# This is the best bike for cement trails and dirt trails; Hybrid 29er Mountain Bike



## max3 (Jul 8, 2014)

I will ride on cement bike trails and forest dirt trails once per week or lesser.

I thought a 29er would be good for me since I will ride on cement trails as well. I would LOVE to ride in ONLY dirt trails but I dont have time to drive there everyweek.

Would this bike be a good fit: Motobecane Elite Adventure X5 Save up to 60% off new Hybrid Bicycles | Adventure Hybrid 29er Bikes Elite Adventure Sport Trail

$499 is pushing my budget, but I want a quality bike. It has front/rear X5 derailleurs and hydraulic brakes.

IM AFRAID OF THIS. Are hybrid bikes not good for dirt trails? Or do they just call all 29er bikes Hybrid Bikes?

This bike isnt listed under hybrid bikes on Bikesdirect webpage, its listed under their mountain bikes.

THANKS!


----------



## max3 (Jul 8, 2014)

One thing im afraid of this bike is the Trigger Shifters, I like handle click shifters but that was when I was riding a road bike on cement trails. 

Are trigger or handle click shifters better for wood trails?


----------



## ecooke21 (Aug 18, 2007)

hybrids are usually more upright.. have smoother tires, and are meant for more cement, smooth trails, or grass.. not really "mountain biking" 

grip shifters vs trigger shifters are just preference


----------



## Overkill-F1 (Nov 16, 2013)

My last bike had grip shifters, it would often shift when I didn't want it to. I would just change my grip or pull/push and the shifter would rotate. My current bike has trigger shifters and I love them.
my $0.02
...Terry


----------



## ou2mame (Apr 23, 2010)

You can ride any bike on the street.. But you can't ride a street bike. On the trails. I would get a dedicated trail bike and throw some street tires on it, not the other way around. 

Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk


----------



## scolist (May 1, 2014)

Overkill-F1 said:


> My last bike had grip shifters, it would often shift when I didn't want it to. I would just change my grip or pull/push and the shifter would rotate. My current bike has trigger shifters and I love them.
> my $0.02
> ...Terry


Terry...I have the same problem with my Giant Cypress DX. What trigger shifters are you using? I was thinking of converting to Shimano EF65's.

Scott


----------



## DiRt DeViL (Dec 24, 2003)

Buy a mountain bike and change the tires to a semi slick.


----------



## Overkill-F1 (Nov 16, 2013)

scolist said:


> Terry...I have the same problem with my Giant Cypress DX. What trigger shifters are you using? I was thinking of converting to Shimano EF65's.
> Scott


Scott... I have SRAM X4, they came stock on my 2012 Marlin. They work well enough for me and my bike. I just couldn't get along with the grip shifters on another bike I had.
...Terry


----------



## TwiceHorn (Jun 18, 2014)

I haven't looked at that bike, but I bought a hybrid many years ago. They tend to have frame geometry that more resembles a road bike than an mtb. One important aspect of that is that the bottom bracket clearance is not very high. Also, hybrids tend to have pretty conventional 700C road wheels that mount what are essentially road tires (not racing) with knobbies. Accordingly, I would be afraid to do much vigorous off-roading on a hybrid of the conventional design. YMMV.


----------



## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

Hybrids suck. Get a mountain bike. If the tires bother you get slicks. I never liked semislicks, for much the same reason I don't like hybrids, but YMMV.

As someone who likes road bikes, I feel a need to leap to their defense. Hybrid geometry doesn't resemble road geometry any more than it resembles mountain bike geometry. It's kind of like they pick a number halfway in between the MTB number and the road number for each dimension and do that. Since hybrids have flat handlebars, it means they're short and maybe a bit twitchy compared to a mountain bike, and don't really have the high speed stability or quick handling of a road bike. I think they're more like crippled mountain bikes than road bikes, actually. Road geometry and drop bars are very much tied to each other.

Get a secondhand mountain bike to get the most out of your budget.


----------



## TwiceHorn (Jun 18, 2014)

Maybe I should have said touring bike. Regardless, with the advent of the 29er, an MTB makes a much more satisfactory commuter or street bike than a hybrid makes an off-road bike. And even if you get a smaller wheel MTB, unless you are really trying to commute miles comfortably in street clothes, the MTB will be just fine. on the street, regardless of tires.


----------



## eriqjo (Jun 17, 2014)

*Don't do it!!*



TwiceHorn said:


> ... hybrids tend to have pretty conventional 700C road wheels that mount what are essentially road tires (not racing) with knobbies. YMMV.


From the site:
_"Tires/ Tubes - Kenda Happy Medium 700x40C / Standard valve clearance for up to 29x2.0" (most brands of tire)"_

If I'm not mistaken, these are cyclocross tires, but you *can* put 29" wheels on there and 2.0" wide tires *might* fit.

X2 on the secondhand mountain bike! Or CX!!!!

-Eric


----------



## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

Saying 700x40 is pretty much the same as saying 29x1.6. Tires with those markings would have the same size in the ETRTO system, fit on the same rims, etc. I think referring to 700C and 29" wheels still has some use, though. When I hear "700C," I hear "road bike." I expect about a 15 mm wide rim and not a lot of clearance for a fat tire. When I hear "29,"" I know it's a mountain bike and I expect a 17+ mm rim and lots of room.

Hybrids are all over the place on rim width and tire clearance. Though being able to fit a 29x2.3" tire is asking a lot.


----------



## Tres Bottelas (May 27, 2014)

I think it's a good buy. If you spend an equal amount of time on dirt and cement, then I might suggest that this bike is perfect. Add a pair of semi-slicks and you now have a decent commuter/grocery getter, and a bike that will handle semi-regular jaunts in the woods.


----------



## TwiceHorn (Jun 18, 2014)

My hybrid is 20 years old. It's a great fart around town bike. It's fast and comfortable.

But it sucks off-road. Principally because of the bottom bracket and consequent pedal/crank height. Also, the tires dont have much grip. Spins out really easily in the slightest damp conditions.

Not sure hybrid has ever had much meaning. Some are closer to MTBs than they used to be.

With the advent of the 29" wheel MTB, not sure there's really any reason to buy a hybrid anymore.


----------



## Tres Bottelas (May 27, 2014)

TwiceHorn said:


> With the advent of the 29" wheel MTB, not sure there's really any reason to buy a hybrid anymore.


The bike he's looking at is essentially a 29" wheeled bike. Running a full knobby tire will get expensive if he's riding mostly pavement. The hybrid with semi-slick, at that price, is a pretty good bargain. If it were the case that hybrids truly sucked on trails and that they have no value, then cyclocross bikes would not be so popular. At least the hybrid comes with a front fork and a flat bar.

I'm not sure how Alivio compares to X5 presently, but here is the same bike with a different component groupo (on sale for $400). In my experience, Shimano makes a little bit better "budget" drivetrain.

Save up to 60% off new Hybrid Bicycles | Adventure Hybrid 29er Bikes Elite Adventure Sport Trail


----------



## jeffj (Jan 13, 2004)

Hybrids are designed for the casual rider that rides a variety of terrain. Many, if not most, do a fine job of handling that type of use. It may not be everybody's C.O.T., but I can't see them as particularly 'bad'. As astonishing as it may seem, not everyone feels compelled to push the performance envelope even a little bit. They are quite content to just cruise along on a variety of relatively mild terrain surfaces. A hybrid IMHO is the perfect tool for that job. 

If that isn't what you want to do, or you plan to ride more difficult terrain as your skills progress, then perhaps a different bike would be better for you.


----------

