need input re transition from hybrid to road bike

[quint41]

MaryEllen, I'm in exactly the place you are right now. Switching from hybrid to road. I'm shopping, and I haven't found a bike that makes me shout "this is the one!" I, too, feel very uncomfortable on some of the bikes I've tried. The very first road bike I tried was the Trek Pilot WSD. I'm 5' 3.5" tall with shortish arms and very small hands. I felt SO unsafe on that bike! "Squirrely" was the best way I could describe it -- like the bike had a mind of it's own, and if I were to sneeze I'd crash for sure! The dealer thought I was nuts. I've asked a few people why the bike felt like that, and have gotten different answers: narrow handbars? Shorter wheelbase? Skinny tires? Nobody can tell me why. Since then, I've ridden about 8 different road bikes and can say that every single one of them felt different. Too long of a reach (several bikes), handlebars too low, or shifting too hard. That has come to be my biggest problem now -- the STI shifters for the front derailleur are very difficult for me to push up to the big ring, and nobody seems to know why. Also, nobody has an answer for me! I can't spend $1000 on a bike that I cannot shift up to the big ring! The last dealer suggested I get the bike that's most comfortable and change all the components over to something brand new and supposedly easier (basically, a SRAM version of STI). Hello? And spend a couple hundred more dollars on the brand new bike I just got??

Also, I love the "cheater" brakes. Because I'm used to hybrid, I expect I'll find myself at least occasionally hanging out on the bar when I'm riding along easy. I would appreciate having cheater brakes available to me. And, yes, you can have them added to any bike, I believe.

I'd appreciate knowing how you progress through this process. I think it's going to be a long haul for me. I'm just going to keep riding until I either find the bike that shouts "I'm the one" or until I find a bike dealer who can answer my questions and set me up with what I need.

By the way, so far, the most comfortable bike I've ridden is the Raleigh Cadent. I may check out more of the Raleigh line.

Good luck!

[Kathi]

Have you looked at Serotta? The Fierte Steel is in your price range and is a really nice bike.

A friend of mine demoed one, she's also riding a hybrid, and she loved it.

FWIW, as far as squirelliness is concerned, my road bike always feels that way after I've spent time on my mtn bike. Road bikes just have a different feel.

[quint41]

Serotta? I've never even heard of it. Steel?? Is it a steel frame? One of the reasons I'm dying to swap my hybrid for road is because I'm sick of dragging that 34 lb. steel frame up hills!!! I start off the ride in front on the flat, but the first hill we hit, the group leaves me in the dust!!!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

A lugged steel bike can weigh between 20-24 pounds. The frame alone can be around 7-10 pounds.

[Kathi]

Serotta is a smaller bicycle company from NY. They started out making steel frames and they are known for custom frames. Now they make ti, carbon/ti and carbon.

Several years ago they developed the Fierte, which comes only in a stock frame. It has a relaxed geometry with a higher head tube and sloping tt. It is available in steel, and ti. The frame is lightweight, not sure the weight but I demoed it and it is not a heavy bike. I really liked the way the bike handled and fit. Like I said, my friend liked it too.

http://www.serotta.com/pages/fierte_steel.html

I just got a custom Ottrott and I absolutely love it. I have almost 700 miles on it and I'm still in awe of it.

When I was riding today there was a woman at a stop light on a Fierte. She was very happy with it.

Serotta also has a training school that Serotta fitters attend. My frame was fit so well I have no complaints or desire to change anything about it.

[xeney]

A new steel road bike is not going to weigh 34 pounds. Mine weighs about 19, which is probably pretty standard. (The heaviest bike I own is aluminum.)

[maryellen]

ok, i picked up the new bike on Thursday--a Trek Pilot 2.1 at a good price-- $1,000 for a 2006 model. Once the bike was fit, it was remarkedly more comfortable and I don't have a "crunched up" feeling any more.

Everyone's advice was very helpful. I ultimately spent much less than my budget because I just wasn't confident that I would love road biking and I was not able to "feel" much of a difference among bikes ranging $1,000 - $2,699. After a whole five days, it still feels as if I made the correct choice for me.

I'm still adjusting to or need to change the: shifting, saddle, and pedals.

On my Trek 7500fx, I had ridden enough to "know" what gear I was in, but I still had the option of looking at the dials. On the new bike, I don't have a clue of what gear I'm in and there are no dials for me to look at quickly. It will take time.

The saddle -- yikes. Still researching various saddle options to figure what to swap out for. I definitely won't be riding a century until I get this situation improved!

The bike came w double-sided SPD with temporary platform on one side. I am going to the bike shop tomorrow to put platform pedals w toe clips (no straps). Even though I use SPD on the spin bike at the gym, it is too much for me to change everything at once. And as I live in Manhattan, the idea of falling sideways in NYC traffic, even in slow motion, isn't too appealing. I will save that new challenge for the future.

Thank you everyone for your help.