I currently have the bike in the link below,a giant crs 2.5, but recently have been covering more road miles and am taking it more seriously.I want to cover greater distances, faster.

http://www2.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/lifestyle/2139/31776/?collections_id=3

I am thinking of getting a full on road bike but will it offer much more than what i have already. If i fork out for a roadie, will i notice a significant difference or would it be waste of money.

Could i make improvements to my current bike to find the extra speed?

WWBD?

What would Bradley do?

If I’m going over 10 miles I tend to take the road bike, but that’s partly because my hybrid weighs about 35lbs.

The truth is it’s a lot greyer than “hybrid vs roadie”- you can get very rapid hybrids which aren’t far off being road bikes with flat bars, the riding positions are different but the componentry is similiar. And you can build a road bike with a relaxed position and bigger tyres for greater comfort etc at the expense of speed, ie, more hybridish.

Personally- I don’t particularily like drop bars, especially for in-traffic use, but over distance the extra riding positions make a big difference for comfort.

road bike is always gonna be faster, thats why pros use them, lighter weight, less aerodynamic drag.
but, youre much lower at the front, which puts a bit more weight on your hands.
you can adapt your current bike with lighter tyres, bar ends on the bars, higher gears etc, but its always gonna be a bit of a bodge up.
a bit like souping up a fiesta to try and keep up with a porsche innit.
EDIT: northwind speaks sense.

lighter tyres will help a lot but the combo of drops, light weight and tighter spaced gears makes a big difference that your hybrid won’t ever bridge.

But you are talking £500 for a decent entry level road bike.

I don’t see myself as a ‘road rider’, just a cyclist.
The other year when made redundant i bought a Boardman sports hybrid as a commuter for when/if i got a job further from home (don’t drive) as i’d need something faster than my Carerra subway.
As it was i got a job locally so the Boardman was designated for general riding duties.
It’s a fantastic bike for me as i too hate drops. I can maintain an average of 17.5mph on it reasonably easily and it climbs up the local Pennine hills well enough due to its gearing. Whilst i’ve discovered the joys of tarmac bashing i doubt i’ll ever go the whole hog and buy a proper road bike – i have problems with my thumbs that riding on the hoods wouldn’t help, plus i have small hands and like having disc brakes.

What all said if they made no difference they would ride them in the races…road bike is faster in much the same wt as a proper Hardtail would be faster [ yes the niche meisters will be along soon to say how they can ride rigid etc] off road….not really sure what the point of a hybrid is tbh.

well, a hybrid is a bit jack of all trades master of none innit.
it can do road, but a proper road bike is quicker,
it can do off road, but an mtb is better due to tyres etc,
so its a compromise.
but its a compromise that suits a lot of peoples needs quite well, hence their popularity and probably the reason the OP bought one in the first place.
compromise often seems to be used as a negative, but its not always bad.

Hybrid for me. Tried a road bike, didn’t like…
– drops (uncomfortable braking)
– brakes (shit)
– twitchiness
– silly foot hitting front wheel thing
– crap gears
– no load carrying
Now I have an Uncle John with MTB cassette and mid range middle, flat bars, disk brakes, rack and 32 tyres.
Happy – but each to their own.

All the replies are pretty much what i expected, the jury is split and it all comes down to personal preference. I dont use the bike for commuting, so its use would be purely for ‘fun’ and i’m beginning to think that a road bike would be better for essentially what its designed for – riding on the road! Ive seen a ribble on ebay that i’m keeping my eye on!