More Road v Touring qus

I've followed some of the top links describing touring v. road bikes, and I'm still not quite sure that I get it.

I ride on roads exclusively, participate in a local bike club & do event rides. I loved my first bike - was very attached to it but found that it really didn't fit me. At the fitting mid summer 06, I was 'upgraded' to DH's bike, and he (poor thing) had to shop for a new one. I'm now on a 2 year old Tirreno 1000(?) - and am told that it has "very agressive geometry." While that bike Fits me, it doesn't. I've never felt that comfortable on the bike, and this year I've really been dragging my feet about getting back into consistent riding.

I am very prone to tendonitis, particularly in my wrists - and on this bike I feel like a lot of my weight is supported by my arms. I may have finally found the right saddle & position to help the rear, but my sit bones still don't quite know where to land.

I want to eventually start shopping for a bike for me. But, I don't know what I should even be looking for. My personal goal is to move up from the B17 group, would like to be able to hang w/ the A20s for more than 10 miles.

I think that a touring bike is associated w/ more comfort... but isn't so heavy that it'd be silly to bring to a group ride. I don't know if a different geometry on a road bike would be enough of a change?

I'm not sure what else to ask at this point ~ appreciate any tips & pointers you could provide!

Whether you are on a road bike or a touring bike, you would get fit so the saddle, handlebars, and pedals were right in relation to your body. Though "right" may be somewhat different depending on your purpose in riding. A touring bike differs from a road bike mainly because it is built to be stable and easy to handle while carrying a load. A touring bike will have a longer wheelbase, longer chainstays, and more fork rake so that the weight of panniers will be properly supported over or between the wheels. Putting panniers on a short-wheelbase bike would make for unstable handling. The touring bike will also accept wider tires and possibly fenders. The secondary effects of the long wheelbase are more shock-absorption and a cushier but less lively ride.

If you don't plan to do loaded touring, then what you probably want is a road bike that fits you well. The more aggressive road bikes will have steeper angles and be more suited to racing. If you are looking to average 20 mph, then you want a bike that is meant to go fast but still make you comfortable. There is a big range here and only by test riding can you determine how you want to balance speed, comfort, and shock absorption and what fits and works well for your body. If you are planning on century rides, then you might edge more towards comfort and shock absorption. If you tend more towards shorter rides, you might edge more towards an aggressive geometry. But in any case, the user interface (seat, bars, pedals) have to fit you properly.

Another thing to consider is whether the handlebars and saddle can be adjusted to be relatively the same height- some touring bikes have that feature. Bars way lower than saddle is sort of a racing position thing which has now become almost ubiquitous in road bikes.
Many road bikes can only take skinny tires that will get flats on gravel and dirt roads (or potholes!) so you need to consider where you want to ride. Touring bikes do tend to be made to take various width tires and can easily be ridden on rough surfaces.
One needs to weigh one's desire for speed vs. distance and come up with a good "fit" for their needs.

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Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.

One needs to weigh one's desire for speed vs. distance and come up with a good "fit" for their needs.

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I'm looking for both ~ I get frustrated if I'm not maintaining a good clip. (Same w/ walking, actually! heh) I'd love for century rides to be the goal, instead of the strech goal / once per summer event. Our shortest rides would be 25-30 miles, and do not anticipate being the pack mule - if it doesn't fit in pockets or saddle bags, then no go. Again, road only...

so, I'm looking for MY road bike?

Sounds like you do want a road bike over a touring bike, but a road bike built for more comfortable distance riding than racing. In fact if you are not so tall it may be even be quite difficult to find a touring style bike that fits, as they have a tendency to be longer in the top tube than road geometry bikes. Have you ever looked into the Trek Pilot series? They are built to be ridden a little less aggresively - a little more upright, but not as upright as a hybrid, they are still road bikes. They come in several materials - carbon or aluminum/carbon. There are a good many women on this forum who have and love them. If you are taller maybe check out the Specialized Roubaix - they are supposedly built for comfort over longer, bumpier rides. The Ruby is a women's version of this one.

Also working on your core strength can help. The more your core holds you up on the bike the less pressure your wrists and arms are going to take. Of course if you are too stretched out no amount of core strength will help so make sure your eventual bike is a good fit.