Is a Hybrid kind of a cross between MTB & race bike ?

[Big.Wayne]

For someone who doesn't know exactly what bike he wants i.e. the OP, then it is ridiculous. When I bought my road bike I didn't know what I wanted, other than I wanted a Bike that would be better for commuting. I certainly didn't know what Groupset I needed, how many and what gear ratios I would need, or indeed any other component that I would need to choose if building a custom bike

I see, so because you didn't have the internet or access to people with experiences and basically had to wander the wilderness alone you are against the idea of new people leapfrogging this process by asking the right questions and getting the right answers?

Your projecting your past inexperienced onto someone else, i.e you didn't have a scooby so are assumming the O.P is as clueless as you were? That is ridiculous as we could "pipe" him three years of knowledge by the end of the day. He knows what he wants almost but doesn't quite fit into the vanilla offerings the cycle industry wants him to buy.

Just in case there is some confusion here, I'm not stating that anyone who is a noob should build their own cycle, what I am saying is one shouldn't be restricted by someone elses creativity . . . all the O.P needs to know is how he intends to use his machine, what the different types of hardware are for and then get his cycle. If he can't find something just right he has the option to create what he needs, whether that is buying a stock bike and having some customisations done at the point of sale or failing that just picking up the pieces himself (with our advice) and getting it built.

It seems most enthusiast agree with me but are making the case you have to spend a few years riding stock cycles to actually know what they want? I think he knows what he wants but is wandering the wilderness riding a MTB on tarmac . . . wouldn't take much to get him sorted out with exactly the cycle he wants, don't belittle him with the assumption he is as slow learner as you were . . . listen to what he is saying and don't scare him off all the possibilities.

It's not rocket science and its not as complicated as you are making out!

 

[touch]

It's not rocket science and its not as complicated as you are making out!

Nobody is saying it's complicated. Bikes are very simple things and (with access to the right tools) anybody could build one.

What we're saying is that it's significantly more expensive to source the parts yourself and you'd get much better value for your money buying a prebuilt bike.

 

[Armageus]

don't belittle him with the assumption he is as slow learner as you were . . .

You are the only person doing any belittling here - whether you intend to or not, your posts come across as condescending and elitist.

I'm not sure what your agenda is, but not everyone needs or wants a custom built bike, when "something off the shelf" will likely do for the OPs purpose.

For that reason I'm out of this thread, I wish the OP the best of luck.

 

[lordrobs]

I'm not sure about this "more control" argument. It gives you a different kind of control, flats on a mountain bike let you flick the wheel quickly to avoid obstacles or change direction. But nothing is going to be as stable or give you as much control as the drops at speed in a descent, where you have a better grip on the bars, more leverage on the brakes, and a lower centre of mass which gives you more tyre grip.

More control off road was what I wanted to say but those words didn't make it from brain to keyboard.