Road Bike VS Hybrid Bike - 100km MEGA comparison - Cycling in Qingdao, China

[@JMower]

How do you fuel on a long ride? What do you take with you, spare tyres, repair kit etc?

[@Fewawidood]

Usually just granola bars stored in my pockets and water or juice in the bottle cages. I could probably do a bit better with fueling by getting more specialized products like sports mix or more energy efficient bars. Luckily, my city has lots of great food carts all over, so I'll sometimes stop for food about 7-8 miles before home, reducing the amount of food I need to bring with me. Something I'd love to do is get a handlebar bag so I can carry more complex food and just eat it while riding. Usually two spares, a tire iron, and a pump, that's it. I'm almost never going so far that I can't catch a bus back, although I have hitchhiked before.

[@julianzarges]

I usually only take a small bike tool kit. No repair kit or spare tubes. I case I have a flat I call a 货拉拉 for a ride back home. As for fuelling I take some nuttbars or gels and electrolytes tabs.

[@nathanmcginty5755]

Banana Soreen and jelly babies for food and hi5 powder in bottles. But I only take food for rides over 2 hours.

[@simonchambers4052]

Another vote here for Jelly Babies. Or Jelly Beans. Haribo Tangfastics in a pinch. For anything over 150km I'll also have a proper meal somewhere, sandwiches/chips etc. Also oatmeal bars like Fruesli in the UK are great. For a ride I'll take at least 1 inner tube, multitool (with chain tool, Topeak Hexus 2 usually), pump CO2 inflator and cannister, puncture repair kit, tyre boot, tyre levers, chain quick link and a derailleur hanger.

[@darrengarvie8832]

What I bring on a 100km cycling a few high five bars and my be a gel or 2 just incase also two 750ml bottles with electrolytes in them, on repair side a 25 piece multi tool with chain breaker a tube and tyre levers co2 and pump as back up also puncture repair kit and Money 😁

[@xavierculby]

In a comparison, get a comparable hybrid bike

[@bert1974]

Cycling on a hybrid goes very wel, i got a trek dualsport 3 and rides up to 80km with it, the bike handles great and is able to do longer rides. With water and food with nice to be in nature. The bike can do more then i can, life is to busy to practice a lot.

[@comounaverdura]

They should make sails for bicycle to push us using the wind.

[@Yojimbonh]

Some general comments besides saying that I like to watch your videos... Those city roads look way too busy and therefore too dangerous to ride on. It's just a matter of time until you get hit - find some less travelled side roads that are safer. Get some lights with a dayflash setting for the front and back of your bike. I feel much more visible and therefore much safer since I got mine. I have Lezyne with a 1000 lumen flash on the front and a 300 lumen flash on the back, but there are other manufacturers of course. Those power and calorie estimates are just estimates and notoriously inaccurate. Calories are over predicted by 50 percent or so based on my own experience. If you're into it, get a power meter - Favero Assioma pedals are fantastic and at a great price point considering other power meter options. Safe riding.

[@JMower]

Yeah those roads are horrible, I've been trying to go earlier to avoid most of the traffic. The lights is a good idea, I'll look into it, thanks! I did look into getting a powermeter, but I think I'll wait a few months at least, I've spent way too much money on cycling recently 😂

[@AliuBikes]

Glad to see your results getting better and being less tired. For the the seatpost slipping (not sure if thats consistent for you), but would suggest torquing it down properly and if that doesnt work. I would get an anti-slip compound such as carbon paste assuming the seat is carbon. That should help a lot!

[@JMower]

Thanks! Yeah the recovery times are definitely getting quicker. I'm just a bit worried about over tightening it and damaging the seat post. But I'll look into the carbon paste!

[@jamesbowden6922]

your average heart rate is less and your max is higher. this is a win honestly bud. i bet the perceived effort on the road bike was so much easier. nice vid. thank you

[@geoffbadger9597]

Great ride. The improvements are coming. I’ve had a problem with a slipping seatpost before and I put some toothpaste on the end of and then re-installed the seat post. It worked well, and I used a toothpaste that was a bit “gritty”. Not sure if you want to try this, but it worked for me. You’ve got a good gear ratio and it will be just fine as you continue to improve and drop a few kgs. I enjoy watching the videos and looking forward to the next one. Take care.

