Moving from hybrid to road bike

longy

Sorry from bringing up a much discussed topic but I am interested in your views on this and would be grateful for advice.

I currently ride a Specialized Sirrus Elite (2011) which is a hybrid but obviously at the flat bar road bike end of the hybrid spectrum. The Sirrus has carbon front forks, 700 x 28 wheels, Shimano Deore gearing and it weighs in a tad over 10 kg apparently.

I am doing some longer road ride (up to 100 miles) events now and am having the usual desires for a sportier ride but, given that money IS an object, I'm wondering how much I'm really going to gain by switching - by this I mean real world performance rather than anything to do with style and appearance.

If I was to look at something like the Triban 5a or the Giant Defy 4, what real, tangible advantages would I be getting over the Sirrus?

Thanks in advance.

maddog 2

yes you'll notice the improvement, both in terms of weight and aero/position.

Drop bars are obviously a different ergonomic to flats, so will take some adjusting to. If you don't get on with drops (and some don't ) then faster flat bar road bikes are available from a much wider range of manufacturers than, say, 5 years ago.

oxoman

Longy, you will notice that you are quicker and less fatigued as roadbikes are noticably lighter, I noticed a huge difference between my old basic sirrus and a Dawes Giro i was given and as such got rid of the sirrus pretty quickly. Some of its down to weight and narrower tyres. Defy 4 is well regarded not sure about the new Triban 5a as i believe the A models only have ali forks and not carbon like the other models but very good value for money.

passout

As above really. Maybe look at a 'sportive' style bike as a good all rounder.

♠ChumBucket♠

I would think long & hard. It seems in reality the majority of normal road riders spend virtually no time on the drops- regardless of this very point seemingly getting hammered home as being the ultimate decision maker? What you may gain in "aero" you may also lose in power by the position it puts your body in. You'll probably be more stretched out with a "proper" road bike, it may well be a harsher ride too- something to consider doing 100 miles. I've just gone from a road kitted MTB to a drop bar bike & at this moment in time I'm a little underwhelmed!! I can climb much easier with flat bars/bar ends, I can also put more power down in that riding position, it also is a lot more comfortable too. On the road bike I'm finding that I'm constantly having to change hand position- with the "tops" being the most comfortable & productive. Hoods seem ok but after too long the weight you hold there takes it's toll. Drops, seem pretty pointless to me personally, uncomfortable, not that much more "aero" & seemingly reduces the power you can put through your legs being in that position!!

It would seem to me at this point, that many of the apparent advantages of road bikes are massively over-hyped!! They are there don't get me wrong but not universally better for everyone.

This my personal point of view but bear in mind I'm only 3 weeks & 130 miles into a "proper" road bike.

Maybe with more miles under my belt I may think differently but I certainly couldn't imagine doing anything like 100 miles on my road bike. A hybrid yes.

jonomc4

I had exactly the same bike - I changed the bars and levers to make it into a road bike - problem solved. Also changed the wheels to 23mm mavic's as the original are too heavy. going into a head wind is much easier.

apreading

I would consider what Chumbucket has said, but also the advice of others that it contradicts.

You will get faster either by pedalling harder, aerodynamics, less weight or reduced rolling resistance.

Aerodynamics wont have a huge impact at slower speeds and will only be when you are in the drops, which isnt often for most people.

The Sirrus isnt the lightest of bikes, although not too bad. I wouldnt actually class it as a 'flat bar road bike', although it leans slightly towards the road end of the spectrum and is certainly less MTB than many hybrids. The Giant Rapid, Whyte Portobello and Boardman Hybrids are much lighter, faster and are what I would call a flat bar road bike (although the latter 2 have disc brakes which makes them even better IMO!). Getting a lighter hybrid will benefit just as much as a road bike in terms of faster because of less weight.

You could try reduced rolling resistance by getting some better/skinner tyres - something like GP4000S in a 25? These would not be a waste as even if you then bought a road bike, they would still be usable on that.

More likely to give you speed gain (again IMO) is getting the right geometry and setup FOR YOUR BODY. Finding the perfect fit will allow you to unlock as much of your energy as possible and therefore pedal harder for longer.

