Am I ready for a road bike?

[jyyanks]

I've been posting since September and am a newbie when it comes to biking. I currently have a folding bike and absolutely love it. I also have a beater bike that I bought on CL that I'm using on rollers (I am terrible and keep falling which is why my beater bike works) but I was looking to upgrade to a full size bike in the Spring. I thought I wanted a hybrid and was seriously interested in the Jamis Coda. In fact, I was waiting until Black Friday to see if there would be sales.

Today I went to the LBS who sells Jamis but they were closed. Since I had time on my hands, I ended up going to the other LBS in hopes of trying out a Specialized Vita or some other comparable hybrid. My salesperson (bought my folder from him) started talking to me about my biking style (recreational rider, mostly paved trails). He was shocked when I mentioned the rollers since I've only been biking since the summer. He even had ride on the rollers in the store (I was terrible) to see my form and give me some pointers.

Long story short, he brought out 2 bikes - a Vita and a Ruby. I have to admit the Ruby felt nice....real nice but I don't think I'm ready for a road bike. For goodness sake, I didn't even know how to use the shifters! Anyway, the LBS said that he could sell me a hybrid but he thinks I'll be back in a year or even less looking to upgrade. He said that he can see I like to ride, and with practice on the trainer, I'll outgrow a hybrid. He suggested that I should maybe wait a bit, save more money and then take the plunge and buy a roadie.

I'm so unsure. I don't really spend a lot of money on myself and $2k is a lot to drop on a bike when I mostly ride paved trails a couple of times a week (have a family and work full time in a demanding job so hard to ride more often). But, I do think that I might as well buy the best thing I can afford now, rather than buy an interim bike that I'm going to end up upgrading anyway. I'm hopeful that I can find more time to ride, especially as my kids get older.

What do you think? Buy a hybrid or save and get a road bike. If I go road, I'm going carbon or steel. Thanks in advance for any help/insight you can provide.

[Koronin]

Another option would be to see if you can find a used bike in your size. Just a thought.

[jyyanks]

Thanks Koronin - it's hard to find my size because I'm petite (5'0) but I can start looking on CL. I just am not quite sure what I'm looking for in terms of components.

[Veronica]

What does "being ready" for a road bike mean? Do you want a road bike? Will it make you ride more or make you ride less? If you can afford it and it enhances your enjoyment - get it. That's really the only thing that matters.

Veronica

[Gypsy]

And you don't need a Ruby to start off with. You can start with another one of Specialized's bikes that are NOT $2K!

I just purchased a Dolce Sport and it's a great bike and it was less than $1000 with discount.

So, first of all, there are other options than dropping so much money on a road bike you might not like later.

Secondly, I was given a mountain bike that didn't fit me, but I like bicycling, so I went ahead and purchased a hybrid (relatively new) on CL. It's a good bike, but after a year of using it, I knew I wanted a road bike (and hence my Dolce now).

For me, it was fine to keep the hybrid because I'll add a basket and maybe some panniers so I can use it to run errands.

In this case, I would go for a more "entry level" road bike or a hybrid with thinner tires (so you can go faster!).

Since you don't know how much you will be riding in the future (and especially if you're doing it alone) you may want to stick to the hybrid.

If you decide you like it, you can get an entry level road bike later and see if that's what you really want. But don't let yourself be talked into buying a $2K bike when you don't really need to right now. Try going to another shop and see if they'll really listen to your needs, rather than just trying to see you something expensive.

[zoom-zoom]

How about considering a cyclocross bike? Then you have the option to take it off-road and ride in conditions that are not favorable with a road bike. You can use knobby tires or slick ones.

[jyyanks]

Thanks All! You're right, there are other options but I am leaning towards the road since I have the used hybrid already. Perhaps an entry level road bike or a cyclo would work. $2k is a scary number but $1k is more manageable. I did not try any aluminum road bikes but perhaps I will try those out next. I'll see if the Jamis dealer is open today, I know they have some nice bikes that are less expensive than the Ruby. I have to admit that I like the look and feel of the Ruby but the price was a little hard to swallow.

[goldfinch]

What is your beater bike and what do you like and not like about it?

[azfiddle]

I love my Ruby- but that said, I started with an aluminum Fuji that costs $600 on sale at Performance Bikes. I used it for nearly 2 years, and put 6000 miles on it. I really appreciated the Ruby much more because of that.

If you want to do a lot of recreational riding go for the road bike. You will be more limited with the hybrid.

FYI- I am 5'1" and the Ruby 44 cm fits me much better than the Fuji 44 cm did, but the Dolce might be a good option. For gals our size, finding a bike that fits is more challenging but really important for your long term comfort and enjoyment on the bike.