Road bike or Hybrid?

[Lakerider]

I have been riding a mountain bike for over a year and have loved it. Now I would like to buy either a road bike or a hybrid. I would love to get recommendations from you ladies.

A little about me -
I bought a mountain bike last year thinking I would just be riding off road. Now I only ride on road - yes on my mountain bike and I'm ready to get a bike made for the road. I know it will make a tremendous difference! I like to take road trips of usually 20 - 50 miles with some rolling hills. I've done one century and plan to do more. I would like to have a light bike because I'll be getting it in and out of my van for rides.

Please give me your opinion on what kind of bike would suit me best, a road bike or a hybrid. I look forward to hearing from you!

[emily_in_nc]

Road bike for sure! If you are already riding a mtb on the road, you are already using it as a hybrid. Now you need a bike that is even lighter and faster for longer distances! There's just not enough difference in a mtb and a hybrid (imo) to justify buying one of each. You could always put 1.5" slick tires on your mtb, and there's your hybrid. If you want something that will really make a difference, go for the roadie!

[Lakerider]

Hmm...
The guy at the bike shop the other day told me definately a hybrid would be better for me. I'm kinda thinking road bike right now. I'd like to hear from someone with a hybrid and what you like about it.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Guys in bike shops often tend to think all women need hybrids because they are not 'serious riders' enough to be on road bikes, or some such cliche. And sometimes it's true, some of their women customers are new hesitant riders who might feel more comfy on hybrids --especially if they do not do long rides.

But if you are always going to be on paved roads and aim to ride over 30 miles at a time- I'd say definitely go for a road bike. Or a touring/road bike. A road bike will feel very odd to you after riding a mtn bike, but you will get used to it quickly. Important to get a frame that fits you to start out though. Go to a bike shop that does thorough fittings of the bikes they sell.

[Cataboo]

Hmm...
The guy at the bike shop the other day told me definately a hybrid would be better for me. I'm kinda thinking road bike right now. I'd like to hear from someone with a hybrid and what you like about it.

Test ride both. There's no comparison... Quite possibly if you get a hybrid bike, you'll just decide in 6 months to a year to buy a road bike.

Lots of people like flat bar road bikes - trek fx series is very popular on here... It's more serious than a hybrid but not full on drop bars like a road bike.

[mayanorange]

Guys in bike shops often tend to think all women need hybrids because they are not 'serious riders' enough to be on road bikes, or some such cliche. And sometimes it's true, some of their women customers are new hesitant riders who might feel more comfy on hybrids --especially if they do not do long rides.

But if you are always going to be on paved roads and aim to ride over 30 miles at a time- I'd say definitely go for a road bike. Or a touring/road bike. A road bike will feel very odd to you after riding a mtn bike, but you will get used to it quickly. Important to get a frame that fits you to start out though. Go to a bike shop that does thorough fittings of the bikes they sell.

+1 Yeap, bike shop guys love to steer us to the hybrids!

And +1 on the fittings!

[Biciclista]

I had two hybrids in a row before I caved and bought a road bike. helped me go faster; it took some to get used to it; but now it's second nature, just like the old hybrids were.

[NbyNW]

I love my road bike, but I sometimes think a hybrid would be great for trips to the grocery or an errand to the University, which is super close to me but I'm afraid to lock my road bike there, even to drop something off for 5-10 minutes.

That said, it sounds like you're looking for a road bike.

[carinapir]

It sounds like you might be more ready to move to a road bike that I was when I was looking for my bike, but here are my thoughts.

I have a hybrid (a 2008 Giant FCR3) and I bought it rather than a road bike because of my budget at the time. Hybrids are generally cheaper than road bikes of similar value, though that might not be the case if you look at the high end hybrids. My FCR3 was $450 and the lowest end Giant road bike with Sora components was $650. If I was going to get a cheap bike, I figured I might as well get a cheap bike. :-) But even so, on my FCR the shifting is better than what I had before and the bike is about 23-25 lbs-ish which is plenty light for the price. I can lift the bike easily and manhandle it into the car or on to a bus bike rack.

