Nightshade's rant aside, I understand where Velo is coming from. I started roading 2 yrs ago on a borrowed '89 Trek 1200. I got some good advice, in retrospect, regarding road biking. "Spend as much as you can on a good pair of bike shorts" and "get a least 105 level components" were a few of the 'rules of thumb' from those in the know.
Think about it. The sport is over 100 yrs old, and if you look at pics from back 80 yrs ago, very little has changed. Skinny tires, narrow seats, tight clothing, light frames, drop handles. Yes, there is carbon frames, clipless pedals, "brifters," high tech fabrics, and a lot of other technological improvements. But really not much has changed. There is a reason all these things have lasted all this time. For Road Biking, they are the best, and the years and the technology have only improved them.
For our 50 yo friends who want to get into cycling, 90 % of them will never ride more that 10 - 15 mi at a time, and never go over 12 mph. Any bike will suffice. A soft, cushy seat is ok for an hour or so, great in fact, to the casual rider. Give me a good pair of bike shorts and a brick for a century. Drop handles may seem uncomfortable to the noob, but who wants to do 30 mi into a headwind with upwright bars?
If you want them to experience the exhileration of doing 25 on a bike, or the satisfation of finishing your first centry, forget it. They won't. It's not "in their blood."
My wife and my son are both excellent bowlers. I like it, but I'm not that good. I don't LOVE it. I LOVE cycling. I loved it as a kid with a paper route in the 50s delivering papers on my Cruiser.
I just wish I has discovered road biking 40 yrs ago. You wish the same for your friends, as do I. Fact of the matter is, not all of them have roading in their blood. I just don't know what the "blood test" is.
BTW, my wife and I got comfort Hybrids in '03 (Diamondback Wildwood) We enjoyed riding them for "pie rides" to Starbucks. Our friends were amazed that we rode a bike 8 MILES.
Last month we did a tandem ride with our club. 54 mi. I've done about a dozen centuries, and numerous Metrics. My wife does 20 - 40 mi a week. We come a long way baby.
Last edited by bobthib; 03-21-11 at 08:16 PM.