If the geometry of the Sirrus suits you then you may find that a road bike does not - you really need to try one to find out. Have you tried flipping the stem on your Sirrus to make the bars lower? I think all the Sirrus models have a stem that can do 4 different angles. That would give you a more racy position and it may be that by doing that and changing tyres (cheap upgrade) you unlock some speed for little money and help define exactly what you are looking for in a bike.

I tried out the Sirrus and the Boardman Hybrid Team and found that the Sirrus felt quite pedestrian and 'sit up and beg' position was not very racy - the Whyte and Boardman Hybrids just beg you to go faster in a way that the Sirrus did not.

Just dont assume that drops are the only option, but they may work for you.

Haughjd

I've got the Sirrus too. I use it mostly for road biking these days, but when I bought it I thought I'd be also on the odd trail or towpath. But that's not always the case. So now I'm thinking to upgrade to a road bike. Several times I've looked a swapping the bars from drops but that's looking like coming out at hundreds of pounds to swap. So that's perhaps not ideal.

What I'm thinking is a Gaint Defy, Specalized Allez or Genesis. All good road bikes.

But I'll keep the Sirrus, because I still like the bike. I'm going to put the fattest tyres on it it can. Take off the Spd pedals for something more std, and keep it for a family riding go anywhere bike. A quick bike to jump on when going the shops.

But then rather than having 1 bike trying to be a serious road riding machine, and a sunday towpath family bike. Which honestly is always going to be a compromise. I'll have 2 bikes which will cover all bases better.

I think on longer rides having a lighter faster, bike with more options for your hands will be better. But I wouldn't want to ride that bike with skinny tyres along a canal path.

Does that make sense?

longy

Thanks for the replies - that gives me plenty to think about if no clear answers!

I need to work out for myself whether the potential gain in performance is worth the expenditure.

Ouija

Just buy a lightweight set of wheels, tyres and tubes and swap them over whenever your doing a bit of road riding. The ones on the sirrus look heavy (14g, 2.0mm spokes if evans fact sheet is anything to go by) with large, heavy tyres and rims.

MartinB2444

♠ChumBucket♠ wrote:

I would think long & hard. It seems in reality the majority of normal road riders spend virtually no time on the drops- regardless of this very point seemingly getting hammered home as being the ultimate decision maker? What you may gain in "aero" you may also lose in power by the position it puts your body in. You'll probably be more stretched out with a "proper" road bike, it may well be a harsher ride too- something to consider doing 100 miles. I've just gone from a road kitted MTB to a drop bar bike & at this moment in time I'm a little underwhelmed!! I can climb much easier with flat bars/bar ends, I can also put more power down in that riding position, it also is a lot more comfortable too. On the road bike I'm finding that I'm constantly having to change hand position- with the "tops" being the most comfortable & productive. Hoods seem ok but after too long the weight you hold there takes it's toll. Drops, seem pretty pointless to me personally, uncomfortable, not that much more "aero" & seemingly reduces the power you can put through your legs being in that position!!

It would seem to me at this point, that many of the apparent advantages of road bikes are massively over-hyped!! They are there don't get me wrong but not universally better for everyone.

This my personal point of view but bear in mind I'm only 3 weeks & 130 miles into a "proper" road bike.

Maybe with more miles under my belt I may think differently but I certainly couldn't imagine doing anything like 100 miles on my road bike. A hybrid yes.

It might be your personal view but it's perfectly valid based on your experience. Magnus Backstedt was commenting on eurosport recently that riding on the hoods is probably more aero than in the drops because it allows a more tucked in position.

If you've ridden one style of bike for a while it will take a while to adapt to a new riding position. I had a pro bike fit last year and was advised to take things easy the first few rides because I would need to adapt. I was sceptical but it was true. Drops are great when pushing on down hill and much better than the hoods if you want to round bends fast. I too find it difficult to breath efficiently in the drops if pushing hard on the flat. I really like having the options of drops, hoods or tops and now find the flat bars on my MTB a real pain when riding on the road.