I also chose the hybrid because I had not been riding for several years and I wasn't sure how I would handle the unfamiliar riding position, drop bars, and thin tires of a road bike. I had only ridden mountain bikes before. The tires on my hybrid are 32mm rather than the 23mm or 25mm of a road bike. So, I have much thinner tires than a mountain bike but I don’t have to obsess over balancing on very thin tires. This is probably more of a mental hurdle than anything else.

A few months after getting my hybrid I added clipless pedals and bar ends. The bar ends allow me to achieve an aerodynamic position sort of similar to that of a road bike. I can get into a crouched position, tuck my elbows, and increase my speed by a few mph. Then when I'm ready for a road bike, I hope to be more familiar with what I would like the fit to be and how to ride in that position.

So I guess the bottom line for me was that when I bought a road bike I wanted to have the money to buy a higher end road bike (minimum 105 components and carbon fork & seat stays is what I'm currently thinking) and I wanted to be prepared to make use of my investment. A road bike like I would want to get would cost about $1500-$1700. That's a lot of money for me and I didn't want to waste money on a cheap road bike when I could get a less expensive hybrid that I could train on until I had the money for a decent road bike.

Personally, I would recommend at least looking at the Giant hybrids/flat bar road bikes if you end up considering something other than a road bike. Many people like the Trek FX series but I think that the Giant geometry is more road bike and the FX. I could be totally wrong but as I compared the Giant FCR to the FX's (even the 2008s which is what I'm familiar with due to my research) the effective top tubes are longer, the seat/hand angles are bigger, the wheelbase is shorter and so is the chain stay. When I test road the FX I felt scrunched up and I immediately wanted my handlebars further out. It felt closer to being on a cruiser than a road bike. I did test a few road bikes as well so that I could approximate the feel on a hybrid.

So, this is just my experience from the researching and shopping that I did. Hope it helps.

[Lakerider]

Great advice so far. Does anybody else have a comment?

[uforgot]

Yup, I do. How about both? Scour Craigslist for a hybrid you can knock around on for a few miles at a time, get groceries, and buy a new snappy road bike for those long trips. I don't think I'd want to do a century on a hybrid. I love having both.

Let's see, that would make 3 bikes? You have a long way to go to catch up with some of us!

And as always, whatever you decide, we're behind ya! As long as you post pics.

[azfiddle]

I got a Trek hybrid on Craig's list in early July. I realized after about 6 weeks, and increasing my range to 15-25 mile rides that I was working too hard. I'm usually extremely deliberate about spending money, but decided that I wasn't going to find a used, women's road bike that would fit me and forged ahead with getting a new one.

The hybrid was good for shorter trips and doing errands, and I'm afraid to leave the road bike locked up at the store but I really enjoy how the road bike has expanded my range.

Sharon

[aeiea]

Yup, I do. How about both? Scour Craigslist for a hybrid you can knock around on for a few miles at a time, get groceries, and buy a new snappy road bike for those long trips. I don't think I'd want to do a century on a hybrid. I love having both.

Let's see, that would make 3 bikes? You have a long way to go to catch up with some of us!

And as always, whatever you decide, we're behind ya! As long as you post pics.

I like what this poster said.

I was like the OP -- started with mountain bike, found I would be primarily going on the road. I felt so slow on my mountain bike. I just bought a really nice and new road bike (very sick of car commuting), but now it's so nice that I don't feel safe just taking it out for random errands.

If I had to do it all over again, and had more patience, I would get 2 used bikes ... a road bike for long commutes, and a hybrid or cruiser or touring bike for short commutes and groceries.

I'd grab a road bike first though. If you haven't tried road biking it yet... omg... it is such a beautiful difference. Such a lovely speedy ride.

I might still get a used "grocery" bike, and just keep the mountain bike for off-roading. The extra bikes are also great for when guests visit.

[carinapir]

+1 on the different bikes for commuting/errands versus longer rides. I wouldn't want to chain up a nice road bike anywhere. Yikees! If I got a road bike I would still keep my hybrid, so perhaps your consideration might be which kind of bike to buy first.

Just to add a two points, I ride 30-50 miles with no problem on my hybrid. Some actual bike shorts and gloves and I think I could definitely go further. However, I don't think that I would ride a century on my hybrid. So I don't think that a hybrid would necessarily shorten your riding distance, depending on how far you want to go. . . and how fast.

