rainycamp

cyclist2000

Lots of touring bike feel slugish without being fully loaded, if you eventually plan on touring then a touring bike may be appropriate.

Gresp15C

In my view, the first step is to assess what's not comfortable about your existing bikes. To over-simplify, it's either the fit, or the ride, or both. You might be able to use your existing bikes to help figure this out by correcting the fit and ignoring the ride.

My spouse had a similar situation, with a road bike that wasn't comfortable for her. She analyzed the fit issue, and corrected it with a much shorter and taller stem, then rode it around that way for a few weeks. This exercise settled whether she wanted upright or drop bars. Satisfied that she had figured out her correct fit, she then went shopping for a bike with both the right fit and the right ride.

Another way to try a different fit is to borrow a friend's bike.

fietsbob

Get whatever bike you are comfortable on, want to take a tour on that bike,

go for it.. have fun ..

most of Europe tours on their transportation bike , what the US calls a Hybrid..

why stay home because you lack the perfect bike..?

CO_Steve

I'm similar age. I tried an FX. I hate flat bars, period.

elcruxio

I'd suggest the LHT or more specifically the disc trucker, because it likely has large enough sizes to fit you and is a proven touring bike. It is a lot more expensive than the FX models, but you also get a lot of bike.

As to the comments saying the bike will feel sluggish, that's a bit of a two edged sword. Touring bikes in my opinion are more stable than sluggish meaning they travel straight really well. And I've also ridden one in a tight peloton without any issues. But for crit racing where you need to weave quickly around riders? Not optimal. But straight line stability usually isn't a bad quality in a bike that's meant to ride long distances on road.
As to descending and riding fast? Well the stability aids in that in my opinion. My full speed with the LHT fully loaded is 50mph in the Alps riding down a curvy mountain road with hairpins and whatnot. The bike was not the limiting factor and the LHT descends like a missile and is very predictable.

People who mainly sport ride get too caught up in the idea that a bike should be snappy but there aren't that many places where it's an actual benefit for you average rider. For racing it's great but for anything else it might be even a detriment.

daoswald

I can't imagine doing 30 miles on a hybrid, so although a touring bike might be sluggish it could be the way to go. When I had a hybrid, 10 miles was "hand tingling" time, and 24 miles was about the limit. With hybrids you sit with more weight on the seat, and have more limited hand positions. Both of those factors make longer rides uncomfortable. The ideal hybrid ride in my opinion is under 20 miles.

What about a comfort road bike such as a Cannondale Synapse (that's what I have). I'm 50, and can put on the miles on that bike without feeling beat up or bent out of shape. I did 61 last weekend on it, came home, had some lunch, and then mowed the lawn.

Comfort road bikes have a slightly more relaxed geometry but still avoid putting too much pressure on your butt. They're not as aero as a racing road bike, but great for distance rides.

jpescatore

I'm 61, have a hybrid, a touring bike (Trek 520) and a road bike. Unless you plan on doing some loaded touring, you'd be wasting a lot of money getting a touring bike.

I echo the comments about first seeing if you can change the fit of your existing bike - if you mostly keep your hands on the brake hoods or the top of the bars, going to flat bars isn't going to change much if the fit is right. Or, if the seat on your current bike is the issue, a new seat is cheaper than a new bike.

That said, I put bar extenders on my old Schwinn hybrid, that gives me hand position options on longer rides. I've done centuries on it, but mostly use it for rail trail or rougher dirt/gravel road rides - today they sell gravel bikes for that but the hybrid (35 mm tires) works well for me since I'm riding not racing. With a rear rack and rear panniers, I've done 3 day rides.

Years ago I tried a longer self supported tour on the hybrid and decided to buy the 520. The only advantage it has is for longer, loaded rides. I'm actually not doing many of those any more, the road bike gets most of my miles and the hybrid next.

clengman

I agree with the majority here. Outs hard to give an answer not knowing what it is about your road bike that is uncomfortable. If you just want a more upright posture, you may be able to get that with a different stem and/or handlebar.

I have one bike with flat bars and the thing I like least about it is hand position. My hands start getting numb after a half hour or so. I can ride my road bike with hands on the hoods all day with no discomfort in my hands and arms.

indyfabz

Instead of the LHT you might consider a Surly Cross Check. I commute and tour on my LHT. If you don't plan on doing any loaded touring, the Cross Check will be zippier than a LHT.

sail

I am 66 and sold both my steel road Gitane and Raleigh Pro in the last 3 years as I could no longer ride them comfortably with age and neck problems. I tried several different configurations before giving up on them.

This is the third year on my FX with upright bars and my version of bar ends. Most rides are between 10-25 miles and I'm quite happy with the bike, it's gotten me back riding daily. I'm really not interested in going longer on a regular basis, but with it's rear rack and a front rack added it has made a couple short tours and is likely headed for a lap around Wisconsin once it cools off. A road bike would be better suited but a tour is not the norm and they are not comfortable for me. In town the FX is snappy and fun. I test rode a bunch of different bikes before buying including modern drop bar bikes, some of which were more comfortable than my old bikes but an upright bike suits me.

Kapusta

livedarklions

I'm 57 years old and rode my FX 3 168 miles in one day earlier this summer. It was so uncomfortable that I only rode 50 miles the following day on the same bike (ok I'm allowed a little sarcasm) Not all hybrids are the same, nor are hands and riders. I do get the tingling you describe, but it's really only after about 50 miles or so, and mostly remedied by a pair of bar ends.

You'll learn more about the fit by a test ride than you will by listening to anyone on the forums because there really is no average person who can tell you how things will fit you. I can tell you I take my FX on 30 mile rides a lot, and have never experienced any discomfort on a ride of that length. I offer no opinion on whether that will be the case for you except to say that if it does fit, it's a hell of a fun ride.

daoswald

You are absolutely correct about that. I should have said that while I cannot imagine, that doesn't mean that it wouldn't be just fine for someone else, and that while my rules-of-thumb for distances work for me, they may be completely different for other riders.

Personally, I cannot imagine riding 168 miles on any bike, though I hope to find that within reach someday.

fietsbob

70, now that I have found Ergon (GR3 Grip/bar ends combined) , I'm happy with Straight bars,

but have toured on Drop bars , and then got a Koga WTR with Trekking bars ..

Allez3

I wanted a Hybrid so bad a few years back just to get back into cycling that I bought one. I thought I wouldn't do any long rides again, just putting around the neighborhood, so I was good to go. It was comfortable, but I got destroyed on the hills. So much so that I ended up converting it to a drop bar config within about 6 months, rode that thing for three years, but it was never quite right. Never would have bought it knowing what I know now. The Allez goes out from time to time, but the geometry is just a little too aggressive for me anymore. Now I'm building up a Surly Midnight Special, decent size tires etc... Steeeeeel.... Haven't had one of those in 30 years.

puma1552

Get a middle or higher end Specialized Sirrus.

Caliper

Your road bikes listed in your profile seem to be more race-oriented models. Maybe try a road bike with "endurance" geometry? Taller head tube, more stack, less reach and bigger tires will make a big difference for comfort.

Paul Barnard

DO NOT assume that a flat bar bike has better ergos. Sometimes they have harsh ergos without the benefit of alternative hand positions.

IvyGodivy

https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...-bikes/c/B546/

That instead.

fietsbob

Trekking bars came from people touring on their hybrids,

and gained more hand positions that way,

and were super easy to change over to...

Patriot1

5teve

Treat yourself to a Rivendell! https://www.rivbike.com/