a questiong for the cyclist of MFP that I am sure has been a

I have a hard-tail mountain bike. I have changed the tires to a hybrid mountain/road tire. But I ride mostly on asphalt here in Seattle. I think I want a dedicated road bike.

I've been looking at road bikes. Some of them have the classic 70s-80s 10 speed handlebars. Some have what appear to be the same bars I have.

I don't know the difference. Is my mountain bike with different tires OK? Should I get a road bike? And what do I need to purchase to get that wonderful looking resty like extension on my handlebars? I'm pretty sure I would love to lean over and relax my upper body while my legs to all the work.

So yeah...help me out

OK I'm not a die hard cyclist, but I do ride a few times a week and usually for about 15-20 miles each time, so I am learning. Here is what I know.....the 10 speed style handlebars are road bikes as far as I know, and the straight across handle bars with skinny tires are probably like my bike which is a hybrid (cross between a road bike and mountain bike).

The benefits of a road bike are they are very light and small, aerodynamic. The less weight you have to pedal around, the faster and further you can go. Obviously you know the benefits of a mountain bike (sturdy and tough for tougher terrain) and the benefits of hybrid is they are lighter than a mountain bike for when you do ride on the road, but they have a little more frame to them, they are a little bit tougher than a road bike.

I got a hybrid because A. it was much cheaper than the road bike I liked....hybrid was $350, road bike was $750 and B. most of the road bikes scared me. My brother's has a hardcore road bike that looks like a slight breeze might blow it over. I am not that far into cycling yet, so I wanted something that would be a tad bit sturdier.

As far as gears go, I couldn't tell you anything about that. I would assume there are different gears for mountain, hybrid and road bikes. My brother called me a *kitten* for going up a hill in the wrong gear.....I just keep clicking until I find a comfortable gear for the terrain I am on (hill or flat).

I would say for now your mountain bike with road tires would be ok (just make sure the tires are ok for that bike, a local bike shop could help you with that), but keep in mind if you go up a lot of hills, the heavier bike will take a lot more energy to get up them. My Target mountain bike that I used to ride was about 45 pounds, I believe my hybrid is about 25 or 30...makes a big difference going up hill. Also, unless you have about $700 and up to spend on a road bike right now, I would stick to your transformed mountain bike. The road bike I was looking at for $750 was described to me as a "very decent bike for being at such a low price point". So in other words, unless you can find a used one in great shape that somebody doesn't know how to price, you're going to have to fork over what I consider to be a lot of money. I believe my brothers bike is something close to $2500.

A local bike shop can also get you what you need for the aero bars (to basically lay down and ride). Though be warned, they might be a little scary at first. When my brother first got into cycling, it took him a little while to get comfortable with the aero bars. And if you attempt to use shoe clips, be prepared to fall at least 3 times before you get used to them...I don't use them, I am not fond of falling off my bike. Hope this helps!

hey wbgolden,

I've been riding bikes for 20 years, mostly road.

If you are wanting to ride a bike to get into shape, then you already have what you need.

If you get a dedicated road bike you will go much faster, but you will use less energy doing it, since road bikes are built to go fast with less effort. So then you would need to ride farther to get the same workout.

If you just want to get into the sport of cycling and ride in groups from the local bike shop or race,then thats something else entirely. But you may start out saying "I just need something cheap to go on group rides every once in a while." Then six months later your plunking down $5,000 on a carbon fiber wonder bike that weighs 12lbs and you never see your friends or family again because you gotta get that training ride in.

Also, the bike you have now will be much easier on the arms. Road bikes generally have the bars much lower than the saddle to get in a more aerodynamic position. This puts a lot of pressure on your hands and arms and is quite tiring until you get used to it.

Have fun.

I was thinking the same thing but, I still have the mud tires on my bike. I think I'm going to have to buy some new wheels for my bike too they seem so sluggish I've been on my friends bike it seemed like it took only a minimal effort to roll compared to mine

Mine is a stock 2011 GT Avalanche 3.0 Disc and only had it a few months