First time on a bike in 20 years and I did 15 miles!

I rented a bike for a couple hours from a local bike shop next to a trail. At first I was all kinds of wobbly and nervous but within minutes I was pedaling. Pretty soon I could get some speed and then I practiced going around curves in a windy parking lot. I got back on the trail and just went with it. Loved it! I've never been on a trail (I was last on a bike when I was 9 and riding around our neighborhood) - this trail at points looked like a screensaver! It was gorgeous. I had a great time.

I still need to decide what kind of bike to buy. I liked what I was on today, a Cannondale flat-bar road bike with a 15" frame and 700c wheels. I am 5'2" and fit was a big concern. I did feel like my knees were coming over my toes, so maybe I need to look for something where the handlebar is closer to me or move the seat back, although then I wouldn't have been able to reach. Should I rent a hybrid next time? Will that really change how fast I can go? I got some great speed today! It was fun.

I also need to wear sunglasses next time. I was lucky that it was only at the very end of the ride that something flew into my eye, but I was waiting for it the whole time.

I don't have bike advice for you but I just want to say that I'm so impressed that you were able to do 15 miles on day 1. Congrats and welcome! I'm sure others will chime in with great bike advice, but I'm a newbie as well and just soaking up info on this board.

Welcome to TE! 15 miles?! Holy cow. My first ride was probably 2 miles...

Anyway, to answer your questions...There's sort of a continuum between flat-bar road bikes and hybrids. There are some that are essentially a road bike frame with flat handle bars, and there are some that fall closer to the mountain-bike end of the spectrum. Trek has the FX series, which actually seems to encompass a lot of that spectrum, depending on which particular model you look at.

Get what fits you. Test out a whole bunch of bikes. The rental program that the shop offers is nice because you can take it out on a longer ride. Once you've found something that feels good, you can have it properly fitted to you when you buy.

As for speed, well, you have options, even if you get something that's more "hybrid" and less "flat bar road bike", like changing the tires out for slicks. Riding more and pushing yourself will probably make for more speed, more so that whatever you're riding. Just my guess, though. ;)

Edit: Depending on your proportions (short torso? long femurs?), Cannondale may not be the best company to go with. IME, they tend to have longer top tubes. Take a look at Specialized.

congrats and welcome to TE!!

Welcome! I recently rediscovered the joys of biking as well. Good luck on your bike hunt! Lots of decisions to make...

Well I'm on my third bike in about 5 years: started with a comfort (slow, not comfortable, but got me falling in love with biking), moved up to a Trek FX5 (mine probably was a bit too big, but a great bike. I added bar ends to give me more positions on the handle bars, put fenders on in the winter. Changed to narrower tires (25s) and picked up a couple miles per hour. I will probably keep it for ever. I've ridden 70 miles on it and its got the triple chain ring and low gearing, so its a great climber (important because I'm not). Its a great bike, but ....... I wanted more, I wanted faster, longer rides. So, I moved up to a Specialized Ruby. Ruby Sue is wonderful. She fits me very well (Specialized sales people must have the most training when it comes to fitting you to a bike).
And I am really more comfortable for long rides. I'm not a whole lot faster than I am on the Trek now that I have narrower tires on it, but a mile or two per hour. Oh, and Ruby Sue is beautiful.:) That never hurts!

The fact that you rode 15 miles on your first (Your Rock by the Way) makes me think that you have much longer rides in your future and you may be road bike material right from the get go. They really are zippier, more comfortable and more responsive (at least in my incredibly inexperienced case). They look
hard to ride, but really are not at all. If I can ride one, anyone can!

But try a few styles out before you buy. What works for some, might not be what feels best for you.

Oh, and everything I've learned about biking, I learned right here. These ladies are awesome. Welcome to TE and have fun shopping!

Congratulations on your first ride back in the saddle! 15 miles is impressive. Bike fit is paramount in relation to both function and comfort, so don't try to "guess" what you need. Do a little research, have your pubic bone height, arms and torso measured (some bike shops can do this or you could do an online search). Some people have short legs with long arms, or vice versa or other combinations, so the usual stand over height measurement is not accurate-only a rough guideline.

Wow! 15 miles is great! I have to echo the other ladies sentiments, I know very little about biking, but I have picked up so much from the ladies here. They are great and don't seem to mind us newbies "picking their brain".

WooHoo! Congratulations on a great first ride! :)

No doubt there will be many more. :)

Welcome! Glad your here and riding again.

Warning-- it's addictive!!

Shannon

OP here - thank you all so much for the encouragement! All day yesterday I kept asking my fiance when we could ride bikes together. Every time he asked what I wanted to do I said 'ride a bike!' I can't get over how wonderful riding felt (although not on my nether regions, but just in general!) I've been super smiley ever since I tried it.

I'm in a different city this weekend and hoping I can find somewhere FI and I can find a rental place.

Oh and thanks for the advice on measurements. I really want to get a proper fit when I'm ready to buy.