Road Bike Vs Road(ish) Hybrid

[smikeymikey]

I currently own a specialized sirrus sport 2009 which is for those not familiar with, is a hybrid, 700X28 wheels, Sora gear, no carbon etc.

I am in a position to purchase a 2010 Bianchi Via Nerone, 105 gear, carbon fork and seatpost, road bike for a favourable price.

I currently ride either a 15 mile commute to the station or at least twice a week a 45 mile ride direct to work. Mostly essex countryside with around 8 miles of east london at the end (very early though so not much traffic).

What I want to know is will I improve from my current average speed of around 17mph over the 45 mile route and what sort of difference will I see...comfort, speed, ease etc if I go for the road bike. Also as reasonably new to this any advice re building up endurance for longer rides....some mornings I do lack a little power after 35 miles or so. I have probably been riding around 6 months now.

Cheers Mike

 

[OldGoat]

Your speed will improve, both due to more aero position and to narrower tires/lower weight. You 'll give up some comfort if your roads are in poor condition or should you hit a pothole.

 

[smikeymikey]

Your speed will improve, both due to more aero position and to narrower tires/lower weight. You 'll give up some comfort if your roads are in poor condition or should you hit a pothole.

any idea by how much...im hoping for 2-3 mph???

 

[jhuskey]

2-3 mph increase is reasonable if going from a MTB to a road bike with the same effort but going from a hybrid to a RB is less of a leap imo.
However I have no experience since I have never owned a hybrid.
I am guessing 1-2 mph which is a lot in the grander scheme of things.

 

[pearl-drum-man]

I recently made the jump from a heavy steel "mountain bike" to a new, much lighter aluminum Cyclocross bike. The improvement in speed and road performance has been amazing. The new bike is much stiffer, so the ride is a bit rougher, however the bike has been very durable on poor quality roads, and I can still hit the dirt with it as well. I actually really like the "nimbleness" of the Cyclocross geometry as well.

I think in your case the improvement would be less significant, but possibly still worth considering.

 

[madroad]

I recently switched to a road bike from a hybrid for daily excersise riding, I must say your stats " 17mph over the 45 mile route " are very impressive.. not sure theres much room for improvement IMOP.. is this a straight, smooth road 45miles each way to work?

as an example I went from a 10mile loup ave 13.3 MPH on my trek 7.5FX to 15.4MPH ave on a hilly 15.5 mile loup on my road bike ( Giant TCR2 )

I did see about a 2mph increase in MPH and I am able to ride further, faster and more comfortable... but as I said you are really already moving along quite impressivly so I am not sure how much of a gain you could see..

 

[thewade]

I got back into riding just over a year ago with a Trek 7.5fx hybrid. It has fenders lights rack panniers and even a yak trailer. I use it to go to work and back mostly, and for fun rides (my max so far is 70 miles). I've gone narrower on tires and added barends and replaced the shredded stock seat with a selle an-atomica (nice seat, but heavy; so is the bike). I began to check out group rides and can keep up with the non-racer guys now for 40 or so. In a year, I've put 4400 miles on my hybrid, and replaced many many parts (including wheels). The mileage has picked up pace now that I've sold my car (six months ago). Oh, and I'm still a bit of a Clyde.
 
So, I have been dreaming of a Scott cr1 with nice running gear. Though I also checked out the Felt Z series and a Ti Lynskey R230 with Rival. And then a few days ago, I rode a 58cm 2011 Trek 5.2 with Ultegra (though saying 5.2 makes that obvious, right?). And then today, in the rain, I wound up riding to the LBS and looked at the Trek 3.1 which is a 105 equipped carbon bike that is just big enough for 700x25's and fenders. It is waaay cheaper. I get what I pay for, I know, but what I want to know is...
 
If I put 5k on a new bike every year, is the better frameset and grouppo worth $1000 difference? My wife has a 105 road bike, and itshifts OK, but I rode the Ultegra Trek and was just amazed. I fell for that bike...but have to convince my wife. Should I get by on Tiagra or 105? And what about the cheaper heavier carbon frame?
 
Any help would be appreciated. I'm not necessarily heading toward racing, but I like riding fast (for me) with other folks (drafting 19 avg (ish)). Without drafting, I can avg almost 16 on my hybrid for over 4 hours. I really want to ride centuries and win the mileage rivalry I have with a riding relative. I also dream of Ragbrai this year or next. TMI for a first post, and sorry for that.
 
Thanks,
Wade
Medford Oregon
 
PS. I can get the 3.1 for 1700 and the 5.2 for 2700. I've been limiting my new bike budget to not going over 3k-ish, but I don't necessarily need to spend the money. It won't kill the family financially if I did, but money is money.
 
