If you are a new cyclist and you want to use cycling as a way to be fit, but you don’t know which bike to choose, Road bike vs Hybrid for Fitness, then this article is for you.
Most probably, we are living at the best age of cycling. Due to the increased concerns about global warming issue, “Go green or go home” has become one of the most sought-after slogans in today’s world. And what is the best vehicle to face the Global Warming? Undoubtedly, it is the bicycle.
So, people are trying to use bicycles in every possible way. They use bicycles to commute to the workplace, to go to daily super shops, to become fit and reduce the risk of having life-threatening diseases (for example diabetes, high-blood pressure, arthritis, stroke) etc. and etc.
And the bicycle manufacturers are adding new designs and functionalities to their bicycles to bridge the new necessities from the users. Today’s bicycles have become more complex in design and functionalities when compared with the designs and functionalities of the early bicycles.
From that many varieties of bicycles, it has become impossible for new cyclists to choose the right bike for fulfilling the targeted purpose.
If you are looking for bike riding as a way of becoming fit, you have to understand first where, when, and every day how much time you will ride on the bike. This is very important. Bike selection depends mostly on the above three criteria. But your age, sex and health condition are also important to consider before buying a bike. For the beginner, don't forget to check bike size chart before landing your first bike.
As we shall talk about only two types of bikes: Road Bike and Hybrid, so, in the rest of this article we shall TEST these two bikes based on our above-mentioned conditions. Then it will be clear to you which bike you will select for your fitness journey.
Before discussing Hybrid and Road bikes in details, my first suggestion is: try to ride as much bikes as possible before finalizing one. Ask many questions to the salesman, tell him your necessities and context, the salesman will be the best person for a good selection. If you buy the bike from an online shop, then go through the reviews made by the previous buyers. You will get a good grasp on which bike is better for which purpose.
What are good and bad of choosing a road bike as your fitness Partner?
Road bikes are for people who love sportier type bicycle. These types of bikes are very light-weight, and optimized for speed. Though road bikes are of many types but remember that it is normally built for paved road and highly optimized for speed.
If you’re young, take part regularly in local cycling competitions and want to be fit at the same time, then road bikes will be your first choice.
As I said already, road bikes are optimized for speed, its speed comes from its gear system. Normally the front crankset of a road bike has two gears. One gear will have 39 teeth and another one will have 54 teeth. So, gear shifting will make faster change in speed. This is good for paved paths but not for good a path with stones, and sands.
A road bike rear cassette also might have two gears: one having 12 teeth and another one normally has 25 teeth.
So, you see road bikes are made for speed and for paved paths. Before choosing a road bike, check out your age, purpose, where you will ride and how many hours a day you will ride on your bike.What are good and bad of choosing a hybrid bike as your fitness Partner?
According to Bikeinqurie, Hybrid bikes are made to ride in multiple conditions. What a hybrid does is: it steals the best features from road bikes, and some other best features from mountain bikes. And it becomes hybrid.
Hybrid bikes have become very popular for the following three reasons:
Hybrid bike is called the do-it-all-bike. You can ride it for recreational purpose, commuting to your workplace, for fitness purpose, for sight-seeing, or for joining a relaxed community ride.
For the following three reasons, hybrids are now widely popular among people:
So, if you’re searching for a bike that fits both road and trail, hybrid will be your best choice.
In the following video, you will find DuVine Cycling + Adventure Co. is testing both the bikes. This video will give you some more details.
Final Verdict
So, after considering the many features of Road bike vs Hybrid for Fitness, it is easy to say that your fitness journey will best fit with a hybrid bike. If you are young and energetic and participating in the competition is your target and at the same time, you want to be fit, then you can go for a road bike. But if you are a regular guy, use the bike for commuting and at the same time want to be fit, hybrid bike is the best choice for you.