♠ChumBucket♠

MartinB2444 wrote:

♠ChumBucket♠ wrote:

I would think long & hard. It seems in reality the majority of normal road riders spend virtually no time on the drops- regardless of this very point seemingly getting hammered home as being the ultimate decision maker? What you may gain in "aero" you may also lose in power by the position it puts your body in. You'll probably be more stretched out with a "proper" road bike, it may well be a harsher ride too- something to consider doing 100 miles. I've just gone from a road kitted MTB to a drop bar bike & at this moment in time I'm a little underwhelmed!! I can climb much easier with flat bars/bar ends, I can also put more power down in that riding position, it also is a lot more comfortable too. On the road bike I'm finding that I'm constantly having to change hand position- with the "tops" being the most comfortable & productive. Hoods seem ok but after too long the weight you hold there takes it's toll. Drops, seem pretty pointless to me personally, uncomfortable, not that much more "aero" & seemingly reduces the power you can put through your legs being in that position!!

It would seem to me at this point, that many of the apparent advantages of road bikes are massively over-hyped!! They are there don't get me wrong but not universally better for everyone.

This my personal point of view but bear in mind I'm only 3 weeks & 130 miles into a "proper" road bike.

Maybe with more miles under my belt I may think differently but I certainly couldn't imagine doing anything like 100 miles on my road bike. A hybrid yes.

It might be your personal view but it's perfectly valid based on your experience. Magnus Backstedt was commenting on eurosport recently that riding on the hoods is probably more aero than in the drops because it allows a more tucked in position.

If you've ridden one style of bike for a while it will take a while to adapt to a new riding position. I had a pro bike fit last year and was advised to take things easy the first few rides because I would need to adapt. I was sceptical but it was true. Drops are great when pushing on down hill and much better than the hoods if you want to round bends fast. I too find it difficult to breath efficiently in the drops if pushing hard on the flat. I really like having the options of drops, hoods or tops and now find the flat bars on my MTB a real pain when riding on the road.

Thanks.
It is getting better with each ride & I'm hoping within a few more rides that I'll have settled in much better & adapted myself. I've made various changes which have all helped but the next thing I must do is change the saddle- I think this will make a huge difference. The standard one is like razor blade shaped rock!!! I want one with a centre cut out as I think this will help with my numb nuts. I'm 40 & fairly fit too so I suppose I wasn't expecting such a difference going to the road bike either. Haven't been able to get out at all yet this week because of the gales, looks like Saturday now!!

Evil Laugh

Chumbucket, a road bike needs careful set up to be comfortable in all 3 hand positions. The fact that you are only really comfortable on the tops suggests your bike is far from being perfectly set up.

I think when you get it right you'll not look back, being able to change hand/back position so much on a road bike can be valuable on longer rides. Bike setup can also make the difference to the ride being comfortable or not too. How your weight is placed over the bike will affect the ride.

Having a saddle that is uncomfortable will force weight onto your hands so yes, get that changed. The Specialized saddles are very good, come in up to 4 widths and you can swap/return after 30 days riding.

Regarding power, you will also likely be using different muscles to your other bike and it will take a while to get settled in to any new position.

Keep at it.

♠ChumBucket♠

Evil Laugh wrote:

Chumbucket, a road bike needs careful set up to be comfortable in all 3 hand positions. The fact that you are only really comfortable on the tops suggests your bike is far from being perfectly set up.

I think when you get it right you'll not look back, being able to change hand/back position so much on a road bike can be valuable on longer rides. Bike setup can also make the difference to the ride being comfortable or not too. How your weight is placed over the bike will affect the ride.

Having a saddle that is uncomfortable will force weight onto your hands so yes, get that changed. The Specialized saddles are very good, come in up to 4 widths and you can swap/return after 30 days riding.

Regarding power, you will also likely be using different muscles to your other bike and it will take a while to get settled in to any new position.

Keep at it.

Thanks, it's encouraging & I'm sure you're right.

