point me in the right direction..

[Lynn39]

I'm driving myself crazy! I think I really want a road bike. I currently ride a comfort bike, it weighs a ton and I feel like Mary Poppins I have been averaging about 15 miles per ride. I started riding with a local club on their social rides. I want to move up to their more challenging rides. Their C rides are 11-13 mph, 20-30 miles. Who knows maybe a century some day..

Whats holding me back I quess is my LBS keeps directing me towards more of a hybrid style bike, they think it's gonna be too much of a transition from what I'm riding to a road bike.

My neighbor who rides alot thinks I should look at cyclocross bikes.

What kind of bike should I look at for the kind of riding I want to do?

I do have the biking bug, I can see myself really getting into it. It's a total stress reducer. Even my husband who doesn't ride, will tell me to go our for a ride when I'm being crabby

Thanks for your help..

[mimitabby]

You're averaging 15 mph on a comfort bike???

WOW! I don't think you'll have any trouble converting to a road bike.
For me it took some time, but I did it and i'm 55.

If you're riding on roads; get a road bike. the Bianchi Vespa is a nice cyclocross bike if for some reason you really need a cyclocross bike.

Your size is important; if you are a small woman, many bikes are going to be problematic because they are not made with us in mind.

[bikerz]

You might be able to transition pretty easily into a road bike - The bike I bought a few years ago (Specialized Sequoia) was a road bike configured and built sort of like a "comfort road" bike - it had a suspension seat post, and an adjustable stem that allowed for a more upright position. During the first year I rode it, I ended up trading out the suspension seat post for a regular one (much more efficient use of my pedaling energy) and over time also moved slowly into a less upright position.

Do you have a friend about your height with a road bike you can test ride? It will probably be a transition, but not too difficult a one! TE is littered with "aha!" stories of women who went from hybrid to road bike and never looked back! Enjoy the ride!

And - welcome to TE!

[Torrilin]

Which LBS? I grew up in Harrisburg, and I know some of the shops are better than others. I haven't been to the one in Hummelstown since they moved locations, so I'm not sure if it's still owned by a woman. My cranky 60ish bike commuting adopted uncle still lives in the area, and may have useful ideas.

[indysteel]

Ugh!!! I have to roll my eyes at your LBS. While I agree that it takes a bit of time to get used to a road bike, it's not THAT big of a transition. Maybe I'm too quick to assume it's a function of male chauvenism, but I find it hard to believe that they'd take the same attitude with a man.

So, if you think you'd like a road bike, then I'd either find a new shop or tell your current shop that you're really not interested in buying a hybrid, thank you very much. Then just start looking at what's available. Determine your budget, concentrate on getting a good fit and have fun with the process. Test ride as many as you can; some will feel and handle better than others. And don't worry if you can't afford a top-of-the-line bike. There are plenty of entry level bikes that will serve your needs well and allow you to economically determine whether road riding is your thing. Especially in the coming months, you might be able to snag a good deal on a 2007 model.

I'll share my own story for what's its worth (and for you regulars, I know I'm repeating myself). I bought a Trek FX in June of 2006, unsure of whether I'd enjoy cycling as an adult, even though I loved it as a kid. The FX is a hybrid of sorts, with flat bars but no supsension. Well, I took to biking immediately and quickly realized that I should have just gotten a road bike. Within about six weeks, I bought my beautiful Bianchi road bike. I haven't ridden the Trek since, but the Bianchi now has about 5300 miles on her. Was there a transition period between the two bikes? Sure. Was it totally worth it? Absolutely.

Good luck; keep us posted as to what you buy.

[RoadRaven]

15mph suggests a good steady pace

As the others say, getting used to a road bike will be easy.

I think you need to consider where you want to ride, Lynn... and that will help you settle on a road or cyclocross or whatever...

Talk to your LBS about the local roads you want to ride, and events you think you might be interested in. They should be able to guide you... have fun

[emily_in_nc]

I think she may have meant that she rode 15 miles at a time, not 15 mph. That speed is pretty fast for a heavy comfort bike, which is why I think she might mean mileage rather than speed.

Anywho....maybe she'll chime in here and let us know!

[Tuckervill]

She said 15 miles per ride.

I'm averaging 10 mph right now on my road bike, and so, if she's going 15 mph on a hybrid, I'm seriously discouraged! lol.

Don't let them sell you anything you don't want!

Karen

[RoadRaven]

I have been averaging about 15 miles per ride. I started riding with a local club on their social rides. I want to move up to their more challenging rides. Their C rides are 11-13 mph, 20-30 miles. Who knows maybe a century some day..

Thanks Emily... I can see how you have read this...

The club rides average 11-13mph, over 20-30 miles... and she wants to move up from a usual distance of 15miles to 20-30 miles...

That makes sense too.

So, Lynn, if you want to increase distances, just step up to 20mile distances this week, then next weeks 24miles, the week after, 27-8 and the week after 30miles. Then regularly ride a 25-30 mile ride every week at a steady pace, and join the club ride as well.

[sundial]

Lynn, like BikerZ, I have a Specialized Sequoia that provides a more upright riding position on a road bike. It is a nice bike to train on and gets you most anywhere you want to go on the road. Specialized won't have the Sequoia for '08 but will be offering the Dolce which looks to be similar to the Sequoia, only it's women specific geometry.

