MTB or hybrid?

Consider the Felt Trevisa: http://www.felt.de/felt/main.php4?Mag=1&Marke=1&Land=1&Wgr=1&Rubrik=193&Artnr=art_trevisa_men_2003&Jahr=2003

If you're planning on dividing your time 50/50 between roads and trails, I'd get a mountain bike and put some road friendly tires on it. Perhaps something like a pair of Kenda Kross Plus tires...

http://www.nashbar.com/profile_moreimages.cfm?category=121&subcategory=1084&sku=1966&brand=

I can tell you from experience though that you will eventually want a bike for each purpose. 🙂

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by gclark8
Consider the Felt Trevisa: http://www.felt.de/felt/main.php4?Mag=1&Marke=1&Land=1&Wgr=1&Rubrik=193&Artnr=art_trevisa_men_2003&Jahr=2003

Will do. In fact, I am living close to the German border and am considering crossing over to look at bikes there as I'm guessing I might find a bigger selection. Thanks,

PLF

i would consider trying a specialized, they always seem more expensive but they use very little crappy parts, and they are easy to get replacement parts for.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Doctor Morbius
If you're planning on dividing your time 50/50 between roads and trails, I'd get a mountain bike and put some road friendly tires on it. Perhaps something like a pair of Kenda Kross Plus tires...

http://www.nashbar.com/profile_moreimages.cfm?category=121&subcategory=1084&sku=1966&brand=

I can tell you from experience though that you will eventually want a bike for each purpose. 🙂

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm increasingly leaning in that direction. It would also open up a much wider selection of bikes for me as MTBs are much more common here than hybrids. (In fact, to get any good hybrid I would have to special order one.) When looking at MTBs, are there any that lend themselves more to "hybrid" use than others? Or is it mainly just a matter of getting narrower, less nobbly tires? And as for getting two bikes . . . yeah, I realize that already, but one step at a time. Thanks,

PLF

I have a 2003 Specialized Crossroads Comp. Hybrid bike with Disc brakes. The disc brake wheels are 700x30 for on road touring. I also purchased a set of 26 inch disc brake wheels for off road. Because I hace disc brakes I can change from 700cc to 26 inch disc brake wheels. Hope that helps

I'd go for a mountain bike since you're going to be doing some off-road riding. If it's mild off-road riding that you'll be doing, you might want to try finding one with a rigid fork. That way the bike will be lighter and it'll perform better for you on the pavement, where there's no need for suspension. Personally I think a LOT of the off-road riding that most people do doesn't really require suspension either. It's hard to find a good quality mountain bike without a suspension fork now though. They'll cram a crappy SR Suntour fork on a decent bike and sacrifice the quality of the other components just to be able to say "yep, it's got a suspension fork"! Never mind the fact that it's a crappy pogo stick and we had to put a peice 'o [censored] bottom bracket and crankset on the bike!

One other option that hasn't been mentioned is a cyclocross bike. These bikes are fast on pavement and very capable of light off-roading. I use a Trek X01 cyclocross bike for commuting and it's great. No problem taking an off-road short cut here and there.

Good luck to you!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by meehs
I'd go for a mountain bike since you're going to be doing some off-road riding. If it's mild off-road riding that you'll be doing, you might want to try finding one with a rigid fork. That way the bike will be lighter and it'll perform better for you on the pavement, where there's no need for suspension. Personally I think a LOT of the off-road riding that most people do doesn't really require suspension either. It's hard to find a good quality mountain bike without a suspension fork now though. They'll cram a crappy SR Suntour fork on a decent bike and sacrifice the quality of the other components just to be able to say "yep, it's got a suspension fork"! Never mind the fact that it's a crappy pogo stick and we had to put a peice 'o [censored] bottom bracket and crankset on the bike!

One other option that hasn't been mentioned is a cyclocross bike. These bikes are fast on pavement and very capable of light off-roading. I use a Trek X01 cyclocross bike for commuting and it's great. No problem taking an off-road short cut here and there.

Good luck to you!

