Help me decide whether to take this used roadbike?

Hi, all! I'm relatively new to the forum--been lurking a while, but I haven't posted yet. I've been getting back into biking this spring after several years away. Since late March I've been doing my 4.5 mile (each way) commute by bike, using my Trek 7100 hybrid which I have tricked out with fenders, a rack and panniers. I love my hybrid for the commute, but I'm starting to get interested in longer rides and I'd like a road bike for the longer rides.

I was planning to save up and get a brand new road bike in a couple of months, but this past weekend one of my nearby LBSs was having a used bike event, so I checked that out and ended up buying an old Raleigh Gran Sport, probably from the early 80s (it looks different from the late 70s pictures I found online, and says "Made in Japan"). I have a couple of days left that I can still return the bike if I decide it's not for me, so I'm riding it a lot and trying to make my final decision.

I like the fit well enough, I think, but I've never had a road bike and I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. The part that seems weird and just really confuses me is this: when I'm biking along on it my legs feel fine and strong, not really working hard at all even going up hill, but my lungs are pumping like a bellows and I'm short of breath. Can anyone explain why that would be? Is it just a general difference between a hybrid's more upright posture and the road bike's more bent-over posture, or does the position make my belly fat get in the way of taking deep breaths? Or is this a bad sign and another bike would be better?

Thanks for any advice and tips you can give!

I have no idea what you paid for the bike vs. what components are on it.

But if you're huffing & puffing going up a hill, but your legs are fine - it means your legs are stronger than your aerobic fitness.

My legs never actually get tired on hills - but cardiovascularly/aerobically - I need to get in shape. Now, if i don't push myself, I can get up the hills with a lot less huffing & puffing.

The road bike is probably allowing you to work yourself a little bit harder than the hybrid was...

Oh, nice bike! I found a Raleigh Gran Sport at my local flea market for $10. Can you believe it? It was just too big, I couldn't make it fit, so I sold it. Over $300 for it. The one I found was from the 60s, so you need to post pics! I love those old bikes and I want to see it.

As far as huffing and puffing, it's probably like Catriona said. Something else, though, I was reading a thread about exercise induced asthma. I knew my aerobic fitness was okay, but that huffing and puffing has been a lifelong battle with running. My doc prescribed an inhaler and it's like a miracle!

Don't forget, I wanna see it.:D

Thanks! The thing is, though, on my hybrid I can push hard enough that my legs feel tired before I feel out of breath at all. That's why it does seem to be something related to this bike and I don't understand what--would a road bike be working my lungs harder than my hybrid does? Maybe I should ride them both today one after the other and compare again, rather than just riding the new one while I'm deciding.

As far as price and components, it's $300 and the components appear to be Raleigh brand, as that's the only label I could find on them (the rear derailleur even says "Raleigh" right on it). That makes me suspect the bike may be overpriced component-wise, but if the bike works well for me I'm not sure how much that should matter. Thoughts would be welcome on that as well.

Edit: OK, there's something in each of your replies that I missed! Sorry, just woke up. :-) Replying to those now:

Catriona: I see your last line now, suggesting that the road bike is letting me work myself harder. That could well be, and that would answer my first paragraph in this reply!

uforgot: I'll Google exercise induced asthma later today. I don't think that's the case for me as I was able to go running last year without breathing harder than I expected, but that will tell me whether it's something that could have started since then. I can post pics later, but now I'm running to get to work!

Since uforgot sold her raleigh for $300, you're probably paying what it's worth. It's one of those vintage classic bikes, and its value is dependent on what people are willing to pay for it... So it's hard to say whether or not it's worth it, that's dependent on you.

Your hybrid probably isn't geared as easily, it's heavier, it's got bigger tires with more rolling resistance, so it takes more work to get it moving than the raleigh - so you're running into your legs being the problem before your aerobic fitness is the problem. The raleigh is probably comparatively very easy to move in than the hybrid.

My surly's got 700x28 tires on it, I've got it set up as a flat bar & with the commuting rack, fenders, etc., it ends up being probably about 25 lbs. My legs get tired moving that far before I get out of breath. My road bikes, my legs never get tired, but I have & puff up hills.

Catriona, thanks for giving those examples! That makes sense to me now, and sets my mind at rest.

I noticed this morning there's one other thing I need to evaluate about this bike, and I don't think it's anything anyone else can help me with. Getting on this bike feels more like a chore than like something I do for fun. Gotta try to decide whether I just need to get used to it or not.* But you've all helped me decide that in all other ways it's a fine bike for me!

*Because like they say, the most expensive bike is the one you let sit in the garage because you don't like riding it.

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Originally Posted by millefolia

I noticed this morning there's one other thing I need to evaluate about this bike, and I don't think it's anything anyone else can help me with. Getting on this bike feels more like a chore than like something I do for fun. Gotta try to decide whether I just need to get used to it or not.* But you've all helped me decide that in all other ways it's a fine bike for me!

*Because like they say, the most expensive bike is the one you let sit in the garage because you don't like riding it.

