Upgrade Help
 

I ride about three times a week, from an hour to an hour and a half. I go as hard and fast as I can for the duration of my ride.
My bike is an older Trek 7200 with some minor upgrades that have helped a lot; trigger shifters, good platform pedals and decent tires. I'm running the narrowest tires that are recommended for my rims, 700 x 32, I'm using Schwalbe Marathon Plus. I noticed an improvement in rolling resistance right away.

I track my average speed during the ride including stops and everything, I usually ride late at night or early early am so the traffic delays are really very minimal.
I can't break through 16 mph as an average for the ride. That and I hate it when full on road bike guys blow by me. LOL

So I want to step up and go faster but I really like the flat bar and frame geometry of a hybrid. I want a significant improvement over my current bike, and certainly one that I will be happy with for years, but I have a tendency to overkill things so I'm asking for some input here on what more experienced folks like yourselves might consider a reasonable upgrade.

I've narrowed it down to four models of interest but if I'm overlooking any others please correct me:

Cannondale Bad Boy 5

Fuji Absolute 1.1 D

Giant Escape RX

Specialized Sirrus Comp

Thank You for your input.

I have a Sirrus Comp and it is a very fast and nice bike. I highly recommend it.

Escape RX Composite (2014) | Giant Bicycles | United States A major step up, at a "reasonable" price.... reports of getting it cheaper are common.

I went with a Fuji Absolute 2.1 after riding the equivalent models from Specialized, Kona, and Giant. I did not ride the Trek or Cannondale. To me, it just "felt" better than the Giant or Specialized. That is ENTIRELY subjective. Another factor was that I was able to pick up a heavily discounted 2013 model for less than a lesser equipped 2014 model from either Fuji or the other brands.

You're looking at great brands and will find a great ride from your pool. How well does it fit your build and budget. They're all quality.

First 16 mph is a bit faster than my cruising speed on flat terrain, so to average that with stops is not bad at all.

However, if your reason for upgrading is as you stated, you need a road bike. However, what you want to ride over-rides comments by me or any other relatively anonymous forumite.

While there are things that a lighter bike will help with, like acceleration and climbing, if you are on relatively flat terrain when you are getting blown away, then there are 2 significant elements that are potentially allowing roadies to blow by...

1) Aerodynamics (this may be difficult to change with the relaxed geometry of hybrids, other than possibly full on flat bar road bikes).
2) Difference in fitness level.

1 can be accomplished on any bike with more saddle to bar drop, whether a new bike, or going from a riser bar and stem to a flat bar and negative rise stem

2 doesn't depend significantly on which bike you are riding.

There are minor improvements possible with rolling resistance as well, but the two above are the main factors for maintaining a high speed.

With your personal objectives, I would mix things up, like doing intervals etc. Doing something different than just riding hard can give you benefits. You might want to read for a while in the training forum, and see what performance cyclists do to increase speed, acceleration and endurance.

And, just to be clear... While I do believe the above are valid points. There is very little that can compete with a new bike related to motivating you toward whatever your goals are. :)

Well I test rode a bunch of bikes tonight. Could not find any of the exact models I want. I did find out that Endurance geometry bikes felt ok but drop bars of any kind are definitely out. Tempted on closeout pricing of a Raleigh Carbon 3 but unfortunately shifters and brake levers for a flat bar that work with the Ultegra are impossible to find so that one is out. I cannot find a Cannondale Bad Boy 5 anywhere in Phoenix. The Specialized Sirrus in the base model feels and rides nearly identical to my Trek 7200. I may have to modify search parameters to find a flat bar endurance bike if such a thing exists. Looks like this is going to be quite the ordeal.

BTW did not mean to sound so negative! Here are some more positive observations. New bikes are sooooooo much lighter. The Raleigh was the lightest. Trigger shifters rule. First time I have tried drop bars with the shifters as part of the brake levers... ahhhh not my favorite. Base model triggers felt way better than upscale drop bar shifters IMO.

I agree with this. The faster you go, the more you are fighting the upright position of your hybrid. There is a reason you don't see racers in the Tour de France riding hybrids. That said, you are the one who has to ride it, so maybe seek out a true flat bar road bike if you really hate brifters and drop bars.

