Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - I want to go faster and further!

I have two bikes. a 1988 Schwinn LeTour and a 2008 Trek Navigator I set up to commute. I love my Trek "Comfort" bike. I'm riding trails on the weekends and doing things I didn't imagine when I started two months ago. I've lose some weight, feel better than I have in years and gone from filling up my car once a week to once a month.
But I want to get up to group rides 40 to 50 miles and I need to go faster. I have tried using the old Schwinn but the seat height is higher than the handle bars and I'm really uncomfortable. Will that get better? I'm 66 years old, 6'4" and 265lbs. Should I be looking for something more upright than a road bike?

Look at the Specialized Allez, and don't let the shop cut your steerer tube. That will give you a slightly more upright stance with the HB level with the saddle. Another bike would be the Roubaix, from Specialized.

Another alternative might be the Surly LHT, a touring bike.
I have two bikes. a 1988 Schwinn LeTour and a 2008 Trek Navigator I set up to commute. I love my Trek "Comfort" bike. I'm riding trails on the weekends and doing things I didn't imagine when I started two months ago. I've lose some weight, feel better than I have in years and gone from filling up my car once a week to once a month.
But I want to get up to group rides 40 to 50 miles and I need to go faster. I have tried using the old Schwinn but the seat height is higher than the handle bars and I'm really uncomfortable. Will that get better? I'm 66 years old, 6'4" and 265lbs. Should I be looking for something more upright than a road bike?

Check your stem adjustment. If it isn't all the way up to your minimum insertion point, just raise it up.

After that, maybe a higher stem?

I have two bikes. a 1988 Schwinn LeTour and a 2008 Trek Navigator I set up to commute. I love my Trek "Comfort" bike. I'm riding trails on the weekends and doing things I didn't imagine when I started two months ago. I've lose some weight, feel better than I have in years and gone from filling up my car once a week to once a month.
But I want to get up to group rides 40 to 50 miles and I need to go faster. I have tried using the old Schwinn but the seat height is higher than the handle bars and I'm really uncomfortable. Will that get better? I'm 66 years old, 6'4" and 265lbs. Should I be looking for something more upright than a road bike?

Your Schwinn is Ok. It took me 1000 miles for legs to get in shape for a 48 mile group ride.
Takes awhile to get used to leaning. But you will love it when you get there.
8 months riding, 6200 miles, 300 miles last week, 66 y/o
Go slow, Ride for seat time, The Rest will follow.

I would say listen to "10 Wheels", take it slow and easy with the older bike and maybe adjust it some. I thought 10 miles at first was going to kill me, and now I do 40 without much problem, other than a bad foot problem now that I am trying to buy new bike shoes for.

Good luck and have fun putting on the miles.

Look at the Specialized Allez, and don't let the shop cut your steerer tube. That will give you a slightly more upright stance with the HB level with the saddle. Another bike would be the Roubaix, from Specialized.

Another alternative might be the Surly LHT, a touring bike.

Those are great looking bikes, and from some of the other responses I suspected I might need some more time before I buy another bike. I'm commuting 12 miles round trip 4 days a week and I'm doing 15 to 20 miles a day on the weekend's. I'm fortunate enough to live two miles from a state park with a combination of paved and unpaved trails so it's really easy to take interesting rides close to home but I want to build up my stamina for longer rides.

[QUOTE=10 Wheels;7190656]Your Schwinn is Ok. It took me 1000 miles for legs to get in shape for a 48 mile group ride.
Takes awhile to get used to leaning. But you will love it when you get there.
8 months riding, 6200 miles, 300 miles last week, 66 y/o
Go slow, Ride for seat time, The Rest will follow.[/QU

I just started out to ride to work but I'm enjoying it so much I'm wanting to do much more than I started out doing. I've got over 500 miles since the end of May and I was on vacation (and away from the Bike)for two weeks. I made such rapid progress at first but I'm not pleased with the last couple of weeks I don't seem to be getting stronger as fast as I was.