Road Bike vs. Path Bike

I haven't been able to blog much the past couple of weeks. My mother-in-law had surgery and my wife has been aiding in her recovery so I've had the kids. My exercise has been limited to morning runs three times a week and longer weekend bike rides.

I has given me the opportunity to compare and contrast my two aluminum steeds, both from Specialized: Sirrus and Allez.

The Sirrus is my bike path bike. It's got 32-inch tires and is well suited to this purpose. Aluminum gets a bad rap, but it has its merits in this application. Namely, it's light. Too rigid to be sure, but the bigger tires do an adept job at sucking up some of the vibration of asphalt bike paths and crushed limestone rail trails.

Nonetheless, the Sirrus is heavy. Especially when you add a back rack and panniers full of stuff for a longish ride. I try to limit my gear, but I feel the need to take along my wallet with the possibility of a lunch stop looming. That also necessitates the need for a bike lock. And since the panniers are on there, why not go ahead and pack a light jacket?

Then there's my diabetic paraphernalia. Test kit and bottle of G2 for lows. Donuts or some other fast-acting nutrition to fuel the ride. I've often said the daily routine of testing, insulin shots and need to carry fast-acting carbs is more nuisance than anything else, but thank God science has progressed to the point that for many people like me, it's only that and not much, much worse. I'm not going to complain about the few extra grams of weight it requires me to carry.

Then there's the road bike. Also aluminum, I can't afford carbon at this point in my life. It's rigid, which isn't the worse thing in the world. It's light, but not as light as carbon, and if there's one knock it doesn't have that supple rigidness of steel, which makes for a pliable ride like butter.

I bought the cheapest Specialized Allez they made in 2010. It looks good right out of the box - a sleek, silver bullet every bit as beautiful as the garishly colored and more expensive Tarmac models made by the same company. It is a work of art in its own right. Not in the same way an Italian bike is like a fine sculpture or painting, but more like a photograph - a newer medium, just like America. It might not be made in the US, but it was designed here and has all the elements of economy, flair and compromise for mass production that one would expect from an American product.

It's flaw, soon to be corrected, is its Shimano 2300 groupset. The best way I can illustrate this is that the crankset might as well be made from iron. Upgrading to SRAM components as I will be doing later this year will easily shave four pounds off the weight of the bike. I have already ditched the stock Alex rims for Mavic wheels that have significantly lightened-up the bike.

As for performance, I'm not the slowest cyclist out there (I am probably the slowest runner), and probably average at best, but this bike is a sports car. I'm often shocked at the acceleration you can produce by standing up and pounding. It's quick, even with me driving.

The Allez is easily half the weight of my fully-trimmed Sirrus.

With this in mind, I set off on roughly 25-mile rides on consecutive Sundays. First on the Allez, then on the Sirrus. Both rides relied heavily on the county's excellent trail system, with some road mixed in - more on the Allez than the Sirrus.

After the first ride, despite feeling the paths had torn up my backside and wrists, I was ready for more. It was 25 miles, but it felt scarcely longer than the regular 15 - 18 I do. This bike was meant to ride fast in a relatively straight line, so it can get a bit dicy on tight turns on the bike path, but I'm used to it. I do find myself clipping out more often in case I need to come to a sudden stop navigating strollers, dogs and clueless walkers.

After the second ride, I was spent. I carry around a lot of weight on my body, and the rolling resistance from the larger tires coupled with the weight of the extra gear was akin to jogging in the sand. It was only about a mile longer than the first ride, but it felt like it took all day. It did take longer because my average speed was down almost a mile, this despite being almost entirely on bike path. Navigating tight curves and foot, paw and stroller traffic was no problem. I hardly though about unclipping from the pedals. It was a workout.

This might sound like I don't like the Sirrus. Hardly. I love the thing. It's perfect for what it was designed to do. Just like the Allez.

You have to have the right tool for the job. I think too often people buy a bike that's a compromise. It does a lot of things, but nothing very well. A lot of people also make the mistake of buying a department store bike. Now, if you only plan to ride a few times a year, then a used bike from Craigslist or a cheap department store bike is just fine. But if you plan to ride every week or several times a week like I do, a more expensive bike is a must. You don't need to go crazy. My Allez cost around $800 initially and the Sirrus was under $500.

But, a $300 department store bike sitting in the garage costs a lot more than an $800 bike that's ridden three times a week.