Originally Posted by
Bikealangelo
OP here, and I found out that several people in the factory that I work at go on regular bike rides, so I asked them. One had a 2012 Specialized Venge Pro that he was looking to pass along, and he was kind enough to let me borrow it for a couple of days to figure out if I wanted to buy it, and to test ride it.
I tried it on the first day I got it home. It is objectively better in literally EVERY category. Despite being in my work clothes, riding in heavy wind, on a bike I am unfamiliar with, and in the rain, my average mile time improved by over 10%.
So I can kind of see why the question seemed ridiculous to most of you now. I will say that for my hobby riding that I am doing (10-25 miles, two or three times a week) that this is probably way nicer of a bike than I need, but that isn't going to keep me from buying it
Absolutely, buy it. If you enjoy riding, and it sounds like you do, you'll want to ride further and with groups. Hands down the Schwinn won't cut if you begin riding with groups. Also, the Specialized will encourage you to perform and reach more personal goals. Don't be surprised if sometime in the future, you begin looking at what to upgrade on the Venge to improve your performance. It's a great sport, enjoy it!