Thanks for the advice, which is consistent with what I’ve heard now from several others, i.e. get a decent mtb and put more road friendly wheels/tires on it. I agree with your comments about suspension. The last time I did any serious off-road riding was over 10 years ago. I had a good but simple Scott mtb with no suspension whatsoever and it served me very well. (I don’t remember even seeing bikes with suspension at that time, at least not in Poland at the shop I bought mine at.) Of course, my body was much younger then and more able to absorb the jarring. I’ll very soon hit 40 so I don’t mind if my new bike has some suspension. That being said, I appreciate your suggestion that today suspension has become something of a “necessary” accessory, or so bike producers would like us to think, hence its presence on virtually all mtbs. You mention “crappy SR Suntour” forks: should I avoid bikes with Suntour forks? The two bikes I’ve been considering most both have Suntour forks: the Fuji Outland Cross has a SunTour CR920 and the Fuji Outland MTB has a Suntour Magnesium, XCP-75, otherwise the bikes seem to have decent components, at least they’re comparable to other bikes in their class/price range ($500-600).

As for the cyclocross bike option, I think I’m more likely to go with the mtb, partly because it’s a creature I know and partly because the cyclocross bikes I’ve glanced at are out of my price range (though maybe there are some less expensive.) Someone else, though, suggested that cyclocross type tires might make an mtb more road friendly while still allowing some off-road riding. Sound reasonable? Thanks!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by frusso
I have a 2003 Specialized Crossroads Comp. Hybrid bike with Disc brakes. The disc brake wheels are 700x30 for on road touring. I also purchased a set of 26 inch disc brake wheels for off road. Because I hace disc brakes I can change from 700cc to 26 inch disc brake wheels. Hope that helps

Thanks for the suggestion. Pardon my ignorance, but I gather from you say that switching between the two different sets of wheels would not be possible (or at least so convenient) if you didn't have disc brakes. Do I understand correctly? Also, I can see where having a hybrid bike designed for 700mm wheels allows you to convert to smaller 26" wheels for off-road use. However, would the opposite be true? In other words, if you have an mtb designed for 26" wheels would it be possible to switch to larger 700mm wheels for better road functionality? At first thought I assumed that this would not be possible, that the 700mm wheels would be to big, but it seems that a couple of people have now suggested this to me (unless I misunderstood their advice, which is possible). Thanks!

MTB

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by plf
Thanks for the advice, which is consistent with what I’ve heard now from several others, i.e. get a decent mtb and put more road friendly wheels/tires on it. I agree with your comments about suspension. The last time I did any serious off-road riding was over 10 years ago. I had a good but simple Scott mtb with no suspension whatsoever and it served me very well. (I don’t remember even seeing bikes with suspension at that time, at least not in Poland at the shop I bought mine at.) Of course, my body was much younger then and more able to absorb the jarring. I’ll very soon hit 40 so I don’t mind if my new bike has some suspension. That being said, I appreciate your suggestion that today suspension has become something of a “necessary” accessory, or so bike producers would like us to think, hence its presence on virtually all mtbs. You mention “crappy SR Suntour” forks: should I avoid bikes with Suntour forks? The two bikes I’ve been considering most both have Suntour forks: the Fuji Outland Cross has a SunTour CR920 and the Fuji Outland MTB has a Suntour Magnesium, XCP-75, otherwise the bikes seem to have decent components, at least they’re comparable to other bikes in their class/price range ($500-600).

As for the cyclocross bike option, I think I’m more likely to go with the mtb, partly because it’s a creature I know and partly because the cyclocross bikes I’ve glanced at are out of my price range (though maybe there are some less expensive.) Someone else, though, suggested that cyclocross type tires might make an mtb more road friendly while still allowing some off-road riding. Sound reasonable? Thanks!

I guess I wouldn't tell you not to buy a bike with a Suntour fork. That's pretty much what you get in that price range unfortunately. They're not the best perfoming forks out there. They're pretty "low-end" forks with virtually no adjustability. And the thing is, if they would've specced those bikes (or any bike in that price range) with a decent rigid fork and dropped the low-end suspension fork, they could've put a nicer wheelset or crankset on them for the same price. In my opinion this would make for a better bike overall. That said; you can always upgrade the fork later.

