Cycling Weekly have put together what they think will be the 8 best hybrid bikes in 2024. Choices span a huge number of brands from Specialized, Triban, Trek, Cube, Cannondale, Vitus, Giant and more.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Gravel bikes and e-bikes might be grabbing all of the headlines at the moment, but if you're riding
00:04nothing too gnarly, you want a more upright position, and you prefer getting from A to B
00:09under your own steam, there are hybrids out there that are perfect for the job. In this video,
00:14we're going to look at 8 of the best hybrids for 2024 over a range of different price points.
00:24With its radical double diamond frame design, the brand new Specialized Cirrus is one of the most
00:29eye-catching new bikes. Thanks to its compliance junction, a gap where you'd normally expect to
00:34see the seat tube meet the bottom bracket shell, the Cirrus' carbon frame flexes vertically,
00:39massively increasing ride comfort without increasing rearward saddle tilt. Along with
00:44the suspension from the frame, there's Specialized FutureShock 1.5 system under the stem, which gives
00:5020mm of travel, and big fat tyres. There's clearance for up to 42mm rubber. The top of
00:57the range Cirrus 6.0, which costs £2,400 here in the UK, has a 1xSRAM GX Eagle Lunar groupset,
01:04and SRAM Level TLM hydraulic disc brakes. Alternatively, there's a Cirrus X 5.0 that
01:11comes in at just under £2,000, with SRAM NX Eagle and wider 38mm Pathfinder tyres
01:18for more mixed terrain. Of course, Specialized still sells the more traditional aluminium frame
01:23Cirrus without the compliance junction, with lower specs, to suit those smaller budgets.
01:33Talking of smaller budgets, the Triban RC500 is one of the best value hybrids out there.
01:39For £645, you get a flat bar version of the most comfortable road bike from Decathlon's house brand.
01:46The RC500 has a 6061 T6 aluminium frame with drop seat stays and clearance for tyres
01:53up to 36mm. It comes with a Shimano Sora 9-speed groupset, including the chainset,
01:58which is pretty impressive at this price. There are ProMax cable operated disc brakes,
02:03which are simple but effective, and 28mm tyres that could be set up tubeless with Triban's own
02:10brand wheels that have tubeless ready rims. The RC500 is more aimed at tarmac than gravel
02:15or mixed terrain, but when we reviewed it, we found it was comfortable on broken road surfaces
02:20too, thanks to the compact geometry that allows a good length of the seatpost to flex,
02:25and tyres that were more supple than we expected.
02:28This is Decathlon's only hybrid, but it could be the only one you need.
02:37The 2024 Trek FX Sport 6 is the lightest and fastest bike in Trek's fitness line-up of flat
02:44bar bikes, and the American brand says it has every feature of a high-end road bike,
02:49with the added benefit of flat handlebars for additional comfort and control.
02:53It has a 400 Series OCLV carbon frame, Bontrager Aeolus Elite 35 carbon wheels,
03:00and a 1x Shimano GRX drivetrain with hydraulic disc brakes.
03:05They say road, but it's more capable than many hybrids at tackling some gravel should you wish
03:09to venture off the beaten track. It comes with 40mm Bontrager GR1 Team Issue gravel tyres,
03:16an 11-42 cassette that, combined with the 40-tooth chainring you get up front,
03:21will mean that steep slopes are made much easier.
03:24The FX Sport 6 retails at £2,775 here in the UK, but the range starts with the £500 FX1.
03:32The FX1 has an aluminium frame, rim brakes, and a 21-speed Shimano Tourney Altus drivetrain,
03:38or if you're desperate for discs, you could go for the FX2 at £650.
03:48The New Quick is Cannondale's all-rounder fitness bike that does what it says on the tin,
03:53or rather, aluminium. In Cannondale's words, it's a swift, sporty bike that's perfect for
03:59getting a workout, city cruising, or just getting out and feeling good,
04:03and its natural habitat is the street.
04:06As we know, Cannondale was a pioneer of aluminium frames.
04:09Remember the iconic CAD frames with their oversized tubes? Well, it's great to see
04:14all of that historical expertise resurfacing in a range of affordable bikes.
04:19It's already a nicely designed bike, but it's great to see Cannondale sweating the details.
04:23The Quick has full rack and mudguard mounts, 360-degree reflectives on the frame,
04:29and comes with an integrated wheel sensor that connects to Cannondale's app for activity
04:33tracking, calories burned, bike registering, servicing reminders, and more.
04:38The flagship model is the Quick 1, which retails at £1,250 here in the UK.
04:44The entry-level is the Quick 6, which gets the SmartForm C3 alloy frame,
04:49but comes with a steel fork, V-brakes, and MicroShift 3x7 gearing.
