r/bicycling

Ok, so maybe this is something basic I should just know, but many years ago (2010) I went to a bike store rather than a Wal-Mart to get a bike as an adult. I wanted to bike to work, and the LBS helpfully said that what I was describing as my use case was a hybrid. I got it (a giant), had some different tires installed + fenders, and some pedals, and was on my way. I really enjoyed it, this was my first bike as an adult and it was aluminum so lighter than anything I had ever owned previously (Steel 1990s mountain bikes). I basically fell in love with the bike and biking again. Then life happened (yep) and I stopped biking for about a decade.

Flash forward to this year, and I decided to get back in the saddle. I'm being told that gravel bikes are the do anything bikes now, and I go look at one and the price is... yeah, up there. I go to the meagre hybrid section (now called city) and immediately find three nice bikes (in my eyes). I go online to do some research, and immediately see a bunch of 'why hybrids suck" posts. Everything from "they suck at everything" to "they're boring".

Maybe I am just basic, but the idea of a bike that can do most of everything is appealing to me. The relative simplicity of a basic bicycle I find appealing. And while the tires may not be the fastest, the durability on some city rubber (Schwalbe Big Ben for example) is extra appealing for someone who is unsure if they could perform a roadside repair. I also really like that most hybrids can in a pinch cut through a park/unpaved area with no real difficulty. Not to mention mounting points for practical things like racks abound on most city/hybrids I have seen. I dunno, maybe I am just weird and I find utilitarianism appealing.

But I think what I really do not understand is how these bikes are seen as boring? I think they look smart, and I kind of dig their utilitarian vibes. Yes flat bars aren't aero, but I find them easier to control (full disclosure I've never owned a drop bar bike).

Anyway, if anyone wants to explain the hate for hybrids, I would be interested to hear why they seem to get so much scorn?

This is my SCOTT Speedster that I haven't ridden in over 16-18 months!

Just been at home, and I want to revive my bike and get back on the saddle.

How to clean the chain well and get back to riding?

Please help. I had initially only put about 1000km and then life happened :(

Are these prices normal? Most of these bikes are over a decade old. I offer 50% and they say I’m lowballing but I think I’m closer to the price than they are. Let me know… bike market is crazy

Training for a 150miler. Looking at bikes on marketplace. Which one? Why? Better options? Gracias amigos

I found this Cannondale M400 next to a dumpster at my local job at a park. Someone obviously was just trying to get rid of it but worked out for me since I was wanting/needing a bike to commute the 4 miles to work from home vice versa. The bike seems to ride fine but just want peoples opinions on if it’s worth putting money into fixing up? There’s a lot that needs to be done on it but I know nothing about bikes lol. Any advice is appreciated!

I wanted to attach the steering limiter on my kid's bike but it looks like it's missing or faulty. I didn't get any other pieces in the box - just the strap already attached to the frame and nothing on the fork. I've searched online but couldn't find an image of this part before setup. I've contacted Woom but still waiting for their response.

On my neo retro Peugeot super competition build, I have ~5mm left between my Reynold 531 steel tube and my Schwable 700 x 32 tires. I would go for it but I’m not 100% sure. What do you think ?

I also changed the seat, chain, back cassette and added a front mud guard (it didnt fit into my bike so I attached it with zip ties). My seat was too high as well so I lowered it. I didn't have a better or earlier before picture

edit: I flipped around the forks and the front wheel of the bike by accident at some point lol, its fixed now with an updated picture in the comments

All the way back before the pandemic I bought a 2020 Carbon Sirrus X in this deep purple color w/ gold accents. I loved that bike for just tooling around but sold it when I got the ebike commuter because I simply didn’t have space. Well today I filled that hole in my heart with this.

Had to give myself a reason to not buy another (third) bike, and transforming my plain silver frame into my favorite color over the weekend did just the trick!

For the prep I did a really thorough initial clean with Muc-Off, then 2 full frame wipe downs with 99% isopropyl alcohol + microfiber towels once I had disassembled everything, and then I used a felt squeegee + exacto knife to apply the pictured 3M 2080 Sunflower Yellow vinyl wrap I got off of rvinyl.com. Took a lot of patience and YouTube tutorials, but I couldn’t be happier with the results (especially considering this is my first time doing anything like this) 🥳

... Still working 😅

Hi everyone, I’d appreciate your assessment of this. My Cube is only 8 months old and I mainly use it for my commute to school, with the occasional light forest path for exercise, though I’m on asphalt most of the time (90%).

I’ve just discovered a air leak right on the sidewall (see 2nd photo). I'm fine with changing the inner tube, but I'd really rather not throw away the tire already if it’s not absolutely necessary. The bike was just in for a different repair last week, which my insurance covered completely. Even though this new damage would probably be covered too, it feels a bit weird to send them another bill immediately. Because of that, I’m wondering if this is something I can still safely fix myself.

Thanks in advance!

I got this Colnago Master Olympic with Campagnolo Record from my dad.

I already did some rides and I could keep easily up with my friends on modern carbon bikes.

But i had already 2 flat tires with the tiny 23mm tires and the bike will not let me shift in the largest(easiest) gear on the back, so it gets hard at steep hills.

What is the maximum tire size I can fit on this bike?

What can I do to make it working even better or is there any upgrade I could do?

Well… At nearly 34, I am finding myself back on something with pedals! At the end of last year, my daughter made a big jump and started riding her bicycle without training wheels. Shortly after that I had found a nice Fit Bike Co (thinking I would enjoy re-living my late adolescent and early teens) but at 6 feet tall, a 20.5 inch bike was simply not cutting it so I sold the thing and started riding the longboard for our evening cruise lol.

Jump forward to two weeks ago I upgraded my daughters bike from the Walmart starter bike to a second hand REI Co-Op 16 inch bike. She started asking for me to ride my bike not fully realizing I had sold the thing (she is now 4 years old) and instantly I felt a heavy guilt. Last week I jumped on marketplace and scored a “Core” brand fixie for $80 and have been doing about 2 miles every evening with my daughter!

Figured you all might enjoy some warm fuzzies after a long Monday!

Cheers!!!

Bonus: Is anyone familiar with a bike “Core” with a logo of a C and dot on the front? I can’t tell if its a State Bicycle Co Core-Line maybe? Thank you all!