Originally Posted by
BrocLuno
OK, I have a few suggestions:
1.) What are your inseam measurement and what is your arm length?
3.) Make sure the seatpost has a tilt adjustment so that if you fit aftermarket saddles, you can angle for best fit. I am always amazed at how I need a couple of degrees of tweak when I raise my seatpost or move the saddle back a bit ...
4.) Share a picture of your existing hybrid bike and then explain what is wrong with it? I know your are tired of it, and it prolly has never been tweaked to fit you better ... And, I am
not suggesting you spend your budget on the old one at all.
5.) But, based on your comments, I am suggesting that you might buy a new bike in the "gravel bike" genre. That is a highly efficient drop bar bike with some off road (off pavement) capability.
Maybe look up some YouTube videos on Gravel Bikes. They cover a range from nearly mountain bikes with drop bars, to mostly road frames with upgraded rims and tires. Get a good understanding of the direction folks are going in this genre and you will see your way clear to something that pleases you
And over time do a bit of "ruggedizing" on the old hybrid for more adventurous trail challenges ... Depending on how that one is constructed (we'll know from the picture), we can carry on the conversation.
Due to the slopes involved (climbing & descending) mountain bike frames are fitted slightly differently from pure road bike frames. They are listed in different units too. Inches for MTB's and cm for road bikes.
We can help you get this closer to "right". But, ultimately you will need to be "fitted" to what you finally decide to pursue
1- Inseam 33". Arm length 27" (from armpit to fingertip)
2 - current bike has no seatpost adjustment.
3 - Old bike. The biggest thing wrong with it is it was a hand-me-down. I'm the youngest of 11 and have NEVER in my life owned anything new. I'm 50. I have a good job. I want something brand-new.
Size is wrong. I have to raise the seat so high just so I can extend my legs. I don't like the twist shifters - can't shift at all if my hands get sweaty. Gloves help, but not great on a really not day. The bike weighs a ton. I can barely lift it. And it is hard to fit it on the bike rack on my car because the center triangle is so small. The cables are routed over the top tube so they get compressed when I strap it into the cradles. I can only mount one water bottle cage. No choice of hand positions with the straight bars. SLOW.
Shining Sea Bike Path
5. I did test ride a gravel bike at the store. I liked the brifters. The tires were about the same width as the old bike and it can handle up to 35 mm. The gravel bike had hydraulic disk brakes. Not a necessity in my book, but the husband seems to think I need disks because his FX3 has them and he feels more confident with them. It can mount 3 water bottles and there are mounts for fenders and racks. Tiagra groupset. Just couldn't get much sense of what it is capable of riding around in circles in a flat parking lot. Way over budget. That's not a deal breaker since I had money set aside for a bike and then got the gift card for Christmas. And I want this to be the last bike I ever need to buy. I think I should ride something closer to the target price and see how it compares (it won't have the disk brakes, but those aren't important to me -- maybe someone here can convince me I need them). The gravel bike is the Trek Checkpoint AL4. The salesperson said I was between the 52 cm and 54 cm and looked more natural on the larger bike. He and I were the about the same height, so my legs are probably longer.