Originally Posted by
Elwood Blues
So I finally carved out some time from my work schedule to get on some bikes at a LBS. Anyway I found out a bunch of things that will guide me in the quest for a new ride. First off, I don't think that I'm ready for a bike with drop bars. After riding one, it was not very confidence inspiring and the geometry felt really crammed. I tried a couple of hybrid style bikes, and found those to be more to my liking. The carbon fork makes a lot of difference around here.
What bikes did you try? I can't imagine that a properly fitting touring or cyclocross bike would feel "crammed". A bike with narrow tires will feel more nervous than a bike with wider tires, so if you're comparing "racing" bikes with drop bars to flat-bar hybrids you might not have the full picture...