Road bike, converted hybrid, or neither?

I liked what Mark Allen said in the latest BT article, "The Top Six Beginner Questions". Question #1 was "What bike should I ride" and his answer was that the first step is to determine how much you're willing to spend. You can definitely get a decent used road bike for less than $600. But you will probably still want to upgrade it if it doesn't already have clipless pedals or other components, as well as getting road shoes, etc., so you'll need to budget accordingly.

Looks like you're heading for your first Sprint later this year. I, as many others here, did my first Sprint on a hybrid, and it wasn't even "tricked out" at that point. I also did a metric century on that bad boy a few years ago.

If you want to keep the expenses low, you will probably save money if you just upgrade your current rig. In addition to the items you mentioned (although I'm not sure about aerobars), I would also consider changing the seat post from a suspension one to a solid one. You can also adjust the angle of your handlebars down for a more efficient position. You might get more power and at least a different hand position out of having bar-ends also. Also make sure the seat height, fore/aft, and angle are as good as they can be. The single biggest gain I got out of my old hybrid was adding clipless pedals and road shoes. It really makes a big difference. And when you DO get a road bike, you can transfer them over and put your old pedals back on your hybrid. As far as tires to, you can probably find a compromise somewhere in between "slick" and MTB-like, although you can only go so narrow with hybrid rims so you may not need to worry about it.

As far as a new/used bike, I've seen BTers use eBay and preownedbikes.com. Also check out Craigslist.org, bikesdirect.com, http://www.totalbike.com/classifieds/category/roadbike/,http://www.bicycleblowout.com/RoadBikes.htm, and local club or classified listings.

Good luck and post pictures either way you go.

Mike

You can get a used road bike for anywhere from $200-$600 on ebay or in the papers. Being on college campus, you might be able wanting to sell one for a good price. College students seem to do that sort of thing.

I bought my Raleigh 500 on Ebay for $175. Aluminum frame, Tiagra components, STI, etc.

My friend just bought a Schwinn on Ebay for $250 with Ultegra Derailluers, Tiagra everything else, brand new rims, tires, and brand new STI shifters.

So you can find a good deal, it just takes time to look around.

I would look around at your LBS, they may offer some kind of student discount or something, plus you will be able to try the bikes to make sure you are getting a good fit.