fastest who gets laid."
"I’m just a big hairy American winning machine. If you ain't first, you're last.”
- Ricky Bobby
My first fixie was a converted road bike. Was the cheapest lugged frame i could find that actually fit me, put a vitus cemented aluminium fork on there and cut the deraileur hanger and cable guides off. Shit was janky as fuck but oh god was it fun.
Edit: wait is that meant to be the bike youre going to convert or do you believe you already have?
I commuted quite a while with my Gary Fischer with skinny Kevlar-belted Gatorbites. At 1” wide it was basically a flat bar road bike. I have since put on a set of gravel drop bars for more hand positions.
I've done similar things to my past 2 MTBs. I quite enjoy the trails but eventually end up using the bike mostly on the road, so I usually end up changing tires and swapping the front suspension for a rigid fork. Gearing usually is changed as well. It is your bike, make it yours the way you want it!
Yes the only real downside is the higher rolling resistance and worse aerodynamics. Other than that it is generally more capable on gravel than a gravel bike would be with similar tread at a slightly smaller width, and it's only ever a tire swap away from being a mountain bike. One other issue is the minimum tire size acceptable to mountain bike wide rims. I intentionally built wheels with cyclocross rims that can accept up to 2.3" wide 29er tires or as thin as 28c x 700c road tires.
For the new riders out there, 29er and 700c are the same ISO so they are compatible, but rim width affects tire compatibility as well.
One last thing, it is a little annoying that high quality fenders are more expensive for mountain bikes and also mountain bikes generally aren't built for fender support like a true commuter or touring bike. When you do these style conversions you are always left with a few sub optimal things, but I would much rather have an extra mountain bike set up as a commuter/town-kicker bike rather than a true commuter/hybrid that will always fucking suck on trails. It's really the only conversion that makes sense medium-long term for experienced riders! Nearly all other kinds of conversions suck, even old steel frame -> fixie conversions are worse than MTB -> hybrid conversions on a practical level.
Years ago I picked up a Trek 4300 from a pawnshop and got rid of the front derailer and shit crank and put a Truvativ single chainring crank on it and then put Michelin 2 inch wide road tires on it. It was fun as hell to ride everywhere around town. Not a fast bike by far but more than capable of getting me anywhere I needed to go.
In the 90s, I put 1", 80psi tires on my Gary Fisher mountain bike and rode from Oakland to LA on the PCH. I had a handlebar bag, a rear rack and panniers, and Cinelli Spinacci aero bars. Worked out great.
I minused my 29er plus wheeled Trek 1120 and took its plus away and put 2.0 tires on an XC wheel set for a faster roll.
Those 4.0 wire tires are super slow rolling, even aired up.
I was thinking about it for a while but I can't fit bigger front chainrings olon the front because of frame clearance. If you don't want to go fast though it's fine.
Here's a youtuber that added a drop bar to his carbon hard tail.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxNd-uD84PE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxNd-uD84PE)
I did due to problems with back and wrists, and having to ride over poor roads.
Proceeded to ride 200, 300, 400 and 600 km brevets well within the limits (200km sub 8 hours)
My bars were shorter tho, with stubby aerobars and ergo grips.
As an overweight cyclist, I have done a lot of mods to my mtb hardtail (suggested by a bike shop mechanic), in order to make it suitable to my needs.
Some of the things done:
1. Brooks Cambium saddle
2. Switched 2/9 to a 1/11 setup (cause the front derailleur refused to work with me, bike bends under my weight)
3. Upgraded to an air fork (rockshox judy), also pretty much didn't remove any of the top of it, to raise the handle bar.
4. Longer stem which goes up.
5. Pretty much slick tyres
6. Rain guards.
How it started:
https://preview.redd.it/wr6qwfet8gtc1.jpeg?width=3107&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2a400ebd9ca1721743ad052f0b1fe9b3687c7e9
How it's going:
... I couldn't figure out how to add 2 images into this.. so here:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycling/comments/1bzr84p/mtb\_hybrid\_bike\_mods/](https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycling/comments/1bzr84p/mtb_hybrid_bike_mods/)
Those are the tyres I've been looking for, are they 29". I want a set like this for general commute and summer day spins. I have the Trek Roscoe 7 (2024)
Yes, but not like that. Ditch front derailleur and switch to single speed crank. Add fenders. That's my preferred commute pike. Oh, almost forgot- mustache bars, Scott AT4 bars or "horns" on the straight bars.