04:54That bike retails at a highly competitive £525.
05:04Some hybrids are just flat-bar road bikes, but Cube's Hyde Pro is a very different animal.
05:10It draws its inspiration from the German brand's 29er hardtails,
05:14but is perfectly adapted for the city with its stripped-back aluminium frame,
05:19fully rigid fork, and belt drive connected to an 8-speed Shimano Nexus hub.
05:24Naturally, it gets Shimano hydraulic disc brakes too. Cube's strapline for it is battle the city,
05:30and it is as close to an Ultima Urban Warrior as you'll find.
05:34The geometry is designed for weaving through traffic, braking, and cornering,
05:38and it has huge clearance for 58mm tyres,
05:41and comes with SRAM's Big Apple 55mm or 2.1-inch rubber.
05:46The Hyde Pro retails at £999, and it's actually not the flagship bike in the range.
05:52That's the £1,199 Hyde Race.
05:56The Hyde Race is more like a traditional hybrid,
05:59with a slightly less compact frame and clearance for 42mm tyres.
06:04Our choice would be the Hyde Pro.
06:06If you want a road-going mountain bike, you might as well go all-in.
06:15The Vitus Mach 3 has a wheel in both camps.
06:18It's not a flat-bar road bike restricted to tarmac,
06:20but it's not a repurposed fully rigid mountain bike either.
06:24Its build is combining classic hybrid versatility with modern looks and performance,
06:28and is perfect for cycle paths, country lanes, or wide forest trails.
06:33But how does it do that?
06:35Well, it's more like a flat-bar gravel bike than we've seen so far from Vitus.
06:40There might even be something of the French Randonneur about it,
06:43which would be a nice nod to the tradition given Vitus' French origins.
06:47Its predecessor leaned more towards the road,
06:49with even a hint of beach cruiser with its kinked top tube.
06:53But this latest version is right in the middle of the dial,
06:56with a nicely balanced geometry, a 6061 T6 aluminium frame,
07:00with drop seat stays that are almost expected, and 38mm Tamil tyres.
07:05The top model, Mach 3 VRX, which retails at £999,
07:10is specced with a 1x11 SRAM Apex groupset with a 40-tooth chainring and 11-36 cassette.
07:17The entry-level in the range of three sells at £699,
07:21and has micro-shift gears on the same frame.
07:29The Marion Kentfield is affordable, comfortable, and reliable.
07:33It's also one of the most simple and stylish hybrids out there,
07:36with its straight aluminium tubes, micro-shift 1x10 groupset,
07:40Clark's mechanical disc brakes, and 40mm tyres.
07:43Marion has years of experience at making mountain bikes,
07:46so we have no doubt that the Kentfield can take anything you throw at it
07:50in the urban environment that it's designed for.
07:52That steel fork is slender, but tough.
07:55It's got rack and mudguard mounts, so you can use it as a daily commuter.
07:59But stripped down, it's light and fast enough for trips out of town.
08:03The geometry is designed for a short stem and maximum manoeuvrability.
08:08The top version, the Kentfield 2, has a retail price of just £595,
08:13which we think is pretty incredible value.
08:16The Kentfield 1 goes for £495 and has 7-speed Shimano Tourney,
08:21instead of the 10-speed micro-shift.
08:28Last but not least from the world's biggest bicycle company,
08:31a bike that can haul huge loads,
08:33and comes with some of the terrain-smoothing tech that its road bikes use.
08:37The Giant Toughroad is another hybrid that does what it says on the tin.
08:41This bike is seriously rugged.
08:43The fact that it comes with 50mm tyres
08:46tells you it can do a lot more than just a trip to the shops.
08:50Think full-blown bikepacking adventures.
08:52The aluminium frame is made with Giant's Alux SLR technology,
08:56which delivers the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any Giant aluminium frameset.
09:01To build in plenty of comfort, it uses Giant's D-Fuse alloy seatpost,
09:06which is designed to flex more than a round seatpost thanks to the D-shape profile.
09:11While a carbon fork reduces vibration from the rough surfaces.
09:15There are two versions of the Toughroad.
09:17The SLR1, which comes fully adventure-ready with front and rear racks,
09:21has Shimano Deore 2x10 gearing and costs £1,499 here in the UK.
09:28While the SLR2 comes in at £1,299 and comes without racks,
09:33though it does of course have the mounts for them and Shimano Altus 2x9 gears.
09:39Let us know down below, which of the bikes in this video would you go for?
09:43If you enjoyed the video, then please do drop it a like,
09:45subscribe to the channel for more content and we will see you again very soon.