Well, yesterday decided to take my wife's bike (Bianchi, straight bar) on the same route as I did with the Diamondback Haanjo EXP ... yep, it's me. :-) I think I got more tired on her bike because it was also a bit small for me and my posture was not as good as when I was on the Haanjo. Got to work on those muscles I guess. I do sometimes feel like this bike is an overkill for me, we'll see.
If I did decide to go for something lower key and more for on the road style with handlebars I am more used to, I was looking into these;
Co-op Cycles CTY 2.2 Bike
or
Cannondale Quick Disc 1
any thoughts on these two?
Originally Posted by
Oneder
Knobbies will make the vibration more but won't cut the speed much. Wider tires are more traction and can actually be faster so long as you are in shape enough. 4 years is a long time, and your past rides may not have been in such hilly locale.
Originally Posted by
SkyDog75
There are lots of options out there in your bike’s 650b size. Along with being a niche tire for road and gravel bikes, it’s popular size for mountain bike tires.
Don’t confuse your bike’s tire size with 650c, which is a different, incompatible size. 650c is generally only used on triathlon bikes and road bikes for smaller riders. There’s not much of a tire selection in 650c, and they’re generally going to be skinny road tires.
Your Haanjo is a nice bike, and there’s nothing on it that isn’t a common standard. Either bike will be just as easy to customize or upgrade.
Tire changes are trivial and you’ll end up changing tires sooner or later, no matter which bike you go with.
Those things aside, it’s really just a matter of preference and cost, both of which are your call.
Originally Posted by
jefnvk
No idea, I've never ridden the DB. My preference is simply towards that style, after buying and riding this bike.
If you are shopping at REI they likely have a wide selection of bikes sitting on the floor. The best advice I can give is for you to go in and test ride a few, especially if you are returning the DB and buying a different one. What I personally like does not help you, you are likely proportioned much differently and doing a different style of riding than me, you need some time on bikes making up your own mind.
Good luck with the search
Originally Posted by
autonomy
That is one heck of a bike to be riding casually, kind of like driving a lifted Wrangler to the mall.
90% of your trouble sounds like being out of shape. Just keep at it and you'll get better. The other 10% come from the wheels that come on the Haanjo - too knobby, too wide, and probably too low-pressure for efficient road use. You could just try different, thinner, smoother, higher-PSI tires (<35mm, fewer knobs, 60+PSI).
Think about how much you enjoy riding and what your future wants might be (but don't overthink) and let that guide your decision on which bike to get. Will you want to ride longer? Faster?
Originally Posted by
FlMTNdude
From experience, building strength and tires. Tires alone can be worth 1-2 mph. The rest, just keep riding. I have a hill that once was a struggle in the 34-28 combination. Nowadays I hold it reasonably in 34-21. The only difference is my ability to climb. Same bike, still the same tires. A few kg lighter bike is nice, but in the end work on yourself and you will find your current bike can handle it just fine.