Transitioning from a hybrid to a road bike - what to expect?

[Phaedra]

I'm shopping around for road bikes and I'll be transitioning from my old hefty, but tried and true, Cannondale hybrid. I would really like to finish a first century ride this summer. My budget is about $1500.

I tried out a ladies Cannondale CAAD10 alumninum frame today, and boy it felt like quite a transition. Mind you I was wearing regular street clothes, and it is an aluminum frame, but I really felt like I could sense every bump and texture in the road on the test ride. Is this pretty typical for the switch to a road bike? The narrow tires and such. The young man helping me related that in this price range this bike with this frame was a great choice before jumping up and spending considerably more. Any thoughts... ?

[Karma007]

I felt like that when I bought mine- a Trek for around $1200. It was a little unnerving at first. It just took some time to get used to the lighter weight and feel.

[Artista]

I just transitioned from an old, steel, hybrid to a steel road bike. The smoothness of the ride on the road bike is similar to the hybrid, except that I feel the bigger bumps with the skinny tires more than I did on the hybrid.

I've read a lot of complaints on this forum about the harshness & road chatter on an aluminum bike. Have you considered looking for a used steel or carbon road bike? Your $1,500 would probably buy a nicer ride if you go used.

[blackhillsbiker]

My Felt road bike has a much smoother ride than my aluminum Kona hybrid. So much so that it seemed really strange at first. It is aluminum with carbon seat stays, fork, etc. I got to ride it on the few nice days we had last month, and it was hard to go back to the commuter when the weather changed!

Deb

[Kiwi Stoker]

My main problem was using the shifters and brakes. In fact I still cannot use them, I have the extra brake levers installed on the top of the bar. Just cannot get used to not being able to get 3 fingers around the brake lever. Also the narrower handlebars make the front wheel seem twitchy- which it wasn't, just coming off a wide flat handlebar plus bar ends.

However I gained 6 km/hr switching to a road bike- could keep up with my friends, and realised it wasn't me.... it was the weight of the bike.

[Roadtrip]

My main problem was using the shifters and brakes. In fact I still cannot use them, I have the extra brake levers installed on the top of the bar. Just cannot get used to not being able to get 3 fingers around the brake lever. Also the narrower handlebars make the front wheel seem twitchy- which it wasn't, just coming off a wide flat handlebar plus bar ends.

However I gained 6 km/hr switching to a road bike- could keep up with my friends, and realised it wasn't me.... it was the weight of the bike.

Have you been fitted for this bike?

It sounds like your either not flexible enough to get the proper extension/reach needed to shift properly (work on core strength), your bikes length may just be too long for you (need seat moved forward/stem adjustments-- etc), or you may need smaller shifters for smaller hands if you don't already have them.

You say the bike is more twitchy, but unsure if you're comparing this to a hybrid, or you had narrower bars installed on your road bike when you had the breaks modified, and that's the comparison.

I did notice my road bike was much more twitchy/responsive compared to my road bike and just something that I'm adjusting to. I'm new to road bikes as well and just bought my first roadie about three weeks ago. On my first ride my foot slipped on the pedal and just a slight shift in weight sent me across the road, about five feet off my line, and I nearly crashed. It was really scary, but I recovered, so I have a new appreciation for the bike and my ability to handle the bike.

One more thought. You said you had break levers installed on the flat portion of the road bars, so I'm wondering if your hand position may also be affecting how twitchy the bike is... the closer to the stem your holding your hands the more small movements/adjustments are going to affect the bike.

Being up on the hoods instead of down in the flat part of the bar will mean better control over the bike. I've also read that, while I'm not comfortable enough to ride down in the drops, it's the most stable place to steer from while descending a hill.

Good luck!!!
Shannon

[Kiwi Stoker]

Yes I had two professional fits on this bike. Turns out I have very short fingers and shimming, moving the shifters etc hasn't helped. I think changing to SRAM or Campy shifters would but cannot afford to do that at the moment, so just put up with it.

The front wheel thing now is fine. Just the inital 1 month on the new bike felt strange. The flat handlebars on my hybrid were very wide, so it took a bit getting used to the correct sized handlebars.

[trista]

I went from a Cannondale hybrid to a road bike last summer. The biggest thing was just getting used to how light it was, especially at high speeds. My road bike is 10+ lbs lighter than the heavy hybrid, and at first it felt like I might blow off the road!

The speed didn't take much getting used to; that was the best part about the switch. I still ride my hybrid when I take the kids in the Burley, and whenever I start riding it, I can feel the heaviness and slowness of the hybrid.

[Catrin]

I went from a Cannondale hybrid to a road bike last summer. The biggest thing was just getting used to how light it was, especially at high speeds. My road bike is 10+ lbs lighter than the heavy hybrid, and at first it felt like I might blow off the road!

The speed didn't take much getting used to; that was the best part about the switch. I still ride my hybrid when I take the kids in the Burley, and whenever I start riding it, I can feel the heaviness and slowness of the hybrid.

Thanks for the comment about how different the weight felt on the road! My Gunnar will be about 15 pounds lighter than my LHT, though both are steel :) My tires will be of similar width though, at least at first, so that should help provide me a feeling of stability.

[linzq]

I *just* bought a road bike, as a transition from a mountain bike... I got the Cannondale CAAD10 with 105, and I adore it!

On my test ride, I could definitely feel every bump, but I loved the zippiness I got when accelerating from zero or even up a hill. It won out for me over some of the more touring-oriented "comfy" road bikes.

And it just felt right :)

I'll keep you briefed on how I do with it outdoors - right now I'm still trainer-only with this wet and snowy weather!

[linzq]

And as soon as I put on my bike shorts, it was 100x more comfortable, even just on the trainer...

[Geonz]

I went from a bulky hybrid... to a fast hybrid. 7500FX. (Now a 7.5 Fx Trek.)

However, you *do* feel more of the bumps! I still go back to my even bulkier hybrid for multi-day rides.

And... if it doesn't feel good riding it, I would not buy it. IMO it's like shoes. If they don't fit now, at least for me... they don't break in, they just break skin. HOWEVER!! If shorts made that much difference... go with your gut -- but NOT with "Okay, I'm supposed to be on a road bike. It's what other people ride."

I LOVE passing roadies on my hybrid :) The tires are skinny, it's light, and if I hunker down it's almost aero. And since I ride Bulky Bikes usually, I take off on it :)

[linzq]

I went from a bulky hybrid... to a fast hybrid. 7500FX. (Now a 7.5 Fx Trek.)

However, you *do* feel more of the bumps! I still go back to my even bulkier hybrid for multi-day rides.

And... if it doesn't feel good riding it, I would not buy it. IMO it's like shoes. If they don't fit now, at least for me... they don't break in, they just break skin. HOWEVER!! If shorts made that much difference... go with your gut -- but NOT with "Okay, I'm supposed to be on a road bike. It's what other people ride."

I LOVE passing roadies on my hybrid :) The tires are skinny, it's light, and if I hunker down it's almost aero. And since I ride Bulky Bikes usually, I take off on it :)

I absolutely agree. I think you just know when a bike is right for you - that's how I felt when I got mine, and what you should be looking for.

Do you have the option to test ride a few different bikes?

[Phaedra]

Thanks for the tips. I've decided not to rush and to keep test riding at least 5-8 more bikes, so I feel confidant in my choice - to sort of figure out what is a natural difference versus what is not the right fit.

Thanks for all the feedback. It's nice to hear from others who have made this transition.