How do I know when it's time for a different bike?

[Livin the Dream]

Three years ago, looking for a form of exercise I truly enjoyed, I bought a Trek 7100 hybrid. DH also bought one. It has been a great choice -- after spending time at our LBS shop, we chose the hybrids because we didn't expect to set any distance or speed records and wanted a bike that would be okay on neighborhood rides, country roads, bike paths and campground paths. We chose the lower price range because they were WAY better than the WalMart bikes we had and we didn't want to make a significant investment until we were sure we would ride them often.

I now regularly ride 8 - 10 miles at least 3-4 nights during the week and, if schedules permit, longer rides on the weekend. I've lost 70 lbs (still have about 20 stubborn lbs to go) and I love the time I spend on the bike -- it's been a healthy lifestyle change, a confidence builder and I love the feeling of freedom I have when I'm taking a bike ride. At first, I hated riding without DH. Now, I actually prefer riding solo -- I can go where and how far I want. I spend most of my time on the biggest chain ring. I rarely go to the smallest chain ring. I also no long go out of my way to avoid hills. I deal with them as they come! Most of my riding is in town and in the country roads surrounding town. Some bumpy, some smooth. Bike paths and campgrounds are where many weekend rides take place.

Now to my question(s) -- is the hybrid still a good choice for the riding I'm doing or should I think about switching to a road bike? I like the position on the hybrid, but I've never ridden a road bike. If the hybrid still seems to be a good choice, would there be any advantages (speed, climbing hills, gears available, etc) that I would experience by going to a higher end hybrid? Also, the road bikes I've noticed at my LBS are much pricier than the hybrids. What kind of $$ am I looking at to get a decent road bike. (DH is perfectly happy with the bikes we have, so I'll have to negotiate/convince him that spending the $$ is justified if I do decide to upgrade).

I appreciate all of the wisdom on this board!

[nicole309]

I guess the question is are you comfortable on your present bike? What sort of problems are you dealing with on present bike? Are there things you would like to do or places you would like to go that your bike won't allow? What do you want this new bike to do that you are not presently getting from your old one?

[hirakukibou]

In my relatively limited experience, road bikes are a better choice if you want to go for longer rides and want to roll relatively fast. I have a hybird that I don't ride much because I usually ride 20+ miles and the road bike is more comfortable. It is also much lighter which means I can ride faster, especially when I am riding with the bike club. So, whether you need a new bike sort of depends on what kinds of riding you are aiming to do. If you are staying under 20 miles and don't want to hammer and you feel comfortable on you bike, then you are probably fine with what you have.

It is true road bikes are more expensive. They have higher quality components that are lighter for one.

-- Pata

[Tuckervill]

It's always a good time for a new bike!

Seriously, it's not like you'll get rid of the hybrid once you get a road bike. You'll just use both bikes for different things.

I use my mountain bike for errands around town, and my road bike for fitness rides. Today I rode my mtb to the ballpark to pick up trash, and from there I rode it to meet the weatherman, who is riding 500 miles in July from town to town as part of a promotion. I wish I had met him on my road bike because I took him on a tour of our downtown area, and I looked like a poser in my sandals and work clothes! At the end they told me we'd be on the news.

But tomorrow when he leaves from here for another leg, I'll go on my road bike in full kit. They probably won't put that on, though.

Even if you don't start riding your new bike all the time right away, it would be good to have it in the stable for the transition to full time roadie.

Karen

[Zen]

What's your budget?

[Jiffer]

I agree that it really depends on what you want to do. If you're interested in longer, faster rides, I'd consider a road bike. It will feel considerably different, so prepare yourself for an adjustment period.

I had a lower end bike shop hybrid (sounds similar to yours) for a while. Didn't ride it much at all (unlike you). Couldn't STAND going up hill on it. I cruised the neighborhood with the kids a bit, but never saw it as something to fully go out and get exercise on.

