Next step up bike?

[roughingit]

I think it is time for me to upgrade my bike, and man alive is it confusing looking at stuff on-line! A little background so you guys know what you are working with. I learned to ride late in life at 22. I didn't actually intend to learn mind you, but at the time it was taking me two hours to work to work. I tried one of those Razor-type scooter things (go ahead and allow yourself a chuckle picturing a chick scooting along the highway in a PetsMart uniform, I'm sure I was a hoot!), but I wore the wheels out in a week. Soooo....I send my ex down to town with some money and tell him to find me a tricycle. I had never ridden a bike in my life and the rack in the back sounded useful for shopping. He came home with a three-speed BIcycle....luckily he was a good teacher (probably the only good thing he ever did but I'll stay outta that lol) My three speed was made by Sears-Roebuck and assembled in Holland according to the label! It often got stuck in the top gear, so any hill I came across meant getting off and pushing. Once I'd learned how to ride though I got the bug bad and started doing twenty-mile rides to surrounding areas (still stuck in top gear, I had some great legs that year!) After going to boot camp I upgraded to my current bike, a Fuji Palisade.

The Palisade is a hybrid, and after a crash caused by my front spokes randomly failing (four of them just popped as I was riding fo no apparent reason), my brakes have never felt the same. I thought it was the cheap wheel I'd put on, so I upgraded that but it still doesn't feel right. I had my SO ride it to check that it wasn't my imagination and he says that he now understands why I ride the way I do. Not only is my current bike slow as mud, it corners *terribley* and there is decidedly something wrong with the brakes despite all of our attempts to adjust them. This summer I should have all my bills paid off and I'll be able to afford a new bike, so I'm starting my search early. I don't want to fall into the same trap I did last time where I just wanted a bike NOW and got the one that felt best with no research into how good it was.

Alright, now that you have some background, here's the nitty-gritty: My riding consists mainly of riding around town. I do some long trips and have thought about touring bike to help carry the load better. I also, however, sometimes ride on fire roads and such and worry if those are sturdy enough for that. I do *not* mountain bike as I have a terrible fear of falling though. I'm leery of another hybrid, but I don't know how road bikes handle if they are not on smooth pavement. Most of my riding will be on the road, I just like having my options open. Because I live in the rainy Pacific Northwest, I would like disk brakes, they seem to be much more trustworthy from what I have read and what disk brake owners tell me. I notice that most of the road bikes I have seen have standard brakes though...maybe it is just the poor quality of mine? Oh, and I am looking to spend about $600-800, really can't afford to go much more than that, but am afraid of bad quality if I go less.

Sorry this is so long, but I notice that many people asking for recommendations are told to give more info, so I'm trying to cover my bases for ya

[CorsairMac]

Have you thought of a mountain bike? My Trek 820 actually weighs less and is easier to handle then my Trek commuter bike. I paid less than $250 for it and it's the bottom of the Trek MTB choices so you could go up a bike or to and still be within your budget. It would be able to handle road riding And the fire roads you ride, plus you can put racks on it for carrying loads. It also has a lower gear ratio so for commuting it's great for any hill climbing you might need to do. It doesn't have to be a Trek, that just happens to be what I have in my "stable". You could also put different tires on it to make the road riding smoother, but the tires on mine aren't uncomfortable. It's the bike I use to commute when the Peugeot is down. I'll also probably switch to the MTB for my winter commute and do who knows what with the commuter bike (too heavy and too clunky).

[MomOnBike]

I'd look at mountain bikes, if I were you. They don't have to be ridden through impossible terrain, you know.

I think your best bet might be to go to your LBS, tell them what you told us, and take a few bikes for a spin around the parking lot. Don't be shocked if you fall in love with a bike you didn't think you'd even consider. Sometimes these things just happen.

Take a look at used bikes, too. There are deals out there. I got my William (the perfect bike for me) used for about half what I would have paid new.

Good luck in your search, and let us know what you decide. (Make, model, color, name, all of it.)

[roughingit]

I went to the bike shops today only got to try out a few bikes though. Woo-eee do road bikes feel different than my "comfort" hybrid! The first one was downright squirrely and I was like wait "can I do this?"

I really don't want a mountain bike because I like to do distance riding and there just aren't many places to rest my hands on them. The ramshorn bars, while they will take a lot of getting used to, afford lots of opportunity for moving my hands around (something my current bike sorely lacks). I've looked at used bikes, just haven't seen any in good enough shape to warrent fixing up.

Along with touring bikes (which are a lot cheaper than I remember them now!), a couple of shops also recommended cyclocross bikes. The two that are looking the most appealing right now are the Jamis Aurora, but there weren't any in stock for me to try, and the Bianchi Volpe, but again none for me to try out. Both of those were about $850 and I'd love to give them a whirl when they get them in, but I'll do some research on them in the meantime.

[singletrackmind]

What about a cross bike? I don't have one so I don't know what position they put your body into though. That's the biggest problem with a mountain bike for touring around big distances, especially if you are used to a bike that's more upright. I guess a stem change could alleviate that. Or-a touring bike with a tougher set of wheels and slightly wider tires? Ok, now I have no idea what I'm talking about...

[annie]

I do some long trips and have thought about touring bike to help carry the load better. I also, however, sometimes ride on fire roads and such and worry if those are sturdy enough for that. I do *not* mountain bike as I have a terrible fear of falling though. I'm leery of another hybrid, but I don't know how road bikes handle if they are not on smooth pavement. Most of my riding will be on the road, I just like having my options open.