I think that one can get up to decent speeds on a hybrid as well, depending on what you goals are. You'd have to be stronger to keep up with strong roadies but I pass regular roadies all the time (i.e. those who are not clearly racers or in a weekend peloton).

[emily_in_nc]

Lots of good points here. My point was really that Lakerider is already riding her mtb exclusively on the road. She could change its tires to city slicks (1.5") and use that as her hybrid bike if she wants a bike for errands and utility rides. The thinner, slick tires would be faster than what she has now, and quieter for riding on the road (no need for knobbies on the road!) But if she wants to be able to ride faster and longer on something a lot lighter than either a mtb or a hybrid, and if she doesn't have the money or the interest in two (new to her) bikes, then I'd go with the road bike!

[Cataboo]

I'm sort of a have one of each type of person, but not everyone has that budget.

For a century ride, I wouldn't want to do it on anything other than a road bike, because you're working too hard on anything else and road bikes give you so many more hand positions.

I have a flat bike road bike that I use for errands/commuting.. things I don't want to leave my road bike chained up for.

[Lakerider]

I rode 101 one day, on my mountain bike, on the road. I can't wait to find out how different that will feel on a road bike! What can I expect?

[Cataboo]

I rode 101 one day, on my mountain bike, on the road. I can't wait to find out how different that will feel on a road bike! What can I expect?


There was a thread on here last week, it mihgt be in the new rider section, called something like, ohmigod, just tried a road bike.... Where a bunch of people were talking about their first road biking experience or test rides recently. There's actually been 3 or 4 threads like that lately. Stacysue is the author of one, Aeiea is another...


road bikes (unless you're going up hill) are going to seem effortless as compared to your mountain bike...

[Lakerider]

There was a thread on here last week, it mihgt be in the new rider section, called something like, ohmigod, just tried a road bike.... Where a bunch of people were talking about their first road biking experience or test rides recently. There's actually been 3 or 4 threads like that lately. Stacysue is the author of one, Aeiea is another...


road bikes (unless you're going up hill) are going to seem effortless as compared to your mountain bike...

Yes, I read those other threads. Very helpful - Thanks!

Sounds like a road bike will feel like flying! I can't wait! I'm hoping to check out a couple of bike shops later this week.

[Jolt]

I'm sort of a have one of each type of person, but not everyone has that budget.

For a century ride, I wouldn't want to do it on anything other than a road bike, because you're working too hard on anything else and road bikes give you so many more hand positions.

I have a flat bike road bike that I use for errands/commuting.. things I don't want to leave my road bike chained up for.

Definitely not everyone can do the "have one of each"--if you can, great, but if not I think a touring bike is a good all-around bike. I just recently picked one up (used) because I was riding a hybrid and was getting annoyed with the inefficient riding position and resulting slowness but still needed to be able to carry loads when doing errands. It's definitely a step up in terms of efficiency and speed; not a super-fast bike but much nicer to ride around town and get things done. It also isn't "twitchy" like road bikes can be, which makes it nice for riding in traffic where you have to frequently look over your shoulder without swerving. I've found that I like the drop bars better than flat bars now, so don't be scared of that part. Anyway, if you just want to have one bike that does everything you might consider looking for something like that (and you could go for an older one to avoid attracting the wrong kind of attention when you have to lock it up outside).

[Lakerider]

I know many of you ride your bike for errands. Since I live out in the country on a winding narrow road where cars go too fast and I don't want to bike on - I keep my bike in my van and take it places to ride. I always ride where there's not much traffic. (I'm chicken!) I rarely have to lock up my bike - I just put it back in my van and lock it.

I want a bike that will go faster and is lighter than my mountain bike. I'm thinking a road bike would work best for me.

I welcome more comments from you ladies. I value your advice more than what I got from the bike shop guy the other day. Thanks!

[Lakerider]

O.K. I've decided to go for the road bike. What advice do you have about being sure they fit me right? I'm 5'9".

[BalaRoja]

I love the versatility of a good road bike and especially that of drop bars.

Back in the day I had a hybrid and while I went on long rides, it was never as comfortable as a decent road bike.

About fit-size - it really depends on your build. I'm a tiny bit taller than you and find I can fit comfortably on most unisex/men's bikes. That said, I actually have a women's bike.

