ibentmywookie

I have it in my mind to do a bike ride called the tour de poway in my home town. The problem is I am currently riding a 21 speed trail bike with 26" tires. I am convinced that this bike with the setup it's in, is going to make it harder to to the course. At this point, I know i can't even do the half century course. I have enough of a hassle trying to do the 26 mile course on this bike. I used to ride regularly, but stopped about a year ago. i just picked up the bike again about 6 months ago, and try to do a 10-20 mile ride at least once a week. Will getting a new bike make a difference? Do i need to train more? I've actually been looking at a Haro Roscoe or Gomezs, which both have the 700cm wheels. I did get to test drive one and it did seem a lot easier to get up to speed. I don't think I plan to do as much off road biking as I used to. Would it be better to get a full out road bike instead and keep the trail bike for off road? Anyone have any suggestions or advice?

banerjek

The bike does make a significant difference, but the rider is the much more important variable. So long as you don't intend to average 20mph, 50 miles on the bike you have is very doable by someone who isn't a total nut case.

In your particular case, you just need to ride more. If you get a new bike, you'll probably pick up about 1.5mph, maybe 2mph tops, a little more if you ride knobbies instead of slicks. In other words, it's definitely noticeable, but it definitely won't be anywhere near enough to take you from having trouble on a 26 mile course to completing a 50 mile course.

One thing you should check on is to make sure that your bike is adjusted properly. When I go on recreational rides, an incredible percentage of the bikes I see (even very expensive ones) are not adjusted properly. Getting this right will help a lot.

Having said all that, if you plan on riding a lot on roads in the future, you will definitely want a road bike.