ganchan

Currently I only ride a few times a week, a few miles at a time, always on paved roads. I could be making lengthier journeys,and I think I would enjoy exploring my part of town on 2 wheels, but something's holding me back -- and I wonder whether it's my vehicle. My weapon of choice is a Raleigh Venture 7-speed. It does a good job of getting me from place to place, and I like the upright riding position (I'm a writer, so trying to go easy on the hands) and cushy comfort seat (chronic pain condition in my tailbone). But I do feel like I'm working pretty hard out there, especially on the hillier parts of my regular route.

It's possible that I'm just old and out of shape and a general wimp, but I'd like to have a more effortless experience without resorting to an electric bike.

• I guess the first thing I need to consider is more aggressive geometry. I think a full-scale road bike position would strain my neck, so something more relaxed than that. Something between a performance hybrid and an "endurance" road bike, maybe (Fuji Sportif, etc)?
• I want drop bars because Central TX gets pretty windy at certain parts of the year, and that may be contributing to my fatigue....
• Should I trade up from Hi10 steel to chromoly? Does the difference in weight matter to a non-competitive rider? (I'm leery of aluminum because of the stiffer ride and the potential for cracking, but it may turn out that I don't have much choice....)
• How big a difference would a triple chain ring make on hilly terrain? Because even mild grades just murder me when I'm in the middle gears....

So anyway, there we are. Budget-wise, I'd like to stay under a grand -- and even that will be painful. Still, if riding feels easier and i use the bike more as a result, it might be worth it.



Any thoughts welcome.

Retro Grouch 

Why you're just doomed. Now that you've started thinking about it you know that buying a new bike is only a short time offing. Probably won't be a whole lot faster but it'll almost surely be more fun to ride. If easy on the hands, tush and upper back are important to you, check out my avatar. MUCH more comfortable.

ganchan

Heheh, yeah I know. But one thing that makes it easier to justify the expense is the fact that I'm carless now. So considering all the money I'd normally sink into owning and maintaining a car, I'm still ahead of the game. (I actually wanted to get back into a car again, but the associated costs made my head spin....)

vatdim

Gears are there for a reason - to make our lives easier. A triple can definitely be of help on hills, as long as the gearing range is wide enough. I'm not sure if this is the bike you have at the moment, but if it is, it's easiest gear measures 30.6 gear inches. While not bad, it can certainly make hills a bit troublesome.

Since you want a more aggressive geometry while retaining a more upright position, I'd recommend a touring bicycle. It'll be hard to get a new one in your price range, but I'm pretty sure that a decent used tourer can be found.

Looigi

Yes, you need an upgrade. Silly question.

ganchan

I have the 2014 model, but otherwise that's my bike.

I'll look at used mass-produced touring models. I can't afford to do anything right now anyway, but I can at least familiarize myself with the products. What would qualify as an "entry-level" touring or endurance road bike, other than the abovementioned Sportif?

Homebrew01

Aluminum is a fine material for bikes.
Drop bars are nicer (in my opinion) because you get many more hand positions, so you are not putting stress on the same spot the entire ride.
I tend to get numb or sore hands when I ride my flat bar bike any distance, but I can ride my road bike with drop bars 5+ hours without thinking about it.

Doctor Morbius

You don't have time to ponder! Get ye down to the local bike shop now! Why are you sitting around reading this? Hop to! Or, make it so, as Jean-Luc would say.

martianone

n+1 saga continues.
consider a "relaxed" or "endurance" geometry entry level road bike. Suggest 25 or 28 mm tires. Work with a dealer who takes the time to make sure you fit the bike well & to you needs. This will help make sure your wrists are comfortable - handle bar and saddle should be about level. You will probably need to replace the stock saddle with more of touring model. Many 25 mm tires have a max inflation of 110-115 psi, ride with you tires inflated to 95-100 psi. Don't worry much about the frame material, aluminum or steel are fine - proper fit and saddle are more important.

rekmeyata

NO, you do not need to upgrade to a $1,000 bike, a $1,000 or less bike doesn't buy you anything significant more than what you already have. If you're having problems going up and down hills then switch the current rear cluster from 11-32 that is on it now to 14-34. It already has a triple on that bike if it's the one I'm thinking of, so nothing to change there unless you can find a new triple chain ring with a range of 42/34/24 to replace the 42/34/24 you now have. Changing the rear cluster and the chainrings would make the bike easier to climb grades with.

