My bride and I recently went through this same situation - though we had a 20 year hiatus. I started out on my 30+ year old KHS mountain bike and upgraded to a Gary Fisher comfort bike. My bride then started riding my old KHS and then upgraded to a Giant fitness bike. Then I upgraded to the man's equivalent, which was a pretty big leap from the Fisher. Then we got Specialized mountain bikes - 5# lighter than my unsprung KHS and love them and now we trail ride a couple of times a month.

After doing some test riding and after my wife attended a VeloGirls training, we decided that we really wanted road bikes. We made the JUMP to the Specialized Ruby Pro for her and the Roubaix S-Works for me. We couldn't have imagined spending that much money on a bike - we used to laugh when we walked into the LBS and saw the $3k and up bikes. Now we enjoy them so much, we see them as an investment in our health, both mental and physical. We've put about 2k miles on them in a couple of months and the smiles per mile just keep growing. We might have chosen less expensive bikes, but we also might have decided to upgrade again later anyway, so we made the leap.

My point, I guess I have one, is that if you like it you'll end up upgrading. You should put as many miles as you can on your bike while trying others (like the Jamis) so that you'll know why and to what you might want to upgrade. The longer you wait and the surer you are of yourself, the less $$ you'll drop on in-between steps. The point is to enjoy the ride. If you learn that a "better" bike will increase the enjoyment, then it may be time to make your own leap of faith.

As mentioned, your present bike is probably fine to start out.

The time crunch you allude too kept me from riding more than about a dozen times per year before I retired (at 58, now 70). I relied on jogging for fitness. It's easy to do anywhere, even on business travel. Based on your relative youth and weight, I suggest getting a copy of Younger Next Year ( https://www.amazon.com/Younger-Next-Year-Strong-SexyUntil/dp/076114773X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249927067&sr=1-1 ) for education/motivation.

Up to possibly $3000, the more money you spend the more fun the ride. However, for some it's best to start out much cheaper until you really know how you like biking and what kind of bike you really want. My theory is that the more fun the bike, the greater the probability one will stick with it. So far it's worked for the wife (and me).

My wife (68) uses flat bars on her road bike, but wants to try drops. She's done 50 mile rides. I prefer drops and my max is about 70 miles. It's easy to switch between the two at some cost. The bar plus the brake/shift levers have to be changed out and so do the cables. If you don't like one, switch to the other. Doing your own work saves big $'s. You really can't tell unless you try them both and it's strictly personal preference.

I've seen some very nice drop-bar road bikes for a grand or so. Not so for flat bar road bikes. They tend to be clunkers IMO. The dealer will sometimes change out the bars/controls for free. You could also put flat bars on and keep the old parts to switch back later. Consider the $'s are for improving your health and bike parts are much cheaper than medical expenses.

I have flats on my mountain bike and drops on my road bike. For both bikes I have about a 47 degree back angle (measured and "on the hoods" for the drop bars). I've had both types of bikes for decades, so I've always had experience with both. On a road bike, you sit in the same position so it's nice to have the ability to change hand positions and the angle of the back as the ride progresses. Plus nothing beats STI (only for drop bars) for braking/shifting. Your generally all over the mountain bike on technical single track, so you really don't need to worry about hand positions, back angles or even a sore rear. You are not in the same position even on the saddle for very long.

I think drops will take you a while to get used to, but so will regular biking. That's the nature of any change in physical activity level so build up slowly

Al

excellent advise!
you'll eliminate anywhere from a 1 to 1 1/2 lb. PER WHEEL! in going from a basic mtb tire (anywhere from 700gm to 1 kg) to these roadie slicks (340 to 400 gm). And you'll gain with less rolling resistence based on the slightly higher pressures you can run.
With the much lower rotating mass, your bike will feel completely new again (don;t forget the new lighter smaller tubes to go with the tires).
I run similar tires on my commuter and enjoy every mile I get to do on that bike.
There are those who say "tough it out", the wind/hills/slow tires/torrential downpours/lardass are your friends cause they make you work harder... why not just drag a boat anchor? Oh, don't forget to spray the chain with salt water... another friend.
Light and Lively is over rated.
BTW, at 2K+ miles its always good to check your chain for excessive stretch. Catch that before it goes too far and you'll save the drivetrain in general and again, make for a much better ride.
Chain checkers are cheep... or likely most LBS will do it for you (check the chain) for freebie.

love the one you're with
love the one you're with

Wish I could take tomorrow off. Just started a new job this week and I'm burried! ( Still doing teh old job too!)
Anyway, you bring up a timely question. How much can I expect to get off a bike in the $1000 +/- range?
Seems 10% or less (right now ) is the norm unless talkign a leftover 07 or 08 then I'm seeing 15-20% occasionally. When I get ready to haggle, what should I expect on a leftover 09 ( or ordered 09 in Sept/Oct?

Try rentals. Maybe you can find something close to what you want.

I would go in offering 40% off list on a 2009. Here is a link to a list of sale bikes from one of my local shops, they are offering 30% off most models right now. This is the start of the sale season and I think this year there will be a lot for sale.

40%

Even this cheap old guy would blush at those prices ( then buy a $1800 bike )


From you link, I'm seeing an average of 10% -20%. I was hoping for 20-30% . We'll see


FWIW, I've seen some "clearance" deals on a few so far but nothing earth shattering.. Fuji Newest 2.0 $620. 08' Felt F-85, $900, Felt z80 $999, 07' Cannondale 105 compact (cycle cross) $980 ( Really liked this one!) Cannondale Synapse sport 4, $750.