Yes, there are a lot of good tires out there that make a mountain bike perform pretty good on the road. I put a set of 1" Ritchey (Tom Slicks?) on my wife's MTB and she absolutely LOVES how they perform on pavement. Actual cyclocross tires won't fit your MTB though, since cross bikes have 700c wheels and MTB's have 26" wheels.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by plf
Thanks for the suggestion. Pardon my ignorance, but I gather from you say that switching between the two different sets of wheels would not be possible (or at least so convenient) if you didn't have disc brakes. Do I understand correctly? Also, I can see where having a hybrid bike designed for 700mm wheels allows you to convert to smaller 26" wheels for off-road use. However, would the opposite be true? In other words, if you have an mtb designed for 26" wheels would it be possible to switch to larger 700mm wheels for better road functionality? At first thought I assumed that this would not be possible, that the 700mm wheels would be to big, but it seems that a couple of people have now suggested this to me (unless I misunderstood their advice, which is possible). Thanks!

The 700c wheels would fit on an MTB (most likely). The problem is that the brake bosses wouldn't line-up correctly with the 700c rim. If you have an MTB with disc brakes you could have a second set of 700c disc wheels (since the brake bosses are no longer an issue) and swap between the two. That would be cool (I'm thinking I should do this!) but also kinda spendy since two sets of disc wheels with the rotors wouldn't be cheap. Plus you'd have to have a set of 700c wheels built-up with a 135mm rear hub... I think that's pretty much what the "new" 29" wheel MTB's use though (?)... Anyway, I'm digressing.

Another vote for MTB with two sets of tires. Even if you are going to spend only 10% of your time riding on tough off-road trails, I think it's the way to go...a hybrid isn't going to handle them well.

I've used by Bridgestone MB1 moutain bike on the roads occasionally with a set of Specialized Fat Boy's (1.25" slicks @ 100 psi), and it goes like a bat out of hell. Can keep up with the slow 700c/road bikes. And a tire switchover only takes ~10min.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by meehs
The 700c wheels would fit on an MTB (most likely). The problem is that the brake bosses wouldn't line-up correctly with the 700c rim. If you have an MTB with disc brakes you could have a second set of 700c disc wheels (since the brake bosses are no longer an issue) and swap between the two. That would be cool (I'm thinking I should do this!) but also kinda spendy since two sets of disc wheels with the rotors wouldn't be cheap. Plus you'd have to have a set of 700c wheels built-up with a 135mm rear hub... I think that's pretty much what the "new" 29" wheel MTB's use though (?)... Anyway, I'm digressing.

Thanks again for your advice, which is very helpful. It sounds like the most reasonable option for me will be to get the best mtb I can in my price range and put slightly more road-friendly tires on it and ride for a while to see how I get on. That should cover my needs for some time until I know better how I will, in practice, be using the bike. It might turn out that one set of tires – designed for multi-purpose use (i.e. something between wide knobbies and road slicks) – will more than suit the vast majority of my riding needs. If it turns out that I will want to spend more time riding on the road than I anticipated then I may get an extra set of 26” wheels w/road tires along the lines you suggest. If the balance of my riding is more toward serious off-roading then I will get extra wheels with proper knobby tires. I can live with this somewhat simpler approach and forego having to customize 700c wheels. If I won’t be switching between 26” and 700c wheels then I guess disc brakes are less essential. Or, should I nevertheless consider the disc brakes? On the Fuji bike I’ve been looking at, upgrading to mechanical disc brakes (ProMax) would cost me an extra ~$40. What do you think?

Lastly, I’m taking very seriously your idea about the advantages of having a bike without suspension vs. one with poor to mediocre suspension. Assuming that I can find such bikes here and that they would be better spec’d than similarly priced bikes with suspension, would you have any suggestions as to what bikes I might check out? (Keeping in mind my ~$600 price range.) Thanks!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by plf
... It sounds like the most reasonable option for me will be to get the best mtb I can in my price range and put slightly more road-friendly tires on it and ride for a while to see how I get on...

I agree. You can always ride an MTB on the road whereas you can't really take a road bike on the trails. They just aren't designed for that unless you spend more and go cyclocross. Road bikes aren't exactly cheap these days either. Perhaps in the future that will be an option, but it isn't in the $600 budget of your original post. You'll find quite a few members of this forum are eager to spend your money for you. 😄 Stick to your budget and you'll find plenty of bike for doing what you want to do. You can get plenty of exercise and enjoyment out of a bike in that price range.

