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Road bike or Cyclocross - Please help!

  • 23-07-2011 6:17pm
    #1
    bknoll
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1 ✭


    Hello,
    I am looking for advice. I ride on paved trails alone and with others. I cannot help myself and continue to take off on the dirt and grass periodically at a hard pace, or down the beach road when the urge so hits (while the others stay on the pavement, ..then I come back). (Maybe too many hours behind the computer working on photos and elderly mom care) Many times I take my camera with me when alone to ride off the paved trail to around ponds to search out shore birds. So I do quite "trash" my bike. But, I need to be able to go fast on the trail & roads with other groups, but cannot go fast enough on my Trek Utopia to keep up with these more advanced riders.
    Question: Get a Road Bike (I keep my Utopia)?? Or maybe get a Cyclocross for road???
    Thinking a stronger bike like a Cyclocross would hold up better if I so hit the dirt or ride down curbs -a little bit...? But with road tires.
    What do others think?


Comments

  • #2
    Lumen
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 31,223 ✭✭✭✭Lumen


    A cyclocross bike isn't really any stronger than a road bike, it just has greater tyre clearances.

    Road and cyclocross bikes are very strong. As long as you're running correct tyre pressures, you will break before the bike does.


  • #3
    FISMA
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,616 ✭✭✭FISMA


    bknoll,
    Where are you going to be riding? If FL than I guess a mountain bike is totally out of the question.

    Every now and then devilment begets us and we head out on our mountain bikes to toast some roadies. I don't know why roadies are so adverse to being passed by mountain bikers, but it is a great work out since we don't have the big front chain ring.

    Anyhow, a proper cyclocross bike is a nice bit of kit and a ton of fun. Have you any in mind?

    The cyclocross frame is more relaxed than a road bike, but should be light. During a race you'll be lifting and shouldering. I believe they keep the shouldering in mind when they design the geometry. I have a GT Zaskar mtb and there's no way you would shoulder that.

    I think you should go with the cyclocross. I was going to recommend a mountain bike, but not in FL.

    My mountain bike does not give up much to the roadies. I have XT/XTR combo and a lock out SID. It is light and fast. With a set of slicks and American Classics, she flies. If only it were easier to get a big chain ring...

    If you do get a cyclocross frame, here's the fork by Wound Up.


  • #4
    blorg
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,995 ✭✭✭✭blorg


    A road bike is still a lot faster, and a better general ride, on the road. I'd say control your urges to feck about and get a road bike. A proper MTB down proper singletrack will also be a lot more fun than fecking around on grass and so on. Keep your current bike for the fecking around, you will probably tire of it when you realise how nice a good road bike rides- on the road.

    A cyclocross bike is very good at racing cross and can be a good compromise IF you can only have one bike- but it will always be compromised compared to a road bike on-road or a MTB off-road. I have/had three cyclocross frames used as cyclocross racer, tourer and commuter... I would not ride them unloaded on the road or off-road, I have a road bike and MTB which do those jobs far better.


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