If you have a long torso/long waist, then a men's bike might be better and vice-versa, short torso/short waist might be a better body type for a women's bike. Usually the top tube on women's bikes is a bit shorter but as with most things, you can mess around with different stems/handlebars to customize the fit for you.

I'd watch the shoulder/upper arm angles you have when trying on bikes - you don't want to be uncomfortably stretched out. Some of it is a matter of flexibility and getting used to riding with drop bars, but in other cases, it just might mean a bad bike fit.

Tell us what you buy :)

[aeiea]

O.K. I've decided to go for the road bike. What advice do you have about being sure they fit me right? I'm 5'9".

Yay I'm so excited for you! It really does feel so different than my mountain bike, which I am sure is very lonely right now. And many LBS people have said that long commutes are better on a road bike, even though I kept asking about a hybrid. I do not regret it one bit -- I was ready for a major change in biking style.

I don't have any fit advice (and I'm sure other posters will have tons) other than go to as many local bike stores as you can and try out the different bikes. You ask for a test drive, they ask for ID/credit card, and you go around the block. Take as much time as you can testing the bike if you feel good about it, and ask the LBS people to make any adjustments (such as to seat height) so you can get a proper fit. The LBS people will (should) tell you what to look out for in terms of comfort and fit, and specifically tell them you are used to a mountain bike so they can let you know the differences and what to watch out for when road bike testing.

It might help to take your own measurements, like inseam, arm length, etc. to see if WSD are right for you.

Bike shopping is so much fun! I ended up with a Bianchi She Ultegra (loved the color and style, good price, friends had good experiences with Bianchi, and it felt good riding it). I looked at the WSDs for (these are brands because I don't remember the details) Trek, Cannondale, Litespeed, Specialized (Ruby I think). I should have given Giant and others a try but by then I was heart set on Bianchi.

[Lakerider]

Thanks for all the advice. I can't wait to go shopping tomorrow!

[uforgot]

I know many of you ride your bike for errands. Since I live out in the country on a winding narrow road where cars go too fast and I don't want to bike on - I keep my bike in my van and take it places to ride. I always ride where there's not much traffic. (I'm chicken!) I rarely have to lock up my bike - I just put it back in my van and lock it.

I want a bike that will go faster and is lighter than my mountain bike. I'm thinking a road bike would work best for me.

I welcome more comments from you ladies. I value your advice more than what I got from the bike shop guy the other day. Thanks!

I have those narrow, no shoulder roads when I get outside of town and you aren't chicken, but smart. Cars take those corners fast and drive crazy on them!

I agree that we want to know how it goes today! Have fun!

[uforgot]

Thanks for all the advice. I can't wait to go shopping tomorrow!

How did the shopping trip go?

[Lakerider]

Thanks again ladies for all your advice! I haven't posted for a few days because I've been so busy playing with my new bike. I love it, love it, love it!:)

Here's a picture of my new bike leaning on a sawhorse by the lake.
10081
By the way, what's up with no kick stand? :confused:
I asked the bike shop guys to put one on and they said they would but they didn't advise it.

I've been out on my new bike twice since I bought it Friday. It's been raining here alot the last few days so I've been very cautious on the wet roads and getting used to the feel of an actual road bike.

My first 2000 miles were on a heavy mountain bike, but mostly on the road. My new bike is so much lighter (18 pounds) and faster. My next 2000 miles will be so much more fun! I'm planning on doing a century next week. My first century was on the mountain bike. With what I've learned since then, I now know that my tires were under-inflated until recently. :eek:
I've learned alot in the past 14 months of being a beginner rider. Thanks to talking to some very helpful guys at the bike shop (not the one I spoke about in a previous post!) and talking to you ladies most of all, I have learned so much. I also realize that I have alot more to learn.

What I do know is I LOVE TO RIDE MY NEW BIKE!!!!!!!:D

[emily_in_nc]

Congratulations on your new bike! I hope you have many happy miles on her!

