Looking To Get Back Into Biking
 

I biked starting around 96 or 97 for 5 years or so. I have a Klein Pulse Comp mountain bike that is 1 year older than when V breaks came out. I have a Giant CFR3 that is 1 year newer. It has the shifters integrated into the brakes. My racing days are over. But what I am looking to do is road biking. Not really commuting but riding by my house for fun. Maybe work up to the 30-40 mile range. Maybe do tours. I don't plan on doing any tours that would require me to carry more than basic tools and food. I'm in Michigan and we have hilly roads that can be in bad shape at times. Plus I'd like to move aside for the occasional car which could mean going into gravel. I have road tires that are as wide as MTB tires on the MTB now but I still seemed slow. The road bike needs new tires.

As it gets colder out I'm looking to next season. I want to go faster than what I am able to on the mountain bike but the ease with which tires can puncture on the road bike concerns me. But I could be overstating this Also I have slight cerebral palsy which means all my muscles are tight and if I remember right the CFR3 has a race geometry. Maybe it doesn't, I don't remember. Would I be better off changing the stem and wheels on the road bike, riding the mountain bike, or buying a touring bike?

Touring bike, cross bike, gravel grinder or maybe just a road bike that takes wider tires. But these days the casual cross/gravel bike category is growing and most major companies seem to have options. So basically plenty of options. Cross bike geo is not very aggressive, most have braze ons for racks and will take up to 700x35 tires

You have two bikes that might get you going before needing to change a whole lot.

I will leave to you the question of the CFR3 race geometry and whether you can tolerate it. If there is a problem, presumably your body will let you know, either early on or as you increase mileage. And you could look at a stem change for comfort if there is an issue, or just get a new bike if the budget allows. Still... no reason not to first find out how the current bike suits you.

As for puncture protection, if you have 23mm clincher racing tires on the CFR, you could look for a more puncture resistant model (i.e. a tire that is still fast enough but includes a puncture protection layer) and in a slightly larger size (eg 25mm or 28mm widths). You will have to figure out how much wider a tire you can use on your current rims and whether the frame and brakes will allow clearance for a wider and taller tire. Your LBS could advise you on that, or others on BF may know the CFR3. For most recreational/fitness road riders, the wider tire can be more comfortable and any small rolling resistance penalty on a 25mm or 28mm tire (as compared to a 23mm tire) will be unimportant. I think the wider tires also have less chance of snake-bite flats caused by things like Michigan's roads. Something like a 28mm tire may also give you more confidence if you have to roll off into gravel, but care is still required.

You might also want to consider starting with your MTB by having road tires that are, say, 35mm to 40mm wide for road riding. An MTB with narrower tires can be used for gaining fitness before getting out the road bike and is also not bad for the dangerous debris on the roads in late fall or early spring.

Kudo's,
If I can still be cycling at 80 I'll consider myself fortunate.

Wait, where did OP say they were 80?

Well he said 96 or 97 which is really good, even to be alive at that age is good.

Yeah, after the first sentence I was thinking sarcastically... "so he's 101 or 102". But I decided to refrain. Sometimes one has to resist, even on BF.

Clearly, I lack all restraint.

Guys the first sentence means he started to ride in in 1996 or 1997, not that he's geriatric.

He meant 1996 or 1997!

OP- I'd suggest looking into a cyclocross bike. Road bike geometry but can accept tires better suited for rough/gravel roads.

op should try cycling as well

Yuk Yuk yuk

Just ride a few bikes. Try to find a place that will allow you to ride for a bit. A few turns around a parking lot won't do you any good. I find fit issues don't become a problem until around 5-10 miles. Good luck, find something comfortable to rid that you can enjoy on. Don't try to force yourself onto something you believe you're supposed to ride.