As far as a hybrid goes, I've always felt as though they are the best of both worlds but also the worst of both worlds. If you do anything aggressive on the trails with a hybrid, I'd bet you could tear up a rim pretty easily. An MTB should be able to take a nice beating and still be very road friendly with the right tires.

I ride a 2003 Raleigh M60 that I bought on ebay for $325 (U.S.) shipped. I've only added clipless pedals, a new seat, bar ends, cyclometer and an HRM ($488 total) and I ride it mostly on the streets even with the knobbies. When those tires wear out I'll put on some street friendly tires. I'm quite happy with this setup.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Doctor Morbius
I agree. You can always ride an MTB on the road whereas you can't really take a road bike on the trails. They just aren't designed for that unless you spend more and go cyclocross. Road bikes aren't exactly cheap these days either. Perhaps in the future that will be an option, but it isn't in the $600 budget of your original post. You'll find quite a few members of this forum are eager to spend your money for you. 😄 Stick to your budget and you'll find plenty of bike for doing what you want to do. You can get plenty of exercise and enjoyment out of a bike in that price range.

As far as a hybrid goes, I've always felt as though they are the best of both worlds but also the worst of both worlds. If you do anything aggressive on the trails with a hybrid, I'd bet you could tear up a rim pretty easily. An MTB should be able to take a nice beating and still be very road friendly with the right tires.

I ride a 2003 Raleigh M60 that I bought on ebay for $325 (U.S.) shipped. I've only added clipless pedals, a new seat, bar ends, cyclometer and an HRM ($488 total) and I ride it mostly on the streets even with the knobbies. When those tires wear out I'll put on some street friendly tires. I'm quite happy with this setup.

Thanks. I'm convinced now to go for the mtb with slightly more road-friendly tires. Now I just have to find the best bike in my price range. I'm living in Poland (Szczecin) and the selection at my local shops is somewhat limited - mainly to Trek, Giant and Fuji. It seems, though, that I should be able to get a decent bike from among those producers. Thus far I've been leaning toward the Fuji Outland as it seems to have somehwhat better specs overall (from what I can tell), except perhaps for the suspension fork (Suntour Magnesium, XCP-75). Anyway, I am also going to look seriously at the Trek 4500 and the Giant Iguana. After I've bought my bike and ridden it for a while I'll post a note summarizing my experience - it might be useful to other readers.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by plf
Thanks again for your advice, which is very helpful. It sounds like the most reasonable option for me will be to get the best mtb I can in my price range and put slightly more road-friendly tires on it and ride for a while to see how I get on. That should cover my needs for some time until I know better how I will, in practice, be using the bike. It might turn out that one set of tires – designed for multi-purpose use (i.e. something between wide knobbies and road slicks) – will more than suit the vast majority of my riding needs. If it turns out that I will want to spend more time riding on the road than I anticipated then I may get an extra set of 26” wheels w/road tires along the lines you suggest. If the balance of my riding is more toward serious off-roading then I will get extra wheels with proper knobby tires. I can live with this somewhat simpler approach and forego having to customize 700c wheels. If I won’t be switching between 26” and 700c wheels then I guess disc brakes are less essential. Or, should I nevertheless consider the disc brakes? On the Fuji bike I’ve been looking at, upgrading to mechanical disc brakes (ProMax) would cost me an extra ~$40. What do you think?

Lastly, I’m taking very seriously your idea about the advantages of having a bike without suspension vs. one with poor to mediocre suspension. Assuming that I can find such bikes here and that they would be better spec’d than similarly priced bikes with suspension, would you have any suggestions as to what bikes I might check out? (Keeping in mind my ~$600 price range.) Thanks!

I haven't tried any of the mechanical discs that are specced on the bikes you mentioned so I can't really tell you if they're worth the extra cost or not. I'd just say try them and see if you like them better than the V-brakes. If you do, it seems like a pretty good deal for $40!

I wish I could suggest a good ~$600 bike with a rigid fork, but like I said before, I don't think there is such a thing any more! That Giant Iguana seems like a pretty nice bike for the price though! Good luck!

i have somewhat the same concerns about my bike shopping.

i found the Scott sportster P4 could very well suits my needs, with a pair of 26" wheels

http://www.scottusa.com/product.php?UID=4889

from the specs and looks, what would be the pros and especially cons of this bike going off-road ?