[@JMower]

Thanks Geoff! I'll look into the toothpaste thing, some other people have suggested carbon paste, maybe toothpaste could be a good backup 😂

[@jonhume6051]

@@JMower Seat tube's will occasionally slip even when done to correct torque. So certainly worth giving Geoff's most excellent hack a try. Otherwise tube of carbon paste is best option [j] [j] I say best, but while it is not that expensive, it will be one of those very annoying items that will be lugged around for years knowing it might be useful again - and yet can never be found - despite dissassembling the house - until after more has been purchased 😬

[@KD_cycling]

Carbon paste is definitely the pro version of this. It's a grease-like compound with grit in it. Prevents slipping but more importantly prevents the seat post seizing in place. Especially important in a humid environment. Also helps with water ingress down the seat post.

[@heavydam]

Good job, congrats on the effort. Another thing that can explain a lower heart rate is that you got fitter ;)

[@JMower]

That's true! I'm not sure a month can have that big a difference, but it probably helped a bit! 😂

[@bearx9782]

nice video, nice view! hello from Beijing.

[@edpowell4838]

more vids like this mate! very professional

[@rippin187]

FYI, most of the difference in relative effort is due to the hybrid having front suspension. There is a fair amount of energy lost from the cyclist when pedaling a front suspended bike. It would of been a better comparison if you could of locked out the shock. An even better comparison would of been with a fast rigid forked hybrid designed for the road only like the Trek Quick 1, Giant Fastroad AR, Diamondback Division 2 or Metric 3. Your times would of been very close.

[@comounaverdura]

I don't bring food on my rides. I eat before and after my bike rides.

[@deividassavickas2979]

im want both im normal person ? :D

[@darrengarvie8832]

Just to add that you are doing well better then me unfortunately I've had covid and the flu inside 4 months 🙄 so I have to get built back up again lol

[@JMower]

Sorry to hear that, hoping for a quick recovery 💪

[@jamesbowden6922]

i take minimal tools. a multi tool with hex keys and screw drivers. the main bulk of the tools and spares are for punctures. so a tube or two and tyre levers etc. mini pump. but a co2 gas solution would be better. you noticed a difference with the electrolyte fluids?

[@JMower]

Yeah I'm definitely more energised on the longer rides, but I'm also eating quite a few bananas so that's probably helping too

[@JitinMisra]

J Mower: I have a hybrid bike, and I only ride 30-40 minutes. I have an opportunity to trade it and get good value, for a road bike. Do you think it is worth it ? It is a non suspension fitness hybrid

[@JMower]

Hey Jitin, the road bike is much more fun to ride, and it's much easier to ride fast too. But it really depends on your surroundings, if the roads around you are quite rough I would suggest sticking with the hybrid bike. If the roads are smooth then definitely go for the road bike.

[@JitinMisra]

@@JMower my roads are ok, but my main concern was if you are riding in slightly busier areas, is it more difficult to brake from the hoods or more or less same braking power ?

[@JMower]

@@JitinMisra The braking performance is better on the road bike. But the biggest factor would be whether the bike has disc brakes or rim brakes, the disc brakes are much better. Braking from the hoods isn't any more difficult, just takes a while to get used to it

[@helloyogeshpatel]

I have excet bike riverside 500 planing to buy AL3 or AL5 😅

[@JMower]

The Riverside was my humble steed for many miles! But both the al3 and al5 will be an excellent upgrade, I'm sure you'll enjoy either!

[@helloyogeshpatel]

@@JMower I am eager to but unfortunately I recently had major surgery and it will take another 6 months to be fully in shape so will stick to hybrid, I will try 11-36 in back and 32 46 in front after looking at your rides it's clear grx type config will be good option

[@adriannyvoll2527]

More zwift racing

[@FinnenPynjar]

Adding 2km/h to the avg speed over a 100km route is a great achievement! It's in line what one would expect when switching bikes like that. While rising the performance of you, the motor, is the best way, there's nothing wrong with tuning your bike. Budget tuning: (especially as you're in China): switch handlebars to narrower (I bet you have 44cm, go down to 40cm) carbon ones, and carbon seat post and lighter saddle. Will shave off 300-400g of your bike with no money. Best tuning: buy a quality, light alu (or carbon if you can spend it) wheelset and set them up tubeless with even racier tyres. This will easily shave off 1kg, and you'll notice the difference IMMEDIATELY, both on hills and on flats. Also, you can switch the cassette to 11-34. While the diff is small, it's still a diff. For your next bike, go with 11 speed shifters (Shimano 105), it'll give you smaller steps between gears, helping you keep your cadence.

[@JMower]

Thanks for the tips! I've actually been looking at lighter wheels, but not sure I can justify it yet. Just going to keep focusing on slimming down and getting fitter!

