Hey all,

Just looking for some opinions on a bike. I'm looking for a bike that I can commute with (wearing a backpack) 10 miles, can use for physical fitness, and also take on some weekend rides with my girlfriend. I'm looking for something quick, and also comfortable. So it has come down to a road bike or commuter/fitness. I love Treks, always have, and I usually on buy new bikes. I had my heart set on a 1.2, but my buddy told me to check out 7.5 fx. I tried them both and liked them both very much, but couldnt tell much from riding around in a parking lot.

I've never ridden a road bike, and being a mountain biker the FX was easy for me to just get on and start riding, but the guy at the bike shop told me the road bike will allow me to go much faster on most of my trips, plus the different handlebar positions will make longer rides more comfortable. He also said with a road bike, you feel EVERYTHING up through your arms and shoulders, every little bump.

So I'm trying to decide, and unfortunately can't rent one to see what I will like for longer rides.

What do you guys think? Thanks.

I doubt the 1.2 would be quantifiably faster for your uses. The bike shop employee did have a point regarding the hand positions on the road bike vs. the hybrid.
That said, MANY options exist in lieu of the flat bar. for example, adding bar ends is a cheap way to get a very comfortable alternate hand position. Other styles and shapes of bar exist - this is one area that is quite easy to tweak to your personal taste - the only things to be aware of would be to stick with "flat-bar" diameter bars to allow you to retain the shifters and brakes.
Another thing that makes a big difference on a flat bar bike is grips. Ergons rock.

So, while drop bars do offer more hand positions than typical flat bars, you have a ton of alternatives to "standard" flat bars that essentially negate that advantage.

I say all of this based on your background with mountain bikes. Unless you have an immediate love for the drop bars, you'll probably find the more horizontal bar to feel more natural.

I personally like them both, but tend to prefer a flat bar for most of my riding. The only time I prefer a drop bar is on long road rides.

I've tried a number of flat bar variations, and have personally found my ideal bar. Titec makes a cheaper version under license. YMMV.

Get the 1.2. It has a carbon fork which will help with dampening road vibrations. You'll love the speed so much the bumps won't bother you at all.

Just my opinion.

as an owner of a hybrid and road bike that both see service in commuting duties (fair weather vs. foul weather), i can say that the road bike is A LOT more fun to ride. the only reason i don't ride it everyday is because it's not well suited to rain or winter. when conditions are less than ideal, that's when the IGH/disc brake hybrid begins to shine.

if, like me, you're ok with backpack commuting, a nice lightweight fast & furious road bike just can't be beat in the fun department in my opinion, but it's also a really good idea to have a back-up foul-weather bike if you plan to ride on rainy/winter days.

Before I provide my experience let me just say the perfect bike for you is the one you like, the one that fits you and the one you like to ride.

I began commuting to work in Jan on my '02 Trek Fuel 90 full suspension mtb, which I had mtb slicks on for the road miles I was going to put on it. In July I bought a Fezzari Fore CR3 full carbon road bike. Currently my commute is 26 miles RT.

The CR3 is much quicker than the F90 and for me more comfortable, meaning when I am carrying my 10 - 20 lbs back pack with all my gear for my 8 hours at work I will not get the lower back pains I get when I'm on my F90. I have a trainer that I use for setting up the bikes and I feel I have done pretty much everything I can to get into the best possible position on the F90 but still experience lower back pain which I rarely experience on the CR3.

Yes I do feel more of the bumps on the CR3 than on the F90 due to both the suspension and the tires although I did not find it as noticeable as I had expected. More than feeling the road is the issue of riding style and my size, I'm 6'3 and 220 lbs so with my pack I am probably maxing out my road bike wheels and possible the frame, something I did not come across in my 6 months of research prior to buying my road bike. None of the LBS mentioned it when I went in to talk with them either but I recently read that in "Ride Your Way Lean". None the less I certainly had to change the way I ride the road bike vs. the mtb over the same terrain to avoid damaging the wheels or the bike. The bike/pedestrian route I take to work has underpasses for the major streets which eliminates my sharing the road with cagers. I have found that I need to slow down a little going over the transitions from asphalt to concrete for the underpasses where there can be a very abrupt surface change. Additionally as the concrete transitions to the flat portion going under the road that can be very abrupt also, so I need to slow down there. I found that the rear wheel has flexed under this stress and the tire has rubbed on the frame. So just some adjustment in riding style have resolved any major issues and as I continue to loose weight (goal around 185 - 200) that will also help.

There was certainly a week or so of getting used to where the shifting and brakes were but now it is second nature.

For me I prefer the CR3 although the F90 is still in the family and is my current back up/bad weather bike. I like going fast, I always hated that I could not keep up with the roadies that I would come across in my daily commute. I was always riding in the largest chainring and one of the 3 smallest cassette gears. I also prefer the CR3 as it is much easier to ride longer rides.

So I guess I am just basically supporting what your LBS guy told you.

Best of luck.

