Should I get a road bike or hybrid?

G

guitarroks95

New member
Im 13 years old, and I have really been getting into biking.
I have a commute from school that is about 5 miles both ways. I was wondering weather I should get a road bike or hybrid. I really like the way hybrids feel in terms of comfort, however road bikes go much faster.
My price range would be $550 or less.
I am looking at an old 1980s schwinn traveleur ($450), and I really loved the vintage look+ the speed, I am not used to drop bars and there were no "suicide breaks" so that may be an adjustment.
I am also looking at the Fugi newest 3.0 and loved that as well.
For Hybrids I am looking at a Diamondback for comfort, but it is not very fast.

On the road bikes, the gear shifters were down below the dropbars, will this be a big adjustment?

Like I said I am looking for a good bike that can give me transportation as well as a form of excersize.
 
i say road bike but aluminum... the older 1980's is probably made of steel and the weight will slow you down.

im not sure where you ride but if you have gravel roads to go on then you should probably consider getting something with bigger tires, like a hybrid.

just a hint... buy a messenger bag lol. when i used to bicycle to school with a back pack my whole back got really sweaty and it sucks.
 
I would go ahead and get a road bike. If you get one the right size they are very comfortable. You didn't state your size but if you have an inseam of 31-32 inches this would be a great bike for the money.

http://www.forgebikes.com/ctsroad.asp

There is no way i would spent $450 on a 1980's bike.
 
Don't pay $450 for a $100 bicycle, negotiate very hard before you buy the Schwinn. Drop bars are easy enough to get used to and they offer more hand positions then straight bars, that shouldn't be a concern. I ride an older bicycle, a Trek from 1983, and I don't really care for having my shifters on the head tube. It's awkward and distracting to have to shift that way. I don't know how the Traveleur is set up, but that might be an issue for you. Fugi and Diamondback both make good bicycles, I recommend you take a look at Raleigh's as well. They tend to be a bit heavy, but are well built and comfortable rides. Ten miles a day can be handled easily by a hybrid, but if you mean to exercise aggressively, one way ten mile trips or longer, I'd look at a road bike. Don't forget about craigslist.com, it's a great place to look for bikes. And don't forget you can own more then one bicycle!
 
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