Already looking a road bike

[Trigger369]

First main post on the forum .
I got back on a bike 6 weeks ago after about 15 years . Got myself a hybrid and have put in about 500km and a few hours on a cycle trainer as well . Really enjoying it so far and already thinking of a drop bar road bike .
Ive a question for you folks that have changed over What sort of differences will I expect to notice conning from a hybrid ,speed effort, riding style differences ? Having never been on a road bike don't know what to expect . Cheers

 

[vickster]

What hybrid, if a lightish rigid forked one, maybe not as much as you might think. If a heavy bike with suspension and knobbly tyres, potentially a lot (is that it in your avatar, a sprung front Carrera)
Also depends on the road bike, just go test ride some in your budget. You'll likely find the ride harsher due to no suspension and skinny tyres

 

[Welsh wheels]

Easy to go faster, further and higher IMO. Might take a while to get used to the new riding position but you'd quickly get used to it.

 

[Trigger369]

What hybrid, if a lightish rigid forked one, maybe not as much as you might think. If a heavy bike with suspension and knobbly tyres, potentially a lot (is that it in your avatar, a sprung front Carrera)
Also depends on the road bike, just go test ride some in your budget. You'll likely find the ride harsher due to no suspension and skinny tyres

That's the one in the avatars vickster.

 

[nickyboy]

First main post on the forum .
I got back on a bike 6 weeks ago after about 15 years . Got myself a hybrid and have put in about 500km and a few hours on a cycle trainer as well . Really enjoying it so far and already thinking of a drop bar road bike .
Ive a question for you folks that have changed over What sort of differences will I expect to notice conning from a hybrid ,speed effort, riding style differences ? Having never been on a road bike don't know what to expect . Cheers

The big difference you'll find is riding position. Generally hybrids encourage a fairly upright position whereas most (but not all) "drop handlebar" bikes encourage a more forward-leaning postion

When I changed I found that my shoulder muscles were sore for the first few rides but quickly got used to it

Road bikes are generally a bit lighter and use tyres that have a bit less rolling resistance so are naturally a slightly faster ride. But it's the position that you'll notice

 

[cyberknight]

Have you got any friends with a road bike you can try or pop to a shop and try ? i know decathlons let you ride them a little in store .
Road bikes come in so many guises you can either be head down ass up or sitting up depending on what sort of bike and riding you want to do and how you set it up.
This site is handy http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/bikefit.html

 

[cyberknight]

The big difference you'll find is riding position. Generally hybrids encourage a fairly upright position whereas most (but not all) "drop handlebar" bikes encourage a more forward-leaning postion

When I changed I found that my shoulder muscles were sore for the first few rides but quickly got used to it

Road bikes are generally a bit lighter and use tyres that have a bit less rolling resistance so are naturally a slightly faster ride. But it's the position that you'll notice

I have my rigid carrera converted to drops and slicks , rolls ok ( ok not as fast as a road bike ) , its the weight that you notice on hills more than anything .

 

[Trigger369]

Great read that cyberknight cheers . My cousin had a felt road bike dont know the model of it tho he hasn't used in about 3 years must ask him what he's doing with it .

 

[Cycleops]

Good idea, if he's about the same size as you.

 

[vickster]

Evans will let you take bikes out with photo ID and a penny on a bank card. Might be worth seeing what they have for your budget if there's a store closeby

 

[KnackeredBike]

The main difference for me - having spent many years happily on hybrids - is that the forward leaning position somehow encourages a more attacking, pushing style of riding, in the same way a jockey rides in a different way to someone pottering about on a horse. That and the (TBH) marginal performance boost you get from skinnier wheels and a lighter frame makes you feel more at one with the machine, as if you are both operating at the very peak of your performance.

The bike is curiously levelling due to wind resistance, with a bit of effort and training you can crack along at near-professional pace without too much difficulty.

That said, the riding position of a hybrid is undoubtedly more comfortable and - like horses - for pottering around I would definitely go with a hybrid, you see much more of the world. A well set up hybrid will not be much slower than a road bike with similar effort. As others have said try a road bike and see if you like it although it does take a few hours to truly get used to the different position - I hated it initially.

 

[Roadhump]

Practice rides, as advised above, are definitely worthwhile, and a note of caution I would emphasise after my own experience is that you need to be very careful with the brakes if you change. A couple of times early on with my road bike, I went for the brake levers, instinctively assuming they would be where they are on the hybrid - and of course they weren't. I quickly realised and corrected myself, but it could have got really tricky if I had had to stop suddenly.

 

[vickster]

Practice rides, as advised above, are definitely worthwhile, and a note of caution I would emphasise after my own experience is that you need to be very careful with the brakes if you change. A couple of times early on with my road bike, I went for the brake levers, instinctively assuming they would be where they are on the hybrid - and of course they weren't. I quickly realised and corrected myself, but it could have got really tricky if I had had to stop suddenly.

Cross lever brakes ftw

 

[Cycleops]

Practice rides, as advised above, are definitely worthwhile, and a note of caution I would emphasise after my own experience is that you need to be very careful with the brakes if you change. A couple of times early on with my road bike, I went for the brake levers, instinctively assuming they would be where they are on the hybrid - and of course they weren't. I quickly realised and corrected myself, but it could have got really tricky if I had had to stop suddenly.

But to be fair for you quickly get used to a different set up.

 

[cyberknight]

But to be fair for you quickly get used to a different set up.

yup, cross top levers might be great but assuming your bike set up / fit ok then you should be able to use them comfortably without resorting to cross tops.