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The hybrid really isn’t/needn’t be that much slower than a road bike. I remember a “moment of perspective” a few years back where a buddy and I were out on a “training ride” to Purceville and on the way back some much older guy on a mountain bike had absolutely no trouble keeping up with us at 22-25mph. Yes, a more aero position will be faster and thinner tires will be marginally faster on account of aerodynamics (but not rolling resistance). But I would hazard to say that more aero/more aggressive, narrower tires, etc. are all things that generally make a bike less comfortable, not more. The idea of trading in a hybrid for a road bike to improve your comfort seems odd.

In any event, regardless of the merits of road vs. hybrid, it sounds like if you’re dealing with numbness that there is just a basic fit/physiology mismatch going on here. It’s too bad the bike fit couldn’t help here; I would have assumed that would be the best/quickest way to solve this. I recommend getting a copy of Andy Pruitt’s medical guide for cyclists book (http://www.amazon.com/Pruitts-Complete-Medical-Guide-Cyclists/dp/1931382808); it’s really useful to have around. Reading the various fit suggestions may give you ideas of things to try changing up — and there are diagnostic chapters that help suggest reasons for various types of pain, numbness, etc. Of course, the suggestions in the book may involve making changes to your bike that don’t end up improving the situation, but I’ve found it to be a very helpful perspective.

The alternative grips (e.g. Ergon) that have a wider support for your palms is probably a great suggestion (if you haven’t already tried those). If you already have bar ends, then you’ve got different hand position options now and I don’t see drop bars really offering much there.

Of course, going fast is a lot of fun and road bikes to tend to be faster, especially when you’re looking at higher speeds (where aerodynamics plays a much more significant role). I certainly love riding my road bike — and commuting on what is effectively a slightly more comfortable road bike (more upright, larger-volume tires). I’m sure once you get the fit issues nailed down so that you can ride comfortably, you’d also enjoy riding a road bike!

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@bluerider 49108 wrote:

It started wearing a cap last year because my helmet padding would soak up so much sweat that it would eventually wring out like a sponge and run down into my eyes while riding. The cycling cap keeps the helmet padding dryer and eliminates the sweat waterfall I have experienced in the past. The cap probably extends the life of my helmet as well. Plus, all the other advantages Dirt mentioned earlier.

I sweat a lot and ride a lot in the hot weather, so this has been a battle for me. I also discovered that the orientation of the padding in the helmet makes a big difference on having sweat run down your face. For example, my Bell Variant has a pad that goes horizontally across my forehead and does a wonderful job of mitigating sweat running down into my eyes. Other helmets I have used have had pads that run from front to back and while I thought those felt a little more comfortable at first, the sweat-in-eyes problem was more pronounced.

I have, like brendan, also/additionally used headsweats headbands. They work great, but when using them in races (Wednesdays at Wakefield, mainly), I found them to be too hot. That is pretty extreme situation, though. I am very prone to overheating in those short summer races; I typically use one bottle for spraying water down my helmet and the other for drinking. I imagine for less prolonged all-out riding, the headband would be great.

All said, though, I am definitely a fan of the cycling hats after adopting the Rothera one for the winter. I’m gonna get a summer edition and see how that goes on the commute. I don’t know about extending the life of the helmet pads; I suppose it does, but it costs several times as much as replacement pads, and helmet pads seem to last at least 2 years for me without any protection.

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@birddog 49132 wrote:

My wife said – don’t ride the lightning. So I drove. From Shirlington to NoMA, Biking takes 35 minutes, driving in traffic takes 45. Even with the shower I take before I go into work it’s dead even.

This was the right thing to do. Had my wife been awake when I left, I am sure she would have said the same thing. I thought I would have enough time to get to work before things got nasty (out the door by 6:30), but no; I lost that gamble. It started pouring after 20 minutes of my hour commute. At least the lightning/thunder was not nearby. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten quite so wet so quickly, but it was at least warm (relatively speaking) and I did bring a jacket and helmet cover in my jersey pockets, so my top half was somewhat dry. It was an enjoyable commute in the end. Being out in the rain like that reminds me of playing in the rain as a kid.

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I am gonna try to make it too!

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I recommend Specialized BG gloves Well, honestly, that was where I ended up. I have bought several pair of POW gloves from jensonusa.com because they were really cheap. They (POW) make some really thin summer full finger gloves, but durability is not great. I only wear full-finger gloves after losing my wedding ring on the ADA century a few years ago.