I do remember making many changes to the MTB to get that right too. In fact, I'm going to swap my MTB saddle onto the roadie for saturday's ride. I will be in the city on Sunday so can purchase a new saddle then.

ooermissus

Surely the Giant Defy 4 and the Triban weigh as much, if not more than the Sirrus?

passout

Interesting discussion this. Worth pointing out that dropped handlbars offer more hand positions which is good however you look at it. Drops can can be seen on Tourers, Cross bikes, MTBs (Salsa, Singular etc) and faster road bikes. Road bikes covers a broad church, inclusing flat bars. Go for what suits you.

You won't go far wrong with a Genesis Equilibrium though!

longy

ooermissus wrote:

Surely the Giant Defy 4 and the Triban weigh as much, if not more than the Sirrus?

Hmmm. That's part of my dilemma. I'm really unsure that I have a sufficient budget to make serious improvements by switching. Fitting some lighter wheels would have an obvious improvement. I've also been toying with the idea of fitting some bar ends in the centre to create a third hand position - aero bars seem a bit over the top lol.

ooermissus

Sirrus: 10.6kg for XLarge. Giant Defy 4: 10.7kg (size not specified). Triban 5: 10.1kg (again size not specified).

longy

ooermissus wrote:

Sirrus: 10.6kg for XLarge. Giant Defy 4: 10.7kg (size not specified). Triban 5: 10.1kg (again size not specified).

Thanks for that.

Yours, confused...

Ouija

Longy wrote:

ooermissus wrote:

Sirrus: 10.6kg for XLarge. Giant Defy 4: 10.7kg (size not specified). Triban 5: 10.1kg (again size not specified).

Thanks for that.

Yours, confused...

Yeah. I think the extra light wheels and skinny tyres would be the way to go. As pointed out above, those road bikes will be faster not because they are lighter (they're not) but because they have very skinny tyres and lighter wheels. Probably work out cheaper to just buy some uber light expensive wheels, skinny folding tyres and tubes than buy a whole bike.

Haughjd

Question on Sizing???

I'm thinking to do the same. I too currently have the same bike Sirrus. Mine is the Sport from 2010. I've been riding this flat bar bike for three good years now. But now I to want to upgrade.

Can you help me understand what to look for on the sizing. Do I need the same size frame. My Sirrus is a 54, I'm 5'10". I believe the Sirrus is about right. But going for a drop bar bike does this change anything? I guess it might as you have more choice where to place your hands etc. I guess I'm a little unfamiliar with knowing what feels right sitting on a drop bike. So coming from the hybrid world what am I looking for when trying out a road bike in the shops.

Camcycle1974

Haughjd wrote:

Question on Sizing???

I'm thinking to do the same. I too currently have the same bike Sirrus. Mine is the Sport from 2010. I've been riding this flat bar bike for three good years now. But now I to want to upgrade.

Can you help me understand what to look for on the sizing. Do I need the same size frame. My Sirrus is a 54, I'm 5'10". I believe the Sirrus is about right. But going for a drop bar bike does this change anything? I guess it might as you have more choice where to place your hands etc. I guess I'm a little unfamiliar with knowing what feels right sitting on a drop bike. So coming from the hybrid world what am I looking for when trying out a road bike in the shops.

Also 5"10. I went for an M/L Defy which is bang in the middle of their size range so most other peoples medium.

The Defy's compact geometry complicates things but try a medium to start and see how it feels.

Look for not feeling too stretched out when riding on the hoods which is a function of the top tube length. You should have a bend at the elbow. Not too low a position either as you will suffer from neck pain. test this by riding in the drops for a while. Is it comfortable? Obviously things can be adjusted but better to get the size right at the outset. A bit too small better than a bit too big imo.

Haughjd

This sounds like good advise.
I'll look for some elbow bend, and make sure I don't feel like I'm stretching.

Sizing is very important espically if you think you old be sitting like that for a few hours at a time on a good ride. It's good to know what to look for after spending years on the hybrid.

I guess it can also be tempting to go for a large/smaller (wrong) size in a bike if its a model you really fancy, thats soldout in your size. Or if someone has a good sale on. Be carfule of this. The sizing how the bike feels has everything to the feel, the enjoyment and ultimately how often you get out on it.

Thanks again for your advise.