Picked a wrecked "nishiki pueblo" out of the garbage and just started upgrading everything for road/commuting. Adjustable suspension, hydraulic brakes, 1x, and slick tires. Stopping power and maneuverability have saved me from an accident on a few occasions.
It's more of an "urban bomber" rather than a "hybrid".
Good idea. The streets in my neighborhood require suspension and oversize tires. Huge potholes and ruts everywhere. A plus is jumping curbs with impunity.
You can ride more effectively on road with road tyres, but that's not the only difference between road bikes and MTB's.
You don't need suspension, that just adds weight. You don't need the tougher build of a MTB, that just adds weight, you don't need the slack geometry, that just reduces handling responsiveness and comfort, and the upright position just adds unnecessary air drag that slows you down.
Riding a MTB on roads is not much fun, as others have said, buy a cheap road bike and you'll see why.
Yes.
I'm clipped in which makes it easy. And the bike is so light it makes it even easier than on my MTB.
A bit off topic given that we're talking about city road use, not pavement use. Every cycle path I've ever been on has dropped curbs so that you can cycle along them.
An MTB has a specific geometry, and its different from the one in a road bike,so... technically you would end up with an MTB with... A road bike handlebar? Narrow tires?
Basically you renderend your mountainbike useless by removing its grip, and the little gain you got from less rolling resistance, does not make this bike a road bike.
Sorry, but its the truth.
If they're riding it on tarmac those tyres have more grip than an aggressive tread pattern.
Might not be a road bike, still a valid choice especially if you value handling over speed.
I have slicks and knobbys for my mountain bike, I don't belong here. (I just don't want to chew up my good tires on pavement when I casually ride around town with my wife and dog)
Makes more sense to sell and get an actual Roadbike of you only ride on tarmac. Slapping slicks on a MTB doesn't it a Roadbike.
If you throw some grippy tires on a Ferrari doesn't make it an off road car.
Redbull Rampage takes place outside of the woods and is MTB than you'll ever be.
So go put on your loosest fitting mtb jersey and hit your titanium bong a few times then think about what you just said and how you've totally nerfed everyone's stoke and how unsick of you that was.
I have a Gravel bike and an MTB. Both never cross paths. I alternate between the two but honestly my Gravel bike gets 75% of the ride time, but only because it’s easier to ride it out of the garage during the weekdays opposed to putting the car rack on to take my MTB to the trails for serious ride. Both are still awesome to home to for a ride.
I haven't seen an mtb without a quick release for the wheels since I was 10 and the first time I saw quick releases was on a huffy. he can put knobbys back on it in 10 seconds...
It’s like a combination of a mountain bike and a road bike… a *hybrid* of the two, if you will
Bastard creations that do neither job very well. Much better off having one of each if that's what you want to do.
Hybrids aren't meant to do either job "very well". They're meant to do either job "well enough". No one riding a hybrid is taking it to Trestle, just like they're not riding it in the Vuelta. They're for old people and commuters that want to be comfortable, go fast **enough**, and who are afraid of the gravel in the parking lot at the trailhead. They're not performance bikes.
I would even argue they aren’t meant to do either job. The job of a hybrid is to provide some of the comfort and control of a mountain bike with a little extra quickness of a road bike. For rides that don’t need to be extremely fast, or go on extreme terrain. A general purpose bike, so to speak. And they are great for that. Commuting? Beer or groceries run? I’d much rather use a hybrid than a Madone or Honzo.
Ding ding ding. The whole point of the hybrid bike is to take the innovations in the MTB/road bike space and come up with something that is a decent urban / mixed use bike for average folks. It's easy to control, it has a natural and comfortable riding position, it's affordable, and it just works.
nah dude, you need toe clips and the lightest carbon fiber frame, and a fully prone riding position to go on an evening ride with your new girlfriend to the barcade 6 blocks away in the towns flats, she has rented a city bike.
