Hybrid bicycles blend characteristics from more specialized
road bikes,
touring bike
A touring bicycle is a bicycle designed or modified to handle bicycle touring. To make the bikes sufficiently robust, comfortable and capable of carrying heavy loads, special features may include a long wheelbase (for ride comfort and to avoid p ...
s and
mountain bike
A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which ...
s.
The resulting "hybrid" is a general-purpose bike that can tolerate a wide range of riding conditions and applications. Their stability, comfort and ease of use make them popular with novice cyclists, casual riders, commuters, and children.
Hybrids typically borrow the flat, straight handlebars and upright seating posture of a mountain bike, which many bicyclists find comfortable and intuitive. Hybrids also employ the lighter weight, thinner wheels and smooth tires of road bikes, allowing for greater speed and less exertion when riding on the road. Hybrid bikes often have places to mount racks and bags for transporting belongings, much like a touring bike.
Hybrid bikes have spawned numerous sub-categories satisfying diverse ridership. They are classified by their design priorities, such as those optimized for comfort or fitness — and those offered as city, cross or commuter bikes.
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History
From the early 20th century until after World War II, the
utility roadster constituted most adult bicycles sold in the United Kingdom and in many parts of the British Empire. In Britain, the roadster declined noticeably in popularity during the early 1970s, as a boom in recreational cycling caused manufacturers to concentrate on lightweight (23-30 lb.), affordable
derailleur
Shimano 600 front derailleur (1980)
A derailleur is a variable-ratio bicycle gearing system consisting of a chain, multiple sprockets of different sizes, and a mechanism to move the chain from one sprocket to another.
Modern front and rear d ...
sport bikes, actually slightly-modified versions of the racing bicycle of the era. In the 1980s, U.K. cyclists began to shift from road-only bicycles to all-terrain models such as the
mountain bike
A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which ...
. The mountain bike's sturdy frame and load-carrying ability gave it additional versatility as a utility bike, usurping the role previously filled by the roadster. By 1990, the roadster was almost dead; while annual U.K. bicycle sales reached an all-time record of 2.8 million, almost all of them were mountain and road/sport models. A different situation, however, was occurring in most Asian countries: roadsters are still widely made and used in countries such as China, India, Thailand, Vietnam and others as well in parts of north-western Europe.
Trekking bike
![AERO-RS1-Trekking](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/AERO-RS1-Trekking.jpg)
A trekking bike is a hybrid with all the accessories necessary for
bicycle touring
Bicycle touring is the taking of self-contained cycling trips for pleasure, adventure or autonomy rather than sport, commuting or exercise. Bicycle touring can range from single-day trips to extended travels spanning weeks or months. Tours may be ...
mudguards,
pannier
A pannier is a basket, bag, box, or similar container, carried in pairs either slung over the back of a beast of burden, or attached to the sides of a bicycle or motorcycle. The term derives from a Middle English borrowing of the Old French '' ...
rack, lights etc.
Cross bike
Cross bikes use a road
bicycle frame
A bicycle frame is the main component of a bicycle, onto which wheels and other components are fitted. The modern and most common frame design for an upright bicycle is based on the safety bicycle, and consists of two triangles: a main triangl ...
similar to a
racing
In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...
or sport/
touring bicycle
A touring bicycle is a bicycle designed or modified to handle bicycle touring. To make the bikes sufficiently robust, comfortable and capable of carrying heavy loads, special features may include a long wheelbase (for ride comfort and to avoid p ...
, and are normally equipped with nearly flat handlebars to provide a more upright riding position than a racing or sport/touring bike.
As a hybrid bike intended for general recreational and utility use, the ''cross bike'' differs from the
cyclo-cross bicycle, which is a racing bicycle purposely designed to compete in the sport of
cyclo-cross competition. Cross bikes are fitted with 700c (ISO 622)
wheels
A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axles, allow heavy objects to be ...
using somewhat wider semi-treaded tires () than those fitted to most racing or sport/touring models.