?Got any more fishing buddies with other syle bikes? congrats on your decision making process, makes enjoying what you finally chose easier.
enjoy the ride.

Welcome Dave.

We are the same age and the same height but you've got a few pounds on me. I would think your best option would be to ride what you've got for awhile and concentrate on dropping a few pounds. Get down closer to 180 and I think you will find a road bike much more comfortable than you do now.

At 160 pounds, I still find my hybrid more enjoyable to ride than my road bike. A big part of that is my relative inexperience on the road bike, I am sure. YMMV.

Good luck and whatever you do, enjoy it.

Actually I do. I took my other buddies Giant FCR for a test ride last week. THe bike was too big/set to high for me so it wasn't a totally fair comparison. That said, he bought it last fall and rides it several times a week. He is now looking for a drop bar bike due to limited riding position and the extra weight.
I think there is a lesson in there ( or at least a good data point.)
Hmmmm.

Since my first post, I've done 14 visits to 11 bikeshops and have completed 9 test rides. I've also put on another 1/2 dozen trips on the comfort bike and borrowed a buddies road bike twice. Each trip/ride was a learning experience and it quickly became apparent that the comfort bike rode like a dead pig compared to nearly everything else. That said, I tried, I really did. I've got 2 K miles on the Schwinn and she just ain't getting any faster or easier. ( New tires arrived but not installed BTW.)
Dropped a deposit on a new ride last night. It's all I was looking for and should grow with me for a while.
Thanks for the help and guidance.

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/...llections_id=2
I'll get some road tires on it over the winter.

https://www.bikeforums.net/cyclocross-gravelbiking-recreational/572932-cyclocross-main-ride-2.html#post9506875

Good on you - you did your research and made your decision.

Great looking bike.

Have fun!!

Thank you for sharing your experience. And your choice is a great looking and practical selection after reviewing your described road conditions, and experiences.

I too, returned to riding just over 3 years ago, on a hybrid, and have restored two older road bikes to touring set-ups. Our journeys where not that different, accept new high quality was not an option. Though, I do truly enjoy making the choice each evening which bike I am going to select for the ride, sometimes just by the feel of the motor at the time.

Great thread, good advice, and sound discussion.

I have been thinking since my wife made a comment on a longer ride just last weekend - "If we knew how much we would ride when we bought our bikes (comfort hybrids), would we had bought better bikes?"...

That's funny. I know exactly where your comeing from. One of my other hobbies/passions is paddling. Over the last 15 years years, I've somehow accumulated a mix of 8 different kayaks and canoes ( and one understanding wife ). I never met a boat that didn't have some dedeaming qualities and often pick my ride based on the days agenda and the condition of "the motor". I suspect cycling will have the same long term hold on me to some degree. I have no plans to get rid on either my mountain or comfort bike and fully expect this won't be the last bike I'll ever own. I'm gonna need a bigger garage though

Welcome. All good advice above. My reentry into cycling after a 14 year layoff and the need to drop much weight is similar to yours.

My only advice is take things slow with the weight loss and cycling. These things take time and going too fast is the best way to kill the whole process. I started with a Mt. bike on the rail to trail until I could do 1/2 hour of cycling. Forget about mileage as a sign of progress, time on the bike is what to monitor. Also if your diet does not change you can ride till the cows come home an the weight will not come off. Good luck.

HELLO Wee Hooker//If you feel this is just for conditioning and a longer ride now and again get a 6/800 dollar mtn bike hardtail put some semi road tires on it and ride.; 18speed is plenty with shiffters you like.//second hand is hard only because being confident with the shifting will be nessecary for quick shifting,in conditioning mode./Hope it takes you to a single track mind but we cant win um all/Kenneth

Not sure what bike you have, but don't be afraid to spend a bit for a good set of 26" wheels (Deore hubs & Sun Rhynolite rims) and some 1.3x26 in tires, or something in that size. For a couple of hundred dollars you can really upgrade what you have.

And there's nothing wrong with putting a few thousand miles on a plain steel no-name Schwinn.

The Giant TCX is in the stable and has remotivated me. I will put new tires on the hybrid but no hurry now. Even found my son a nice used road bike to get out/help motivate me.
Thanks again Gents. Great and friendly advice here that has helped me allot.
Dave

Your worries on the wheels on the TCX may be well founded- but do not worry too much. I am fanatical about wheels and Do not like the stock wheels supplied on many bikes. One thing to think about is getting a replacement set of wheels fairly soon. Try to find an LBS that has its own wheel builder and talk to them about two things. The wheels as supplied are machine built but they can be improved on. Get them to detension the spokes and retension and true the wheel. Should be done before too many miles are on them but it is not imperative that this be done.

The second thing is a set of handbuilt wheels. Not full racing wheels at megabucks but a set of training wheels. Ultegra hubs- Mavic open pro or CXP33 rims and 32/36 double butted spokes. These wheels will last a lifetime and are a worthwhile improvement over any stock wheel. They will also transfer over to any new bike you will buy in the next 3 months so a good investment. Keep the "old" wheels as spares as they may come in handy if you sell a bike in the future.

And good choice on the TCX. Take it you got a good price but pics required before you get it dirty. And check out the 4 bikes on the rafters--3 are Giants

A 15" frame on a roadie sounds pretty small for a 5'7" person. Shouldn't you be getting more like a 50 or 52cm (19-21")?