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Looks like I'm going to be doing a bit of road riding this year (with MTB buddies who already do a bit of road). There's def no racing involved (usual rides maybe 30 miles) but I think there is a plan to do one 100 mile ride in the summer.
I'm on a tight budget and was wondering if I could also be looking at used hybrids (with drops fitted instead of flats) as well as racers? How different would a hybrid frame be?
used hybrids (with drops fitted instead of flats) as well as racers?
Will work fine but having to add drops is expensive. Plenty cheap road bikes on ebay no?
The main difference is gearing and light, narrow tyres - you'd be OK with a hardtail and spare wheels.
I suspect you would find that hybrids tend to have a slightly more upright geometry (so less aerodynamic) and slightly heavier frames. This won't be a problem on most rides, but will slow you down a bit on a 100 mile ride I would imagine. If you discover that you have to spend money on new bars/stem etc, you might be better just buying a road bike in the first place.
There are some "fast hybrids" which blur the lines a bit though.
Re the fitting of drops, I do have an option of a pretty good bike already fitted with drops so no expense there.
Aero position will matter according to speed, not distance, cumlative effect will of course be greater on longer rides.
SB sounds like a good option if it's a hybrid then you may find the jumps between gears quite big, but you'll be able to fit a closer ratio cassette and narrower tyres if you get that into it.
Carrera usually have a quick hybrid in their line up. The used to do a Gryphon, which literally was a flat bared road bike.
Putting drops on flat bar bikes is an expensive upgrade also. The top tube is shorter on a true roadie.