Back at that time, I tried riding Dh's road bike around the neighborhood and it felt so totally strange compared to the hybrid. I had a 10 speed in high school, but it seemed even more different than that and I wasn't sure it was something I wanted to try getting used to. I was nervous about clipping in and all that too (which you don't technically have to do, but you really should to get the most out of it). I really liked the idea of riding a good bike for some real exercise, but wasn't ready to commit to getting a road bike. Eventually, Dh convinced me to get a road tandem to ride with him. It wasn't long after riding the tandem that I started feeling more comfortable and excited about the idea of getting a road bike. I've only had my new road bike for about a month now and I TOTALLY love it.

As for what to expect to spend ... golly jeepers, you could spend a little or you could spend a whole lot! I'd say get as much bike as you can reasonably afford. It sounds like you'll use it. The more expensive it is, the ligher it will be and the nicer the components will be (lighter, easier to shift, less fear of the chain coming off, etc.)

My Pastor just bought a very large (he's 6'7") road bike on the internet brand new. I can't even remember the name of it because I'd never heard of it before. He paid about $675 and it was actually under 20 lbs (which is amazing for that size of a bike and that price range). It has Shimano 105 components. Not the best, but certainly not the worst. It doesn't compare to the three and four thousand dollar bikes out there, but it's ten million times better than the 1985 beast he previously had!

If you decide to go for a road bike and can convice Dh of it, start doing your research. Check out your LBS and ask lots of questions. What makes this bike more expensive than this one, etc. Then go on-line and see what you can find. My husband bought a "barely used" MTB on Ebay for $2,000, but it was worth at least $4,000 brand new (which it almost was). You may not want to spend that much, but my point is, there are deals to be had if you look around.

Another thing to consider doing. Buy the best bike you can afford for now, then slowly upgrade your components. Dh did this with his first road bike. He spent about $700 on a fairly decent used Cannondale. After he'd had it for a while, knew he loved riding, but couldn't afford the bike he REALLY wanted, he started buying Shimano Dura Ace components little by little. It was probably over the course of a year or so that he slowly upgraded it. After he had all the nice components, he bought a new frame and had all the components put onto his great new frame.

Now I have those same components on my new road bike, while he upgraded again to a whole new bike. (This time he bought it all at once.)

So, there's some food for thought. I'd like to encourage you to try a road bike. If you don't like it, you can always sell it.

[mimitabby]

and to add to what Jiffers said;
when you have questions, come back here!
there is all kinds of wisdom here. People that know about fit, frame, components, pricing, even ... COLOR..

[rapid cycler]

Hey, LTD—

I started on exactly the same hybrid you have, and I still have great affection for that bike because it was the one that got me into cycling. I rode it for about eight months before I got the fever for a road bike, and I've never looked back. (I finally sold the hybrid last year because I knew it was bored hanging in my garage and ready to spark someone new into cycling.)

If you're doing flat distance rides, aren't much interested in upping your average speed, and like the upright riding position, there's not a ton of incentive to upgrade—bike store road bikes tend to start at around $700 and go up from there, so it's not an insignificant investment.

On the other hand, it sounds like you've made very significant investments in yourself in terms of weight loss and energy gains, and if you'd like to continue to "grow" as a cyclist, road bikes can help you do just that, particularly in terms of speed and climbing abilities. Of course, if you do expect to ride with your DH on your road bike (assuming he doesn't invest in a new bike), you may have to gear down so that he can keep up with you! Hee hee.

Here's the "learn from my mistake" section. I bought my first road bike on eBay and saved $1,000 off the retail price. But the savings weren't worth it in the end, because as much as I tried to measure myself and figure out what I needed, the bike I bought was never quite right. After several tweaks in desperate attempts to make it work, I finally bought a new bike this year—at full retail—and I'm much happier for the investment.

