Performance Boost?

[Dfrank7262]

I started riding earlier this year and am riding a Trek hybrid. Usually ride five days a week, and average 12-13 MPH on 20 mi rides. Anyway, my friends are encouraging me to upgrade to a road bike, sooner rather than later. Reason being they say is climbing ability will be better and overall performance will increase. True? False? What kind of performance boost would be expected? Thanks!

[Dogmama]

The definitive answer: It depends

If the new road bike is lighter, fits you well and has gearing that you're comfortable with then your climbing, etc., should improve. If you buy a cheapo road bike that weighs more than your hybrid, doesn't fit and gearing that you're uncomfortable with - obviously - no improvement.

As a rule of thumb, however, a road bike will put you in a more aerodynamic position (leaning over) and that can improve speed. On the minus side, it can be uncomfortable if (1) it doesn't fit well or (2) you have issues with neck, hands, shoulders, etc.

A road bike should be lighter than your hybrid. That can increase performance.

You would probably want to go to a good local bike shop, tell them what you are looking for, your price range and test out many different bikes. One size does not fit all.

[kajero]

Just a comment: I finally decided I will never be as fast as anyone else. So now I go my own speed and enjoy the scenery.

I own a Specialized Carbon Ruby Elite Road Bike. The beginning of September I purchased a Trek FX 7.6 WSD hybrid. Guess what? I haven't seen much difference in my MPH between the bikes. The MPH seems to always be within 1.5 mile of each other. Of course, I use them for entirely different types of riding, so maybe I am not comparing apples to apples.

I can ride a lot longer on the Ruby Road bike and it is much easier to ride. I don't get nearly as tired on the Road bike either. My shoulders, back and knees hurt when I ride the hybrid too long, so it's only used for short trips to the store and library.

I think wearing clipless shoes would increase my mileage.

I guess you just have to figure out what you want, where and how you are going to ride, and just go with it.

[Dfrank7262]

Thanks for the input. I already know that I'll never be super fast; too old and heavy for that. I'd like to be able to do longer rides more comfortably and, eventually, maybe a century. I'm lucky that I've got two LBS near me that I like, so I can try a good variety of bikes. Guess I should begin the search.

[Owlie]

Speed and climbing ability depend on you more than on the type of bike that you ride.

That said, I have an old, rigid-fork mountain bike that I built up as a hybrid, a road bike, and a cyclocross bike (road bike with wider, knobbly tires). I'm definitely faster on my road bike than on either of my two other bikes. The more aerodynamic position on the roadie and cyclocross bike is much more comfortable for my back (I prefer to stretch out), and the drop bars mean I have a variety of hand positions available for longer rides so my wrists won't hurt. The road bike is less effort to ride. It was a relatively inexpensive bike and doesn't quite fit right (it's close), but it's fairly light. I can't really climb hills very well, but that's more a function of ME and my conditioning. It certainly has climbing gears.

One thing you might notice is that climbing on a road bike might initially be harder. That's because hybrids are typically geared lower, so you can be in the same "numerical" gear (say, 1 up front, 4 in back) and it'll be harder on the road bike than on the hybrid. Again, that's mostly a matter of getting used to the bike.

Go to your LBS, tell them what you're looking for, and your budget. Test out a bunch. If you're looking to do longer rides, look at the more "relaxed" or "endurance" road bikes: Fuji's Sportif line (I hear they have a new one with disc brakes! Fancy!), Giant's Avail or Defy line, Cannondale's Synapse, and the Secteur/Dolce or Ruby/Tarmac from Specialized. The Jamis Satellite or Quest are also very nice bikes. Try both women's and unisex. But, don't be afraid to try the more "aggressive" bikes too.

Oh, and have fun! This isn't supposed to be a chore!

[lph]

It also depends on the terrain you ride. If you ride a lot of hills or rolling terrain, you will definitely notice that a lighter bike is less effort to haul uphill, but the change in body position may not make that much of a difference. If you ride flat terrain at a good clip, body position makes a big difference.