Unsure - Drop bars or Hybrid?

[Daveb99]

I use a Boardman Hybrid Pro for commuting. It's very almost as light as the drop bar equivalent and I love it to bits.....HOWEVER, if I wasn't commuting then I'd have got the drop bar and it would have been a no brainer! The hybrid is just the perfect choice for all the stuff I have to carry if I don't want to have a rucksack (which I don't).

If you shop around you can probably kit yourself out for £200 but you will be value end. Might be the place to start and upgrade to better stuff as and when you can afford it. I've done precisely that after an absense of about the same time as you.

Thanks, it seems like a drop bar bike may be for me but I'll also bear in mind what has been said about bar types, gears etc and make sure it feels right on a long ride.

Regarding the winter, is it realistic to use something like an Allez 24 through the winter? I guess we're talking about going out for rides in conditions like light rain and occasional greasy roads, would I need to fit some different tyres, as I'm assuming the slicks would be a no-no?

 

[SquareDaff]

Thanks, it seems like a drop bar bike may be for me but I'll also bear in mind what has been said about bar types, gears etc and make sure it feels right on a long ride.

Regarding the winter, is it realistic to use something like an Allez 24 through the winter? I guess we're talking about going out for rides in conditions like light rain and occasional greasy roads, would I need to fit some different tyres, as I'm assuming the slicks would be a no-no?

I've been riding just over a year now. Last year I went through the entire 12 months on some 35mm's with about 3mm tread without issue (although I didn't ride through the worst of the snow). Have just got the Boardman Hybrid (almost slick tyres) and I'm expecting to have to change around end of Oct/early Nov when the weather turns. TBH - if you have one bike then it is realistic to expect to use it all year round. Obviously clean it more to stop excessive component wear due to salt/grit etc, and change to treaded tyres when the weather turns for the worst. I'm sure others on here can recommend a suitable tyre. Will be watching for comments as I'll need to do the same this year too!

 

[Daveb99]

Just been to my local bike shop, they have recommended the Specialized Secteur Sport Triple, which is currently on offer at £599 down from £770, due to the new models being launched later this week. Seems like a lot of bike for the money and probably suits me better as the bars would be a little higher, and closer in terms of reach, than on the Allez, as the geometry is more relaxed as mentioned by Cheesney Hawks above. Better components too apparently so it's basically a better bike in terms of spec. Any other views?

 

[Norm]

Bike tyres don't need to be changed for wet surfaces, as they are too narrow to aquaplane, so slicks will be fine in the wet.

Autumn brings special challenges, with mud and leaves creating a while new level of excitement. Slicks can still work, though, as narrow tyres could cur through the grime and find tarmac, although there are times when blocks will get better purchase.

Snow or ice is a different matter, although nothing short of studs will work on ice.

I commuted last winter, except for the snowy days, with 1.5" City Jets, just watching for the ice patches.

 

[Norm]

Oh, and I've got a Secteur Sport, they are indeed fab. But I still used an old beater when there's salt on the roads.

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

I have a Sectuer Sport also, mine is a 2010 and it is a great bike. I did have problems with the Alexrim wheels, well the rear one always going out of true. But I believe that the 2011 model has Mavic CXP22's on so this should not be an issue, and I was maybe just unlucky anyway. The Sport does use Sora shifter's though with a Tiagra rear mech, you will probably get on with them fine though. The thing is if you do want to upgrade them to Tiagra you can as the bike is a 9 speed. You can get some reasonably priced used ones off here or an auction site. If you went for the basic Allez I think that it may be an 8 speed, so if you do want to upgrade to shifters to ones that you can use on the drops you will probably have to upgrade a lot more components. This is one of the reasons that I went for the Sport rather than the basic Secteur as it was an 8 speed too.

 

[mcshroom]

Nice bike.

Tyres have been pretty well covered further up. You may want to get some mudguards for the winter as well.

I'd be tempted to use the saracen in salty weather but there's no reason why you'd have to.

 

[Lien Sdrawde]

Sorry if this has already been mentioned as I havent time to read the entire thread - but you can get drops with varying degree of shallowness / severity.
I went for a shallow drop and it helped me a lot with the ability to tuck into wind but still retain a level of comfort thats right for me.

