Road Bike Versus Hybrid Bike
 

I would like to ride 100 miles eventually, that involves plenty of training from where I stand now.
I currently commute on a mountain bike. I plan to improve my efficiency by getting something with 700C wheels, with skinnier and slicker tires. What performance differences are there between a road bike and a hybrid bike with the same wheels, and tires? What speed and air resistance, or other advantages are there with a road bike over a hybrid bike? How big a difference is this? How much better is it to ride a Road Bike 100 miles verus a Hybrid, with the same wheels and tires? How much heavier is a Hybrid over a Road Bike? Is the lighter weight that significant? Would you rather go with Trek or Specialized?
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Is the cost of a Trek 1.2 over a Trek 7.2 FX really worth it?
Trek 1.2: $900
http://www.trekbikes.com/ca/en/bikes...d/1_series/12/
http://i29.tinypic.com/2k1zsk.jpg

Trek 7.2 FX: $550
http://www.trekbikes.com/ca/en/bikes/2008/road/fx/72fx/
http://i28.tinypic.com/281sehh.jpg
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Is the cost of a Specialized Allez Triple, over the Specialized CrossTrail or Globe Sport justified by the performance advantage? How much heavier is a Hybrid over a Road Bike?

Specialized Allez Triple: $900
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=32192
http://i25.tinypic.com/2qxx65g.jpg


Specialized CrossTrail: $600
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=34270
http://i28.tinypic.com/2udvojo.jpg


Specialized Globe Sport: $680
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=34160
http://i26.tinypic.com/2lduno0.jpg

a road bike will allow you to get a more aero-tuck position going, since the drops allow you to get down lower & out of the wind. and of course the drops offer more hand-positions than straight bars, so this is another advantage.

i say go for a road bike! i used to ride a hybrid, and it was OK, but for long distances the road bike wins.

The additional hand positions that a drop bar bike offers can really make a difference in comfort on longer rides. Decent size tires, 28mm minimum, are also a big contributor to comfortable long distance riding. Unfortunately the bike builders all seem to think that if you want drop handlebars then you must be a racer and only plan on riding hard narrow high pressure tires.

The Specialized Sirrus is the Specialized hybrid that you should consider, not the CrossTrail or Globe. It is the equivalent of the Trek FX line. You can also add bar ends to the handlebar of a hybrid to get additional hand positions.

One alternative to try is to put slicks on your mountain bike. You will drop a couple of pounds and there is much less rolling resistance with slicks. Use this as your hybrid and get a road bike.

Above all, ditch any suspension pronto!

I would recommend a cyclocross/touring bike, it is almost a hybrid and almost a road bike. It gives you the toughness of a hybrid and versatility of a road bike. Plus when you start putting serious millage you would add a road bike anyway and still keep a cyclocross bike as family/trail/commuting/winter bike....You may even try one of those muddy cross races also. They are fun.

Another vote for a road bike.

The rider position, skinny tires, lighter wheels, and absence of suspension will make a road bike faster than most hybrids. If you typically ride at, say, 14mph on your hybrid on calm flats, you'd ride at around 18 on a road bike, 17 on a cross bike.

I enjoy my cross bike and got it primarily for touring and 100+ mile rides. They're good all-around bikes, and reasonably affordable; I got my Surly Cross-Check for around $1000, including getting the LBS to set it up with a triple crankset. However, it does feel a tad slower than a full-on road bike.

Also, hybrids are usually comfortable for shorter distances, because you're sitting more upright. But you're putting a lot of pressure on your lower back and saddle, so some people find that a lot less comfortable after 50 near-continuous miles.

I am really confused now...some of you are telling me that I could/should have more than one bike? Isn't that too many?

according to this thread, you can smoke roadies on a heavily laden hybrid! while commuting.
i think the answer is clear.


[its all about fit and what you plan to do with the bike - so buy the best that you can afford that fits and will make you want to ride. when you train up to hit 100 miles you'll know what works and what doesn't. if you find that the bike isn't working, you will have real world experience, personally tailored to you, about what works for you. then you can set up a new bike, or tweak the old, and tell everyone about it here. if you are new to riding, and want to train up for long distance, my money is on the engine needing more work and deliberation than the bike.]

how many bikes do you think you need? how many bikes do you want? somewhere in there is the answer.
if you think you only need 1 bike you've either:

not really ridden much
have ridden thousands and thousands of miles and know your preferences and will work them into your dream bike

About 10 years ago I owned both a Trek road bike and a Cannondale hybrid. I couldn't justify both, so I sold the Trek. I believe I sold the wrong bike. Yes, for bopping around the city and short-distance commuting—say 20 miles or less—the hybrid is the right bike for me. The upright position is better suited for urban traffic jamming, and the thicker tires make you feel more confident over potholes and rough pavement.

