Why your next bike should be a hybrid

Lots of you out there probably already have hybrids, so you’ll get this. But if you don’t and you like bikes, or even if you don’t and you don’t own a bike at all, then the argument is this: your next (or first) bike should be a hybrid. If you don’t agree with that statement, that’s fine. There’s a whole load more writing just below to try and change your mind, so read on for the reasons why your next bike should be a hybrid. 

They make for faff-free riding

One of the biggest obstacles to riding is the getting ready part. You know, all the faff that comes with actually turning the idea of riding your bike into an actual ride. If you’re a roadie, that can involve pulling on layers of skin tight clothing, figuring out where your bike computer is (and if it’s charged), pumping up tyres, messing about with overshoes and all sort of nonsense. If you’re a mountain biker and not fortunate enough to live right near one of your favourite riding spots then there’s a whole additional layer of logistics like bikes on cars and driving and what not.

With a hybrid all you need is your bike and you (and maybe check those tyres too). Then it’s straight out the door and wherever you want to go. It’s faff-free riding at its finest and you can spend a bit of time pedalling without any real intent or, better, making the bike a part of your life while you go around doing other things.  

They’re better for just getting around

That brings us onto this: have you ever tried using a niche bike for getting around? Road bikes are downright uncomfortable in normal clothing (suddenly that chamois makes so much sense) and are just not designed to be ridden in jeans and a t-shirt. And any MTB with genuine off-road ambition just doesn’t cut it rolling around town, that suspension and geometry might make it perfect for your local bike park, but it’s massively overequipped when you’re making your way to the shops.

Hybrids are perfect because they’re designed to help you get about. Not quickly, not across gnarly terrain, just well and – if you have an eBike – potentially with very little effort. That’s the thing that’s easy to forget: bikes are for getting around. Sometimes it’s hard to get our heads out of the mindset of riding for sport and into the idea that it’s just as fun to use a bike for those day-to-day things that we otherwise might drive around to do. Don’t get us wrong, we know that bikes aren’t practical for everything (you’re probably not going to ride 20 miles to the supermarket to do a weekly shop, for one) but they can be perfect for riding down to the pub for the evening, or getting out with the family on a weekend, or just getting from one place to another under your own steam when you don’t fancy spending yet more time in a car.

They’re built to last

This isn’t to say that some bikes are built to be disposable, but there’s a reason why you don’t want to lock up your carbon road bike on the bike rack near the shops. First off, there’s the worry it might get stolen, and second, you don’t want other people bashing it about with their bikes.

Ever seen someone on a hybrid moving it about like it needs to be bubble-wrapped? Of course not. Those things are built to last and the cockroaches will have adapted to ride them around long after humans are a footnote in the pages of history (this is highly unlikely – ed). We’re not saying you should abuse them, but it’s nice to have a bike that you know is strong enough to withstand the practicalities of every day utility riding.

They’re fun

Ever ridden a Boris Bike around London? It’s fun. Really good fun. Moving around on a bike gives you a fantastic balance between the ability to move quickly enough to cover decent distances and the ability to stop wherever you want.

Put it this way. If you’re driving around and see a café you want to investigate, or a little shop you’d like to explore you need to find somewhere to park first. Chances are this won’t be as simple as pulling into a conveniently situated parking space, and by the time you’ve found a spot and figured out the way back all the spontaneity of the moment is gone. On a bike you stop, lock the bike and the fun begins.