Road bike vs. hybrid?

[Breana]

So, someone was asking me why I wanted a hybrid and not a road bike.
For those of you who don't know me, I'm female, 49, usually very active, the last year have not been.
I have the opportunity to ride with my son in law across a lot of the country next year or in 2010, some will be on roads, some on trails. We are pretty flexible though, ie: when he's riding trail, I can still parallel him but on roads.
I will be training as soon as I get my bike, until we start.
I figured a hybrid would be good for off road riding, as well as roads, but I keep hearing I'll never get up hills, or very far, very fast on one!
I know a road bike will get me into shape quicker, and will be good for speed, distances, etc.
Here where I live, we have main roads, with wide shoulders, but so much truck and 55 mph limits, that I think I will be taking secondary roads more, which means chipped pavement, and sometimes fresh gravel.
I also have an aversion to low handlebars, but I know that once I am back in shape I'll be fine with them.

Also, I'm not crazy about spending too much money at my age, what happens if I find out I hate (I doubt it), or break something (me) or something hurts too much to ride anymore (I really hope not, I"m extremely excited about riding!) I was thinking $700.00 or under.
Does anyone have any recommendations based on all this info?
Any questions you want to ask just let me know!
Thanks everyone!

[rij73]

Wow... Sounds like fun!

I highly recommend you try out some cyclocross bikes. They are basically road bikes that can take fatter tires. They'd be faster than a hybrid but okay on rough pavement or on easy trails. It would be a good compromise. They have drop handlebars, but you might be surprised at how comfortable they are. I was very out of shape when I started biking. I got a hybrid, and never felt so good about the flat bars. After just 4 months I upgraded to a road bike, and have always loved it! You never know until you try...

Good luck!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

You seem to know most of the pros and cons of hybrid vs. road bike uses.
Since you are almost 50 (I'm 54) the slightly more upright posture of the hybrid (or of a touring bike) might be more comfortable- also might be more comfy on the saddle parts.
I'm not so sure about the 'getting into shape faster on a road bike' though- you'll get into shape fast on either, depending on how many miles you ride. Hybrids tend to be slightly heavier than road bikes in general, so your legs will get into shape for sure.
Lots of women start out on hybrids and after riding a while and getting confident, they then want to get a road bike. Nothing wrong with that either. It is true that hybrid are a bit less intimidating to new riders than road bikes. If you already have some riding experience then by all means test ride some road bikes in addition to the hybrids.
Some people eventually have two bikes- their first hybrid that they've now converted to a commuter or errand/fun bike, and their fasty road bike.

For long distance riding, a touring bike (with gravel-ready tires) is another consideration. A touring bike is a road bike with slightly more relaxed geometry and slightly more upright body position- it's designed for long distance comfort, and will also have the ability to carry saddlebags or camping gear. It also comes with fork/brake clearance to be able to put wider tires and/or fenders on.
Also, you can sometimes put straight bars on a road bike. But if you plan on very long rides then straight bars are not going to be as comfy as traditional roadbike drop bars where you can change hand position often.
If you get a bike that fits you well, then you are going to love it and have tons of fun on it whether it's a road bike or a hybrid.
One last tip- don't be too nervous about it all- you can always sell a bike and buy a different one at any time should you feel you need something different.

[KnottedYet]

I switched the drop bars on my cyclocross bike to moustache bars.

I am VERY happy with the moustache bars, and love the control and variety of hand positions. (and the slightly more upright posture is nice for commuting, which is what I use the bike for mostly)

The upshot is: if you find a bike you love, but are not comfortable with the bars, they can be changed! Not only to different sized and shaped drop bars, but different styles of bars completely.

[uforgot]

The Surly Cross Check sounds perfect for what you want. I have one and it does all of that! Trails, road, commuting....

[KnottedYet]

Like Uforgot, I also have a Surly Cross Check.

Very nice bike, can easily be modified. (I added a 3rd chainring for $19 so it was a triple) The gray is a lovely warm dove color, though it looks kind of dull on the web page. http://surlybikes.com/crosscheck_comp.html

[Geonz]

Get in shape faster on a road bike?

Whatever bike you'll ride more, you'll get in shape faster on. You may *go* faster on a road bike but the added effort of a hybrid can mean better shape.

It sounds like you want to be talked into a road bike - or do you? If you can "parallel" on roads, and you like riding on roads better than off-road, then get the bike that will do that.

THere are lots of variations and in-between grounds. My 'hybrid' has slick tires and an aluminum frame and goes as fast as I need to - but I wouldn't take it off road. However, on our 'chip and seal' secondary roads it does fine. I have even more aversion to real off-roading than I do drop handlebars

[Zen]

Test ride a Trek FX 7.2 (or higher)
Quite a few women here ride them.
Very affordable, the higher you go in the hierarchy the more road-like the bike but you can always switch out the tires for the type of riding you do.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Very affordable, the higher you go in the hierarchy the more road-like the bike but you can always switch out the tires for the type of riding you do.

Many road bikes won't take wider tires- they simply don't have the brake or fork clearance for tires wider than 23cm. If you get a road bike and want to ride gravel roads, make sure it can take at least a 25cm wide tire- then you can get a Kevlar flat-resistant 700x25 tire that will ride over just about any lunar landscape you can dish out.

[mimitabby]

I rode 200 miles in two days on a $700 raleigh hybrid. And yes, there were some hills. I changed over to a road bike because I hoped to close the gap some between my husband and myself. It helped... a little.

But in the mean time, i've been riding A LOT on my road bike and that is helping immensely.
bottom line; what do you need to keep you riding? Do you ride with other people? what are they riding? It helps if you're riding the same style of bike, but like with me, it will not make up completely for your lack of speed and endurance.

[wackyjacky1]

Because I was a newbie, I couldn't justify to myself the expense of a nice road bike. Moustache bars and a Brooks B68 turned my Trek 7.2FX into an amazingly comfortable, confidence-inspiring bike, and kept my spending level at or under the $700 mark. (The Brooks was pricey, but so worth it!)