Road Cycling - First Road Bike

Hi All:
I have been riding a comfort Diamondback recreationally since high school. This summer I have gotten into a routine of riding one hour every day; I have already gone 700 miles and hope to make 1000 before summer break ends. This has taken a toll on my aging bike and I am thinking about taking my riding to the next level with a road bike.

I have never been on a road bike before and they kind of scare me. I don't know what to think about the curved handle bars, the hunched over position, the tiny seat, and the special shoes. What should I know before I start looking for my first road bike?

I want to buy from my local dealer www.worldofbikes.com so that means I can chose from Trek, Giant, Klein, Rivendell, Co-Motion, and Burley. What do you think about the Trek 1000C or 520? A touring bike would be nice because one of my goals is to ride the Iowa RAGBRAI. Mainly I want something that is comfortable but will challenge my performance more than the Diamondback.

Matt

I'd suggest going in and seeing what they've got in stock, sitting on a few bikes, etc. I know the store you're talking about, and they're nice guys. I'll be buying a new bike from them myself when I've got enough change saved up.

i just got a giant ocr 3 and it is amazing. i just put my frist hundred miles on it and i couldnt be happier. i too went from mountain bike to road. the curved bars and small seat and hunch grow on you pretty fast. only thing is you have to learn how to brake a little more carefully, almost fishtailed into a car the other day. but i think the giant ocr 3 and the trek 1000c are about the same bike, just ride them all and pick the one that feels the best....and also are you supposed to have special shoes cause i dont have any yet. darn.

I just bought My first Road bike today. There are several you can choose from depending on your budget. I got the trek 1500 for $850. I rode it 5 miles and love it.
Other choices are Trek 1000, Trek 1200 and the speacialized alliz sport. The componets on the Trek 1500 are better than those on the Trek 1000, Trek 1200 and the Speacialized alliz sport. When I started looking for a bike I was going to go with the Trek 1000,but, I found out it was treks bottom line then I decided to go to the Trek 1200.When I got to the bike store I saw how much better the componets on the Trek 1500 were and bought it. Good luck in choosing your Bike.

While doing my search for my bike, I found that no-one carried the "c" version of the bikes. I am sure that they could always order one though. I recently bought a Cannondale R600 and love it. I looked at Trek 1500 and Giant OCR1 seriously as well. I would also suggest checking out a couple different LBS. I visited 3 different LBS since they all didn't carry the same bikes. I also had each LBS fit me for a bike to dtermine exactly what size I needed and compared the three. 2 of the shops fit me for a 56 and the other fitted me for a 54. So, I think it is best to shop around and ride quite a few bikes from different shops and see which bike and shop you like best.

Gday. I'm like stilgar - just got an ocr3 after riding a mtb for a year and a half to uni (25km each way). First time I went and hopped on a road bike I felt like I had no control and I couldn't relax at all (my shoulder's were all tensed up). Anyways, after a few quick rides on different bikes I was felling a fair bit more comfortable. After going maybe 40km on my ocr3 I was feeling GREAT! I reckon the crouched position is more comfy than the upright mtb position, the little seats are better too. I've increased my max speed on flat road by over 10km/hr and my cruising speed by 5-7km/hr. They're much more responsive too. One more thing - test ride before you buy!!!!

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I went to two bike shops today and tried out the Trek 1000C, 1200C, and 1200 (unfortunately no one had Giant OCRs my size in stock). At first I felt very wobbly and out of control. But by the time I tried the third bike I was getting used to it. The 1200C felt much better to me than the 1200 probably because I am used to riding with my handle bars and seat at the same level. I think the 1200C will be a good bike to learn on.