types of bikes

Hi, I'm a rider who will be 50 in a few days, biked a lot as a kid to go to school friends etc. Last year and a half have been back to cycling for fun, sometimes commuting to work. I had won a Raleigh mountain bike, and all my riding on it. Replaced the saddle with one that was more comfy. I did my first century ride in July in Prince edward County in southern ontario. I think I am still recovering. since that time I have been told by lots of people that a road bike would have been a better choice. I do very little off road biking, mostly all highway or bike path. I am 5'2" 130 lbs. I like the comfort of the handlebar position on the mountain bike, can someone suggest bikes that are road, with this type of bar, or can I just put smooth tires on the mountain bike? As my questions indicate, i don't know a lot about all this. I love to bike, do 25 miles a day commuting to work, and usually do a 25-30 mile ride for fun on weekends.any suggestions would be greatly appreciated:confused: Paintgirl

Hi Paint girl

way to go on the century ride. My suggestion is to either buy a rode bike or a mountain bike. Every person i know who has purchased a hybrid has been unhappy with it.

Since you like the position of the mountain bike, i would suggest buying a very light mountain bike and put slick tires on it. This will make road riding a lot easier (plus you have the added bonus of perhaps trying mountain biking in the future).

good luck and happy riding

Han

Hi there!!
great job on the century.
Wanted to let you know that I own a Giant Cypress. . . it's a great hybrid bike. I bike to and from work everyday with it (about a 25 mile round trip). It's got a cush seat, mustache handle bars, fenders-
good luck with whatever you decide
blessings

My sister has a comfort / hybrid bike (Trek) and is very happy with it. We just returned from a cross-state ride of approx 370 miles, and she's still happy with it! < she does not do any mountain / off-road riding either - just the bike paths, some commuting, etc >

I currently have a mountain bike (Raleigh M60) that I put slick tires on for road riding (I do switch out the tires for some off-road trails, though). It has served me well on two cross-state rides (470+ and 370+ miles) but I will definitely be looking for a road bike in the next year or two... < just can't quite keep up to the roadies! ;) >

Hi, PaintGirl-
I have a hybrid and a road bike. I love them both but for different kinds of riding. I feel that nothing takes the road and gives quite the same feel on the road like a road bike. My hybrid, however, is a kinder, gentler bike that is easier to ride and great on bike trails. I'm amazed that you did a century on a mountain bike...you must be a strong rider. lb satterly

Thanks for the replies on what type of bike I should be looking at. i think I am going to try changing the tires to slicks, and a few other little changes, try it this way for a while, checking out other bikes in the meantime. We are getting into cooler weather here in northern ontario, and the biking is great. 70 degrees in daytime, a lot cooler at night. I am not a lover of the 85-90 degree stuff. Enough hot flashes of my own to keep warm. Thanks again Lori