Road bike help?

[odysseus]

So... I'm thinking about getting me one of them road bikes, as in bicycle with skinny wheels. I'm the proud owner of a crappy hybrid that I take around the woods and country paths around Cornwall, but I'm interested in getting a road bike for winter so I can get around a bit further and a bit faster without getting covered in shit all the time.

But... I really have no idea about the makes and types or what might be good for me. I'm never going to be Lance Armstrong... I lift weights and surf a bit and I'm more of a 'cruising around but trying to up my fitness level' sort of chap, 5 feet 11 and about 15 stone, and not much fat other than my love handles which have been bought and paid for via Abbot Ale and Wadworths 6X.

So, if any of you guys and gals are learned in the ways of road bikes and/or have any tips about them that I might find handy, I would be mighty grateful.

Many thanks

Rob

[Rum]

This won't be very helpful, but I would not recommend a road bike at all. I looked into the pros and cons about 4 years ago and on balance I decided that the ability to ride across a field or at least a bumpy park now and again and not buckle the thing was more important to me than being about to do 25 on a straight lane. I settled for a decent hybrid in the end - not skinny wheels but not big fat one's either.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

This won't be very helpful, but I would not recommend a road bike at all. I looked into the pros and cons about 4 years ago and on balance I decided that the ability to ride across a field or at least a bumpy park now and again and not buckle the thing was more important to me than being about to do 25 on a straight lane. I settled for a decent hybrid in the end - not skinny wheels but not big fat one's either.

I've own about 20 bikes, and the dirt bike or hybrids were the ones I wore out rather than toss out.

BTW, fenders. Just sayin'.

[odysseus]

This won't be very helpful, but I would not recommend a road bike at all. I looked into the pros and cons about 4 years ago and on balance I decided that the ability to ride across a field or at least a bumpy park now and again and not buckle the thing was more important to me than being about to do 25 on a straight lane. I settled for a decent hybrid in the end - not skinny wheels but not big fat one's either.

Yeah I got a hybrid already, which I will keep, but I want a road bike just for distance on the road and fitness purposes.