I wouldn't be afraid to jump into a road bike from a comfort bike. I would take my time riding different bikes and determining what is the most comfie rather than the brand of bike in choosing a new bike. When you get it narrowed down to a few, ride it again and see if you can determine what's right for you. There are many women specific bikes out there and one has your name on it.

I don't know what your height is, but Terry bicycles are specifically designed for a range of women riders from 4'10-5'10. Terry can ship a bicycle to your local bike shop and you have 2 weeks to test one--provided the bike shop will allow you to ride more than a few paces in the parking lot. If you decide you don't like the bike, all you have to pay is shipping to send it back. I bought a '96 Terry Symmetry and I got excellent customer service with the bike. And Terry stands behind their products so if you have any questions, they will be happy to work with you to resolve the issue.

Good luck with your quest and let us know what you're going to get. And once you bring your sweet ride home, you'll have to post pics to indulge us.

[csr1210]

Whats holding me back I quess is my LBS keeps directing me towards more of a hybrid style bike, they think it's gonna be too much of a transition from what I'm riding to a road bike.

Maybe I'm reading too much into that comment by the LBS, but it seems pretty condescending to me! How well do they know you? Unless you have a really good relationship with them, and they're saying that because they really know you and have some valid reason (I'm not sure what it'd be... ) to say that, I'd find somewhere else to spend my money. Of course it's an adjustment to change to a road bike, but it's not THAT big a deal in my opinion. When I switched from mountain bike to road bike, the main difficulty was figuring out what to buy because I didn't know what good fit was supposed to feel like.

If you want to be riding longer distances on the road, I reccomend a road bike. Just my two cents.

Edited to add: Good luck on your search for the new bike, and WELCOME!!!

[Fredwina]

I'd be interested in which LBS, too ,as I lived in Hummelstown(actually Derry Twp) for 4 years.
InGear was still run By Sandy Kocevar(sp) with her son Scott, assisting. I usually went there since it was only two miles away. It did have a rep as a place to aviod, but I really didn't have too many problems there
a Lot of folks liked Pedal Pushers on Jonestown Rd/Walnut st. I also did a lot of business with Bicycle Outfitters in Elizabethtown.
i'm not that familar with West Shore shops.
are you doing 15miles/ride or 15miles/hour? There's a big difference.
I agree, tell the LBS what you want, and if they don't like it, find another. You might want ask around HBC and see what they think is a good shop

[Lynn39]

Thanks everyone for your help. I have been riding about 15 miles per ride, not 15 mph. I wish I was in that good a shape . I usually ride about 8-10mph. Sorry about the confusion.

I have been going to Pedal Pushers. I bought my comfort bike from them about 4 yrs ago. They have always been helpful and friendly if I have to get my kids bikes fixed etc. I think they meant well but weren't really taking me seriously when I said I wanted to ride longer. They don't have a lot of stock right now and they can't get some bikes in because of the 2008 models coming out soon. They only sell Raleighs and Fuji and they can order Surlys. They are getting the 2008 Raleighs hybrids in a couple of weeks.

I'm 5'10" with a 34" inseam. I have been told a 58 cm frame would probably work. I would like to stay in the $700-$1000 range.

the main difficulty was figuring out what to buy because I didn't know what good fit was supposed to feel like.

This is my problem too.

I haven't been to InGear yet. I will have to check out some more shops and ride some bikes. I was hoping to find a left over. I'm going to check out the Sequoia too. I like the sound of the being a tad more upright. It's hard to wait, I just want to get one and ride!!

Thanks again for all the comments and help. This forum is great, I'm learning alot..

[RoseC]

Hi, Lynn!

I just went through this same thing a few months back, in May. I had a lower end mountain bike, but wanted something I could take on long rides on our paved trails here, with maybe just a bit of road riding...but I also knew I didn't want a road bike with a really aggressive setup. I tried a few hybrids, mostly at the shop where I bought the mountain bike, but didn't feel like they clicked, and I also didn't feel like I was being taken seriously. I don't think they believed I was really going to do long rides.

Then I found the bike shop I now think of as my LBS (I LOVE them!), and after listening carefully, they recommended either a "comfort" road bike (I think the Specialized Sequoia falls into that category) or a cyclocross. They offer more hand positions, for one, and are generally more comfortable for longer rides, though of course you *can* do a long ride on a hybrid...

Anyway, I ended up with a Bianchi Volpe, which is kind of a cyclocross / touring bike, and I love, love, love it so far. I started bike commuting (12.5 miles each way) in order to get more bike time in, which I never thought I'd do. And I do appreciate the drop bars. I find that just about *exactly* at the ten mile mark, I start to want the ability to move my hands around a bit, and with the drop bars, that's easier. Being that it's a cross rather than more of a race bike, I'm able to set it up with beefier tires, so I have a nice cushy ride. And it has a steel frame, which supposedly can feel nicer. I think it's much less jarring than my aluminum mountain bike, but I'm probably a little blinded by my feelings for the bike.

A lot of folks here really like cross bikes of various models, being as how they tend to be nice and sturdy and with a little more of a relaxed position than other road bikes, plus they're easy to set up with wider tires and fenders should you so desire. I think they're one of the best choices for all around riding, unless you really want a race bike.

Just one more (obvious biased) opinion!

[Fredwina]

the one Bad thing I found with pedal pushers was that tend to categorize folks, Sounds like what's Happening to you. So, yeah, a trip out 322 might be in order....