Advice on a Hybrid Bicycle?

[BlueSideUp]

I'm looking for a little advice on bicycles. There seem to be a lot of people with road racing bicycle knowledge on this board.

I used to ride my Cannondale mountain bike a lot in college (8 years ago) but I don't have much experience with drop bar bikes. I just feel like the lack of experience might be dangerous on a long bike ride. My wife has done four Ironman races and said she felt much more comfortable buying a flat bar bike despite all of her time on the drop bar.

So far I've ridden a Marin and a couple of Cannondales. The Cannondale I seem to like the best is a Road Warrior 800. The 800 is $200 more than the 500 but it has Ultegra components vs. Tiagra components on the 500.



My local REI has the '06 models on sale for about $800 but they would have to get an XL frame shipped from another store. I need a cockpit length of 68.5cm and a saddle to pedal measurement of 100cm.

There are a couple of reasons I am looking to buy a road type bike. I would like to get back into some sort of bicycling for health reasons and I am riding in a charity bike race to benefit multiple sclerosis research. It is the MS150 from Irvine, CA to Oceanside, CA. My mountain bike with road tires is not going to cut it for such a long ride.

Am I unrealistic in wanting to use a flat bar on such a long ride? Should I just look for a bike to rent for the ride rather than buy? Is $800 a decent deal for a Cannondale Road Warrior 800?

[nikita76]

Hey Blueside, from the sound of the size bike you're looking for you are pretty tall! That being said the C-Dale is a great bike for a big guy like yourself because of the stiff bottom bracket. That is important so that you are not getting alot of side to side sway or latteral movement in or around the center of gravity/crank. You will be more effcient, and the bike will last you a longer period of time. Pricing sounds like a good deal. Ultegra rear der., shimano wheels, tru vativ crank. What kind of shifters, brake calipers and levers?

Good luck!

Nikita

[Drago]

How good of shape are you in?

150 miles on a Cannondale, or any aluminum frame, would be a deal breaker for me. Yeah, they're strong and all but extremely rigid at the same time. Rigid is uncomfortable, at least for me. Aluminum transmits every little deviation in the road surface right up into your spine.

Give me steel or preferably Titianium (but not at this price point) for long days in the saddle.

[jyl]

For a long ride I'd want a drop bar for the multiple hand positions

Straight bars are tiring w/ only one, rather unnatural, hand position

[BlueSideUp]

I just finished two months of training for work which basically involved sitting in a classroom for hours on end. As a result of the training I gained about 20lbs. During a normal work day I walk at least a mile per day with 60lbs of bags. With this bike ride coming up I have supplemented my walking with riding either a stationary or real bike 20 miles per day in addition to conditioning 3 times a week.

The shifters are listed as Shimano SL-R440-9

The brakes are Cannondale Theta

The levers are Cannondale 4-Finger Comfort w/bell

Drago- From riding my other Cannondale I definately agree that the aluminum frame is stiff. The bike does have a suspension seat post which absorbs some of the ride but I'm sure it results in lost motion.

Here's the basics, I'm 29 years old, 6'5" and 230lbs. Normally I am right around 205-210 and accoding to my kinesiologist wife I should be around 195.

I also found this website

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/road_bikes.htm

They don't have many hybrid bikes but they seem to have good deals on some road bikes.

How much of a difference do wheels make? Is it primarily a weight issue?

Say the difference between

these
Mach1 CFX, 32 hole



these

Shimano WH-R550

[BlueSideUp]

Oh and would it be crazy to put drop bars on a bike like this when I'm ready for it later on?

Should I be looking at a used bike?

[Drago]

Adding drop bars later is no problem provided you know how to properly wrap bar tape.

Nobody, and I mean nobody who is 6'5" tall should weigh under 200#.

I mean, I need some hope of regaining lost ground!

At my current height (6'7") and peak cycling fitness I best I could ever manage was 217#. People thought I was sick or something.

Suspension seat post?!!?

Are you trying to get laughed at? I mean, your doing well enough there just by riding a hybrid.

Kidding...I kid. Sorry.

[JavaBrewer]

I don't like hybrid bikes. Unless you have a crappy MTB I don't see any difference other than lighter wheels and slightly different gearing on the bike you pictured. Personally I'd do a 150 mile on a MTB with a nice wheel set w/street tires and a *real* big ring. The flat bars will be problematic but the bike you pictured has them so that's a wash. Install some bar ends to give yourself some different hand positions, hell you can even use them as aero bars if you brace your forearms on them.

[nikita76]

Swapping over to drop bars further down the road can be done(as we all know with this Porsche stuff anything can be done...it's just gonna cost ya!!) Good drop bars start at $100, then sti shifters start at $200, then $20. for bar tape. So if you add everything up you could get a great leftover road bike right off the bat. With the size bike you're looking for, ask your favorite dealer if any of his distributors have specials on leftovers. Or take it one step further...the interbike show is coming up ask your dealer if there are any show specials from the distributors on leftover stuff!