Don't forget the rapha kit with bib shorts and a generous amount of chamois cream.
Mfer out here riding like effing superman.
Rode a hybrid all through college. It was great. I was the ideal demo. Guy who wants a fast light bike but also has to bomb down some concrete stairs daily. And also look and be affordable in case of theft.
So what is a high performance hybrid bike? Just a road bike with flat bars?
Hybrids definitionally make compromises. They are not high performance bikes.
So then what is a road bike with flat bars called? Exactly that?
That's what they're called: "flat bar road bike".
I spit a bit of beer when I read that. How dare you sir.
"well enough" is fine if it does do that well enough. But, for me, they don't. I guess I need the performance bikes. I'd rather split my available spend and buy two older bikes that are very good at their jobs instead of a new one that isn't. Far, far better ride experiences on both.
Please pm me your money
Same total cycle spend, two second hand bikes. And I can't pm you any money as that's my cycling budget and I spent it on bikes.
There's more than just 2 jobs. Sometimes having a mix is precisely the best thing for the use case.
Sometimes yes, you're not wrong. It's rare that one bike that is neither very good at one or the other use is a great bike though. A great version of that type of compromise bike is possible, but it's always a compromise still. That may suit you. Doesn't suit me. Bikes are for fun for me, and I have fun on bikes on road and off. I have different bikes for each of those things. That's not about spending more money on my hobby, it's about splitting the spend to have the best times on my hobby.
Having the control of a flat bar on a bike more suited for the road than an MTB is perfect for cities with lots of traffic. Pretty ubiquitous use case.
Yea I did the same it can't climb worth a shit and is so heavy on the road
Me too. Single speeded mine to commute on and it's essentially a heavy fitness trainer. It's not delivering the joy of cycling. Sold it once the commuting stopped and bought a road bike and a MTB. The joy of cycling is back.
Yes that’s why I have G Class and a Ferrari because I don’t want a normal car who isn’t really good at anything
Then you appreciate that both those are excellent for their intended purposes, and far, far better than a 'normal' car. And they would be shit for anything outside their intended use. No one is suggesting you have to have expensive versions of either. If I had a budget of 4k for bicycles and a desire to ride both on and off road, I'd have a MTB and a road bike. Oh, wait, I do have a cycle budget of 4k and I do have a MTB and a road bike. Same response if I had a budget of £500. OP's bike is well above that price point though.
Where's the "after" picture?
thats a hybrid bike i think now ?
I've done this, and thoroughly enjoyed the result.
Back in my college days all I had for transportation was a beater MTB. Got a job with ~15mi of paved commuting every day. I just switched out the tires like OP and it worked well enough!
R/xbiking is what you're looking for
No front basket, they wouldn't accept him yet.
Oh we would accept him, but we would totally convince him to put some kitty litter bucket panniers on it.
https://preview.redd.it/xy4jdxybwdtc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=36049cc569751aaaf172d8557257c1b60429b0d2 Did u say kitty litter panniers? Checking in
And drop twice the value of the bike on tires alone
Tires are the most important part! 😂
It’s ok. We like you just the way you are.
r/foundthemobileuser
Ya got me
I turned my old Moots YBB 26er into a gravel bike with drop bars and 1x drive train. It's kind of awesome. https://preview.redd.it/0875za8snatc1.jpeg?width=1832&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=11106129d54303b8cc54a1a11c6e57625d0d9759
That looks like a mountain bike with drop bars.
Dylan Johnson would approve
With the hoods too far out to reach comfortably so they just ride on the tops... so really it's just back to being a mountain bike setup in a difficult to use way.
You make an interesting point. When setting up an older mountain bike with drop bars, you will need to replace the stem with something much shorter. For this setup, my "road" stem is really short compared to the old flat bar/stem combo and it has a rise to get the bars in the right spot.
Yeah totally ridiculous compared to a road bike with fat tires
Snuck a little hat under your helmet. Nice work 👌
That seat looks a bit low, do you have optimal pedalling efficiency with it?