But… once I approach 30 miles or so, I really miss the road bike. Not just because it's lighter and faster— which it is—but mainly because of the drop handlebars. The flat bars of the hybrid force you to be in one position, and one position only. After an hour or so, it gets very tiring. Road bars, on the other hand, afford you the option of three or four different hand positions, and even though you may spend very little time down low, riding the drops, it's the variety of positions that make drop bars so great.

Having flat bars is sort of like having to sit in a chair for hours without changing your position. Road bars let you stretch, sit upright, sit down low and everything in between. And if you're like most humans, it's not any one position, but rather the changing of positions, that makes the difference.

Do road bikes have brakes for the down low bent position, and the upright, mountain/hybrid position? How does that work? /noob.

You can own as many bikes as you want. ;) If you are cycling all the time, it's not a bad thing to have a spare, in case the other bike breaks or if you want to cycle with a friend. You can also keep using the hybrid for commuting, errands, bad weather etc. and stick to the road bike for training, long rides, fast rides and so forth.

Road Bike...I was in the same position a couple of months ago. I actually bought the 7.2fx in February and traded it in on the Lemond Tourmalet in March...definitely not cost effective!! If you really want to get into it and ride you'll want the road bike in no time at all. Good Luck!!

Really? So I can keep my bike as a spare, then buy a new bike-a road bike? So do you think the Trek is better or the Specialized?

Not quite true.
'Interrupter' or cross levers can be mounted on the bar tops. Many tourists / commuters use these, along with cx racers, and a friend who rides fixed and likes a brake in the upright position.

http://www.interlocracing.com/cxproleveronbike.jpg

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/images/BR7312.jpg

The brakes you speak of were popular on 'ten speeds' and worked by operating the main brake lever from the tops. Cross levers actually pull the same cable, and can be used as your primary lever.

+1 to the road bike. I had the same decision to make some time ago, ended up buying a Trek 7.2FX thinking a hybrid was a good 'all around' bike. The more I got into cycling, though, and wanted to longer and longer distances, the road bike was really the right tool for the job. I finally purchased the road bike last year and have barely touched the 7.2 FX hybrid since.

So just curious - what's the difference between a road and cross bike?

^Ah, I didn't know about the "interrupter" levers. Thx for the correction.

Higher bottom bracket, (possibly) shorter wheelbase, beefier wheels and fork. It's a road bike geometry that's built to take abuse.

Higher bottom bracket clearance, and maybe a degree or so shallower HT angle. The standard configuration for the cranks on a road bike is 39/53 (standard) and 34/50 (compact), while a cross bike typically has a compact crank with a 46t or 48t big ring.

Outfitted properly, a cross bike makes a fine road bike.

Yeah, I find that I can definitely brake better with these levers than by using the main levers from the hood position. The problem with road-bike bars in general is that some of the common hand positions make it hard to get to the main levers in a hurry. Fortunately, panic-braking on a bike is fairly uncommon, and when I see a situation coming up, I ride in one of the positions where I can grab the brakes quickly.

By the way, I'm not sure that there's an industry standard for what various mfrs refer to by names such as "comfort bike", "crossbike", "fitness bike", "hybrid", "pathway bike", etc. It's confused me, and I usually have to just go and look at the real thing (as opposed to the web site) to really understand what it is that they're selling.

Maxx, 3 weeks ago i as in your exact position...
75% of my riding is fast suburaban short distance riding and out with the kids. But a few times a month i go on club rides at anyware from 25 to 50 miles.

My options i was looking at are the exacts same bike you are.

At the end of the day i went with a Fuji Touring. I am very happy with it.

Day to day utility check
Not droping the family check
light dirt trails check
dirt roads check
fast check distance check.

i am even doing a tri on it this summer and planning a weekend expedition on the same bike :)

a touring bike i think is the best all aroung bike.

sine tyou know traks and specialized the trek 520 and specialized Sequioa.

For your recommendations, just go for specialized allez, or trek, trek used by tour france champions Lance armstrong. For your recommnedations, nnot buy this:

http://www.geekologie.com/2007/07/12/sideways-bike.jpg

Why even ask? You already want to "spec" everything to death.

You say you already commute on a mountain bike - so buy a road bike.