Normal road bikes can handle rough roads but it's hard on them and you can flat much easier. Probably not a good idea. Touring bikes can take more abuse because they are built sturdier and with wider tires to support loaded touring. I wouldn't WANT to do gravel roads on one, but it could be ok for short distances. A cyclocross bike might actually be the best choice for you, but make sure, if you want to carry a load, that the bike is set up for that. I don't know much about cyclocross bikes - do they have braze-ons for racks? Can you ride it loaded and keep it stable? You'll have to ask about ANY bike as to whether it is compatible with disc brakes. I don't know if any bikes, other than mtbs, come ready to ride with disc brakes. I do know that my road bike brakes, with a loaded BOB trailer in back, have sufficient braking power to stop on steep downhills. You might want to talk to other riders in your area and see if they think disc brakes are necessary.
Good luck and keep us posted on what you find out/decide!

annie

[roughingit]

The two that I am looking at now (Jamis aurora and bianchi volpe) are listed as both cross and touring bikes. I think I might have narrowed it to those two, but I'm still going to keep looking for other options as well. Both of them have space for larger tires should I need them and I noticed the Bianchi already has wider tires than the road bikes (though not so wide as a mountain bike). Haven't seen the Jamis in person yet, though it looks good on paper. Both bikes have braze-ons for front and rear racks and plenty of room for fenders. They also have index shifting which seemed a little more comfy to me.

I know a mountain bike *might* be modifiable to what I want, but after the amount that I would have to spend getting everything changed out, I doubt I would save that much. Better to get what I need in the first place to me.

I think I'll take a ride to Albany today or tomorrow and see what thier bike shops are like. I'm disapointed that I couldn't try more bikes out. Or maybe I'll take a ride to Salem this weekend if this nice weather holds up... Hmmm...

Forgot to add: I have seen *one* road bike with disc brakes, but no rack mounts and *one* touring bike made by Giant with them...but quite out of my price range. I am comforted by hearing that your brakes can handle a downhill stop with trailer though. I'm quite nervous about brakes because mine are not very good at all.

[CorsairMac]

you might also ask your LBS guys about the disc brakes while you're out looking..........both my MTB and my commuter bike come with built-in bolt holes for the disc brakes, in case I ever want to upgrade. I'm guessing most of the other brands are doing the same thing.

[Surlygirl]

I have a Surly Cross-check. Not the lightest bike in the world but it suits. I can put 28 tires on it and have room for a fender and run it on dirt roads or I can use 23's on it and use it on the road. You can also put a rack on it. I've done fire trails and lots of road riding. Its steel so its heavy but its also a nice ride.
The frame sells for around 400 and built up I think I've seen them for around 800. Some bike shops carry them. I ordered mine on-line at aebike but you should try one before you buy.

[Trek420]

I've been following this because your "next step up" bike could be my "step down bike" or winter trainer. I love talking about cycling when I commute but sometimes I just wanna veg on the train. The fancy lookin' road bike everyone wants to talk to me about it, they ignore my mountain bike when I ride that but if I ride that I'm late to work.

Yeah, I know, leave early and or get stronger.

So I'm looking for plain looking, flat bars (what is this that non-cyclists have about drops?) fast enough to get me to work on time. May have to bring my checkbook to Veloswap in October.

Surly sounds good or the Trek.....

[roughingit]

The problem with disc brakes mentioned by every lbs person I talked to (visited four of the shops here, the fifth really just caters to mountain bikes) is that they make it difficult to mount on a rack. You can buy specialized racks or have them built, but that's a bit spendy for my taste.

I'm also finding that many touring cyclists on other forums seem to dislike disc brake because they are harder to repair on the fly. They say the same about the index shifter, but the bar end ones seemed kinda scary to me.

No one around hear had the Surly's in stock. One of them looked up the price of the Long Haul Trucker for me, but it would have been waaaay over the thousand mark I'll have to ask about the Cross-Check though. I do like the steel frames so I have been leaning towards them in my search.

I looked at the Trek's, but they were also too spendy and I have read that they do not handle as well when they aren't under a load. Not sure which Trek it was that was so squirrely when I rode it, but I know it was more than I wanted to spend.

Off to look at Surlys!

[RoadRaven]

Sounds like you are really thinking hard about the best choice, Rough

Keep thinking about what you want to do with riding

Mountain bikes and 'comfort' hybrids are quite a lot heavier than road bikes... hence the "squirrely" feeling when you tried one. But if you want to ride on sealed roads, at speed, and get up hills at a good speed, then a road bike is what you want.

I have a mountain bike and a road-racing bike... I find it really difficult to adjust to my heavier, more unweildy Black Thunder.

Where you will ride, and how you wnat to ride will help you make this decision.

[annie]

I'm also finding that many touring cyclists on other forums seem to dislike disc brake because they are harder to repair on the fly. They say the same about the index shifter, but the bar end ones seemed kinda scary to me.

At first use, the bar end shifters seem a bit difficult to use, but you get used to them very quickly! They are very easy to use and eventually, you just shift automatically, without even thinking about it. So I wouldn't let those scare you away from any bike.

I agree, the Trek touring bike does handle better under load. But most touring bikes do.

The Surly bikes sound awesome. If I were in the market for one, I think that's what I'd be looking into.

Good luck!

annie

[roughingit]

Thanks guys! I think now I just get to wait until everybody has the ones I like in stock and visit bike shops in other towns to test ride some more. They all seem like good bikes. The Surly has a *lot* of good reviews standing behind it, but I guess ultimately it just comes down to fit now that I've narrowed the playing field. I think I might even drop twenty-five bones to get fitted since I don't know what the correct position *should* feel like.