Looking to buy a road bike to ride on pic related. The trail is 30 miles (15 miles one way 15 miles back) and the entire thing looks like the image. Paved the whole way.I currently ride this on a Trek Marlin which is a hardtail. My average speed is 13.8 mph and it takes me ~2 hours to complete the ride.Will switching to a dedicated road bike significantly raise my average speed? I'd be very happy if I could cut the ride down to an hour and a half if possible.Budget is ~2000 USD. Can go to ~3000 USD if the price difference is truly worth it.BTW my dream bike is a Bianchi Aria Centaur. If I could easily obtain this in the USA I'd buy it but I can't find it anywhere. I only want it because I think it's beautiful, I have no idea if it's a good bike.
>>2785044>currently ride this on a Trekstopped here
I would buy a solid 90's hardtail, put on some good era-correct parts, a set of cross-country tires (e.g. Conti Doublefighter), and ride that.Don't spend a fortune on a roadbike if you want to cruise.
>>2785057Why are you engaging in tribalism over [corporate product]. Are you mentally ill?>>2785058>Don't spend a fortune on a roadbike if you want to cruise.Isn't that what a road bike is for? To ride long distances on paved surfaces at higher average speeds compared to a mtn bike?
>>2785044idk why people hate on road bikes. It truly feels like riding on rails. I found you get a 3-4 mph increase to the average mph over a hybrid although its really up to your ability. It doesn't matter all that much what you get as any used $500 road bike is going to be a night and day difference from what you have now.
>>2785081>idk why people hate on road bikes.Are they less comfortable to ride or something?>It doesn't matter all that much what you get as any used $500 road bike is going to be a night and day difference from what you have now.I want something new. Any recommendations for $2000 or under? Or $3000 or under if it's an actual legitimately impactful upgrade over $2000.
You could go halfway and get one of those rallycross (I forget the name of the races) where it's road bike geometry but can do actual /out/ stuff. Since you know you are on /out/.But your best bet would be asking this on the correct board you fucking newfag.
>>2785101Cycling on a flat paved trail is an extreme sport?
>>2785102Act smug all you want newfag. It isn't /out/. There's a whole board dedicated to bike faggotry.
>>2785118Why are you behaving like a raging newfag?
>>2785044Just put road tires on your bike and it will be faster.
>>278505930 miles is not a long distance. And with the correct tire and pressure, you're going a decent pace without much effort.It's just my two cents, I'm not a fan of overspending. People buy way too expensive bikes they don't need.
>>2785258>30 miles is not a long distance.It is on a fat tired mountain bike that's limiting my average speed to 13.8 mph. My legs move faster than the resistance the pedals can give me. I need some form of upgrade so I can raise my top average speed.
You should try Craigslist.
>>2785044buy a track bike and stop being gay. you will thank me when you have actual muscle mass.
>>2785044youre so lucky... riding that trail for 30 miles and just zoning out to random music sounds nice
>>2789950It is. The trail mostly looks like that image but it opens up in to fields at certain points with farms, cows, there's several lakes that I pass, some of them buried in the woods. It's an amazing trail, the best bike trail I've ever ridden. I love it so much I'm still looking for a dedicated road bike just for riding that trail.
the road bikes with the thin large diameter tires will be faster because less rolling resistance, and also the gearing is more suited for speed. you don't have to get a full-fledge race road bike though. take a look at the Trek FX for example. then you have the same thing but with a bit beefier tires for durability/traction when on things other than perfect pavement, called the Trek Dual Sport. the FX would be perfect for those perfectly paved bike paths and any decent roads, but the FX sport is the better commuter version of that same bike due to the different tire style, though a bit slower because of increased rolling resistance. if you really like your current bike, why not change gearing and/or get road tires?
>>2790908> fx sportI meant Dual Sport
>>2790908>if you really like your current bike, why not change gearing and/or get road tires?How much faster would my current bike (Trek Marlin) get if I changed the gearing, got road tires, or did both? My current average speed over 30 miles of paved trail with it is 13.8 mph. I'd really like to get closer to a 20mph average speed. Can I do that by swapping a Marlin to road tires? Also can any of the FXs you listed do that?>Trek FX>Trek Dual Sport
>>2790912Bike speed is 80% aerodynamics, 20% tire rolling resistance and 5% everything else.Changing gearing won't do anything unless you're currently spinning out your heaviest gear.Absolutely the best speed gain per buck would be lowering your handlebars and putting aero bars on them. Then you can think about getting some slick tires. Putting drop bars on a frame meant for flat bars doesn't work, don't even bother researching it.Next best thing (or first if you have the money) is getting a dedicated drop bar bike. A grabel bike will be 90+% as fast as a road bike if you put road tires on it and will give you more versatility if you ever decide to take it off road. If not, a road bike.
>>2790929LMAO imagine believing this. The aerodynamics of the bike matter absolutely jack shit compared to the giant meat sail perched on top directly impeding the airflow.
>>2790941