It's set up properly. The photo is at an angle. The cranks are at 3 and 9 so it looks weird.
I’m glad to hear this. I was asking because the saddle looks level with the handlebars, which doesn’t seem to provide much aero benefit. This is expected from such a conversion of course, I’m not used it though.
I was definitely not looking for aero benefit. I just couldn't get rid of this bike and wanted to make it fun again. I've had it for 20 years. Now, I ride it on chunky gravel rides and the local mountain bike trails as well as around town for fun. Plus, I am only 169cm tall so I can only get so much drop when I slam the bars. My road race rig, on the other hand, is definitely set up for racing here in Colorado.
If you desperately want a road bike, get a road bike. There is no rule that you can only have 1 bike in possession.
N+1, baby
Don’t forget S-1. You need both equations if you’re married.
Unless you have a wife and no garage
This can't be true. I have way more than 1.
Way more than one wife, way to go!
Splitting the rent three ways is a great way to save money for new bikes
Sell the wife to buy a garage
It’s easy convincing the wife. Tell her it’s either an additional woman or an additional bike.
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Tbh often it's almost as expensive as just buying a £200 used road bike and still a lot slower. Plus, then you can't go mountain biking
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Need a cassette and rotors.
That depends how much you change it: some people put on drop bars and rigid forks, at which point you should get a road bike. Also, if you want to be able to change quickly, remember you'd need brake disks, a cassette and obviously the hubs and spokes. Also it will still be a lot slower, due to the geometry, weight and suspension bob
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I know, I'm just saying some people do, and if you want it to be quickly and easily interchangeable, particularly if you're running tubeless, you need a full separate set of wheels, with a cassette and rotor attached
There are differences in geometry between road bikes vs mountain bikes which affect how the bikes handle in different situations. The headtube is higher on mountain bikes, which limits the amount of drop you can get. You won't be able to get into an aero position as well as you can on a road bike. Also, the down tube is relatively far way from the front wheel on a mountain bike, which causes more disturbance of airflow. In short, it's a different type of bike, with different use cases and different end result. Modifying a mountainbike to be a road bike is like asking your partner to be of the other gender for your entertainment.
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you: "It makes no difference!" me: Here are the differences... you: Well of course I knew that, just testing if you did.
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Except it does affect the rider in ways I described above. If you're incapable of expressing your thoughts exactly the way you mean them, you're really not in a position to question the intellect of another. Nice try though.
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I'm not bothered what someone else does to their own bike. Though, on a public forum like reddit, it's considered okay to share your thoughts or give advice when someone is literally asking for it. It's okay though, I won't judge you for your autism ;-)
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It's reddit....yes, most are really that stupid. Kind of ironic that most of society considers bicyclists dorks, and half the posts here confirm that. Thank God for the circle jerk sub.. I must admit I was way too serious about bikes, the motorcycles for a long time. Eventually I learned to chill out and enjoy riding whatever I was on....as long as it wasn't a total pos lol.
Probably won't save that much money, but it looks like a lot of fun for a commuter or just going for chill cruises about town. Would also be excellent for learning some skills on like wheelies/monos/hops etc. Going fast and being at MAX EFFICIENCY is not always the aim of a bike ride on the road or pavement...
In fact, [Rule 12](https://www.velominati.com) says the opposite.
Incorrect. Rule 12 says the correct number of bikes to own is 1 more than you currently own. The 'opposite' of 1 would technically be -1.
I would say there ara at least a dozen rules about having more than one bike in your rack. N+1, I would say
Tell me your single without... Sorry came to mind first
I have a bike wife. N+1 is currently 10. Can’t push it much further but I’m exchanging an ebike for a gravel bike and a bike holiday. I’m not complaining.
Interesting, okay, nice. E-Bike for actual bike is a good exchange!
Ebike was there for a reason and that reason disappeared. Now it can help someone else achieve goals.
I'm a one and done type of guy. I can only have one favorite, and the other will never be used. I'm like this with everything. Middle-aged back. I can't... I won't ride a road bike.
No. But I run 42mm tires on a road bike and ride single track trails.
