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Comfort Bikes

Comfort bikes are extremely popular right now. Comfort bikes (sometimes called hybrids, but that name is being used for a few types of bikes as well) generally start with a frame from a mountain bike or one very similar. They have many features designed to appeal to the casual rider or commuter including padded saddles, relaxed riding position, and a suspended fork for handling rough roads and light off-road duty.

Many cyclists are starting out with these types of bikes. I personally started with a Giant Sedona when I quit driving and started riding everywhere. And while it has been a fantastic bike, after more than a year and over 1,000 miles, I have some issues with the current crop of comfort bikes. Don’t get me wrong, I think any bike that gets people riding is a great one, but I feel that new cyclists may misunderstand them a bit.

First is that big comfy saddle. It looks like it will cushion your bottom mile after mile leaving you feeling fine at the end of a ride. It turns out this is not the case. First is the padding itself. The soft open cell foam becomes compressed over time and provides less and less support as you ride. It eventually compresses to the point where you are pretty much riding on the frame of the saddle and will become very sore. This is not a concern if you ride a few miles here and there, but for a commuter especially, this ends up being quite a sore spot.

The second problem with the saddle is that it encourages poor riding form. The rider will tend to rest their weight on the saddle the entire time. This seems perfectly logical, but will also lead to posterior soreness given enough miles.  Proper riding position means keeping your weight distributed in the saddle, on your legs, and even some on your arms so that not one area is supporting all your weight.  The relaxed positioning and large saddle promote a riding style which is fine for quick trips, but will quickly leave a regular commuter in pain.

Another reason I picked a comfort bike over a road bike was the suspended fork.  Like many others, I live in an area with poorly maintained roads and assumed the suspension on the bike would help with this.  It turns out the extra motion your fork allows simply robs power which could be going to the wheels, without giving much benefit.  Certainly front suspension is important for off-roading where a rider will encounter drops, but what a commuter generally faces pales in comparison to this.  The comfort bike owner ends up paying for a feature they don’t really need.  Any roughness encountered on the streets can be absorbed by riding properly, keeping your arms loose and avoiding what you can.  I’ve found that it’s rare to encounter potholes or other obstacles in a situation where I can’t avoid them.

Comfort bikes certainly fulfill a need.  If you plan to ride occasionally on paths, or commute every once and a while, then I think they are great for that.  If you plan to spend a lot of time in the saddle however, I would advise looking elsewhere.  Comfort bikes combine certain qualities of mountain, road, and cruiser bikes, and the result it one that doesn’t handle one area particularly well.  From my own experience, swapping to a road bike has made my commute much more enjoyable.  The smaller high-pressure tires along with the solid fork and good geometry allow much more of my peddling effort to go to the asphalt.

The right bike is different for different people, but keep the above points in mind when heading to the local bike shop.