PS: I suggest you check out Fezzari (US Co. in Ogden UT). NO Sales Tax, no shipping costs all of your money goes for the bike and since you are buying direct you are not paying a markup between the mfg/distributor/LBS.

Thanks all for the replies. Right now leaning towards road bike. I really wish they would let me test them out for a couple miles or so... =\

I've never encountered a bike shop that does not offer test rides. Most encourage getting out for a mile or two, and will even recommend routes.

"Much faster" is a pretty squishy statement. Your overall average speed door to door will probably be 1-2 mph faster on a road bike vs. hybrid. Over 10 miles, this translates into maybe 5 minutes. If you have lights and traffic to deal with, any speed advantage can be negated.

More important is to get a bike you are comfortable on, road or otherwise, and if you plan to commute in all weather, this means a rack and fenders are almost a necessity. You may think a backpack is good now, but on a hot day, having that pack on your back is awful. In the rain or on wet roads, fenders make a huge difference. So, even if you don't start out with a rack and fenders, you'll want to make sure the bike will accomodate both.

Also, a frame that will take wider tires is another factor. You may start out thinking fast, skinny tires are nice, but when the weather turns nasty, a wider tire is great.

racks are purely a matter personal preference, not necessity. i commute 28 miles everyday with a backpack, even on the hottest summer days in chicago, and it doesn't bother me too much. i have one of those airflow back packs that lifts the pack off of the back with an internal frame and mesh netting and that helps a little bit.

I agree, and taking it one step further, pretty much whatever bike you get and how you equip it is purely a matter of personal preference.

The 1.2 can fit a rack which is nice. Also, the bike shops let you ride the bike around, but only in the shopping center... which is annoying.

As far as commuting, I will be commuting probably 3 or 4 days a week, mostly for exercise and to save gas. For bad weather, I always have my car. Plus not much rain and no snow here in Tucson, AZ. I do like the idea of the FX having size 32 tires, instead of 24. Seems a little more stable

Stability is probably more a factor of geometry differences between the bikes, not the tires. Unless you plan to ride on gravel.

What bike does gf have? Does she have the same fitness & interest level? Should it play a factor in type bike chosen?

I think this is a MAJOR point!

Wife happy= life happy!

Both bike will work just fine!
I would buy the FX.
Them after you decided you liked cycling, buy a road bike!

Buy sitting upright and talking to your girlfriend on a weekend roll.
Is something to think about!

My GF has a Trek Lexa. And so a road bike makes sense to me. I have ridden it (don't tell anybody), but its hard to get a feel because its very small for me.

I know I already like Cycling. I have a 2011 Fuel EX 9, and have been riding Trek mountain bikes for a few years now. I've decided to give road biking a try, and I'm sure I will like it.

Thanks again, these posts are very helpful.

My answer to the "do anything" bike question is a touring bike. It's a road bike, it's heavy enough for (halfway decent) dirt roads, it'll take nice tires -- 32-35 or sometimes more, you can put a rack and panniers on it to get the load off your back, it gives you a good excuse for going slow up the hills with a pack of riders but doesn't slow you on the flats. But YMMV.

I want to address the "you'll feel every bump in your shoulders" nonsense. If you do, it's because you've locked your wrists and elbows. Keep them bent, relax the arms and shoulders just slightly, and you'll wonder where those bumps are.

(And please, please, insist on a decent ride before you buy! Give them a credit card or driver's license if you must, ask for a nice route, and take the bikes out for a mile or five.)

+1 - the longer wheelbase and wider tires make a huge difference over my race-geometry road bike. Fenders are really nice when it rained the night before...

It's true that you can pretty much do anything on a touring bike. They are not as fast as a road bike, but a lot more versatile.

Both kinds of bike can be comfortable and for a 10 mile ride most of the bio-mechanical or aerodynamic advantage is not relevant.

I (at least used to) own both kinds of bikes and I ended up selling the mountain bike and kept my touring bike. In my opinion, there are couple of things to be aware.

1.) Road bike components tend to be more expensive and more fragile than mountain components. So, make sure you like the major components on the bike (brifters, crankset, etc...) before you buy it.

2.) Fitting a road bike takes longer and possibly more money. For me, it took a new narrower drop bar, and a shorter stem and quite a bit of fiddling time to get comfy.

Finally, I might be going against the grain, but I think for commuting it is best to stick with a chrome-moly fork. It's heavier but I think it's much more durable than carbon fiber.

"not as fast", well, a well-configured touring bike vs an adequately adapted "true" road bike in commuting service there will be very little difference in commuting speed, but the touring bike will be more comfortable, versatile & robust. I'm thinking of a true touring bike with somewhat relaxed geometry, relatively long chainstays, relatively stronger frame & wheels, and front & rear racks for better load distribution. This is a much better solution for loaded commuting than adapting a "race-oriented" road bike. Of course there is a more or less continuous spectrum of bike types between racing-style road bikes and true touring bikes, but you get my drift.