mleess

Hello All:

First time post from a total newbie to the world of road bikes. I'm 39 and have been banging around on an old mountain bike on the weekends the last few months. 20-30 mile rides generally. More fun than I ever imagined. So now I'm ready for an entry-level road bike. I have chronic low-back problems (lumbar diskectomy 6 months ago) and have been reading about comfort road bikes, e.g., Felt's SRD-72. Are these worth considering? Or can you take a regular road bike, raise and/or angle the handlebars, and achieve the same thing? I'm just looking for a bike to ride a couple times a week, group rides, upcoming Century -- recreational and fitness kind of thing. I'm looking at the Felt f-80 and Giant OCR-2, but then read about comfort road bikes and that made me stop and think. I don't want to drop a grand on a road bike only to find it kills my back. But with my back issues, a lot of other sports I used to play are out so I'd love to be able to continue to bike.

Thanks very much.

Mike

Lion Steve

I'm new to road bikes. I'm in my mid 50's. I had the same concerns as you considering whether I could go with a road bike. I ended up buying a Raleigh Cadent, which has a more relaxed geometry. The LBS put on a adjustable stem, and made sure of the proper sizing. It only took me a couple of rides to become really confortable on it.

FarHorizon

Hi Mike!

You can take a regular road bike, raise the bars, and turn it into a "comfort" bike, but why? The raising of the bars isn't such an easy task with the "threadless" stems that now come on bikes. The task involves changing spacers and stem (at the least), or adding a stem riser or changing the fork (at the worst). If you think you'll need the higher bar position, buy the bike that already has that feature! You can easily LOWER the bars if you want, but raising them is often a difficulty.

Numerous bikes offer the "relaxed" position you're looking for. Go ride some & see what you think. A good shop should work with you to find the make and model that works best for you. Happy shopping!

late

Hi,
try a Specialized Seqouia. It's my pick for an inexpensive road bike.
Whatever bike you wind up with, consider a saddle with springs like this...
https://www.wallbike.com/championflyer.html
or if you are sitting nearly upright, this...
https://www.wallbike.com/B67.html

Any exercises that your Doctor will allow you to do that will strengthen your back
will be very helpful.

Lastly, if your back problem is really bad, you might want to consider a recumbent.

Biggziff

If you're doing 20-30 on a MTB then you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a roadie or a sport type that will be comfortable. Cannondale (Sport Road 500/800), Specialized (Sequoia), Trek (Pilot 1.0) and others all make "road" bikes that have a more upright position. I just went through this exercise with a friend who was riding with me on his MTB, but got discouraged when he ran out of gear on long descents. He tried quite a few and settled on the Cannondale Sport Road 500.

Good luck to you.

fmw

It sounds like you are a candidate for a hybrid - flat bar road frame with mountain bike gearing. The point of the road bike is riding fast and, if you are riding recreationally, a hybrid might make a lot of sense. If you buy one with an adjustable stem, you can set the bar height to a comfortable position for your back. I used to have a Jamis hybrid which was a joy to ride.

dtrain

+1 on the Sequoia. It's been a perfect fit for my wife and held up really well. She doesn't have any of the aches, pains, and stiff back that I go through at times.

Hybirds are also a good option. My dad loves his Marin. But they tend to be heavier and slower (depending on the model).

botto 

have yet to read a bad thing about the OCRs, but then again i haven't really looked into them full time.

Raleighroader

I have an iffy back in my mid 50's, but ride many miles a year on a standard road bike. I have a somewhat relaxed fit. For example, my seat is only a little higher than my handlebars, and I ride with my saddle lower (consequently with more knee bend at the downstroke) than some younger riders do, but I am comfortable. No back problems whatsoever, and I ride about 3.000 miles a year. My bike has standard geometry.

If you make me lift things, push things, shovel snow, etc., my back will start barking at me right away, but never from riding a road bike that fits right.

bbattle

I can't recommend the Trek FX bikes enough. You are upright as though on a mountain bike but it's got road tires. Triple chainring and a wide cassette for hills, mountains, whatever. They come with cro-mo forks instead of the suspension forks found on comfort bikes. These suspension forks aren't really needed at all for riding on the road and just add weight and rob power. Suspension seatposts are another waste of money. You can get the FX with an adjustable stem to bring the bars even closer should you need that. Plus, the FX can take racks both front and rear. My wife has the 7.5FX and she loves it.



Comfort bikes have wider tires, lower seats so you can put your feet on the ground while still in the saddle. Built for comfort, not for speed.

Proximo

+1 on the Sequoia. The stock seating position is pretty upright for a road bike but the bars can be lowered very easily should you want to later. It shouldn't be too hard to find an '06 Elite for under $1000 if they have any left in your size. The only complaint I had about mine is the stock saddle has about 1/2" of foam and that feels good only for the first 5 miles or so. I replaced it with an oiled Brooks B-17 and its been great.

mleess

Thanks, everybody, for the responses. I guess it's just a matter of getting out there and test-riding the bikes. I find there is so much to read online, and so many good-quality bikes to choose from, that I almost get paralyzed trying to make the final decision. I need to just pull the trigger. One thing I loved about my first test rides -- compared to my old mountain bike, these road bikes just fly! So smooth and effortless I can't wait to actually get one and hit the roads.

MichaelW

The issue of flat bar vs road bar and high bar position vs low position should be treated separately.
Flar bars are fine for daily commutes and training rides but the extra positions available on drop bars is an advantage on longer rides. Flat bars let you use V brake levers with ease, this is hard to do with drops. Most drops needing more tyre clearance (cyclo-cross and tourers) opt for a cantelever style brake which is more compatable with the road style lever.

Any bar, flat or curly can be positioned wherever you want it. Many couriers use a flat bar 8" below the saddle, about as low as anyone can go. many long distance tourists use a drop bar about level with the saddle for easy riding.

The Sequoia style of light touring bike is an excellent choice for non competative road riding. It hits the sweet spot for a practical, sporty everyday bike.