[@SilverShamrock71]

My hybrid weighs over a kilo less than your road bike, of course a £250 bike is going to be a sack of proverbial, this is a pointless comparison and as for aero dynamic riding position, just slap a set of aero bars on the hybrid flat bars

[@Free__Speech]

Thats a heavy road bike compared to Giant Contend 2 2022 at 9.5kg for half the price

[@Rocky4719]

Interestingly, I’ve found something of the opposite with my two bikes. The road bike is a specialized allez, and my hybrid is a trek fx. No matter what I’ve done to my allez, it always feels sluggish and very un-road bike like. On the contrary, my hybrid bike seems very eager to want to go at least a bit faster and is just a more comfortable and quick bike in my city. Maybe I’m just not suited to a road bike, so I choose my commuter any and every day 🤷‍♂️

[@MTB_Pathfinder]

Hybrid 1x10 11-36 14.57 kg???? Plumbum in frame? My MTB rigid is 11 kg, and MTB cross-country 11.5 kg (1x12 11-50). Hybrid with aluminum frame + aerobars is normal weight 10 kg (Merida Speeder for example). 50/34 11-32 Transmission. Not a 25 min disadvantage

[@xosece]

yup, my favourite hybrid bike is the Canyon Roadlite 6 (and 7), from 2023. 1X 12 gears 46T chainring and 10-51T cassette, it's not only so fast but it climbs very well and it weighs 10Kg

[@jamesbowden6922]

yea the torque settings on the seat post is prob for a lighter rider. just crank it until stays there lol.

[@JMower]

Yeah I think you're right, I've now fixed it with some anti slip paste 👍

[@gijsvanhirtum3447]

What software do you use to match your gps and heart rate data to the video?

[@JMower]

Hi Gijs, thanks for watching! The software is called 'telemetry overlay' it's very cool and flexible, but it is paid. However I dabbled with some other free ones, garmin VIRB edit might be worth checking out too.

[@AlbertArt]

I think you forgot to mention the suspension.

[@Mike_in_Thailand]

the trek Domane comes with Shimano Sora 9 speed cassette, doesn't it ? If so, you could put a 11-34 cassette on which would give you a bottom gear 34:34 which would be the same as the hybrid's 36:36. Combined with the lighter weight of the road bike you would fly up those hills ! 20% gradient ? The biggest "hill" within rideable distance where I am in rural Thailand is 4.9% for 55m elevation, most is a lot less....about 2% for 25m is the next steepest ! So the 11-28 gears on my bike are plenty low enough. Regards, Mike PS what software do you use for your data overlays ?

[@JMower]

Hi Mike, that's a good idea regarding the cassette. I've never done anything so technical with the bike, so to be honest I'm a bit worried I'd end up breaking something! But I'll do some research and look into it! The software is called 'telemetry overlay' it's very cool and flexible, but it is paid. However I dabbled with some other free ones, garmin VIRB edit might be worth checking out too.

[@ericbarfell]

Your video editing skills are really taking off! I love the camera work zooming in on the parts of the bike as you discuss them. and of course the comedic timing of the hybrid tipping over!! LOLOLOL I'm also jealous of the gauges you put on screen with your speed, HR, distance and especially the GPS and route profile. Keep up the great work, my dude!

[@JMower]

Thanks! It takes a bit more time to edit, but I think it's worth the results! 😂 It's not too difficult to do actually, just takes a bit of time to set up for the first video, then you can reuse all the gauges etc Looking forward to seeing your outdoor races!

[@Welther47]

About the last ride - "like being in Silent Hill" - that made me chuckle.

[@vijaydhil1696]

Thank u bro.... i love it

[@paulmorrison30]

Awesome ride and great result ✊🏾

[@tomscully9589]

You should do one with an equally priced version of this, also both from trek as trek does both

[@darrengarvie8832]

Just to ask your gear ratio on the hybrid is it 36front and 34 cassette road 34 front and 32 cassette?

[@JMower]

Hi Darren, the hybrid is 36 front, 11-36 back road bike 50-34 front, 11-32 back

[@darrengarvie8832]

@@JMower there is only a .06 difference between them in the lowest gear lol

[@JMower]

@@darrengarvie8832 I thought it might make a difference, turns out it didn't matter at all 🤣 Hopefully it wont matter as much once I lose a little more weight, these hills will be so much easier then

[@darrengarvie8832]

@@JMower I'm 6'3" and am about 97kg I was 82kg a few years ago and man it makes so much difference going up hills I'm on my own drive to get the weight off I'm not a young man at 46 so age is against me slightly.

[@ChrisP978]

@@darrengarvie8832 Weight and fitness make a huge difference on the hills for sure. Age might cap your fitness potential but I'm way faster up the hills at 49 than I was at 46.