Originally Posted by
augiedogie
I currently ride an off road oriented hybrid, which is heavy bike, but its comfortable to me as I am 200+ and 6'4". But I've been getting stronger and would like to go faster, so I tried out a couple of road bikes in the last couple of days. Finally decided a road bike is not for me. Why?
1. Too twitchy on the steering.
2. Even though the salesmen claimed the second one would be just right for me, it still felt too small and cramped. I like the lighter weight, but it felt like I was riding a bike much too small for me.
3. It may sound weird, but it was almost seemed too light for my comfort.
4. Being bent over that far was bad for my back.
I did learn they changed the configuration on the road bikes completely, compared to bikes 30 years ago. I don't know why but I didn't care for their new designs. I used to ride a 25" frame and that was always fine.
So I would still like to ride a faster bike.
So? A should I buy lighter components to my current bike which is very comfortable for me to ride? or Maybe try a fitness bike, like a Sirrus from Specialized? Then I could customize it to my liking.
It's an acquired taste, and may never become a daily rider. I have heavy utility/touring/cc bikes, and fast racing bikes, the heavy guys get more road time. One thing you can do to ease the transition is get slick, light 28mm tires for a fast bike, it will eliminate the twitchiness and make is seem more substantial. You might want to avoid all road bikes that will accommodate only 23 or 25mm tires, as suggested above look at touring and cyclocross bikes. I road a pretty fast cyclocross bike for a year or so; nice, fun bike. You have the advantage of going for fast with a light-weight wheelset, or using them for touring with racks and hi-spoke wheelsets...versatile.
Cyclocross Bikes - Trek Bicycle