Regretting my bike choice

Baconsarnie

Hi Guys/Girls

Looking for some advice, have been lurking reading the forums for a while but only just registered. Two months ago i bought a Boardman Hybrid Comp bike which i have been pretty pleased by. However am now thinking i made a mistake and should have got a full road bike, at the time i'm not sure why but didnt fancy the drop bars.

I don't use the bike for commuting etc just leisure / fitness and have done a few decent rides. Went out yesterday and done just over 40 miles averaging about 16mph.

Was looking for advice really as to the benefit of selling it and getting a full road bike? price has gone up to £550 so as its only 2 months old should get a good chunk of that back.

wishitwasallflat

Sell it and get a road bike - much better - sell it quick while its still newish (or keep it as a spare and buy a road bike as well )

simon_masterson

It must be said that the engine is still the most important aspect of your bike, but nevertheless a road bike is much better than a hybrid or MTB for fast road cycling. Aside from the frontal area, I concur with those who argue that the range of hand positions is better, for example.

Therefore, if you are serious about road cycling, you may want to switch to a road bike. I'd suggest you try one, though. Some people get on just fine on their MTBs and hybrids; whether they also use the bike for rougher stuff or not.

dugliss

I`ve recently bought a Giant Defy after 4 years of having a Boardman hybrid comp too just because I kept on thinking the same thing about wanting a road bike. I like both these bikes and there`s nothing wrong with either of them but I`ve come to realise that I probably don`t really "need" the Giant as much as I thought. Think hard about how much you really need to do this as the Boardman is a decent enough bike, you may just be able to save yourself a chunk of money

ALaPlage

It really is each to their own. I had a Boardman hybrid when I got back Into cycling around 4 years ago. Like you I regretted it once I realised all my riding was on the road. I sold the Boardman on EBay for £100 less than the new price and put the money toward a Used Trek Madone 5.9 with Ultegra 6700. Forme it was the rightdecisio as the road bike was so much more suited tony needs. It was a good 6lbs lighter than the Boardman too and I noticed that difference when climbing hills or accelerating.

As Simon rightly points out it is all about the rider's engine so don't expect a road bike to make a significant difference to your average speed overnight. Psychologically however, a bit like a keen Golfer buying a new driver and suddenly improving their driving ability, it can give you that impetus to ride more and push harder which In turn means you become fitter and stronger as a cyclist and as a result improve your average speed. Simon also makes a good point on the hand positions which was my experience. Riding 50 miles on the hybrid and my hands were tingling and numb. The added hand positions that road bars give you means for me at least that I now ride up to 100+ miles and have never yet suffered as I used to with hand pain.

Don't rush into it but I would seriously say if your heart is on the road and you love your cycling you will ultimately enjoy it more on a road bike. Good luck.

Mikey23

It depends on how flushed for cash you are I suppose but I started with a hybrid and bought an entry level giant road bike about 6 months later. I am very happy to retain both, the hybrid is often used by my missus, by the people I support and accompanied me on a week long cycling holiday in France where it proved to be an absolute star. The road bike is my personal favourite and I've done a few sportives on it. Many folks have 2 bikes or more in their garage

stronginthesun

well im thinking of going the other way . due to continuous back probs im selling my roadbike and getting a boardman hybrid ( model depends on how much the roadbike fetches on ebay ) before anyone answers my back is fine on my old mountain bike .