If a new bike is gnawing away at you then consider a Specialized Allez Sport, or a Raleigh Grand Sport, or the Giant Defy 5. Otherwise I would recommend you change your gears and save your money for a better bike later, or better yet use the money to pay off any debts.

ganchan

As matter of fact, both the Giant Defy 5 and the Raleigh Grand Sport attracted my eye before I realized that you'd mentioned them here. Anyone care to make a direct comparison between these two bikes?

StanSeven

Aluminum bikes are good. They aren't stiff; that's a bad rap they got from oversized tubing used years ago.

You have several good choices mentioned for bikes to condider but I would stay away from touring bikes unless you plan to tour. For one thing, they are expensive and are overkill for just riding around. They are don't have anything over endurance bikes now fir comfort.

avidone1

The answer to your question is always "YES"

rekmeyata

Not all touring bikes are expensive, the Surly Long Haul Trucker (LHT) is the most prolific and highly reviewed touring bike on the market and it only cost $1,325; the Fuji Tour is even less at just $739.

Bent_on_Touring

ganchan, save yourself the wallet ache, search Craigslist for a mid 90s mountain bike or hybrid ($50-$120) then take it to the bike shop and have them overhaul it. You get the gear range you need, slightly more lean in your riding position and a chance to extend your riding with lunch money left over for when you get to some place interesting

mawashi

First off great you are riding again. Secondly I second an endurance or even a cyclocross bike. Some may say you don't need a new bike but since, was that any reason not to get a new toy, a new lighter toy lol!

I would recommend that you go to a bike shop to test out what an endurance and cyclocross bike feels like before making the decision.

I would also say stick with tires >28mm wide cos fatter tires are more comfortable and stay with clincher tires, tubeless ones can be costly if you get punctures often.

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energyandair

Do you mean stay away from tubular tires?
Tubeless tires are a type of clincher tire and I think of elimination of frequent punctures as a good reason to change to them.

mawashi

Ah, I stand corrected even though that was what I meant to say lol!

Stucky

No, you do not NEED a bike upgrade. If you just want one...that's a different matter; but it will not make any significant difference to your ride- different bike- same engine- and the engine[you] is the most important part.

Shuffleman

This is sound advice. Go to a LBS or Performance and look at some different types of bikes. This will give you a great feel for what type of ride you are actually looking for. The Fuji that you mentioned would be a nice bike that fits into your stated budget. Good luck.

rekmeyata

There are cons to going tubeless, like expense being the big one, limited selection of tires which makes the tire more expensive, limited wheel selection which could mean you'll need to buy a new set of wheels which again is expensive, more maintenance, tire levers have to be made specifically for tubeless tires, stiffer beads which means more difficulty in mounting and dismounting, puncture repairs are a huge hassle, need an air compressor to get the tire bead to seat in most cases and if doesn't seat the air leaks out, refill the tires with fresh sealant every few months, the sealant will leak out all over the inside of the rim which must be cleaned out before adding fresh sealant.

Also tubeless won't save you enough weight to be noticeable except in your wallet. Flats? Most modern tube tire designs don't suffer from a rash of flats like they once did, and if you really want to virtually eliminate flats like a tubeless tire simply install a Panaracer FlatAway liner (only 28 grams per liner) in the rear tire and never have to worry about a flat for a very long time if ever in that tire, I've have yet to get a flat in any of my tires with the liners since I started using them 3 seasons ago; why the rear only? because most flats occur on the rear.

Things to think about before going to a different type of tire system. If I only had the choice of tubeless or tubular and was going to have that much hassle with tires that tubeless offers I would rather go back to tubular tires! They even make sealant for tubular tires that work as well as tubeless sealant does for tubeless tires.

mawashi

I think it was clinchers that I would recommend, not tubulars or tubeless.

grampa.sjb

Don't reject drop handlebars because of fear of neck strain. Your neck may feel sore for the first week or so, but if the bike is set up well for you, this will be a very temporary experience.