We're all individuals, and road bikes, more than any other type, must be fitted correctly. Because of the way the riding style distributes weight and pressure (whereas on upright bikes, your butt bears most of the pressure), getting the balance right is crucial to avoid discomfort or even injury, particularly in the neck, shoulders, and back. When you buy from a reputable bike store, they'll fit you correctly, sometimes swapping out stock parts gratis to accommodate your body. You'll ride happier and longer as a result. (And you can still save some bucks off the retail price in your local bike shop if you don't mind buying last year's model.)

Congratulations on your accomplishments so far, and good luck in future riding, whether you decide to make the switch or stick to your trusty steed.

[Jiffer]

A friend of ours ended up with a super sweet bike for an amazing deal because it had a dent on it. It was used for pictures or promo of some sort or something. He got it at our LBS. Dh has a good relationship with the owner and the guy went out of his way to find a sweet deal for our friend.

[Livin the Dream]

Thank you so much for the thoughtful comments! The reasons I started thinking about a different bike are those you have mentioned -- speed and hills. Your advice/insight/and comments have convinced me that I need to at least start thinking seriously about a road bike and visiting my LBS to ask questions. Although I no longer avoid hills, I still struggle with them and I would love to go faster. Although I'm much more fit than I was a few years ago, I would like to up the ante with exercise and I much prefer the bike to other forms of exercise. I think I might even make the 26 mile RT commute to work a few days per week if the hills and the time it would take with my Trek didn't scare me off. When DH isn't with me, my speed on the relatively flat country roads is about 13 - 14. (DH just likes to cruise along at 8 - 9 mph).

A few more questions come to mind.
- Why is climbing better on a road bike? Bike weight? Riding position? Gearing?

- How much of a mph increase can I reasonably expect?

- How much of an adjustment is the change in riding position -- hybrid to road?

- Those skinny tires look fragile! Do they hold up to bumpy roads well? Are road bikes higher maintenance?

- I'd like to stay under $1000. Any advice on some brands to start my research? I'm 5'8" and not petite by a long shot!

Now to think about how to approach this with DH. I'm thinking the MOTORcycle he bought last year is a starting place for negotiations!

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

[Jiffer]

I'm sure the other more experienced riders can give you better answers, but I'll give you my two cents worth. (In addition to my own limited experience, I have learned a lot from Dh, as well as this board.)

- Why is climbing better on a road bike? Bike weight? Riding position? Gearing? I would say all of the above.

- How much of a mph increase can I reasonably expect? I think it will be fairly significant. I think you are doing very well with 13 to 14 on a hybrid. I'd say you'll quickly be doing at least 15 to 16 or so on the flat on a decent road bike, which is about what I do right now, and will have good potential to increase even more over time on the bike. (Especially as you continue to lose weight, which I have every confidence you will do! )

- How much of an adjustment is the change in riding position -- hybrid to road? Well, I told you how strange it felt to me, but when I started riding the tandem, it didn't really take me too long to get used to it. One thing you may notice, depending on how much lighter your road bike is, you may find your steering is a little wobbly at first as you get used to a lighter bike! Also, I my neck and back had to get used to sitting that way. It takes time for your muscles to get used to the new riding position and may cause you some irritation at first. I ended up getting a sports massage after waking up with a kink in my neck. Turns out, she said it wasn't really from how I slept, as I thought, but on both sides I had big knots .. like from something new I've been doing a lot of. Hmmm! Wonder what THAT could have been!!! (By the way, she said any time you pull a muscle from any sort of activity, ice it immediately, three times a day for three days. She said that over and over! It's one of the best things you can do. After that, appying heat can help.)

- Those skinny tires look fragile! Do they hold up to bumpy roads well? Are road bikes higher maintenance? Dh is a big tire pumping freak. Pumps his tires (and makes me pump mine) before every ride. He used to get flats quite often until he realized the value of a full and tight tire. He hasn't gotten a flat in a very long time now. That's the best I can comment on that question.

