Worth upgrading to road bikes?

[Reefcat]

Beginner cyclists here, been riding for a couple of months & slowly seeing some fitness benefits & enjoying the outdoors. My wife & I currently ride Trek 7.3FX hybrid bikes on the road. We are slowly upping our distances & recently did a 25k ride, trifling to many of you I know, but a real milestone for us. We aspire to building up slowly to some longer rides as we go through the winter. The countryside here is hilly, there are no flat sections more than a few kilometres long, and whilst we are improving on the hills, it's still a battle.

So my question is, would we see very much benefit in buying "proper" road bikes? By proper I mean something like Cube Peloton triple or something similar?

Would be grateful for some knowledgeable insights, thanks - Bob

 

[vickster]

Up to you, have a go on a couple and see what you think. Plenty of people do big miles on a flat bar bike. The one you gave is road oriented, could put skinnier tyres on to see how that works

@Supersuperleeds for example. May now have a roadbike, done 20k miles this year

 

[NorthernDave]

If you're thinking about it, go for it.
I bought a hybrid in February after not cycling for 20-ish years. Absolutely loved it and worked up to doing 50km road rides within a few months.
I wanted to do bigger distances and was doing less and less off road riding, so I took the plunge and bought a 'proper' road bike in July (I have an understanding wife...).
I couldn't believe the difference, it's much faster (especially up hills) and so much easier to ride over long distances. It took a couple of rides to get set up / used to it but even on the first ride home from the shop it felt like a flying machine compared to the hybrid.
The road bike is my first choice bike every time now and I've recently completed my first 50 mile ride and I'm loving it.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Can't see what the point is in changing at this stage - nothing about a road bike is going to make life easier at this stage of the game for you. Hills certainly won't be any easier. Seems a lot of money to change a bike just to get a triple.

FX's are decent bikes - stick with them and if necessary put a larger cassette on the back if possible plus slowly build up fitness on hills that you can get up without busting your knees.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Up to you, have a go on a couple and see what you think. Plenty of people do big miles on a flat bar bike. The one you gave is road oriented, could put skinnier tyres on to see how that works

@Supersuperleeds for example. May now have a roadbike, done 20k miles this year

most of my miles this year have been on the Tricross, though in 2013 I did 15,000 miles with the vast majority on flat bars.

Personally for anything other 40 miles I prefer the road bikes, especially if doing any hills, being able to move my hands about on the bars is a massive us over the flat bars

 

[Mrs M]

"Proper" road bikes won't go all the places a hybrid will go.
Lots of nice off road trails where you are, I'd stick with the hybrids for time being as they are good on and off road, as suggested maybe just change the gearing.

 

[raleighnut]

I'd try 28mm tyres on the hybrids and pump em up pretty hard (80-85 psi) just check that this is below the max rated pressure (printed on the sidewall of the tyre) if this is lower then take em up to the max that they are rated at.
Bear in mind that road bikes come with 23-25mm tyres that need 80-100psi to avoid 'pinch flats' (caused when hitting a bump squeezes the inner tube between the road and the rim trapping and puncturing the tube)

EDIT - don't forget that if the tyres feel a bit 'harsh' on the road or the weather is a bit iffy you can always let em down a bit mid-ride.

 

[slowmotion]

I had a hybrid for a couple of years and it was a wonderful way to start cycling again. I clocked up some gentle ( and a few brutally hard ) miles and had a lot of fun. It made me enjoy cycling again. I started to think that I really "ought" to get a road bike, mainly out of some kind of middle-aged vanity. When I eventually bought the bike, I found it pretty difficult. The riding position wasn't at all comfortable, the bars seemed way too narrow and twitchy, and I really didn't enjoy it very much for about six months but felt that I ought to persevere. I have grown to love the road bikes with a bit of a passion, but when going down a hill at over 30mph, I really do miss the security of wide bars to hang on to.

Have fun.

 

[Keith Oates]

I enjoy riding all types of bike but IF I could only have one type then it would be a roadie.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[al-fresco]

I think I have to agree with @Keith Oates. I try to convince myself that a cyclocross bike is the best compromise but the grin that appears on my face every time I head up the valley on my Cinelli Experience tells me otherwise. I have more expensive bikes but the little Cinelli suits me best, the riding position is spot on, the campagnolo gear set is a joy to use and on the road it feels responsive and effortless. Yeah, roadies have it.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Right now I suggest sticking with the hybrids, enjoy your riding and build your capabilities, the bikes are not your limitations yet.
This also gives you more time to figure out what kind of riding you really want to do. A cube peleton might be fine for fast stuff, but if your aim is longer day rides something with more comfort and light load lugging might be more suitable, say a Genesis Equilibrium for example.
You can do a lot on a good road hybrid. Road bikes really benefit with Aerodynamics and multiple hand positions. Weights might be similar and weight differences Are not everything.

 

[biggs682]

Can't see what the point is in changing at this stage - nothing about a road bike is going to make life easier at this stage of the game for you. Hills certainly won't be any easier. Seems a lot of money to change a bike just to get a triple.

FX's are decent bikes - stick with them and if necessary put a larger cassette on the back if possible plus slowly build up fitness on hills that you can get up without busting your knees.

Well said

 

[booze and cake]

^agreed, that is totally true

The OP is already showing signs of being a proper cyclist with the bug, as they are already looking at ways to justify the n+1

 

[Drago]

A move to road bikes isn't necessarily an upgrade. A Ferrari may be an upgrade, but only until you've got to move a family of 5 or lug a month's shopping.

They're slightly different tool.for a slightly different job, is all.

 

[Reefcat]

^agreed, that is totally true

The OP is already showing signs of being a proper cyclist with the bug, as they are already looking at ways to justify the n+1

Lol - how very true I do have a tendency to jump in enthusiastically to anything I do, just need to bring my wife along at the same time.

Seriously though, thank you all for your contributions, it would probably be a bit premature to jump in to road bikes at this stage in our development. It's difficult when you see these heavily discounted 2015 bikes online and think how nice they look There's very few LBS over here and they are not very likely to discount away from the RRP. So eventually, I suspect that any bike purchases will come from the UK.

We will concentrate on getting a bit fitter over the coming months & review where we are in the spring. Sun's just come out so time for a little ride

Thanks - Bob