Boudicca

what is it about bicycles that whever you have one, all the bikes you see are just a couple of notches nicer? came back from 65 glorious km in ontario's niagara wine country, and every other bike was better, lighter or faster than my hybrid. or so it seemed. so hello everyone from yet another newbie, and i'd welcome any ideas on whether i really do want to switch to a road bike/touring bike or whether i should stop drooling at each bike shop and just upgrade the hybrid with skinnier tires and better components. how easy is it to get used to drop handlebars anyway? or should i be posting this on another section of the board?

bnet1

Welcome to the forums. Yeah it kind of seems that way. Everyone else's bike seems newer, better quality, more esoteric than the one you are on at the time. As far as weight goes it mainly impacts acceleration and hill climbing speed. The upgrade that would net increases in speed is wheels/tires with less rolling resistance. You could go to drop bars, or aero bars. I currently have 2 bikes. One is a Trek 1000 road bike which weighs in the mid 20's, and a RANS Tailwind recumbent which weighs about 30 pounds. The recumbent is faster on the flats, faster downhill, and faster into a headwind than the road bike. The Trek road bike is faster off of the line and somewhat faster in a climb although I have to work harder than when I'm on the recumbent. The recumbent, is a bit slower in climbing but actually easier. I have all of the aero advantages on the recumbent as if I was on the drops on the road bike all of the time. The nice thing about the recumbent is the absolute comfort. If you are leaning toward a new bike get what works for you, what fits your style of cycling. Get a good fit on the bike so it will be comfortable. Myself, I'm glad I switched to the 'bent. The road bike has become a home for spiders.

'bent Brian