didn't know there were flat bar road bikes. but I thought the road bikes also offer the advantage of multiple hand positions.

We'll, I suggested a $1000 road bike as my "$5-600 hundred alum. hybrid" sets in the garage unused while I ride my $1000 road bike every day. I wish I had been told that as my mileage increased, my comfort on a hybrid would decrease.

He doesn't, he could cruise the sidewalk with a $99 dollar Walmart bike, but I think most of us realize that our original perspective on what type of riding and where we plan on riding changes as our riding careers progress. A little insight into this would have saved me some money up front. I think a more constructive rant would have been addressing the dangers of riding on the sidewalk.

I checked the web sites of the bike stores in the area. Some of them offer various levels of fitting services, ranging from $75 to $250. It is not clear to me whether I am supposed to try and buy a bike first, then get fitted for that particular bike, or whether by fitting they mean to determine the size of bike I should be choosing from. Technology has come a long way from the days I used to ride :-)

I second the motion: Road or cyclocross bike. I would lean toward the cyclocross for the larger tires.

As to your dismount issues:
Make sure you are NOT trying to put your foot on the ground while still in the saddle. While still barely moving, step off the saddle and put one foot down. After stopping, put the second foot down. Then tilt the bike slightly and swing your leg over the bike.

Some bikes stores will let you take extended test rides. (Others don't want you to leave their parking lot.) I test rode at two different stores. I was gone for 90 minutes, and could have gone longer. The store will do a quick fitting before your test rides, getting the seat at the right height and perhaps adjusting the handlebars.

If you buy a bike, most stores will do more with the fitting, which is usually included with the bike purchase. Then they'll at least let you swap out the handlebar stem for another of a different length if the reach to the bars is wrong for you.

The pay fitting sesstions can be very useful, and usually take an hour or more, watching you ride in the shop, and trying different adjustments for the bike. You don't want to do this (if at all) until you've been riding for a while.

You can set up any road bike with higher bars and lower seat.The Europeans set up there tour bikes like that.A road bike does not have to be set up like a race bike.Be comfortable and get lots of miles in and you will decide on a set up for you,it may be more traditional later.You may not think you can ever do this,but the sensation of standing like the pro's and riding in the drops is wonderful! and yes you can do that

The fitting service.

When you buy the bike-The Lbs will fit it up for you on saddle height- bar reach etc. But be prepared for things to change. As you develop into a cyclist-your ride position will adapt and adapt and adapt. Those fitting services are not really required initially until the body is Bike fit and you cannot sort any further.

One thing you can do- hopefully- is to use spanner and allen keys to be able to adjust things as you go. Want to raise the bars- do it yourself. Want to fit a shorter stem- do it yourself. Bikes are not complicated and a bit of "Mechanical" knowledge is something you hopefully have as it does not need much. Any respecting LBS will sort out your mistakes for you easily enough. They may have a laugh about it but this is what keeps them in business.

I don't know if you have a neighbour that is a serious cyclist but if you have- make friends with him and ask for his input in putting you on the right track for the LBS and the right type of bike.

Again, you really need to connect up with one (or more) bike shops... You can't do this by reading...

But, an experienced LBS will fit you pretty well with a casual glance. He'll know if you need a 17" or 19" or, whatever... When you test a bike he fit the saddle and bars to fit you (approximately), when you buy the bike, he can do a closer fitting. And, that fitting may change as you ride more, lose weight, and become more aggressive. The paid, professional fittings can benefit anybody, but are mostly for the aggressive, long distance and performance riders...

[QUOTE=NCbiker;14807840]We'll, I suggested a $1000 road bike as my "$5-600 hundred alum. hybrid" sets in the garage unused while I ride my $1000 road bike every day. I wish I had been told that as my mileage increased, my comfort on a hybrid would decrease.

QUOTE]

For me, a mirror image: my road bike sits in my basement as I ride my versatile and comfortable hybrid most everyday...

I guess the analogy would be the sports car that sits in the garage while I take the Buick out for shopping, errands, etc...