 

[Daveb99]

Thanks for the replies once again, really helpful. I'm at the point where I'm about to take the plunge I think - 2011 Specialized Secteur Sport, from my local bike shop.

I'm wondering about what size frame to go for. I am 5' 9" (175cm), the guy in the shop (really helpful) reckoned 56cm would be the right size, but according to the guides on line it could be 54cm or 56cm - see below, taken from the Specialized catalogue:

54cm: 5' 6" - 5' 9" (168 - 175cm)
56cm: 5' 9" - 6' 0" (175 - 183cm)

What's my best bet?

 

[vickster]

Go tesr ride them both. I am 5'9ish and ended up with a 54.5mm bike - it was cutom built though so had slightly narrower bars and shorter stem (being a woman on a men's frame needed some adjustment). You may be 5'9 but do you have shorter legs, longer legs, arms etc, what's your inseam, for example. Reach is key

If you can't ride get the LBS to do a proper measure and fit. I sat on the turbo while they checked. What do you ride at the mo?

 

[mrmacmusic]

Thanks for the replies once again, really helpful. I'm at the point where I'm about to take the plunge I think - 2011 Specialized Secteur Sport, from my local bike shop.

I'm wondering about what size frame to go for. I am 5' 9" (175cm), the guy in the shop (really helpful) reckoned 56cm would be the right size, but according to the guides on line it could be 54cm or 56cm - see below, taken from the Specialized catalogue:

54cm: 5' 6" - 5' 9" (168 - 175cm)
56cm: 5' 9" - 6' 0" (175 - 183cm)

What's my best bet?

Not sure if you've tried either in store, but it's probably a good idea to do so and see which feels best – I reckon you're going to have a slightly different riding position on each of them with the saddle at the correct height. I was in a similar position straddling two frame sizes (albeit with a different bike), and opted for the larger size as it felt 'right'

 

[Daveb99]

Thanks, I haven't tried either, all he had was a 58cm Secteur which felt way too big, as you'd expect.

I think I'll need the proper 'measure and fit' because I can't test ride a 54 & 56cm Secteur - none in stock!

 

[VamP]

Wow! Thanks very much for all the replies so far, what a great response.

I'm leaning towards a drop bar road bike, but I haven't ruled out the hybrid / flat bar option yet. It won't be used for commuting though as it's a little too far (20-25 miles each way).

I've pretty much decided to keep the mountain bike for going out cycling with the kids. It seems to be worth only about £75 anyway (Saracen N-Yzme) so it isn't really going to contribute much towards a road bike/hybrid. Storing two bikes isn't an issue currently but could be next year though, as we're planning to move house, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

I've spotted that the Specialized Allez 24 (2011) can now be had for £519 at various Internet suppliers. I guess I couldn't go too far wrong with something like that? I'm planning to go to my local bike shop at lunchtime to start to get a feel and hopefully arrange a test ride, they may even match prices if I'm lucky.

It looks like I'll need to get some SPD pedals and shoes, along with all the clothing, helmet etc (I really have nothing!). Should I budget approx £200 for all that (I'm thinking of the value end of the scale!) ?

Don't rule commuting out. I started out May this year, thinking 15.5 miles each was possibly too far. I have now succumbed to the addiction to the extent I make my routes home longer. You may well before too long find that the commute is too tempting to ignore.


Drop bars all the way.

 

[vickster]

Thanks, I haven't tried either, all he had was a 58cm Secteur which felt way too big, as you'd expect.

I think I'll need the proper 'measure and fit' because I can't test ride a 54 & 56cm Secteur - none in stock!

If you have one locally, Evans are obliging on test rides However, I would think any LBS would get both in for you to try? If the 58cm felt 'way too big', maybe a 54cm is right - a 56cm would be ok if the 58cm felt a little big

 

[Wardy]

I have a "sports" hybrid and a Specialized Allez road bike so I feel I have the best of both worlds. I have butterfly bars on the hybrid which give me a wide variety of hand positions. If I was forced to make do with just one of these bikes I'd probably choose the hybrid as I can happily use it on a wider variety of surfaces, it's not a lot slower than the Allez, it's more comfortable, has a wider gear range, better braking and and I can probably safely carry more on it. If I was commuting I definitely feel I'd favour the hybrid. I guess there's an element of "head ruling the heart" here!