Speaking of geriatric, I still own a 1977 Schwinn that I rode when it was cutting edge technology (even had bar end shifter upgrade!)...
I don't really have anything to add. I'm in the same position riding a MTB so I can swerve when my neighbors yell at me 12 inches away to get off the road with the !@#$ bicycle. I'm thinking of trying a group tour and figure I "should" have something faster to keep up.
I will say it is somewhat hilly here also and old guys like me need gearing that I'm not seeing on most CX bikes. Common CX gearing is 46/36 double ring gear. I'm not sure if they still sell this bike new:
Specialized Bicycle Components
Someone just suggested a hybrid/flat bar bike to me which might be an workable option.

Nice neighbours. There are also other cross bikes with triples that will give you the gearing you want (eg the Trek Crossrip with a 30 tooth small front ring, 28 large rear cog). If you are needing even more and prefer the riding position of the flatbar, you can even get a hybrid with a 26 tooth small front ring combined with a 32 rear cog. Should be able to climb small mountains with that, but slowly, slowly.

The OP mentioned physical issues, I don't know if flat bars would help. A touring bike would tend to be more stable I would think. I don't know the specific concerns.

I hope I'm not hijacking this thread but myself I would actually prefer a drop bar road bike that would accept wide tires as a solution for a faster bike that can still go off road if necessary. What is the consensus on carbon forks? They seem to be on most road bikes, CX and even some MTB so is there really still any reason to be concerned about durability?

OP mentions punctures on road bike tires. Am I correct to take these comments to mean that faster tires are also more prone to punctures?

OP, I would raise the stem, add new tires and ride the Giant. You know it's your size so you're starting with the correct frame, the rest is fine tuning to account for the years. you can ride the MTB, but don't expect to be fast.

Get on any bike and go ride it and have fun.

Thanks guys. I rode 20 miles yesterday on mostly a paved rail to trail. There happened to be a bike shop right there so I stopped in. I was doing about 11-12 mph on the trail. Once I left the trail it was 2 miles up hill to my home so my muscles hurt for a couple hours afterwards. I'm going to let my muscles tell me if I should ride the next day or take a day off. Today I'm taking a day off. He personally owns a cyclecross bike but he has 28 mm tubeless tires on it. He said that would be the way he goes on my Giant. $100 a pop but if it saves me from 5 flats in each tire I've made my money back. I was surprised at the low tire pressures they run now days. That probably helps with flats too. I would run 90-110 psi in my road bike and 45-60 psi in my MTB back in the day. Maybe if I buy the tires, new bladders for my camel backs (does anyone use them anymore) and a helmet as mine seems too big I can get him to do a fit for me.

Whereabouts in Michigan? I'm in the Clarkston/Davison area. While I don't agree that Michigan has much for hills (born in Va, have lived in Id ;) ) I'd say to start with riding the mountain bike. Get some 35-45mm size tires with a low or file tread. That will easily cover gravel, dirt and pavement. We have lots of great dirt backroads that are lightly traveled and those tires will eat them up with the right pressure to smooth out the washboard and smaller potholes (dodge the big ones). From there, figure out what works for you. I personally like a drop bar with some flare to it (Randonneur or Woodchipper bars) and a fat tire. There's really so little gravel on the roads around me that it's almost like road riding on a dry day.

Head over to the Recreational Cyclocross and Gravelbiking forum and take a look at some of the pic threads there. Lots of different solutions to the type of riding you are looking at.

Grand Rapids area. Its more like rolling hills. Nothing is flat around here.

But I first took up biking at Michigan Tech, you know that little small college at the tip of the UP in the mountains, where in the winter if it gets above 0 F it is warm. I lived at the top a mountain. I would go to school early in the morning, coast down the hill at about 40 mph and be there in about a minute. There was no way I was stopping at the street at the bottom so I'd just hope there was no traffic. It was dark out but I'd still wear glasses because the cold wind in my face would make my eyes water anyway. One year when I was up there we had 330 inches of snow. The first bike ride I did was a 40 mile ride with my roommate to the campground at the very tip of the peninsula on the shores of Lake Superior. It is very nice in up there in the summer. Too bad not too many people know that.