As you point out: our riding preferences and styles mature as we ride more and more... It would be great to know exactly where we are going to end up when we buy our first bike. But, that is not possible for most of us...

Thanks stapfam and GeorgeB for the feedback on fitting. That actually helps a lot since only one of the bike stores in the area offer these professional fitting services with video cameras, computer programs, and the whole nine yards. Since this would be not required in my case, that gives me the freedom not to choose this particular store only on the basis of them offering this service.

Today also marks my return to the swimming pool after many many years (went there at 5:30 am!!). Mind you I can only tolerate ten minutes of laps, but it felt so great to be doing something and it is good to have hopes increase my activity levels. Can't wait to settle on the bike purchase and get the endorphin pumping :-)

Cheers

The DC metro area suffers from surplus income - so the vast majority of shops sell higher end gear - be wary.

I can recommend one shop where the owner, main mechanic, and two sales people are all lifetime bicyclists who have seen and done it all over many years. They have a modest but wide selection, and will listen to you and work with you. Try to go mid day, earlier in the week (Tues-Thurs), don't show up on a Saturday when they're bombed with folks with flat tires, kids in tow, and cash in hand.

They're called Papillon Cycles in Arlington, off of Columbia Pike. Excellent customer service and knowledge. I ride >30 miles from home just to visit them at times.

There are other chains that price at the high end of retail, like Spokes, but they'll have a very full line of Treks and the like, plus a good selection of hybrid bikes, too. Revolution Cycles is largely overpriced. Performance bike has lower and house brands, but you can find some good values. Good luck.

And to the OP, to re-iterate from an earlier post of mine, DO NOT begin the habit to ride a bike on the sidewalk. It's dangerous to you and to others. Drivers are not accustomed to having things moving so rapidly coming off sidewalks at intersections. You're more exposed to driveways, alleys, and general foot activity. Most importantly, you'll find yourself coming from the wrong direction into intersections (from a driver's perspective), so will be invisible. DANGER.

Just don't do it unless it's an emergency bail-out due to road construction or some other immediate hazard. PG

Road Bike (modern racing) - Porsche
Road Bike (vintage racing) - Shelby Cobra
Road Bike (touring) - Large bed pickup truck (pick your brand)
Road Bike (utility/commuter) - Honda Accord
Hybrid = Buick (any)
Mtn Bike = Jeep
Recumbent = Alien Spaceship

Phil

The answer to the OP's question is based on where he will be riding and by his description it seems the hybrid would fit that need.I first started out only riding the single track on a mountain bike and rode this way for years until my aging body decided for me that I needed to tone my riding style down, so I went with a hybrid based on my riding habits. I don't feel that I made the wrong choice as I ride mostly paved bike trails, neighborhood streets, and run into a lot of situations where if I were on a road bike I would have to dismount and walk my way through some loose gravel or dirt/rock sections of the trails I ride.I still have the mountain bike, but it would be overkill for the places I now ride, and a road bike I would be walking some areas instead of riding as I do now. My choice of the hybrid was a no brainer.I have no interest or desire to hit the road just to go fast, and fight the traffic.

Thanks Jimbo. I plan on riding mostly for exercise purposes, and on a paved trail (although the pavement may be cracked etc.). To get there, I would need to ride a short distance from my house. The trail is paved but if I opt to, I can go to a parallel part that is more gravel, but I think I would stick to the trail.

TexLex,
As to your question on the brake interrupter levers I mentioned, they are levers that mount on the top "flats" of a drop bar, seen a lot on cyclocross bikes, that "Interrupt the brake cable running to the regular brake/shifter, or brifter, allowing you to rest your hands on the tops and still have quick access to the brake levers.








Scroll down a bit from the top to see a picture of one. There are also models like these that are the only lever mounted, not as an interrupter of the brake cable. Just depends on where you like to have your hands when you ride. Their are several different bends of bars that touring types and city bikes use, also. Several members here have some and maybe they will post pics of them. You have a lot of choices in making a bicycle work well for you and having it comfortable while riding. Best of luck in your search and I hope you will stick around 50+.