Performance Bike also has a carbon Diamondback that has flat bars, and gets very good reviews, with nice componentry.. It's even on sale, with a bonus of about 100 bucks in points for future purchases.

I don't think 16mph is too shabby as an average for that bike at all. A more road-oriented performance hybrid will see an improvement, but not enough to keep pace with someone of similar abilities on a full-on road bike.

All right, the drama is over. Got a Sale email again from Performance, not exactly what I wanted but a real sweet deal. Fuji Absolute 1.3, sale price plus I found a coupon code I M B A 1 5 (no spaces) if anyone is interested. $569.00!!!!

Ya but I would like to be able to sprint a little ways to keep it interesting ;D

YES I BOUGHT IT .... should be here next week, free shipping to the local store

Finally ready for pickup at Performance...

Well after a couple weeks of excess drama and my second new Fuji Absolute 1.3, Performance Bike got it right.
I've went riding with other people a couple times the last week so for the first 40 miles I haven't pushed it more than a few sprints.
Last night even though it was very hot and humid I went out alone at 10:00 and just tried to keep a good pace and cadence.
Crushed my goals, averaged 16.90 mph for the ride!!
Much thanks to Lance Vett at Performance Bike for setting up everything perfect.
Looks like now I can start looking to go further distances and continue to improve my average speed.
Just a little bit of better geometry, lighter weight and thinner tires made a huge difference for me.

I think your speed is really good. I know of a bike club near me that holds weekly rides. They divide into three groups: Group 1 20-plus mph; Group 2 18-20; and Group 3 15-17. All groups are pretty good riders. I'd be happy with 16.9. I usually do closer to 15 overall.

Thanks!
I do really want to participate in group rides hosted by some of the local LBS around, but by looking at their average speeds I know I would not be able to keep up. Long range goal is to keep working at it until I can be a part.

Pics of your new bike are obligatory. ;)

Sorry this took so long!
In the dark with a flash and it's really dirty, but here it is:

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...psf1b7e88f.jpg

It was supposed to hit 107 today, and it's going to rain the rest of the week so it's getting fairly humid.

Hope I can catch a break in the weather and that it cools off some at night.

Just rode 14.93 in 54 minutes.

wow....i can never get tired looking at fuji absolute.any upgrades made?

That bike looks gorgeous.

What a great colour.

Congrats Copper_Head! great looking ride. I see you've already implemented 2 of my favorite mod's. I installed bar ends and clipless pedals and picked up on average a full mile per hour. I find that the bar ends allow me to flatten out my upper body just enough to help aerodynamically. In spite of having Treks top of the line full carbon hybrid, I still can't compete with those riding higher-end full-on road bikes. But I'm way faster than I was on my old Trek 7500 Multitrack.

Thanks guys!

Just put the bar ends on. Replaced the saddle right away. The pedals are platform, kinda heavy duty all metal and very spikey on top. The only problem is that when you take your foot off they flip over upside down. Tradeoff is that they grip your shoe very well and do not slip ever. Simple Cateye wireless computer.

Hello all, I am a new member here. I am riding a 2005 Trek 7200 step through that has been upgraded...I replaced the original 7 speed twist gears with a 21 speed Shimano gearset, added fenders, better tires (Michelins, the best tire I've ever had), new saddle, new pedals...and the bike has performed well. The fork and saddle have shock absorbers so it is a very comfortable ride with the new saddle. There are a few minor problems--a heavy front wheel, terrible kickstand design, but it works well for me. I use it for touring at a fairly slow speed and for shopping. (no racing.)
The bike has been tuned up every year and the mechanic says that it is a good one. How long can I expect this moderately priced bicycle to last without needing major repairs?
The reason that I ask is that I have an opportunity to upgrade (if that is the correct term) to a Pashley, which has some features that I like (enclosed chain, dynamo lights) and while I might keep both bikes, it wouldn't make much sense to do so. I was going to be a good person and not consider the Pashley (which is really an amazing buy) but wonder if I'm due to replace the Trek anyway? Thank you for any advice you can give on this subject.