Let me apologize in advance if this was covered previously. It looks like quite a few of us that have taken a recent interest (or renewed interest) in cycling have gravitated towards hybrids as our first choice for a purchase and yet quite a few of those experienced riders that have responded have advised otherwise - particularly for those (like myself) that are interested in using their bike for both in-town use as well as occasionally touring. In most cases the old hands have recommended a pure road bike.
Speaking for myself, I want a bike that has three primary attributes: comfortable, rugged and (reasonably) fast. The hybrids seem to fit the bill. Initially, I went to the LBS with a road bike in mind but was immediately put off by how stiff the bikes were (I felt like my fillings were about to jar loose on my test rides) and by how far forward I had to lean with the drop handle bars. By comparison, the hybrids I tested (namely the Trek 7100, 7200 and 7300) were extremely comfortable and relatively fast and nimble and the salesperson mentioned that they should hold up to a reasonable amount of abuse. (I also tried the Trek 7.5 FX and while the sitting position was far more comfortable than the true road bikes it was still very stiff and far less forgiving with the bumps in the road.)
[font=Tahoma][font=Verdana]So, my question is simply this - how far fetched is it for me to use a Trek 7300 (for instance) as a touring bike? I realize it won't be as fast as a true road bike but is it unrealistic for this use? Is it really that much slower than the Trek 520 (touring bike)? Will I be lagging behind everyone else? I should mention that I am mid-40's, 6' 2" and in fairly decent shape (lifelong water polo player). [/font][/font] [font=Tahoma][font=Verdana][/font][/font] [font=Tahoma][font=Verdana]Regards.[/font][/font] [font=Tahoma][font=Verdana][/font][/font] [font=Tahoma][font=Verdana][/font][/font]
I can share my experience with you. I started with a mountain bike and moved to a hybrid 2 years ago (giant Cypress DX) for fitness riding. The hybrids are comfy, lots of gears (tripple in front, BIG 8 on rear-11-32T rear) great for relatively short rides (I do 80 weekly miles regularly, with lots of hills) but beyond that you start getting very fatigued, they are heavy and have wider tires. In reality, I don't I would ride more than 20 miles at a time on a hybrid. If you' riding in a group with mostly road bikes, you'll have a hard time keeping up. Depending on the terrain you ride and your fitness level, gearing is critical.(of course budget- you can get a nice bike for $900 to $1300 range) I just bought a road bike BUT with "relaxed geometry" (top tube sloped) NOT racing frame. I think they are called "sport road bike or performance road bike". They are a lot more comfortable (I'm 53), slightly more upright than a racing bike. Most of these bikes still have tripple in front and 8, 9 or 10 speeds on back. Now a tripple in front and 10 speed in back in a "sport's road bike" is NOT the same as a hybrid, the front tripple is larger and the largest rear sprocket is still smaller than a hybrid. (of course you can customize anything but these refer to "factory builds"😉 So you are still doing more work in hills than the hybrid-that's the idea though. Also, if you move to a road bike, the PEDALS become an issue. Most road bikes come without pedals and you have to decide which way to go... this is another topic on itself... I just bought a Giant RC1 (with 105 group set). I test rode a bunch of bikes and think is the best "value". It's not super light but has good components, good frame, smooth ride and best of all it FITS me better than the others. I would also suggest the Cannondale Synapse 1, 2 or 3, Scattante 650RC). All of these are in $1,000 to $1,300. Have not tested any Treks though... from what I've heard they are a little more expensive then comparable bikes... Hope this helps...
Thank you for the response - it was exactly what I was looking for (although not necessarily what I was hoping to hear). However, your suggestion for a 'relaxed geometry' road bike is a great suggestion and where I will re-start my search. Add a comfy seat and I may have what I am looking for. Thanks again.
[font=Tahoma] [/font]
[quote="rparedes"]
angus1 said:
All-
[Let me apologize....fit the bill. ]
I can share my experience with you. I started with a mountain bike and moved to a hybrid 2 years ago (giant Cypress DX) for fitness riding. The hybrids are comfy, lots of gears (tripple in front, BIG 8 on rear-11-32T rear) great for relatively short rides (I do 80 weekly miles regularly, with lots of hills) but beyond that you start getting very fatigued, they are heavy and have wider tires. In reality, I don't I would ride more than 20 miles at a time on a hybrid. If you' riding in a group with mostly road bikes, you'll have a hard time keeping up. Depending on the terrain you ride and your fitness level, gearing is critical.(of course budget- you can get a nice bike for $900 to $1300 range) I just bought a road bike BUT with "relaxed geometry" (top tube sloped) NOT racing frame. I think they are called "sport road bike or performance road bike". They are a lot more comfortable (I'm 53), slightly more upright than a racing bike. Most of these bikes still have tripple in front and 8, 9 or 10 speeds on back. Now a tripple in front and 10 speed in back in a "sport's road bike" is NOT the same as a hybrid, the front tripple is larger and the largest rear sprocket is still smaller than a hybrid. (of course you can customize anything but these refer to "factory builds"😉 So you are still doing more work in hills than the hybrid-that's the idea though. Also, if you move to a road bike, the PEDALS become an issue. Most road bikes come without pedals and you have to decide which way to go... this is another topic on itself... I just bought a Giant RC1 (with 105 group set). I test rode a bunch of bikes and think is the best "value". It's not super light but has good components, good frame, smooth ride and best of all it FITS me better than the others. I would also suggest the Cannondale Synapse 1, 2 or 3, Scattante 650RC). All of these are in $1,000 to $1,300. Have not tested any Treks though... from what I've heard they are a little more expensive then comparable bikes... Hope this helps...
I went the hybrid route when I first got into cycling. After a couple of years I was very much ready to move to a road bike. Since I am more interested in fast-paced riding than touring I went with something more performance oriented, but I think the suggestion to look at relaxed geometry road bikes is a good one. While I've done a number of 50+ mile rides on my hybrid, the limited number of hand positions does get to be an issue after a while, and I can't say they've been terribly comfortable. On the other hand 50 miles on one of my road bikes is just fine...the drop bars give you a lot more options for hand placement. Trek has the Pilot series, Felt has the Z series...actually most major bike companies are offering bikes in this segment of the market.
Two other things...sloping top tubes do not equate to relaxed geometry. While a lot of relaxed geometry roadbikes do have sloping top tubes, so do many racing bikes these days. Relaxed geometry refers to a taller head tube (handlesbars are higher) and less overall reach between the saddle and the handlebars.
As for a "comfy seat"...on bikes, they're called saddles for a reason...you sit on them, not in them. If you plan on doing any longer rides, you'll find that a softer, well padded saddle is actually much more of a problem than a firmer one (coupled with proper cycling shorts). After a while the soft padding tends to compress, and you sink in putting pressure on places you don't want pressure.
If you only want one bike, get a cyclocross bike. That way you get something that rides like a road bike but can take wider tires.
My geared bike is a custom cross bike that has road bike geometry and yet can take 35mm tires and racks and fenders. I can haul @$$ on the road, yet I can also ride offroad if I so choose.