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I agree with vvill on the tapered headtube. If I were buying a cross bike I would buy a Foundry Auger. Carbon, tapered headtube, BB30, disc. http://foundrycycles.com/bikes/auger

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@consularrider 48541 wrote:

I think the Glencarlyn climbs are probably much easier, and certainly smoother pavement. But if you do them six or seven times as a loop?

I rode that for the first time this afternoon; yeah, that is a very short climb, certainly not one of the more difficult ones in the area. Quantico St is pretty good to do on repeat. I like the Patrick Henry-Wilson-McKinley-10th loop (or reverse it) since it is right outside my house. Adding Quantico to the mix there definitely packs a punch.

In general Arlington is a fantastic place to train for climbing. Nearby DC/MD has some nice hills too, like Ridge to Ross / Military (?) up Beach drive or Tilden St up to Wisconsin or Mormon temple hill (whatever that road is), Anglers climb, etc. I love hills. I especially love them when I weigh a little less.

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@KayakCyndi 48408 wrote:

I think you’ll find that most people around here love their cross bikes. You know I’m loving the my Viaje. I doubt you need a “real” mountain bike unless you plan on “real” mountain biking. Cross, I think, would be fine for the CCT (which by do you have any interest in doing this).

The Viaje looks like a really cool bike. At first I was confusing the Viaje with the Vaya (http://salsacycles.com/bikes/vaya), which is another great option — though they bill it more as a touring bike than a cyclocross bike (it has fender mounts, though, unlike the Warbird). I suspect it would work fine for offroad riding too; it definitely can take large-volume tires, has disc brakes, and generally looks pretty stout.

I would also give a vote for Sram components when it’s an option. I put (new in 2011) Shimano 105 on my bike, but I have to say that my Sram (Rival) drivetrain has so much cleaner/crisper rear shifts and has required far less fiddling to get it working right. (I had similar experience moving from Shimano to Sram on my geared mountain bike.) I chalk it up to the 1:1 cable pull they use for the rear derailleur. So while I wouldn’t rule out any bike that had Shimano components, I would add a +1 to the “pro” column for ‘cross bikes that came with a Sram build.

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I love my cross bike. It is also my commuter; I have a wheelset for cross and a wheelset for road and just switch them out (disc brakes with identical hubs makes that really easy). In the winter I run fenders since it is too wet for trail anyway. If you don’t want to get into more serious mountain biking, then a cross bike will serve you really well around here. I ride my cross bike in Lake Fairfax Park, and while it can be a bit sketchy hopping logs on a less upright geometry bike (compared to MTB), you can certainly ride local singletrack. That said, riding a mountain bike on technical trails is definitely more enjoyable — more confident, less jarring, better braking.

If you do get a cross bike, I strongly recommend disc brakes. I wish the crosscheck came with disc; that would make it an easy recommendation. I like my Habanero (ti) frame a lot, but building up a bike isn’t very cost-effective, even with eBay grouppo deals. It does seem like there are a number of good steel — or carbon — disc CX bike options, though.

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@Dirt 48301 wrote:

I used the new soft strap until it broke, then went back to the old, plastic garmin strap. It has worked perfectly for many years. I think they still sell them.

Yeah, I have the plastic one too. Other than that need-to-reset incident it has been working without incident for several years now.

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When it would work out schedule-wise, I would definitely attend with my son in tow. Either day works equally well.

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@GuyContinental 48146 wrote:

Honestly, I have you to thank- I said somehting along the lines of “But Hannnnsss hassss one and he rides when it’s really unpleasant outside… pleease???” Seeing an opportunity for a no-brainer and not terribly expensive gift, she pounced.

I am glad I could help!

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Yeah, it does sound like a different problem in your case. FWIW, I have had poor luck with email support from Garmin, but great experience calling them. Good luck!

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Also, I just discovered my Garmin hrm was dead (replacing battery did nothing), googled around a bit and tried the advice of taking out the battery and putting it in backwards for 10 seconds to reset the device. Worked like a charm.

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@GuyContinental 48100 wrote:

Had to toss this one in here even though it’s definitely not seasonal- my wife gave me one of THESE Rothera Winter Caps for my birthday and I was delighted to get to use it today, perhaps for the only time until fall. It worked great keeping my ears and head warm without getting too warm on top

Hey, happy birthday! yeah, my Rothera winter cap is by far my favorite piece of winter clothing. Fantastic in the rain too.

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