MuddKatt

I know I have to go try out different bikes but I need help on brands.
One local store wanted to put me on a felt carbon. Another pushed toward specialized.

My target price range is 1500 plus or minus five hundred unless there is a big quality difference over that range then I'll save some more money up.

Titanium is way overpriced? Will carbon be as good?

I know I want to put a flat bar on it as I get pain around the neck area with my mountain in leaning position on longer rides. I assume a good bike shop should be able to do that on a road bike to achive a more upright position?

What kind of components should I steer toward? I want overkill and something that will last me 20 years which is why I was looking to spend 1500 plus.

There are so many bikes out there and I am more confused the more I read lol

HMF

these guys might know more.

MuddKatt

My current idea is to get a road bike and have a flat bar installed in order to achive a more upright position. I do not want a hybrid off road/ on road bike. I have a nice mt bike already and I want the fastest possible solution.

WCroadie

Why would you buy a road bike and put a flat bar on there? That is a waste of money. The sti levers that come on the road bike will not work on a flat bar.

Get a hybrid that's designed for use on the road, you can get a decent one for a lot less then $1500. There are hybrids that are not meant for off-road use.

Doohickie

There actually is such a thing as a "flat bar road bike", also known as a "performance hybrid". Look into those and see if you can find what you want.

awesomejack

Trek 7.3FX. Its marketed as a hybrid but its really a road bike that can fit fatter tires, V-brakes (there's new disc models too), flat bar, fender and rack mounts. I recommend the 7.3 because the 7.5 is more expensive and really doesn't give you anything better except it weighs less. And the components of the 7.2 are just a tad on the low-end side in my opinion.

So if you really really want to go fast but just want the hybrid geometry, get a 7.3 and put 25c tires on it.

or if you really really want to go fast and you want to get rid of cash fast, get a 7.3 and put 25c tires on it and mail the leftover cash to me. Or get a 7.7FX

Wanderer

You can also get the same thing in a Specialized Sirrus, and just about every other bike manufacturer....

giantdefy

Specialized Sirrus Pro https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...port%2FFitness

Its the exact frame as the Specialized Roubaix, only with a flat bar. If your looking for a really nice hybrid, this is the one to get.

SwingBlade

About six years ago I thought that a hybrid would be the ideal solution for my needs after we bought a new home in a very hilly area with a fair number of dirt bike paths. For me it was a terrible decision which I have always regretted. A real money waster. I now have a road bike and a mountain bike. Each is optimized for a specific task. The supposed balanced and compromised performance of the hybrid never proved itself for our area of riding.

A fairly inexpensive used road bike like an older Roubaix-type frame would now be my choice if I wanted a more upright and relaxed riding position mostly for road use with an occasional jaunt on some gentle dirt paths. Nothing wrong with putting a more upright stem and a set of flat bars on such a ride.

Perhaps the newer hybrid bikes will better meet your needs than the older ones did mine. I agree with giantdefy that the newer Sirrus Pro and Sirrus Expert bikes seem like a much improved approach to "hybrid" rides.

hamsey

Let me tell you my story. Got a C'Dale Quick Carbon (Performance hybrid) over the summer. I was against a road bike because I have a bad back and wanted the upright position. At first I enjoyed it. Then I started hammering my uphills and was getting some flexing in the frame also was getting fork flexing on some downhills when I went to stop (5'-10" 202 Lbs.) Went to my fitter and was told that the bike is not really a performance bike.

I was thinking about the Trek 7.6 and he made a call into Trek and was told I would still have the same problem. He recommended a cross bike with flat bars on it. Not a true road bike but the frame will be better than a hybrid. I ordered a Cronus CX and am waiting for it to come in (Jan 2011). Going to take the parts from the C'Dale and put them on the Cronus and give the frame to my brother.

Expensive mistake!

Norm

Doohickie

Steel is real, hamsey. I think steel is especially fitting for hybrids which have to handle the stresses of a hammering rider and rough road surfaces (an the occasional curb).

NormanF

I second the recommendation about the Sirrus Pro. If racing is not your thing and you want comfort over speed, that is the bike to get.

Not every one wants a racing road bike so don't let the poseurs and the nerds tell you that you must have a drop bar road bike to ride the road.

If you feel happy with a flat bar road bike, buy it and don't let any one's opinion influence your purchase. After all, you're the one who is going to be doing the riding!

MuddKatt

I have my Marin mountain bike for my off road jaunts which I have been happy with for many many years. Hard tail aluminum frame.
Now I really want a road bike, I go fast and I want the fastest bike I can buy but my upper back and neck area start to hurt after long rides bent over. I have looked at the hybrid road / off road and they are not what I want. I figure I need a bike designed with a specific purpose and don't want compromises.

Can you set up the road bike bars to be higher to allow for an upright postiton?

dbc

You'll find that road / off-road type hybrids are in the clear minority. Most models are slanted towards road use. Think something like hardpack or stone-dust trails as a median for usage, where you would even take a road bike for a brief change of pace.

Search the forum for the often requested drop bar to flat bar conversion (or even the reverse). Since you are starting fresh, it's better to get a bike which already has most of the components you want already.

I suggest you try out a couple of hybrids in your budget range, perhaps with a higher rise stem installed.

v70cat

I think this is what you are looking for

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/....1/7299/44050/