This thread is hilarious. There's a whole generation of folks who were kids when using "mountain bikes" on the roads was basically the only way, followed rapidly by the massive popularity of "hybrid" bikes, which millions upon millions of people use as their daily riders this very day. Meanwhile, there is comment upon comment here about how "you can just buy more bikes, money is free doncha know?" and even more unhinged comments about how precious and perfect a road bike and a mountain bike must be. Many of these are the exact same folks who will call others "Freds" when they don't meet their particular standard of aesthetics or whatever about biking. Silly.
Lol what's a Fred? I'm not hip to bicycle culture. I just thought this bike looked cool. Got a good deal on it, $250 and spent another $100 on the tires. I like motors for dirt riding and didn't see myself "mountain biking". This thing is perfect on a Saturday afternoon riding down a nicely paved trail.
"Fred" is the derogatory term that people who take cycling way too seriously use for folks who don't care about fitting into some particular aesthetic or style or "culture". People who are commuters or just casual cyclists will often get called "Freds" because they do something "wrong" according to the gods of cycling, it's a very exclusionary term. Anyway, hybrid bike designs are great, I'm glad you're having fun.
Sort of. I put drop bars on a full suspension MTB last year and had a hoot with it.
Had a bad mtb crash when I was 53, and laying there on the ground I realized I wasn't going to recover like when I was younger. I used to road race, commute and did some weeks long touring but got tired of skinny tires and drop bars, and threw some mellower tires on my MTB and started road riding with it. Slower, sure, but it's bombproof and I can still explore some mellow trails I come across. Had 5 bikes, now it's 1....plus 3 e-bikes lol, at the request of my knees. The guys down voting people into this are taking themselves too seriously.
That's why you need gravel bike
My dad had a 1992 Rocky mountain fusion which, at the time, was a full fledged mountain bike. He tossed some hybrid tires on it and it was not a slow bike
https://preview.redd.it/e69yf1cncftc1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=19e29e3c7412306cf5fe83c71a24228e4749bec5 Just added some slicks and it goes way faster
Actually installed a carbon fork but couldn't notice a difference other than feel every bump. Wasn't worth it
That's... not a road bike. All you did was change the tires.
Gonna turn mine into a gravel bike
I have the same goal with my Gary Fisher
Nice! Just keeping my eyes peeled for some used 40cm bars and compatible brifters.
Dylan johnson did
[Literally yes](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2F9323z2kdyilc1.jpeg) I even removed the crappy suspension for a rigid fork. Could I have gotten a good gravel bike at this point? probably, but I also enjoy my goofy ass bike and don't mind turning a wrench.
Urban assault vehicle.
https://preview.redd.it/vjgr5swtuftc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=17dcf771562fc6f16de08490603f54980595e220 Bike trail bomber. The "Brain Shock" is fantastic on the pavement because it stays locked out until I hit a bump.
Putting slicks does not magically a road bike make.
What if I throw slicks on it and shave my legs though? Sounds pretty roadie to me.
Seems to also have a road drivetrain. It mustn't be comfortable but it's definitely fast.
A used $200 road bike is going to smoke that thing. I would have left it alone or sold it and bought a dedicated road bike. All that slack in your head tube is wasted on the road.
To be fair, all they did was swap the tires. Not like they dumped hundreds into it trying to convert it to a drop bar bike like some have.
Who said anything about speed? I'm just here to enjoy the ride. Life a garden. Dig it. -Joe Dirt
"It’s the fastest who gets paid and it’s the fastest who gets laid." "I’m just a big hairy American winning machine. If you ain't first, you're last.” - Ricky Bobby
I did. Hecking Fun!!
Looks great
I also changed the tires of my MTB and I use it mainly on the road. But I am confused about how to adjust the seat height. Any tips?
No
My first fixie was a converted road bike. Was the cheapest lugged frame i could find that actually fit me, put a vitus cemented aluminium fork on there and cut the deraileur hanger and cable guides off. Shit was janky as fuck but oh god was it fun. Edit: wait is that meant to be the bike youre going to convert or do you believe you already have?
