Lars Halstrom

Is it common to switch from a hybrid to a road bike after age 65? I'm tired of the hybrid and want something to keep up with the road bikes on rides.

fietsbob

Maybe in Seattle,

well theres you motivation, the peer pressure is dropping you off the back ,
so its time for that Ferrari or Porche Race-like bike.

though they still may not wait up for you. thats cultural not equipment.

everyone else drop the big bucks on Carbon fiber wonderbikes?

the Jonses have to be kept up with..

just on this forum, or planet wide?

bruce19

It's never too late for enlightenment.

Lanovran

Actually, it seems pretty common at any age. Keeping up with groups is often cited as a reason, as is just plain going faster, farther, and/or lighter.

ping jockey

It may not be common but it's not too late. I switched from a hybrid to a road bike at age 59. My buddy switched last year at age 63.

Go for it!

RichBeau

Funny at 63 I've gone the other way (I pick up my first hybrid Saturday).

MRT2

Ride whatever excites you. Don't know how common it is to start with a road bike after 65, but my local bike club has plenty of serious roadies in their 60s and 70s.

Lars Halstrom

I thought they would be uncomfortable at first, so I test rode a 2013 Specialized Roubaix Expert Disc C2 with Ultegra group set. I thought I died and went to heaven. At 18lbs too. However, my hybrid's hydro brakes on my Sirrus are much better, requiring less squeeze pressure. These discs were the mechanical ones. So then I tried the Giant Carbon Defy 1. I took it up the steepest street I could find in the lowest gear. It performed easier with the 34x28 than the hybrid's 34x36 combo. It certainly is more motivation to ride faster, farther and more often.

BluesDawg

Making changes at any age to follow your interests is not common enough. Have at it.

jimmuller 

Don't know about the switching part, but it is common enough for 65'ers to be riding road bikes at all. There is a reason those bars are shaped that way. They are more ergonomic and offer more hand positions than flat bars.

Zinger

I think it's going to be fun for you. I'd take my time on researching what's out there and choosing something just right for your tastes and needs.

BigAura

Not necessarily common but at your age there are no rules. But if you want to be a Roadie there are rules.

qcpmsame 

It may well be your first drop bar road bicycle, but it probably won't be the last one, they are habit forming. We have several members in 50+ that have made a late switch to a drop bar, the weight is a big factor if they are doing group rides or climbing and need the extra advantage it offers you. You are looking at some really nice bicycles, and if the hydraulic brakes are your cup of tea for hard, quick stopping like a descent might give you, that is available either on a stock bicycle or as a add on. It will be more expensive, though.

Bill

DowneasTTer

I'm a couple of months shy of medicare.....and have been riding adult bikes since the 60's. My wife and I converted to flat bars in the late 70's and road them until Dec. of last year. That's when I found a great deal on a Giant TCR composite. So now I have a new hybrid daily rider, Giant Escape RX composite, a Giant TCR Composite road bike occasional rider and a Mongoose Triomphe mountain bike for the dirt. I find the road bike to be my sports car on two wheels and enjoy it. But, still love the hybrid for those leisurely rides with the wife. Currently we ride about 6 to 8 k miles/year. So don't let the age fool you..... enjoy the ride.

Ursa Minor

I'm still trying to get my riding partner to switch from a comfort bike to ... anything else!
Good luck and have fun shopping around.

Charlie

crazyb

Why do you not like carbon fiber? Its less costly than steel or titanium, not much more than aluminum if you are comparing like quality bikes.

To the op, go with the nicest you care to afford. I ride with 80 yr olds that are on road bikes, and they are carbon.

MRT2

I know a guy who owns a carbon fiber hybrid who crashed it the end of last season. He had the bike repaired, but he doesn't know if the frame is safe to ride. I freely acknowledge that this might just be my own neurosis, but if I spent $2k to $4k on a bike, I would hate to think that I would need to junk the bike after a crash.

crazyb

If I crashed a steel, titanium, aluminum, scandium, boron, bamboo, bike I wouldn't know if it was safe to ride unless I had it xrayed. Would you?

fietsbob

personally , it doesnt matter, I got no roadie peer group to ride with ..and drop me off the back ,


but the LBS is, happy to sell you one, drop on by .. It's not Snowing here ..

jimmuller 

The bike or the rider?

With a steel bike you can be pretty certain whether a joint is broken or a tube is bent. If none are, you can ride it with confidence. I don't know about the others.

MRT2

If I crashed my steel bike, and had it checked out or repaired by a trusted mechanic at a LBS, I would be pretty confident that it was safe to ride. Steel dents. It doesn't usually fail catastrophically without warning. But I have ridden steel bikes my entire life so I have a comfort level with steel that I don't have with CF. That is this guy's fear, that without sending the frame back to Trek, he doesn't really know if it is safe to ride.

crazyb

Put a stress crack in a weld, and maybe you would see it and maybe not. All I am saying is that any frame material can fail if it suffers an impact.

dbg

Let's not go down that "which frame is better?" path again.

To the OP, I would suggest that a better motor would accomplish more than a lighter frame.

Bald Cypress

If you were a true roadie, you would know the answer to that question since you would be superior to everyone else.

cplager

A road bike usually has a more aerodynamic position than a hybrid. If the OP is riding 15 mph or more, then such a change can make a real difference.

One of the biggest differences between road and hybrid bicycles are tire choices. One easy way to upgrade a bike is a tire upgrade.

As far as your age, you are more than 35 years younger than the 100+ century record holder, so you've got lots of time to make this switch.