Bill

Many thanks Bill. Very useful. I will keep this information handy for when I buy my bike. Will keep you guys posted on the progress. Cheers.

Check back to my post, I edited the picture to avoid any appearance of shilling a product.

Bill

8 or 9 years ago, I would ride about 3 miles to a little park on the river, and return. My epic ride was 7 miles each way up to one of the big city parks, with a 250 foot hill climb.

Then I got a road bike, and started doing the local cycle club rides. Now I'm able to do routes with 60 miles and 6000 feet of climbing. 30 mile rides are easy.

So, if you buy a hybrid bike, you might find yourself really liking bike riding, and after some miles, want to go farther and faster. You might end up selling the hybrid and getting a road bike. That might actually be a good plan--getting used to riding, getting fit, and seeing if you like bike riding, with an inexpensive hybrid.

And

unicycle = Segway
tandem = limousine
trike = trike

NOOOO! Not selling! The proper method is N+1! Keep hybrid for grocery runs, and buy road bike in addition!

I'm happy with just my hybrid, now that I've replaced the riser bars with trekking bars. While a new, more road oriented bike might be nice (I don't count the 1972 AMF Pursuit in the shed), I won't be able to afford one unless I sell the car (which isn't really an idle threat, nowadays).

A hybrid might not do everything well, but mine does everything "well enough" for me, since the bar-replacement. I can regularly do 16 miles with the panniers installed, with an annoying headwind (with sideways gusts) that puts me on the far grip of the bar, and still get home pretty much fresh as a daisy. A somewhat sweaty daisy, but fresh, nonetheless. And the one 29 mile trip I made didn't give me any problems in any part of my body. So I, at least, give a hybrid a passing grade... if it's modified. Still, if you're in the process of buying, it is probably a better option to go with a road bike that is distance/endurance oriented, with room for a fatter tire (like a 700x25C or more) to soak up the potholes and curbs, slightly more upright position so you don't get a crick in your neck, springier tougher frame to soak up the harshness of the road and carry a boatload of... er... load. Something along the lines of Cyclocross or a touring bike. Just work the daylights out of your LBS' inventory, and go with what excites you, even if it's an electric-assisted tricycle or a 10-speed unicycle (... I'd love to see how THAT would work!) In the end, you'll get too many opinions from others, so your choices will widen instead of narrow, so just go with what you think you'd like!

On a side note, I don't know why they don't sell hybrids pre-installed with trekking bars, h-bars, or mustache bars. I think there'd be a market for bikes you could test-drive at the LBS with these style bars.

Folding bike = mini cooper. Literally, actually!

too funny David. I particularly like your suggestion of an electric assisted tricycle :-) who knows, maybe I will end up with one after all and solve all of my problems :-)

mustache bars!? trekking bars? oh how much I have to learn :-)

You mentioned the mustache bars and I agree. I put some on my hybrid and it made a world of difference in the comfort level. For me the flat bar put my hands in a position that wasn't natural and caused pain in my wrist hands and forearm after a ride of eight to ten miles. I switched to the mustache bars and the more natural hand position and the pain has gone away and I rode close to 20 miles yesterday without any discomfort. There seems to be several hand positions also over what I had with the flat bar, and with the swept back design and not having to adjust hand positions as often.
I can ride as far and as fast as I want to on my hybrid and in comfort so I don't see the need for a change, and have been riding it for about three years now.

Hum, that's what I'm doing... except that I'm up to 30 mile rides on the hybrid... I can see that getting a nice road bike would make my longer rides faster, but I like the workout I'm getting lugging that 30 lb. beast up the hills...

Yes its fred-ish and slow on the hills, but also if I see a dirt side path I can just go exploring on a whim. A lot of my rides have horse paths along side, and its kinda fun to be
able to go off-road a bit without worrying about it.

I am 'shopping' for a nice road bike - the year end bonus will hopefully cover it, but I don't think I'll abandon my hybrid - its really fun to ride.

Since I don't have a Porsche, I don't feel qualified to answer this. If someone would kindly drop one off for me, I will do my best to aid in the research of this very important issue.