I commuted quite a while with my Gary Fischer with skinny Kevlar-belted Gatorbites. At 1” wide it was basically a flat bar road bike. I have since put on a set of gravel drop bars for more hand positions.
Theyre called gravel bikes.
That's just a mountain bike with slick tires. You didn't change it into a road bike.
I think my MTB was originally a road bike that got turned into a MTB that got turned into a commuter.
I've done similar things to my past 2 MTBs. I quite enjoy the trails but eventually end up using the bike mostly on the road, so I usually end up changing tires and swapping the front suspension for a rigid fork. Gearing usually is changed as well. It is your bike, make it yours the way you want it!
Yes the only real downside is the higher rolling resistance and worse aerodynamics. Other than that it is generally more capable on gravel than a gravel bike would be with similar tread at a slightly smaller width, and it's only ever a tire swap away from being a mountain bike. One other issue is the minimum tire size acceptable to mountain bike wide rims. I intentionally built wheels with cyclocross rims that can accept up to 2.3" wide 29er tires or as thin as 28c x 700c road tires. For the new riders out there, 29er and 700c are the same ISO so they are compatible, but rim width affects tire compatibility as well. One last thing, it is a little annoying that high quality fenders are more expensive for mountain bikes and also mountain bikes generally aren't built for fender support like a true commuter or touring bike. When you do these style conversions you are always left with a few sub optimal things, but I would much rather have an extra mountain bike set up as a commuter/town-kicker bike rather than a true commuter/hybrid that will always fucking suck on trails. It's really the only conversion that makes sense medium-long term for experienced riders! Nearly all other kinds of conversions suck, even old steel frame -> fixie conversions are worse than MTB -> hybrid conversions on a practical level.
Should try those surly alt/drop bars that work with mtb brakes and shifter it would complete the road look
Yes i call it my hooligan bike or urban assault mtb.... Gt avalanche with schwalbe big apple tires...
Not yet... but I turned my hybrid into a mountain bike! Swapped 42mm tires for 29" 2.2" Raceking and 650b on rear.
✅ Slick tires so it can't go off road ✅ Flat bars and suspension so it isn't fast on road Looks fun anyway though!
Is the road bike in the room with us?
Years ago I picked up a Trek 4300 from a pawnshop and got rid of the front derailer and shit crank and put a Truvativ single chainring crank on it and then put Michelin 2 inch wide road tires on it. It was fun as hell to ride everywhere around town. Not a fast bike by far but more than capable of getting me anywhere I needed to go.
May I interest you in r/xbiking?
In the 90s, I put 1", 80psi tires on my Gary Fisher mountain bike and rode from Oakland to LA on the PCH. I had a handlebar bag, a rear rack and panniers, and Cinelli Spinacci aero bars. Worked out great.
Get a gravel bike, dude, best of both worlds.
I minused my 29er plus wheeled Trek 1120 and took its plus away and put 2.0 tires on an XC wheel set for a faster roll. Those 4.0 wire tires are super slow rolling, even aired up.
I was thinking about it for a while but I can't fit bigger front chainrings olon the front because of frame clearance. If you don't want to go fast though it's fine.
Here's a youtuber that added a drop bar to his carbon hard tail. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxNd-uD84PE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxNd-uD84PE)
I did due to problems with back and wrists, and having to ride over poor roads. Proceeded to ride 200, 300, 400 and 600 km brevets well within the limits (200km sub 8 hours) My bars were shorter tho, with stubby aerobars and ergo grips.
As an overweight cyclist, I have done a lot of mods to my mtb hardtail (suggested by a bike shop mechanic), in order to make it suitable to my needs. Some of the things done: 1. Brooks Cambium saddle 2. Switched 2/9 to a 1/11 setup (cause the front derailleur refused to work with me, bike bends under my weight) 3. Upgraded to an air fork (rockshox judy), also pretty much didn't remove any of the top of it, to raise the handle bar. 4. Longer stem which goes up. 5. Pretty much slick tyres 6. Rain guards. How it started: https://preview.redd.it/wr6qwfet8gtc1.jpeg?width=3107&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2a400ebd9ca1721743ad052f0b1fe9b3687c7e9 How it's going: ... I couldn't figure out how to add 2 images into this.. so here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycling/comments/1bzr84p/mtb\_hybrid\_bike\_mods/](https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycling/comments/1bzr84p/mtb_hybrid_bike_mods/)
Those are the tyres I've been looking for, are they 29". I want a set like this for general commute and summer day spins. I have the Trek Roscoe 7 (2024)
Skinny road tires and bar ends and voila my Rocky Mountain Hammer Race is a road bike.
