Forums » General Training » Cycling

1. kbrides
   Member

   There are several longer trails that I know of that are smooth gravel. How would a road bike handle on those?

   I have a mountain bike that I will still use to commute to school and things of that nature... But I want to get a new bike to be able to ride longer distances on.

   I was thinking cyclo because it gives me a bit more versatility where I can stay on the road majority of the time but can still handle if I have to.

   Also, if I purchase a cyclo and want to put road tires on it for a ride I know is all road such as a race or event like that... that is possible isn't it?

   Posted 4 years ago #

2. Brad Hefta-Gaub
   Administrator

   Great question!

   Most people wouldn't be able to tell you the difference between a road bike and cyclocross bike... they are very very similar.

   Most cyclocross bikes are designed around road bike but with the following differneces:

   1) Slightly higher bottom bracket clearance. How far is the bottom of the bike where the pedals as from the ground. Slightly different geometry will give you better clearance over logs.

   2) Slightly studier (and therefore heavier) frames. You want it to be tough over all the off road bumps.

   3) Top pull or disc brakes instead of caliper brakes to aid in installation of larger tires. Since you'll want more tread on your tires, you'll want brakes that fit around the bigger tires.

   4) Secondary "top bar" brake levers on the top of your handle bars in addition to the integrated brakes on your hoods. This is because you may be doing more top bar riding and you don't want to have to change hand positions to brake.

   5) Different shifters - Some people promote bar end shifters instead of integrated brake/shifters. I've heard its a reliability thing if your getting really muddy. I just recently saw a cyclocross bike with a some new style integrated shifters.

   As far as all of these features go... I think that a cyclocross bike or a sturdy "commuter" bike would be great for what you're looking for. I think that tire tread is over rated as a speed/comfort thing... I choose my tires based on the weather... in the winter I want more tread and a tougher tire... in the summer I don't mind using "racing tires"... but really even at 20-25mphs I know that tire tread has very little to do with my performance.

   Posted 4 years ago #

3. bhayden
   Member

   If you want to do a road race then get a road bike. There are some exceptionally talented riders that can (at the Cat 4/5 level) get by with a cyclocross bike but for the rest of humanity if you expect to be competitive in a road race get the best road bike you can afford.

   That said, I'm a big cyclocross fan and cyclocross bikes make for a great commuter rig. On the other hand, a cyclocross bike is a road bike you ride off road. A road bike will handle far more adverse conditions than most people believe. Watch Paris Roubaix, those are road bikes!

   The LeMond Poprad is a sweet ride ;-)

   Posted 4 years ago #

4. Brad Hefta-Gaub
   Administrator

   I agree with Bernie's points as well.

   I guess the questions are:

   How much riding are you going to do in what conditions?
   How much performance do you want/and/or believe your bike will contribute to?
   How many bikes do you want to own?

   I own 5 bikes... I don't own a cyclocross bike... but I bet if I got into it... I'd want to own one. I am crazy...

   Bernie is right... if you want to be at the top of the game... then you not only need to be super fit, but you will be competing against other people who are super fit, and have better equipment than you... so every advantage you can give yourself will help.

   That being said, I own a great triathlon bike... but I did my first IRONMAN race on a road bike, and came in 13th place overall... (Granted, it was a small field.) The next year I raced the same race on my sexy new Cervelo P2C triathlon bike, and came in 23rd place and 30 minutes SLOWER than the year before. The bike was not the problem...

   Ultimately... you have to ride the bike.

   Posted 4 years ago #

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