On kickstands, they add weight, and the vast majority of roadies do not use them. That said, I do have one on my Bike Friday, but it's more of a utility/touring bike, and I added it before a loaded tour where I'd have four panniers on the bike. I didn't want to have to lie it down on those! I left it on afterwards b/c we do a lot of shopping stops and rest stops in rural areas with no place to lean the bike, and we're carrying stuff anyway, so the extra weight of a kickstand is not significant. I didn't have one on my carbon road bike, which I have since sold.

BTW, is that a noseless saddle? I have honestly never known anyone who could use one -- do you like it?

[Lakerider]

BTW, is that a noseless saddle? I have honestly never known anyone who could use one -- do you like it?

It's an "Easy Seat". I love it! I've read reviews from riders who also love it and from riders who tried it and hated it. It does take some getting used to because balancing on the bike feels a bit different. Once I got used to it and got it positioned to suit me it is very comfortable. No pressure whatsoever in the crotch!:)
I had 2 previous seats that were very uncomfortable after several miles.:eek:
I've had the Easy Seat for 3 months and have ridden over 600 miles on it.
Love it, love it, love it!

[aeiea]

Ahhhh I'm so happy for you!!!!!

Yayayayayayay so glad you are enjoying your new bike. I totally feel what you're going through right now. Every free second I get, it's "how much time can I get away with riding my bike before I have to do (whatever errand or job I need to do)"?

I adore the lightness. So used to the heavy mountain bike; loading into my car was something I dreaded. With the road bike, it's more like a quick little toss. So easy.

Interesting about the saddle choice. How did you come to choose it? I've never seen it before! (As you may know, I'm having issues with my saddle). What are the cons?

Yeah... my bike doesn't have a kickstand and i asked the LBS guy, and he said also said no to the kickstand. I'm happy to lean it.

[Tri Girl]

Congrats on your new bike, lakerider!!!! Your Trek is a beauty!! :) :):):):):)

I can't imagine how difficult it was to do your century on your mtn bike (apparently with under inflated tires:eek:).

Enjoy your new ride!

[uforgot]

A century on a mountain bike? I'm thinking with your beautiful Trek you can easily go 200 miles! Oh, you certainly deserve that gorgeous bike! Congrats.

[Zen]

Maybe I missed it with my speed reading but what model is that?

[staceysue]

Still loving your new road bike?

I LOVE mine! Love it, love it, love it, love it! Can't get enough of it!

After finding out how light my bike is, my husband said "Now I see why they don't put kickstands on these things - it'd double the weight!"

[Lakerider]

Interesting about the saddle choice. How did you come to choose it? I've never seen it before! (As you may know, I'm having issues with my saddle). What are the cons?


I was having alot of trouble with my saddles so I did some research online and found the Easy Seat. The only con I had was just getting it adjusted right and getting used to it, which didn't take long. Balancing feels a little different. Compared to my previous discomfort that was easy!

[Lakerider]

Maybe I missed it with my speed reading but what model is that?

It's a Trek Pilot. I bought it slightly used. It had maybe 100 miles on it.

[Yelsel]

Personally, I would recommend at least looking at the Giant hybrids/flat bar road bikes if you end up considering something other than a road bike. Many people like the Trek FX series but I think that the Giant geometry is more road bike and the FX. I could be totally wrong but as I compared the Giant FCR to the FX's (even the 2008s which is what I'm familiar with due to my research) the effective top tubes are longer, the seat/hand angles are bigger, the wheelbase is shorter and so is the chain stay. When I test road the FX I felt scrunched up and I immediately wanted my handlebars further out. It felt closer to being on a cruiser than a road bike. I did test a few road bikes as well so that I could approximate the feel on a hybrid.

So, this is just my experience from the researching and shopping that I did. Hope it helps.

+1 on the Giant flatbars as a more road setup. I consider the Giants to be similar to road flatbars brought out by most manufacturers for those that don't want drop bars, they've just brought them down into the sweet spot price-wise overlapping higher-end hybrids. I've always considered the FX geometry as midway between a typical hybrid and a road bike -- a very sporty hybrid as it were. Not to denigrate the FX line - I have two friends where the FX fit the budget and they love the bikes - this is really the best geometry bike for longer road riding in the $500 range. And it is great for people to have the option of a really nice sporty hybrid configuration at the higher end of the line. People should just know what they're getting is what they want, or something like that.

[Lisa Holman]

Lakerider, do you know the frame size on your new bike?