If you don't have a favorite shop, call a bunch of different shops...you'd be suprised what some stores have in inventory that hasn't been sold or forgotten about!

Nikita

[dd74]

Wow. Some you guys are big! How do you fit in your cars?

I agree with David who says you'll want multiple hand positions. I'm moving my hands around my bars after only 20 miles. It really makes having drop bars an advantage.

BlueSide - I truly fear aluminum as a bicycle frame material. I talk to guys with al frames who say they can last no more than 90 minutes - and they're in their 30s.

The components you've cited are good. I've never had a problem with any Shimano componentry; I've put over 2,500 miles on my Ultegra components since early this summer without a hitch.

I'm not a mtn. biker, but I understand myself well enough that I'd probably be cursing the bike's weight in comparison to a hybrid's weight if I were riding it for 150 miles.

If you have some time, maybe you could source the parts for a nice, inexpensive bicycle. Check these guys out:

http://www.somafab.com/somadealersca.html

They have a frame called the Roadie Sport, which sounds right up your alley. The components - Shimano Tiagra - are readily available one ebay, and are very inexpensive for the reliability they offer. I'm sure you could get on this bike without spending more than $700 or $800.

[Markus33]

Consider the used market, there are some deals to be had on Craigslist and E*bay at times (see item # 200026851250, looks like a stout steel frame if its big enough), just an idea, no affiliation.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200026851250&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:US:2

Also, high quality Nitto brand drop bars can be had for 40 bucks on the Soma site that dd74 posted, and elsewhere on line. You'll want at least a 44 cm width given your size.

Good luck on the search and the ride.

Markus
'80 SC Targa

[Scooter]

I ran thin tires on my mountain bike for years and it worked out well for shorter rides and around town. It is aluminum and has a brutal ride on the street compared to my titanium road bike. The road bike with drop bars is much more comfortable for long trips with the different hand positions and more compliant ride. You could always get a real road bike and put flat bars on it if you feel more comfortable.

[BlueSideUp]

So Drago does that mean I shouldn't run any fenders?

Yeah I know the hybrid bike is a compromise, you guys have me looking more at the drop bar bikes. Maybe I should just call them the real road bikes!

All of the shops I visited seemed to steer me towards the 1300 to 1600 dollar range. I understand the problem with buying a bike that I'll outgrow in a year but I don't think I necessarily need full Ultegra components at this stage.

One shop was showing me a Cannondale CAAD8 R1000 which was a very nice bike but about $1600.

The second shop recommended a nice Bianchi that was about $1300.

As you can see above I am in the $800 range which makes me think I should be looking at used bikes. Do you all have opinions on used bikes?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290028950485&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:US:11

This bike looks nice and is local. This week I'll be traveling through Chicago and Knoxville, TN so I guess I could look around those areas as well.

[VincentVega]

Hybrids are nice for riding around the neighborhood, picking up beer or riding in the city. If you are puting some serious miles on, check out a roadie. It's the proper tool for the job.

[HardDrive]

I have had a Marin Larkspur for 2 years, and I have been VERY happy with it. I have beat the snot out of this bike. Its the beater. Lots of abuse and wet weather riding. This is their low end bike. I think I paid $350. Well built, and given the price, the gear worked well. Heavy? Sure, but for $350 you don't get light.

I just picked up one of their road bikes, a Verona. I have be very impressed with Marin products thus far.

[BlueSideUp]

So today I decided to see what the difference is between all the components.

I started out riding this...



It's a GIANT OCR with SORA components. The shifting was on par with my SunTour XL equipped Cannondale. I know the bike was new and may have been out of adjustment but it took forever to shift.

Next I rode a Trek 1000 which is around $650. It was equipped with a Tiagra rear derailleur which shifted noticably better than the Sora bike.



The next step up was a Trek 1500. The 1500 uses the same frame as the 1000 but has nicer wheels, shifting components, and a double chainring vs. the triple on the 1000. The Ultegra derailleur was definately a step up from the Tiagra but not as much of a difference as the Sora to Tiagra step.



Of course I had to try out the full Ultegra components as well so I rode a full carbon bike. Again I'm not very experienced with bikes but the Ultegra was the quitest and fastest shifting of the bikes I rode around. The Ultegra was really nice but I don't think I am a good enough rider to make paying extra for it worthwhile. I'm sure that opinion will change with more experience.

Overall I think I will steer clear of the Sora bikes and try to get into something with Tiagra at a minimum. The bike shop owner suggested trying to find a shop with a Trek 1200 (Tiagra front/105 rear derailleur) left over. The problem will be finding a left over 63cm 1200.

The Felt F80 was also suggested to me so I'm going to look at that tommorow.

[Drago]

Originally posted by dd74
Wow. Some you guys are big!

It's not that we're big, it's that your just small.

[Drago]

Originally posted by BlueSideUp
So Drago does that mean I shouldn't run any fenders?

Why the heck would you need fenders in CA?

Here in the PNW they're a must unless you like looking like you just crapped your pants.