I also debated spending 6 grand on a Co-motion Americano Rohloff with Gates carbon drive and S&S couplers (and the travel case) though I don't know exactly why (maybe just gizmo coolness). I love machines.

 

[sitzmark]

Sounds like you're back into biking in a big way. Congrats!
 
Can't tell you what to purchase - that's really something you need to work out with yourself. I can add a little of my personal experience though.
 
I was basically in the same place a little over a year ago. I pulled a 1990 Trek 930 rigid mtb out of storage and used it to train for and ride a charity 100. The bike was in great condition and I made it more so with NOS upgrades (era appropriate) and hand built wheels. Focus was on trimming weight and cutting friction for spinning parts. Enjoyed the bike and still do, but after $500 invested it became clear that the demands of fitness road riding was going to burn through the 2-3 swap kits (deraileurs, cog sets, shifters, hubs) that I had banked for my obsolete Suntour driveline..
 
Modern road drivelines are a night and day difference in precision and general operation. You can't go wrong with any of the components/bikes you mentined in comparison with what you have now. If you are putting 5k/year on, you're more than likely going to be replacing components whatever you choose - certainly chains and cassettes. My long term experience is limited, but from a lot of research and personal inspection, the difference between gruppos isn't that great - more about materials used than significan't design and operating specifications. More $$ generally save you weight and raises the bar for precision/tolerances. As with almost all mechanical components, higher precision leads to less precise operation with wear. Light-weight materials are generally prone to faster wear - not always, but as a generalization. At the bleeding edge of almost all high performance sports, longevity of equipment (at original performance specifications) isn't a primary design goal. How loing it stays that way is highly dependant on use and care.
 
If your heart is set on a certain driveline, or you covet the latest technology, buy it with the bike. Adding it later will usually cost more, unless you are a patient and careful shopper. If you are a constant "futzer", it won't be long before you're swapping out parts no matter what level of componentry you start with. You can fool some of the people some of the time, but not yourself. What will keep you satisfied ... for a few weeks anyway? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif
 
Have fun with the decision and good luck. Post picks when you find your love.
 
 
.

 

[oldbobcat]

Originally Posted by thewade .

If I put 5k on a new bike every year, is the better frameset and grouppo worth $1000 difference? My wife has a 105 road bike, and itshifts OK, but I rode the Ultegra Trek and was just amazed. I fell for that bike...but have to convince my wife. Should I get by on Tiagra or 105? And what about the cheaper heavier carbon frame?

A 105-equipped bike will do everything an Ultegra-equipped bike can do, with just a little more weight and a little less finesse. Then, on Tiagra you're limiting yourself to 9-speed cassettes.
 
For the kind of riding you're describing, I think you'd be quite happy with a CR1 Team, Madone 4.5 or 4.7, or Z5. You will notice that the Madone 5.2 and Z3 frames have a bit more zip, but you'll have to listen to your budget. I always say, buy the bike that hits your price limit and has the fit and ride that you like best.

 

[thewade]

Well I bought a bike last week, and did my first century today (so all I can do is sit and type right now).

I bought a Madone 5.2 (2011) and got $450 off MSRP because the frame was damaged and replaced by Trek (damaged in shipping) with a 5.9 frame (upgraded paint job) (with a couple of paint chip marks on it).

I wound up with the ultegra because I just couldn't like the 105. The shifts felt delayed and vague. I'm having a blast with the bike. It feels incredibly stiff and zippy. It does point out that my pedaling is not as smooth as I thought. Being so light, any asymmetry is amplified with jerking under power, but I'm getting better at it.

Wade

 

[sitzmark]

Not identified where you're from .... do the Dempsey Challenge on Sunday by any chance?

Enjoy your new bike!!

Originally Posted by thewade .

Well I bought a bike last week, and did my first century today (so all I can do is sit and type right now).

I bought a Madone 5.2 (2011) and got $450 off MSRP because the frame was damaged and replaced by Trek (damaged in shipping) with a 5.9 frame (upgraded paint job) (with a couple of paint chip marks on it).

I wound up with the ultegra because I just couldn't like the 105. The shifts felt delayed and vague. I'm having a blast with the bike. It feels incredibly stiff and zippy. It does point out that my pedaling is not as smooth as I thought. Being so light, any asymmetry is amplified with jerking under power, but I'm getting better at it.

Wade

 

[candice21]

Hi. I am newbie here and I am here to gather more information. Thanks in advance.

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