- I'd like to stay under $1000. Any advice on some brands to start my research? I'm 5'8" and not petite by a long shot! I'm 5'9" and ride a 54 cm frame. You can go with a woman specific bike, but with your height, I don't know that you'll get the benefits that a smaller woman would get. Which is why Dh and LBS owner decided I should go with a unisex Cannondale (a specific one LBS was able to get an incredible deal on for us). You should ask your LBS about this ... the benefits of a woman specific bike. I know handelbar width is one thing, but with my height and body frame, that's not an issue for me. By the way, the size frame depends on your inseam, not your height, so you might ask your LBS what size you should be looking for with what size inseam you have, to at least get an idea. That way if you see something used, you have an idea if it's a possibility for you. Bike fit is VERY important, though. Make sure you get the right size bike and have the bike professionally fitted once you get it.

I'm not as knowledgable as to what specific bikes you should be looking for in that price range. Specialized, Cannondale and Trek are three of the more well known names. Bianchi and Giant are some you'll hear about around here as well as others. They pretty much all make high end and low end bikes. Hopefully some people will respond who have bought bikes they love in your price range. As I told you, Dh's first decent road bike was a used Cannondale for $700. It served him well until he decided to upgrade.

I hope I have been helpful!

[Trek420]

I think you get a new bike when you think "I'd ride _______ if I had ______".

I went backwards, have a sweet road bike but thought "I'd ride to work but my mountain bike is too heavy to carry upstairs on BART (local light rail) if I'm in a hurry".

So I got lighter wheels. This cost more than the bike did but now i ride to work often.

So if you can afford it and you'd ride ______ if you had _____ , get the bike.

We want to hear about the test rides and pictures!

[nicole309]

Well, I am new at this as well, but let me see if I can offer some suggestions. I actually just recently switched from road bike to touring bike. The road bike was just too twitchy and unstable for me and also it didn't fit very well either. A touring bike was much more practical for my needs which include a large variety of activities including commuting, errands, and long ride including a century soon!

Why is climbing better on a road bike? Bike weight? Riding position? Gearing? I think the answer is yes to all of the above. I actually switched to a heavier bike, making hill climbing a bit slower, but I also got the benefit of some lower gears. In the end I ended up faster on the hills and didn't feel nearly as dead at the top.

- How much of a mph increase can I reasonably expect? I think you could expect a lot. You probably won't find a difference on the flats and downhill, but the uphill will be really nice, especially if you can learn to stand on some of the hills. A challenge I am still working on.

- How much of an adjustment is the change in riding position -- hybrid to road? When I first got my road bike the only other bike I had ever riden was a mountain bike. It took some getting used to. Make sure you get a good bike fit. You should not experience any wrist or hand discomfort or numbness. You may get some normal muscle soreness at first. Once you get used to it however, it is great to have all the different hand positions, especially for long rides.

- Those skinny tires look fragile! Do they hold up to bumpy roads well? Are road bikes higher maintenance? Just watch out for glass. I may have just had bad luck, but I felt like every time I would ride on the road with my road bike I would end up with a flat!! In five months I had eight flats and one shredded tire! Since I bought my touring bike which has a little wider tire I have had no problems.

- I'd like to stay under $1000. Any advice on some brands to start my research? I'm 5'8" and not petite by a long shot! My new Jamis Aurora was $850 it is a road/touring bike however. I am 5'10" tall. You can always check on used bikes as well. I got a great deal on my Trek 1000. She might be up for sale soon!

[onimity]

I agree with those that have said that when you start to realize the limitations of your current bike.

I just got a road bike and I love it. My rationale for getting it was that I wasn't able to go much further/faster on my MTB. A 60 mile ride on a MTB takes a lot out of you, especially if you are trying to, say, ride with other people!

I commute a little over 20 miles RT and do that on my MTB as opposed to the road bike. I've commuted a few times on the road bike but find that it is hard to carry all of my stuff (laptop, clothes, food) on the road bike. The aggressive position makes the weight difficult to carry, whereas on my MTB I am more upright and have a good rack bag/panniers. I chose the MTB over a hybrid/touring bike for commuting because one of my favorite routes home is a good singletrack but I think if commuting is one of your goals a road bike might not be the best option for that if you carry a lot.

