mountain biking santa cruz ca
Dont know what kind of road bike I should get, need advice.?
I’m a guy who weighs about 220 lbs, and Ive bought mountain bikes all my life and have used them to ride on roads, mountains, and just normal rides to the store. I want to buy a road bike though, for two reasons, 1) I live in a really hilly city(Santa Cruz,Ca) and I cannot take the hills with my mountain bike and 2) the majority of my riding is on roads, so I want a road bike now.
Since Im a total noob to road bikes, is there anything I should look for? Im willing to spend $700, tops on a road bike, do you think I can get a good bike for this much?
For that money, you can’t get a *great* road bike buying new, but it should get you something pretty decent used if you’re willing to shop a bit.
Your weight isn’t a problem, but you might want to get a sturdy set of wheels if your roads are rough or if you really torque the cranks hard. Any seatpost should carry you fine.
Buying new, take a look a the entry level Trek bikes…..and also look at the Diamondback and Motobecane models.
Keep in mind that although a road bike is lighter overall, it may not help you to conquer the hills any better than you can on a mountain bike. Mountain bikes nearly always have gearing that is lower than anything you’ll find on a road bike, so you *should* be able to motor up them just fine. A road bike is more zippy and efficient, but they don’t necessarily get you up hills any better. You can alter your mountain bike cockpit a little and/or switch to slick tires….those may help.
Hope this helps you out some….good luck! 
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Mountain Biking Santa Cruz, CA 4.22.2006