Would A Road Bike Be Any Quicker? | Road Beginners | Road | Forums - BikeRadar

richardspooner · **Posted** Fri Oct 16, 2009 1:25 pm

I know what the Sirrus is!

I was offering the point of view of someone who has not too long ago been through the 'gotta get my ass in gear' and ended up getting the shock of my life riding with people on the dedicated road bikes asked about. Then going through the process of figuring out what steps to take next. Which for me, once I realised it was a fitness thing as much as anything a dedicated road racer was the logical next step once it was addressed.

I happen to agree with John in regards to not going down the route of compromising the setup of the Sirrus to try and turn it into something it isn't. If you can afford it buy the right bike and have it setup for the dedicated purpose because you get more out of it in the long run. But buy it knowing the underlying reasons for poor performances. That was my point as much as anything.

John.T · **Posted** Fri Oct 16, 2009 1:42 pm

I think what we are all getting at here is that you can never have too many bikes. I could do with something like the Sirrus to go into town on as my other bikes are not too much use for this. No shopping space and a hybrid is much easier in traffic. The garage is now full though so it will not happen.

My Bikes.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hgte/sets/72157610908038642/detail/

richardspooner · **Posted** Fri Oct 16, 2009 1:58 pm

seward4or5 · **Posted** Fri Oct 16, 2009 2:49 pm

To the OP, I would suggest getting a set of 23mm or 25mm tyres as suggested previously on the forum. These should be a relatively cheap upgrade that will be lighter and should help your speed a bit in the short term. You can keep the existing tyres for the winter.
Other than that stick with it, you will get faster as your fitness increases, and a couple of months down the road you will be able to decide better whether you enjoy it enough to invest in a road bike...

rhext · **Posted** Fri Oct 16, 2009 3:25 pm

I think the key questions here are 'how fit is okey-ish fit, and how much of that fitness did you get by cycling'. If your friends are keen cyclists then chances are they'll be a bit more than okey-ish fit. And if you're not a regular cyclist they'll also have a techniques tool-kit which you'll struggle to match.

Thing is, if you're on a Sirrus, and you optimise the set-up for fast road use, eg same tires as they're using, I suspect you're not going to get enough of a boost simply by moving to a slightly lighter drop-handlebar bike to allow you to keep up.

So you may need to work on your fitness a bit. But also talk to your friends about how they do it. Drafting (cycling as close as possible to the person in front) makes a huge difference: would they mind if you practiced doing that without taking your turn at the front for a few rides? How about hill-climbs? They're almost as much in the head as in the legs, so what goes through their minds? How much pain are they putting up with? What gears are they using (spinning or grinding?).

From my point of view, hill climbing is also where clipless pedals come into their own as you can apply more power by pulling up. You might not be able to sustain the effort for long, but if your friends are doing that up a short hill at full speed and you can't then you're dropped. And if you're relying on drafting to keep up, then you'll not rejoin them until they slow down!

Personally, I'd work on that first before sinking a lot on a new road bike and see if it's moving you in the right direction and you're enjoying it! But on the other hand, sinking a wodge of cash on a new bike might just give you the incentive to go for it!

MrChuck · **Posted** Fri Oct 16, 2009 3:39 pm

zummerzet-lou · **Posted** Tue Nov 3, 2009 7:29 pm

Well, it's been a couple of weeks so I thought I'd post an update,

I didn't go out with the group of ladies last week, and the week prior it was cancelled. Rather than twiddle my thumbs, I've been out for a few solo rides - included some commutes to work which are "almost" free time ... Takes 20 mins in the car, and about 45 mins on my bike!

Been trying to concentrate on keeping my cadence up (lower gears, but more pedalling?), and a few stretches thinking about the upstrokes rather than down. Not tried the intervals yet, but might try those on my next commute.

So, last night was my first ride with the roadies for ages ... Set off well, determined to keep up and mostly managed. It was quite windy, and knew I had to keep up or would really struggle battling the wind alone.

Ride was about 1hr 40, and for the first hour or so I was doing great. Then I eased off for a breather and a few glugs of water and that was it .. I just couldn't catch them up again, and they seemed to pull further away. That, and by then I was out of oompphh so I just took the rest of the ride at my pace, but they did hold back to make sure I was going the right way etc.

So the moral?
Don't slow down to drink!

and, as much as I'd love one, I don't actually *need* a new bike .. no harm in looking tho Wink

(Speaking of which, LBS tried to sell me a 2009 GIANT ... carbon everything apart from the lower part of the frame .. only $2000! Think I'd have to sell my car to justify that one)

milleman · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 10:04 am

In a similiar position, bought my first bike early this year (Sirrus pro) and love it but am now thinking of trying a road bike to see if it would make any difference.

Cycle with a couple of mates who have road bikes and have cycled for years and I am no slower-sometimes faster. This is probably as a result of many years hillwalking!

I do like the upright riding position of the Sirrus but do fancy blowing some cash on something racy, the only problem is I did try a mates road bike recently and had a sore back after 5 minutes!.

have to try one in my size.

Aggieboy · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 10:50 am

dmclite · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 11:10 am

and, as much as I'd love one, I don't actually *need* a new bike .. no harm in looking tho (Speaking of which, LBS tried to sell me a 2009 GIANT ... carbon everything apart from the lower part of the frame .. only $2000! Think I'd have to sell my car to justify that one)

Need and justify are 2 words which you need to cut from your vocabulary when talking about bikes and buying bikes.

When concerning bike and accessories to a partner, you have to employ tact, lise, sneakiness and an elaborate truth/economisation of price. easy. Wink

Happy trails.

FCN 1

I don't mean to brag, I don't mean to boast but I'm intercontinental when I eat french toast.

zummerzet-lou · **Posted** Thu Nov 5, 2009 7:03 pm

Skip menu

Road Beginners Forum