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Go out and test ride a few new road bikes at a bike shop. Just to get a feel for whether you want vintage steel in the long run or something newer - and whether how the bike feels/rides is part of it feeling like a chore.

please go out and try a new road bike. if you have to, go to a different bike shop.

I was able to wear myself out faster on my new road bike too, but it was because I was going faster. It never felt like a chore to get onto the bike though! (that's a bad sign)

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

I was able to wear myself out faster on my new road bike too, but it was because I was going faster. It never felt like a chore to get onto the bike though! (that's a bad sign)

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I agree with Biciclista. Sometimes it feels like a chore to get on the commuter with 30lbs of books on my back in the pouring rain, but it's never a chore to get on my "fun" bike and the "fun" bike causes me O so much more pain (the good kind, but still).

If you have to force yourself to get on it, do go try some different bikes while you still have the opportunity to return it

In addition to what others have said, the out of breath feeling could be due to bike setup as well. The more aggressive positioning on a drop bar roadbike can make it harder to fully inflate your lungs. It may be something you just need to get used to and be aware of, or you may have too much saddle to bar drop for your current level (this is generally not hard to fix if you have some steerer left or can put a more angled stem on). Just one more reason why you may be more out of breath on the new bike.

Catriona, Biciclista, MartianDestiny: OK, OK, I'll go try some more road bikes tonight! :-) I'm lucky enough to have lots of good local bike shops, so I'll hit as many as I have time for before they start closing tonight. (Thursday is my last day to return this one if necessary, so I aim to have a decision made by tomorrow night.)

Re it feeling like a chore: I think a big part of it is that mounting and dismounting is harder than on my hybrid--the seat is higher relative to the ground, though the same height relative to my feet on the pedals. That's why I say it might be something I'd get used to. But as you'd expect, I want to be sure!

Thank you all again for your suggestions.

A pic as requested! The seat is not original, I added it last night to make sure that any discomfort was from the bike, not the seat. This one is a Selle Lookin; I've used Selle's Ergogel and Respiro saddles in the past and like them a lot, so I thought I'd give the Lookin a try.

Side note: Since I haven't been on this forum long, I'm not sure what the etiquette is here regarding images. Is this one too big, or anything?

Oooh. It's a mixte!

you'll maybe have to put it in the show us your mixte thread.

Your saddle's maybe a teensy bit above your handlebars which might cant you forward a bit... but it shouldn't be too bad.

Catriona, I didn't know that about saddle vs. handlebar position, thanks! They did raise the handlebars as far as they could at the store, I'd have to buy a different stem to raise them any further.

I'd never heard of mixtes until Saturday. The bike I tried right before this one was another mixte and since I liked that one but wasn't sure, they showed me this one too and I liked it better. But now that I know what they are, I know that my oldest bike is also a mixte--it's a John Deere from the few years in the middle of the 70s when John Deere was making bikes in addition to tractors. Five-speed, very comfortable for short fun rides but not so good for longer or hillier rides (I want more gears!). It's a cute bike and I'd love to post pics of it, I'll see if I have any here or if I'll have to wait til I get home. And if I keep this one I'll post it there too. :-)

You're right that it's an 80s Raleigh. The made in Japan ones do not have the resale value or quality of the 60s/ 70s made in England Reynolds steel Raleighs. I wouldn't pay over $150-200 for that bike and would expect $100-120 as a sweet deal (they are findable). Maybe if someone had upgraded the components would it be worth $300, but I really think that's a bit much. She's very cute tho, so see what you can do about bartering that price down.

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Originally Posted by mayanorange

Maybe if someone had upgraded the components would it be worth $300, but I really think that's a bit much.

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WAY too much. Half that price, yes but there are decent new bikes to be had for five or six hundred dollars.

I went to a new bike shop this evening and tried two women-specific road bikes. Big difference in mounting/dismounting--on the ones designed for women, it was much easier than on this one. I was finally the right distance from the ground, while still being the right distance from the pedals! And that's something that I don't thing there's any way to fix on the bike in question. So this evening I returned the Raleigh.

I'm back to my original plan of waiting a few months, saving up some more money, and buying a new (i.e. not used) road bike then. I'm far from bikeless til then, just no road bike. And I'll keep browsing used bikes in the mean time and see if any others jump out at me. I'm still not sure whether I like aluminum or steel better, but I'm almost certain I want a women-specific design.

Thanks again for everyone who commented and helped me with this! It really made a difference.

I'm glad the test riding helped you out!

Watch your local craigslist, sometimes good deals on used bikes come up.

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I'm glad the test riding helped you out!

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Me too! :-)

I was checking Craigslist this afternoon, in fact. There's nothing on there right now that I'm interested in, but I'll keep an eye on it off and on.

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Originally Posted by Catriona

I'm glad the test riding helped you out!

Watch your local craigslist, sometimes good deals on used bikes come up.

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Definitely keep an eye on craigslist! I got my road bike on there which is mostly Ultegra with a few 105 components thrown in for $600. The bike new would have been around $1700-$1800 and way out of my price range!