I'd look for a good used bike or last year's model new (test ride a *lot*, preferably for longer distances if you can.) Know what you are looking for and make sure that you get a good deal. My road bike was last year's model and I got $600 off because of that.

I like the model for upgrading that Jiffers mentions but have heard that you get a much better deal on higher-end components when purchasing them on a bike as opposed to individually since the bike manufacturers buy them in high volumes. That would be easy enough to prove or disprove with some searching online.

I wouldn't say that climbing is better on a road bike, it really depends. On my commute I climb a couple of solid 8-10% grades. I find the climb a lot more difficult on the road bike because I am carrying a lot of weight and I don't have the easy gearing as on the mountain bike. On the mountain bike the hills are pretty painless but it definitely takes a lot less time on the road bike!

My advice would be to take your time, do plenty of reading and research online and then test ride bikes to make sure that you get one that fits you well. I am 5'10" and was told that 5'8" is about the cutoff for women-specific bikes. I always fit the 'standard' frame size better.

Anne

[rapid cycler]

Hi, LTD. Just a couple of things to add since you've already received good answers to your questions

- How much of a mph increase can I reasonably expect?

Honestly, your mph on a hybrid impresses me immensely! I think I was only averaging 11-12 mph on mine before I switched. Now my average is closer to 15. With the strength you've developed already, you could be doing 17-18 in no time!

- How much of an adjustment is the change in riding position -- hybrid to road?

I'd say this is the most challenging part of switching, because you'll likely feel soreness in muscles you may not normally use. Get into the habit of stretching before and, especially, after a ride (while your muscles are still warm). It can also be helpful to do some cross-training to build core strength (Pilates or yoga) and upper-body strength (rowing, push-ups, or light weights). No need to go join a gym and go nuts over it—there's a lot you can do at home with a couple of free weights and maybe a balance ball, or even with nothing at all—but your time on the bike will be more pleasant for any thought you put into riding while off of it.

- Those skinny tires look fragile! Do they hold up to bumpy roads well? Are road bikes higher maintenance?

I've had far more flats occur on my hybrid and my mountain, simply because all that tread traps and holds glass, nails, etc. If you happen to ride through glass or anything else pokey, stop as soon as it's safe to spot inspect your wheels and carefully remove anything sharp from the tread before it gets a chance to penetrate your tube. In this way, even if you've picked up a sharp, you can often avert a flat. That being said, once you start seeing a whole lot of slits in your tire where grit and glass have entered, the tire may need replacement, because those slits are weak spots that are now primed to introduce all manner of street flotsam to your tube. Finally, it never hurts and sometimes helps to use Mr. Tuffy, a thick plastic liner that sits between your inner tube and tire to provide an extra barrier of resistance. (Some people like Slime, a sort of liquid, spray form of Mr. Tuffy, but it's messy and in extreme temps it can shift within your tire, making it roll unevenly.)

- I'd like to stay under $1000. Any advice on some brands to start my research? I'm 5'8" and not petite by a long shot!

Nicole happened to mention two makes that would be high on my list were I in the market. The Jamis Ventura was Bicycling magazine's editors' pick for best entry-level road bike this year, unseating the winner of the past (three years running, I think), the Trek 1000! Each start at $700. I was trying to find an online version of their annual buyers' guide and couldn't, but here's a link to their online reviews in general (both the Jamis and the Trek are in there): http://www.bicycling.com/topic/0,661...83-0-0,00.html
Also, for consumer reviews, in addition to what you read here, you might check out Road Bike Review: http://www.roadbikereview.com/cat/la...S_5668crx.aspx

Now to think about how to approach this with DH. I'm thinking the MOTORcycle he bought last year is a starting place for negotiations!

Um, he bought a motorcycle? Forget about that $1,000 ceiling and get yourself the sweetest ride you can find!