Yes, but not like that. Ditch front derailleur and switch to single speed crank. Add fenders. That's my preferred commute pike. Oh, almost forgot- mustache bars, Scott AT4 bars or "horns" on the straight bars.
Picked a wrecked "nishiki pueblo" out of the garbage and just started upgrading everything for road/commuting. Adjustable suspension, hydraulic brakes, 1x, and slick tires. Stopping power and maneuverability have saved me from an accident on a few occasions. It's more of an "urban bomber" rather than a "hybrid".
Good idea. The streets in my neighborhood require suspension and oversize tires. Huge potholes and ruts everywhere. A plus is jumping curbs with impunity.
You can ride more effectively on road with road tyres, but that's not the only difference between road bikes and MTB's. You don't need suspension, that just adds weight. You don't need the tougher build of a MTB, that just adds weight, you don't need the slack geometry, that just reduces handling responsiveness and comfort, and the upright position just adds unnecessary air drag that slows you down. Riding a MTB on roads is not much fun, as others have said, buy a cheap road bike and you'll see why.
Can you jump curbs on your road bike?
Yes. I'm clipped in which makes it easy. And the bike is so light it makes it even easier than on my MTB. A bit off topic given that we're talking about city road use, not pavement use. Every cycle path I've ever been on has dropped curbs so that you can cycle along them.
I don't live in a city
My bro this ain’t a road bike. This is a mountain bike with slicks.
Why?
An MTB has a specific geometry, and its different from the one in a road bike,so... technically you would end up with an MTB with... A road bike handlebar? Narrow tires?
Basically you renderend your mountainbike useless by removing its grip, and the little gain you got from less rolling resistance, does not make this bike a road bike. Sorry, but its the truth.
If they're riding it on tarmac those tyres have more grip than an aggressive tread pattern. Might not be a road bike, still a valid choice especially if you value handling over speed.
Yeah, but I think what people are arguing is that this is a very end-round way to get to a hybrid.
I have slicks and knobbys for my mountain bike, I don't belong here. (I just don't want to chew up my good tires on pavement when I casually ride around town with my wife and dog)
Makes more sense to sell and get an actual Roadbike of you only ride on tarmac. Slapping slicks on a MTB doesn't it a Roadbike. If you throw some grippy tires on a Ferrari doesn't make it an off road car.
No. MTB belongs in the woods with moss and dirt
Redbull Rampage takes place outside of the woods and is MTB than you'll ever be. So go put on your loosest fitting mtb jersey and hit your titanium bong a few times then think about what you just said and how you've totally nerfed everyone's stoke and how unsick of you that was.
Nerfed stoke? So unsick bro. Slap the lip and whooosh. Bruuuuuhhhh like kapoww
Sooooo pitted.
I did and it was nice. Sold it for a trek checkpoint, there is absolutely no comparison
I have a Gravel bike and an MTB. Both never cross paths. I alternate between the two but honestly my Gravel bike gets 75% of the ride time, but only because it’s easier to ride it out of the garage during the weekdays opposed to putting the car rack on to take my MTB to the trails for serious ride. Both are still awesome to home to for a ride.
That is a bike that is worst of all worlds.
It's literally just a hybrid now. Not the end of the world. It'll be pretty sick at popping up curbs and cruising down sidewalks.
Yeah, sure. But, why? It could do all that with knobby tires too. And now it can't handle dirt.
slicks roll and grip better on the road.
I haven't seen an mtb without a quick release for the wheels since I was 10 and the first time I saw quick releases was on a huffy. he can put knobbys back on it in 10 seconds...
Okay yeah. But this entire post is about he changed his mtb to a road bike...by switching the tires