IrishBloke

When I have my Hybrid and my new Racer beside each other, the Hybrid looks absolutely massive in comparison. Both bikes have 700cc wheels , the hybrid is fitted with 700 x 25 tyres and the racer with 700 x 23 tyres, gearwise, its 11 - 25 on the hybrid and 12 - 23 on the racer and weightwise, the racer is a whole lot lighter and has a double front cogs to the hybrids triple.

Whilst out riding the racer , I found its a whole lot more nimble than the hybrid and the racing handlebars certainly do have an impact in terms of aerodynamics. With the wide grip handlebars on the hybrid, its like being a sail riding into the wind, whereas on the racer, the wind resistance is literally cut in half. I must admit that with the absence of a 3rd front ring and using a 12 - 23 rear cassette , Im trying to get used to not having the lowness of gears that Im familiar with , but thats cool.

I think the real gain has been in speed though. Im a 3 times a week recreation biker and my average when using the hybrid was 17.3 - 17.5 mph and I didnt see how I was going to make any further gains. On my first ride out with the racer however, I hit an average of 18 mph and there is a lot of scope for improving that as I wasnt pushing in any way hard.

Only negative I can say about the racer is in terms of the hand position at the handlebars, because gears are operated by the brake levers , my thumb is in a position Im not used to. I mentioned this to another biker and he said yeah thats typical, youll get used to it, you just gotta HTFU in the meantime.....LOL !!

Are my experiences what you would say are typical when moving from a hybrid to a racer ?

James

Amen

Did you find your back hurts at all?

IrishBloke

no , not at all. My thumbs are sore though , it`ll just take to get used to using a set of racing handlebars.

James