Hi,

I am helping a friend choose a bike, and am trying to give her good objective advice. I know touring bikes and road bikes, but don't have a clue about hybrids. She wants a bike with flat bars, and one that she can ride on club rides. It seems like a hybrid might meet her needs. She is in her 60's and is in reasonably good shape. My thought is something closer to the road bike end of the spectrum. My LBS carries the Specialized Vitta which looks like it might work. Anyone have experience with this bike? Do any of you do 30-45 mile rides at 14-16 mph speeds on your hybrids? Do any of you run tires smaller than 28mm? Ideas and recommendations appreciated.

Doug

As to experience with that bike, friend's wife has one and I started on a Sirrus, the men's version. Very nice bikes, very road oriented. I upgraded the snot out of mine, and by the time I started group riding it was a largely different bike. I found the mountain triple crank useless, and put on a compact road, which is not without its share of annoying issues.

And yes I rode group miles on it, 50 miles at 17-19 average speeds, right close to 2500 ft of hill climbing. Can someone do it? Yes. Can everyone do it? I have no clue, but I think its unlikely. I could hang with the group at the 17 to 18 mph average paces, but over 18 was in trouble.

And yes it had 23mm tires, but I honestly saw little improvement over the 25's I had on it before 23. Would prolly stop there, but realize I am a big person. May be different for her.

I'm going to suggest her trying a Cannondale Quick 3 or 2. I'm an older woman, like your friend, and I didn't want drop bars. But I wanted a hybrid that was more road oriented. I got the Quick 3. We set the bike up with for a more aggressive, road-like position. It's pretty quick and nimble. In fact, I've recently decided to go ahead and get a road bike, and several of the slightly-above-entry level bikes I've tried weren't any quicker than my hybrid. So I decided to go carbon, lol.

I've done 35 and 40 mile rides with my hybrid, and can do 14-16 mph. I don't have hand trouble with the single position of a flat bar, the ergon grips give me some different positions for moving my wrists and I wear gloves.

The Sirrus mentioned above would be similar. Or she might not mind going to a road bike with a more relaxed position, like the Cannondale Synapse or Specialized Dolce or Ruby. They're a little more costly, though.

Hey there Doug64!

Take your friend to the nearest Jamis dealership and let her try out the Jamis Coda Sport and the Coda Comp.

That'll will end your inquiry..

- Slim

PS.

You're a very good friend!

Coming from a 'middle-aged-approaching-senior'-woman rider: if possible, have her check out the Jamis Coda line. (I have a 2009 Sport, but I understand the current levels of the Coda are different.) Mine is all steel; the ride and shifting are smooth, handling wonderful. It's zippy and should have no trouble doing the rides your friend is planning-as long as she herself is up to the task.

Other suggestions in this genre might be the Specialized Vita or Sirrus, the Cannondale Quick, or the Fuji Absolute. I believe these are aluminum-framed bikes; it's a matter of personal preference.

Oh, and how could I forget the Trek FX line! They are very popular as well.

Thank you all for your responses.