Would a touring bike be better for my purposes?

I currently ride a hybrid (mid 1990s Giant Nutra), which works well enough for my predominantly utility riding but I do get frustrated at how slow I am on it--I just don't feel particularly efficient because of the riding position and the weight of the bike. Also, I sometimes haul decent-sized loads (groceries etc.) and the only rack I can use on this bike is a seatpost-mounted one that significantly affects the handling in a bad way when it's loaded. Then I was trying (not successfully) to help my roommate find a bike on Craigslist and saw a couple of very nice touring bikes for sale at excellent prices, and got to wondering whether I should look into getting one at some point (unfortunately the ones I saw on Craigslist were almost definitely too big for me). Would there be a significant difference as far as efficiency in riding around town and carrying stuff with a touring bike as opposed to the hybrid?

I'm not terribly familiar with the bike you have, but I would generally say yes. I love my touring bike, though:)

I have a Trek 520 (drop bars). I've done long-ish rides on it, have carried 3 extra large pizzas (plus 2 panniers of food underneath), lots of grocery loads, cat litter, cat food, etc, etc. It take it all in stride. I'm slow on it, but not really any slower than I am on other bikes (it's definitely the rider, not the bike!). I even have a generator hub on it.

I don't know how much your bike weights, but tourers are not light. I think mine is right at 30 lbs. But, the position is good, the bike just seems to want to roll - and I usually go faster on it than my Surly Cross Check (which is a couple of pounds lighter and set up as a road bike).

Let me know if I can answer more specific q's:)

CA

You might be happier with a touring bike. They are faster, for the most part; and they are meant to handle loads, often quite big ones.

I have a Surly Cross Check like CA-in-NC (a cyclocross geometry bike, not a tourer, but similar) with braze-ons for a rear rack. I've done Costco runs with both panniers loaded to the gills and just been amazed at how well it handles. I always ride with at least one pannier (it's my utility bike).

If you can try some touring and cyclocross bikes at a friendly shop you might learn what kind of geometry your body likes best. (Mine seems happiest with cyclocross and "sport-touring") My shop let me take some out for up to half an hour, which I feel really helped me learn what suits me. Explain to the shop what you find lacking in your current bike. They'll probably have some good ideas, and may even know how you can modify your current bike to make it suit your needs better. (there are clamps you can use if you don't have braze-ons for a rear rack, for example, or switching the bars or tires)

The Nutra isn't a bad bike, but you might like something else better. The Cross Checks that CA and I have are steel, as is the Trek 520. If the steel frame of the Nutra really bothers you, be sure to try some of the aluminum frames out there. But be warned that most loaded touring bikes are going to be steel because it is so sturdy and forgiving under load.

Some touring bikes you meet at the shop will have 26 inch wheels and might be wearing some mighty juicy tires. If a bike feels sluggish, ask the shop folks if it might be the tires. Tires can make a huge difference in how a bike feels. I loved my Cross Check right away, but once I bought her I immediately switched to smoother and narrower tires.

ETA: Take a look at these cuties: Surly Cross Check http://surlybikes.com/crosscheck_comp.html Surly Long Haul Trucker http://surlybikes.com/lht_comp.html Trek 520 http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/road/520/520/ Jamis Aurora http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebik...rora_spec.html Kona Sutra http://www.konaworld.com/09_sutra_u.cfm Kona Dew Drop (this one is aluminum and a lot cheaper) http://www.konaworld.com/09_dewdrop_en.cfm

Thanks for the tips. I most definitely would not be buying new at this point but keeping an eye out on Craigslist etc. since I have a bike that is decent enough and therefore am in no hurry (besides I'm still a student etc.). As far as the frame material, steel is no problem (and really is probably the best overall material anyway as far as comfort and durability)--really, it's probably more the riding position than the weight of the bike that is the issue. Maybe I should go into the LBS and see if there's anything simple I can do to improve that on my current bike. I probably should have mentioned that I am about 5'2" with a 30-inch inseam, so the 26" wheels on some bikes would if anything probably be a good thing in my case.

Jolt, you should head over to Quad Cycles in Arlington; that's where I got my Jamis. They are very friendly and not just geared for "racers," as is the shop where I got my road bike. Even if it's just to get ideas and try things on for size, you might find a Jamis that suits your needs. Although my Coda is not a touring bike, I have a pannier on it and ride it with the bag fairly stuffed. Not grocery store heavy, but still heavy. I do go much slower on this bike, but it is perfect for around town riding.

I have a Surly LHT and I like it. For speed, it is the speed of the engine. For me as a beginner and a bit too much weight on my body, that means slow for now.

But it is great for carrying loads. You can easily install rear and front racks.

The other option for your hybrid for carrying things is to look for a used trailer. If I did not want to buy another bike and just wanted to carry loads, that is what I would do.

-Sue

I've ridden my Aurora downtown and it was great. I felt like it was "zippy".

I may have found a possibility...I looked at the website of the place where I bought the hybrid (there's this guy in RI who gets bikes from yard sales, thrift stores and people who just want to get rid of them, fixes them up and sells them) and found an advertisement for a "nice small Raleigh touring bike" that he says will fit "5'6" and shorter". So, I emailed him with my height/inseam to find out if it might fit and got a reply saying that he isn't too happy with the braking on that bike, needs to do some work before selling it and "really should pull it from the website but it hasn't been getting much interest" but that he thinks it would indeed fit and he plans to work on it this week. Sounds like it has potential once the brakes are fixed, although it appears to have downtube shifters which might be tricky for someone used to trigger shifting on the hybrid and it also has only a double chainring (maybe I could get him to swap that for a triple if he has the parts lying around). We'll see what happens...

ETA: I did some looking around online and it looks like this bike is probably the mid-80s "Portage" though I can't tell for sure from the low-resolution photo. Apparently that bike uses "650b" wheels--anyone know anything about those? Here's a link to the website that has the photo: http://siestabikes.com/bikes.php?page=2 It definitely looks like the bike has smaller-than-standard wheels given that it is a small frame yet actually looks in-proportion.