[
The additional tire width and tread is intended to give the cross bike hybrid some ability to deal with rough or littered surfaces that might be encountered on paved or unpaved bike trails, such as gravel, leaves, hard-packed sand, and shallow mud. Most cross bikes are biased towards moderate off-pavement use and light weight, and as such are not normally fitted with fenders, lights, or carrier racks. The larger 700c wheels are a little faster on paved surfaces and can give an advantage for longer trips or for touring purposes.]
Commuter bike
The commuter bike is a hybrid designed specifically for commuting over short or long distances. It typically features derailleur gearing, 700c wheels with fairly light tires, a carrier rack, full fenders, and a frame with suitable mounting points for attachment of various load-carrying baskets or panniers. It sometimes, though not always, has an enclosed chainguard to allow a rider to pedal the bike in long pants without entangling them in the chain. A well-equipped commuter bike typically features front and rear lights for use in the early morning or late evening hours encountered at the start or end of a business day.
City bike
Similar to the commuter bike, the city bike is more optimized for urban commuting. Unlike the European city bike
A utility bicycle, city bicycle, urban bicycle, European city bike (ECB), Dutch bike, classic bike or simply city-bike, is a bicycle designed for frequent very short, very slow rides through very flat urban areas. It is a form of utility bicycle ...
, it has mountain bike heritage, gearing, and strong yet lightweight frame construction.[Museum of Mountain Bike Art & Technolog]
Article
/ref> It usually features mountain bike-sized 26-inch (ISO 559) wheels, a more upright seating position, and "middleweight" heavy belted tires designed to withstand road hazards commonly found in the city, such as broken glass.[Howells, pp. 88–91] Using a sturdy welded chromoly
41xx steel is a family of SAE steel grades, as specified by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Alloying elements include chromium and molybdenum, and as a result these materials are often informally referred to as chromoly steel (common ...
or aluminium
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. I ...
frame derived from the mountain bike, the city bike is more capable at handling urban hazards such as deep potholes, drainage grates, and jumps off city curbs. City bikes are designed to have reasonably quick, yet solid and predictable handling, and are normally fitted with full fenders for use in all weather conditions. A few city bikes may have enclosed chainguards, others may have suspension forks, similar to mountain bikes. City bikes may also come with front and rear lighting systems for use at night or in bad weather.
Comfort bike
Another subclass of the hybrid category is the comfort bike. Comfort bikes are essentially modern versions of the old '' roadster'' and ''sports roadster'' bicycle, though modern comfort bikes are often equipped with derailleur gears
Shimano 600 front derailleur (1980)
A derailleur is a variable-ratio bicycle gearing system consisting of a chain, multiple sprockets of different sizes, and a mechanism to move the chain from one sprocket to another.
Modern front and rear ...
rather than hub gear
A hub gear, internal-gear hub, internally geared hub or just gear hub is a gear ratio changing system commonly used on bicycles that is implemented with planetary or epicyclic gears. The gears and lubricants are sealed within the shell of the h ...
s. They typically have a modified mountain bike frame with a tall head tube to provide an upright riding position, 26-inch (ISO 559) or 28-inch (ISO 622) wheels, and "middleweight" smooth or semi-slick tires. Comfort bikes typically incorporate such features as front suspension forks
In cutlery or kitchenware, a fork (from la, furca 'pitchfork') is a utensil, now usually made of metal, whose long handle terminates in a head that branches into several narrow and often slightly curved tines with which one can spear foods ei ...
, seat post suspension with wide plush saddles, and drop-center, angled North Road-style handlebars designed for easy reach while riding in an upright position.
See also
* Outline of cycling
:''This article is an outline about the activity of cycling. For an outline about bicycles themselves, see outline of bicycles.''
:The following ''outline'' is provided as an overview of, as well as a topical guide to cycling:
Cycling, al ...
References
External links
*
{{Human-powered vehicles
Cycle types
Road cycles
B
de:Trekkingrad