Road Bike vs Hybrid Bike: A Small Test

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Author: Gone Cycling

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Please Read Uphillfreewheeler asked me what I thought the average speed gain was by switching from my revolution hybrid to the giant propel. I said I thought it would be between 2-4 mph. Well here is a small test. Please note that these are only across very short segments so are not representative of how it would translate to a full ride with undulating terrain. You can see a comparison of that towards the bottom. First I did a "cruising speed" segment in which I went along at my normal comfortable road speed. It was a flat section that had a small incline towards the end. The inclined section is where the propel really shone. Second I did a seated hill climb to compare the bikes climbing ability. The propel was an average of 2 mph faster up hill but could probably be much faster if I were to push it. Third was a small sprint section. It was a totally unfair comparison because the headwind was much stronger this morning when I was on the road bike compared to the afternoon when I tested the hybrid. Again the propel performed much better in the up hill section. To see how this translates across a larger distance here are the strava links for two very very similar rides. Road bike: average speed of 17.9 mph across 14.8 miles into a very strong head and cross wind. https://www.strava.com/activities/389129469 Hybrid bike: average speed of 13.5 mph across 17.8 miles. No head wind. https://www.strava.com/activities/290975233

Comments

was the weight same on both bikes...? If so road bike won hands down...if it was 3 or more pounds lighter then this should be stated...thanks..Ps are wheels same size?

Anyone know the name of the app he's using?

I'm thinking it's a matter of your cassette and how big your engine is I've dropped road bikes on a hybrid and on the same have been dropped by road bikes and it's always been the set up or who got the biggest engine .

I've owned a garneau urbania sp 4 hybrid for about a year and a half and commute about 10 clicks each way on it daily. for me the hybrid works perfectly, it's more rugged than a roadbike fer sure and more versatile, especially for leisure rides that may find me wanting to venture into park trails or onto gravel or a bit of dirt where a roadbike just wouldn't be practical. A hybrid will be a little heavier and a little slower, but ya can take it almost everywhere in urban areas with confidence.

Did you consider other bikes other than the Giant propel. Im looking at the TCR advanced or supersix. The propel looks interesting but im not sure if going aero would make a significant difference.

What does each bike weigh?

looks really fun man

Wow, I'm so slow. I did a 15 km ride this morning on my hybrid bike and averaged 19.9 kph (max speed was 33.8 kph) and I thought it was perhaps because I'm on a hybrid. Looks like I have a lot of work to do..

I ride almost every day, sometimes far too. my budget isn't that big but I could stretch to a road bike. which bike would you say is best? I usually only ride on roads but is a road bike worth the price?

you can park in either direction over there? madness!

Good video! what gearing did each bike have? it's also good to ride a different bike each day, each has there place, Hybrids def better for riding through town, more upright position gives better visibility to vehicles seeing you and gives the rider better view of whats going on with pedestrians and vehicles. In my opinion only! but what I have found over the years.

Cheap hybrid or cheap road bike?

what do u recomend for me ( i have to ride 20 KM per day to my college and i have a hybird one do you recomend to me to buy a road bike better ??!!?? ) will the road bike will be more comfortabel for this distance and thank you for the informative vidoe :D

Man you are flying on that Propel, not fair! :( Actually impressive in the last sprint test I expected the Hybrid to lose by a LOT more! Wow. I think 1-2mph loss for all-day comfort is worth it as long as you're not racing.

I am trying to make the decision to sell my 2016 Giant TCR Advanced SL 2 before moving to Hawaii this month. I am thinking of going for something a little more rugged due to weather and conditions. I am really looking into a flat bar bike... something like the Giant Roam/Cannondale Quick CX or Quick. In your opinion is it better to stay with a solid fork in the front or go with the lower end Suntour forks? I do like to climb and don't want to have a super soggy unresponsive shock in the front end... you know, coming from high end road bikes I want to still feel some snappy handing etc. Can't have it all I know. What do you think?

Thanks for the video. I decided to go with a hybrid. One that doesn't have shocks on the forks. I will put some 25mm slicks soon. It's a light weight all aluminum frame with an ally fork. It has disk brakes too. For me, I don't like riding bent over the front handle bars. I live in a place where there are lots of mountains in S.C. USA and beautiful views. I like to ride at a comfortable pace not using all of my energy and just behold the beauty etc. Your video was great and provided some good information. I hope people interested in bikes who, like me aren't able to spend $1000 on a bike, will watch this video.

a have this bmx it's old and gunky .i repainted it replaced all the stock parts with new ones.can i put a suspension fork on my bmx?i want something new,something fresh.out of the box ..well,if you agree that i can replace it or it will work.i'll do it.thanks.love the vid.i have a hybrid and road bike too.

They would both have to be using the same gearing and tyres to make it a good comparison. I once hit 43mph on a flat, smooth road on my old felt hybrid. The funny thing was that it was a 40mph zone and I was passing the cars veeery slowy. Was a great day though, with zero wind.

hey what bike mount do you use ?

Thanks for the Video I looked At The Trek DS1 but thinking about a Road Bike as well I hit trails about twice a month but I want the Road Bike speed... Any Advise?

You can go a whole lot faster on a hybrid than that. You are not using all the gears it seems. And it also depends on who is sitting on the bike. I would say that road bikes are slightly faster and more smooth on the road, and if you are concerned about the comfort, then they offer it as long as you are on quality roads without hills and bumps.

Hybrids/Mt bikes on the other hand may be a little bit "harder" for some people to handle, because the demand a little more effort, even if its not really noticeable. They however are way better when you are demanded to make sharper fast turns, go over hills, and even some roads that are low quality.