Szpirit

Just wanted an opinion. I am a 56 year old woman. I have gone from a hybrid to a road touring bike (Devinci Caribou) thinking that I would do some touring. However I now see that it will probably never happen. I do commute to work from time to time. I try to ride about 40 km three nights per week and then have a women's group and we ride anywhere from 50-75 km. I live in a rather hilly area and I can never get my average speed any greater than 21 km/h and hate it when real roadies fly by me (mind you they are guys and much, much younger!) I just recently replaced my 35 cc Ritchey Trail Mix tires with smooth 28s. My question is whether I would derive any great benefit from having a true road bke.

Grasschopper

Well if the flexability of your body allows then you should be able to pick up some aero advantage but honestly that will probably only get you 1-2 MPH on average. If your current bike fits you well I think I wouldn't waste my money...unless you really want to...you can always have another bike (part of my problem). I commute on a bike set up with a flat bar, fenders, panniers, 28mm slicks and 43/30 tooth chain rings and a 12-25 cassette. I average between 15-16.5 MPH typrically on this bike. When I ride my roadie I average 15.6-17.5 MPH depending on the number and size of the hills on the ride so just a little faster but not a lot.

Pat

Well, years ago, I started with a bike that had a touring geometry. I found that a "racing bike" or road bike, seemed to allow me to corner faster and accelerate faster.

Touring bikes tend to be heavy. Fit females tend to be relatively light. A touring bike can easily weigh around 30 lbs and a road bike 20 lbs (with tools, water and so on). 10 lbs can make a noticeable performance difference for a light rider (say 140 lbs or less).

Now for commuting, touring bikes are often very nice. Having heavier duty wheels and bigger tires lets you go over things that people on thin tires would want to avoid.

I have seen some lady riders who gained around 2 mph in average speed by moving to a lighter bike. So how can you know? You could go out and test ride some road bikes. Of course, without computers installed on them, you would be guessing as to what your sustainable cruising speed is.

natethaskate

A 'real' road bike will probably be lighter, and easier to get up those hills. It will also handle better in traffic. The trade off might be a harsher ride, unless you're getting a carbon, high-end cro-mo, or aluminum/carbon frame.

crb189

I would recommend test riding some bikes in your price range, then if you can tell a noticeable difference, then perhaps invest in a road bike. If you feel the money doesn't justify it, then keep rolling with your touring bike.

bradw

I have a Trek 520 that is modified to have flat bars, thumb shifters, MTB crank, along with front and rear racks. It weighed about 27 lbs before the switch, I'm guessing it's about 30lbs now.

When I ride it with only one bag in back, I usually manage about 13 to almost 14 mph. I'm not killing myself, I'm just out for a ride.

I have a Trek 1200. It's a light aluminum bike with a carbon fiber fork, drop bars, etc. I don't know the weight, but it is considerably lighter than the 520.

When I ride it, just out for a cruise, I can average about 15 to 16 mph. To be honest, I'm not capable of going much faster. About 20 years ago I was capable of going 18mph on a flat, 20 mile loop. I just don't have the speed in me.

I enjoy riding the 520 more, and to be honest, when I'm already this slow, going 2mph faster just isn't that exciting. I'll probably keep the 1200, but I don't think it was worth the $750 just for a little speed boost.

MichaelW

The Caribou is not an expedition touring bike, but a useful all-rounder/light tourer with an Al frame and a carbon disk fork.
Running thinner tyres will help your speed.
IMHO you have the perfect bike for commuting/fitness rides which will allow you to try light touring if you want.

HiYoSilver

Another option, you can gain about the same speed for $0 just by adopting a more aero position and riding in the drops.

Machka 

No, the bicycle won't make that much of a difference.

Can you go to 700x25 tires on your touring bicycle? That might make for a little bit less effort, but don't expect any huge improvements from that either ... just that maybe you won't be working so hard to get to 21 km/h.

And a question for you ... why do you figure you'll never tour? Is that something you are no longer interested in? Or ... ???

mtnroads

Pretty much what he said. I am also not a fast rider, although I have good endurance. So I bought a lighter and faster bike to see if it would help me go faster. My new Trek 2100 weighs 20lbs, with 25mm tires, and my older 520 Touring weighs just under 30, with 35mm semi-slick tires. I average about 2 mph faster on it (about 16mph) when riding the rolling terrain around here for 1-2 hr evening rides, but I probably push a bit harder, so the actual advantage may not be that great.

Steep hills are where the lighter bike shines. If I climb some of our local grades of 5-8 miles, with 2000-2500ft elev gain, I am at least 10% faster up the hill, if not more (say 45min vs. 50 min). The aluminum bike accelerates, whereas on the heavy, steel 520 I tend to sit and grind away in the lower gears. Unlikely that you will notice such a significant difference from your bike to a performance road bike, since your bike is already pretty good.

alanbikehouston

A properly fitted touring bike will go just as fast as a properly fitted "racing" bike, IF the wheels and tires are identical. One of the advantages of a well designed touring bike is their ability to use "fat" tires, such as a 32mm tire, or a 35mm tire. Those bigger tires can handle rough roads, dirt, gravel, off-road use. But, they can be heavy, especially for "stop and go" urban traffic.

So, switching to a lighter weight 28mm tire can reduce your "work load" by a slight, but noticeable amount. Save the bigger tires for tougher assignments.

I am an elderly guy who rides bikes set up in touring style, with the bars set up as high as the saddle for comfort on long rides. Out on the bike trail, young guys whiz by me, going 25 mph. But, they often pull off the trail in a mile or two, while I am riding a twenty mile circuit. I am going slow, but can go slow for hours at a time. The young guys are impressively fast, but often are fast for only five minutes at a time...the sort of quick "performance" young men are noted for.

Miles2go

Your bike weighs about 25 pounds. While you could certainly have a lighter bike and you might very well appreciate that, only you will be able to make that decision. Or at least you'll be better served to do so yourself.

Devinci has a number of nice light road bikes, light enough that your bike could be up to six pounds lighter. You'll certainly feel that but that doesn't mean you'll be catching those 25 year old boys. If there's a dealer near you, drop by with your bike and see what they'll let you take for a spin. Maybe they'll even take yours on trade.

Lastly...are you sure about the no touring thing?


Best regards,

Ron
Wasatch Mountain Range, Utah

Sammyboy

One thing that can make you go faster on a "proper road bike" is attitude. Everything on it LOOKS like it was made to go fast. You're in an agressive riding position. You KNOW that it's built for speed, so you try harder. Works for me, anyway.