A quick question!

Throlkim
Throlkim Posts: 94
edited February 2009 in Commuting chat
Just wanted a quick answer to this:

I've bought a Dawes Colorado Hybrid, and it's a bit slow. Not the end of the world, and I could live with it, but I've found a Dawes Giro 200 road bike for around the same price (£180).

Should I make the swap? :)

Comments

  • hondafanatic
    hondafanatic Posts: 213
    Yes. No. Maybe...wait..o..i dunno...you've put me underpressure with your demanding timescale...
    <insert witty comment here>

    Also, I have calculated my FCN as 12...although I have no idea what that actually means.
  • Throlkim
    Throlkim Posts: 94
    And the timescale shrinks ever smaller with each passing second!
    Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!




    And thanks for the reply :D
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    Yes. Do it. If you find the hybrid slow then the roadie is the answer.
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • hondafanatic
    hondafanatic Posts: 213
    your welcome...I'm always happy to offer no help whatsoever in the name of my post count...oh the irony.

    Although, in actual fact, if you get the road bike it means shaving your legs...so you might wanna think about that (I'm assuming you're a bloke or feminist female).
    <insert witty comment here>

    Also, I have calculated my FCN as 12...although I have no idea what that actually means.
  • bratboy
    bratboy Posts: 82
    It depends why you are slow ;)

    The lower position of a road bike will make you more aero but less comfortable - but it's not about the bike so I'm told :o
    SC61.10a: FCN 3, with clip-on guards for winter
    Uncle John: FCN ?? knobblies, or 'fat' slicks n guards

    If you haven't tried these things, you should.
    These things are fun, and fun is good.
  • Throlkim
    Throlkim Posts: 94
    At the moment it kinda feels like pedalling something attached to the rear wheel with a fan belt rather than a chain. It doesn't quite feel like everything I'm putting in is going to the wheel. It's an odd sensation :D
  • bratboy
    bratboy Posts: 82
    Tyres and wheels can make a big difference, what tyre sizes are you using and are they pumped up hard enough? (tho do be careful with these icy conditions, you should run a little less pressure to make sure you have plenty of road contact)
    SC61.10a: FCN 3, with clip-on guards for winter
    Uncle John: FCN ?? knobblies, or 'fat' slicks n guards

    If you haven't tried these things, you should.
    These things are fun, and fun is good.
  • Eat My Dust
    Eat My Dust Posts: 3,965
    It all depends on the engine.
    SNAPS
  • greg66_tri_v2.0
    greg66_tri_v2.0 Posts: 7,172
    Eat My Dust wrote:
    It all depends on the engine.

    Yeah. But the same engine will produce a higher speed on a roadie vs a hybrid.

    Taller gearing, less weight, (probably) less friction, narrower tyres, smaller aerodynamic profile.

    It's a cheat, which will make you think you've got fitter overnight, but it works.
    Swim. Bike. Run. Yeah. That's what I used to do.

    Bike 1
    Bike 2-A
  • Throlkim
    Throlkim Posts: 94
    The tyres are at full pressure I think, though I think the max is only around 85 PSI. They're quite skinny hybrid tyres.

    It feels more like the gearing than the tyres. It just feels less sharp than my old old mountain bike - more like pedalling through marshmallow than being connected to the wheel.
  • MrChuck
    MrChuck Posts: 1,663
    Are your hubs and BB OK?
  • greg66_tri_v2.0
    greg66_tri_v2.0 Posts: 7,172
    Throlkim wrote:
    The tyres are at full pressure I think, though I think the max is only around 85 PSI. They're quite skinny hybrid tyres.

    It feels more like the gearing than the tyres. It just feels less sharp than my old old mountain bike - more like pedalling through marshmallow than being connected to the wheel.

    That could be a few things: a flexy frame (a lot like walking through sand), a longer wheelbase, more friction in the drivetrain...
    Swim. Bike. Run. Yeah. That's what I used to do.

    Bike 1
    Bike 2-A
  • Littigator
    Littigator Posts: 1,262
    Lesson 1...don't buy a hybrid :wink:
    Roadie FCN: 3

    Fixed FCN: 6
  • Throlkim
    Throlkim Posts: 94
    Got a return booked, sending it back tomorrow. Should go through ok, I don't remember breaking anything.
    Think I'm going to go for the Giro 200, as my budget doesn't stretch much further, and it seems to have decent reviews.

    Just popping out to the shed to disassemble it now :D
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    Are you getting a new shed as well?
    My Focus / My Bob Jackson
    Blog (incl. bikes)
  • Throlkim
    Throlkim Posts: 94
    That shed has had it coming!
  • Throlkim
    Throlkim Posts: 94
    News!
    I went out to dismantle it, but instead had a fiddle (with the bike), and I seem to have fixed most of the problems I was having. I lowered the angle of the bars by about 20ª, raised the saddle, and made sure the tyres were rock solid, and it now rides quite nicely. Much less marshmallowy than before.

    I'm gonna keep a hold of it for now, and wait until I have a bigger budget before picking up a road bike, as I'd quite like a decent one.

    Thanks for the help chaps, and please forgive my being prone to second thoughts. You should have seen the amount of umming and erring when I bought my last expensive piece of archery kit :|
  • padonbike
    padonbike Posts: 46
    a ............. s l o w ..................... a n s w e r .....................

    sorry I've forgotten the question!
    aspra nella virtu', dolce nel sacrificio

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