I have a Trek 7200, fitted out with frogs and narrow tires, set to ride dropped down, etc. I know the components aren't as great as a decent road bike, but what real differences in performance would I really see if I got a ~1000-1400 dollar road bike? I just started working a research job and the pay is enough that I could, if I saved like a madman, get a nice bike, but I just wonder how big a difference it will really make and whether I could really justify it. And as a related side note, where can I read up on current road bike technology as opposed to marketing schemes, like differences in gear sets/shifters etc. ?

well, i have a rockhopper that i outfitted to with slicks. i use that to commute. i also have a entry level sirrus, which give you a mt. bike feel but the rest is like a road bike. i rode my sirrus for the first time to work, and found i shaved off 5 minutes of commute. i guess road bikes feel easier to pedal and lighter too.

you can check out the sirrus.. i like mt. bike before.. and was going to shop for one.. but instead walked out of my lbs with a sirrus. i paid $499 for it.. so it's either that price or lower. check out ur lbs. u can click on my link and u'll find the spec for it.

rui

MAde the switch from a Trek 730 (about the same to yours) to a Specialized Allez road bike six months ago. Night and Day brother!

Get the Road Bike, you won't look back.

....and here, of course.

Hope this helps,

ehenz

It's the difference between a Toyota Camry and Posche 911. Of course, either way, you are still the motor

I have a 7200, then bought a 7500fx thinking it would be better. Traded the fx and some boot for a Trek 2000 and man o' man what a difference! GET THE ROAD BIKE DUDE! You will not regret it!

You will notice a HUGE difference. I bought a Trek 7200 a few years ago to get back into biking. I did what I could to make the 7200 a better road bike... straight bar, new seat, smaller tires, and got rid of the shock fork. It was better, but not very satisfying. As it turns out I got more serious about riding and moved on to a road bike... well, actually now it's two road bikes!

You can do fine on your Trek, but it's not going to be the same experience as on a road bike. I did lots of organized rides of 70-80 miles on the 7200 and it was fine. Not fast, but fine. But with my road bike I routinely do solo rides that far on weekends in MUCH less time, and I'm not tired afterward (well, a little!) You'll go faster, farther and do it with less effort on a road bike. At the end of the day you won't feel like you carried the bike on your back. I now only use my Trek for family rides with my kids, knocking around in town, on rail trails, or when I need to carry things in a trunk rack or panniers. if you're like me, you won't regret getting a good road bike. I say go for it!

No matter what I did to my Lemond Poprad (cyclocross), I couldn't get it "road" enough to satisfy me. So I built a Lemond Maillot Jaune. It's over 2 pounds lighter and makes a world of difference.

Get the road bike.

55/Rad

Summed up in a word: Faster.

I'm a stronger rider than my wife. I got cocky one day and took my hybrid on our long weekend ride so I wouldn't have to "wait" for her. Let's just say it wasn't me doing the waiting. Still haven't heard the end of it from 2 years ago.

In quantifable terms it took me nearly 30 minutes longer to ride 40 miles on my Hybrid versus my Roadie with seemingly less effort put in on the road bike.

What about the difference on the road between a cyclocross and a real road bike, supposing both have slick tyres? Any views on that anyone?

The biggest difference is wheelbase...the hybrids have a longe wheelbase for extra comfort and less road shock..think of it like a Cadillac and a road bike as a Corvette..differnet feel alot of which is due to the longer wheelbase of the bigger car...

imo
The difference will be absolutly unbelievable! Esp in that price range. Faster, Smoother, Lighter( a lot lighter), Quicker,more stable out of the saddle at high speeds sprinting ect...and probably more comfortable. Even though hybrids are marketed some times as comfort bikes they really are not. My girlfriend has a 7200 for about a year. She could'nt ride with any one b/c it was painful for us to have to go so damn slow or to wait at every intersection. She's got a Poprad now which if you want a true hybrid then this is it, a cyclocross bike. Hybrid meens a bit of both ie road and mountain this is not the case. A cx bike is a true hybrid to the meaning of the word. So w/ cx you can get away with road riding and mountain riding. Sure your not gonna do any down hill or rock gardens and at the same time you probably wont road race either. But for general commuting/touring/fun riding/cross country and certainly cx racing the cx bikes are great. btw you can road race w/ cx too. In the hybrid sense it is probably 70% road 30 % mountain. Just my opinion...

Thanks for all the replies, looks like I should start saving my pennies =).

you know - you did post this in the road cycling forum. i'm sure we're all a little biased toward road bikes. but that being said... i think it's worth getting yourself a nice road bike if you can afford it. make sure you have enough money left over to eat...

I started out with a 2001 Sirus from Specialized and mondified the hell out of it, but couldn't get the speed or handling of a TRUE road bike. I ended up getting a LeMond Buenos Aries and I love it. I still use the Sirrus fro training or if I am going to be doing monster hills and don't care about keeping up with anyone (MTB gearing gets up hills. but SLOWLY).

Think about the kind of riding you are going to be doing and get a bike designed for it. Don't think you can turn a commuter like the Sirus into a road bike - YOU CAN'T!!

Bill

Tried. Added slicks, better pedals, sold it to my brother after 8 months. Bought the Gold Race 600 this week instead.

Lovely... easier to cycle, simple as that.

i guess my 04 sirrus won't be a fast road bike then... you just made my day...

rui

It's more like the difference between a Toyota ForeRunner and a Supra.