Got a new hybrid it’s better than my road bike

[Rusty Nails]

Shock, Horror.

The op has found he prefers his flat bar bike to his drop bar bike, so there must be something wrong with his Allez set-up.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I could ride my Raleigh Royal tourer pretty much all day if I felt so inclined, because the frame is big enough for me and the bars are set high, so I'm not breaking my back or getting a stiff neck after half an hour. You can't beat a good drop bar touring frame for eating up miles in comfort. Where the flat bars score is casual hop-on convenience and visibility when rifding in traffic. Most modern road bikes are not truly optimised for comfort, which is why people often compare them unfavourably with an upright flat bar riding position.

 

[CharleyFarley]

... I feel I get the need to go fast on my allez so maybe I’m tiring to soon usually after around 10 mile I’ve had enough of leaning forward and start wishing I could sit up more in it.

It sounds like you might be getting a bit too old for performance, and are moving more into the 'comfortable' category. Of course, with both the bikes you have, you can choose one or the other according to how you feel on that day. It's been many years since I rode a road bike and didn't like it one bit. Today I ride a fat bike and a beach cruiser, both customized for comfort with my choices of handlebars and saddles for upright riding. I don't like straight bars so I changed them on my Specialized Fatboy. I like to see the scenery as I ride; I have no interest in speed or any kind of performance. 7 - 10 mph is fine with me. And don't forget that tire pressures are important.

 

[vickster]

It sounds like you might be getting a bit too old for performance, and are moving more into the 'comfortable' category. Of course, with both the bikes you have, you can choose one or the other according to how you feel on that day. It's been many years since I rode a road bike and didn't like it one bit. Today I ride a fat bike and a beach cruiser, both customized for comfort with my choices of handlebars and saddles for upright riding. I don't like straight bars so I changed them on my Specialized Fatboy. I like to see the scenery as I ride; I have no interest in speed or any kind of performance. 7 - 10 mph is fine with me. And don't forget that tire pressures are important.

He doesn’t look terribly old in photos in previous posts…albeit follically challenged

 

[CharleyFarley]

He doesn’t look terribly old in photos in previous posts…albeit follically challenged

Ain't we all! I'm surprised I've still got some hair on the top of my dome, but there's a lot more growing out of my ears and nose.

 

[vickster]

Ain't we all! I'm surprised I've still got some hair on the top of my dome, but there's a lot more growing out of my ears and nose.

Ummm no, I've got an extremely full head of thick wavy hair (although I am greying) (and none in my nose or ears to speak of)

 

[CharleyFarley]

Ummm no, I've got an extremely full head of thick wavy hair (although I am greying) (and none in my nose or ears to speak of)

You will have! Nobody escapes the nose and ears hair, just as women don't escape mustaches.

 

[vickster]

You will have! Nobody escapes the nose and ears hair, just as women don't escape mustaches.

Yep I have one of those and tweezers. Nose and ear hair not visible (yet)

 

[CharleyFarley]

Yep I have one of those and tweezers. Nose and ear hair not visible (yet)

It begins around the age of 65. Mine began September 17th, 2011, a Saturday, around 2.37 in the afternoon. Throw those tweezers away; they'll make your eyes water.

 

[sasquath]

Ok got a new trek fx 2 flat bar and I’m amazed just done 20 mile bike ride on it no problem best bike I’ve ever had… now slightly confused as my specialized allez I’ve always struggled with, surely that bike should fly I don’t know if it’s the forward leaning which I never got on with or just the more aggressive style frame. I feel I get the need to go fast on my allez so maybe I’m tiring to soon usually after around 10 mile I’ve had enough of leaning forward and start wishing I could sit up more in it. So yes big difference in mileage between the 2 bikes
Is it normal to be able to go more on a hybrid

For me yes, I had a road bike once, converted it to flat bars after a month.
And it was best decision ever, drop bar position was never for me, even at 15.
I struggled to stay on drop bar version for more than 20 miles.
Before conversion I could barely touch 30mph on flat road in short sprint.
After conversion I've hit 38mph on same road both directions.
Then done 8000km on it and cried like a baby when it got wrecked.

How you find it stability wise, can you relax your back and ride hands free with no problem?

 

[kmarkn]

I've just bought a so-called endurance bike, a Trek Domane, and I believe the theory is that a more relaxed geometry and greater comfort will mean that you can ride longer and faster than if you are perched on a 'hard-edged' racer. I have found I do quicker journey times on the Domane than on my slightly lighter, more uncomfortable racer on narrow tyres and with a shorter wheel base. So I wonder if it is a case of more comfort equals greater average speed?

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

So I wonder if it is a case of more comfort equals greater average speed?

I believe that harshness and vibration can give the illusion of greater speed, whereas smooth can feel slow even when it isn't. Quite a few years ago now, I remember being given a lift in a Rolls Royce funeral car that was returning to base and the driver was keen to get finished for the day. I was sitting in the back and thought we were doing about 50 mph. When I peered through the partition glass at the speedo I was surprised to see we were doing nearly 80 mph and this was on ordinary minor single carriageway roads not a straight motorway. Didn't feel anywhere like as fast as we were actually going.

 

[All uphill]

I am quicker on my lightish (under 10kg) roadbike than my steel tourer (about 13kg), but only by about half to one mph average over 40-50 miles. The tourer leaves me much more comfortable though. Both have drop bars.

I put the difference in comfort down to wider tyres with lower pressures and a longer wheelbase on the tourer. I'm not sure the frame material makes a huge difference - but I have no evidence for that opinion.

 

[Gillstay]

I find the flat bars better for my wrists if the bars are just swept back a bit. Straight flat bars I find uncomfortable very quickly and I think for the same reason for riding on the tops of drop bars.

 

[raleighnut]

I find the flat bars better for my wrists if the bars are just swept back a bit. Straight flat bars I find uncomfortable very quickly and I think for the same reason for riding on the tops of drop bars.

Yep, my normal riding position on 'drops' is on the bend as this photo shows