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| *Vultures Knob>>>Road Bike |
Cyclocross vs road? |
im in the market for a new bike. i commute about 25 mile total a day with 30-50 mile rides on weekends. i live in jersey now and the roads are for $#!+ out here, but i will be relocating to california in a year. i am considering a cyclocros style bike as opposed to a more traditional road bike for the abuse it will take here in jersey. what are the diferences between the two im looking for opinions, pros cons and general comparisons of the two types of bikes. thanks for your use, and not "racing" or anything, go cyclocross. less likely to flat and can take off road and wet conditions better especially if there is a lot of steel plates on the road....and if road conditions improve, you can put road tyres on cross bikes, but you cant put cross tyres on road bikes (fork and frame clearence), also, braking tends to be more responsive on cross bike (canti., or disk break) good if your in traffic. Road Bike - In most cases this will be the faster bike. It is often the lightest choice and the geometry of a road bike usually puts you in a position to get the most out of each pedal stroke. The downsides are there are no places to store anything on the bike (i.e. panniers) and there is often very little or no room for fenders. The tires on most road bikes are often very skinny and can be susceptible to flats on uneven pavement or terrain. Also, many people will find the positioning on a road bike uncomfortable. A road bike is a good choice for someone that is looking for the fastest trip to work, has smooth terrain and is comfortable with the positioning on the bike. Cyclo-cross Bikes - as the term 鈥榗ross鈥?implies, this is a hybrid of a road and mountain bike. Used for racing everything from pavement to wooded trails to gravel roads, these bikes are designed fast and lightweight like road bikes, however are built strong to endure the punishment of off-pavement racing. A cyclo-cross bike can be a great choice for commuting as it鈥檚 fast on pavement but can take the abuse of running through the off-road terrain you may end up using on your commute. These bikes, in general, don鈥檛 accept standard bike racks, so you鈥檒l be without the use of panniers, however if your goal is to go the fastest while still having the option of going off pavement, this may be the choice for you. http://commutebybike.com/2007/03/30/comm... Get a road bike all the way. Then be nice to it and take it to California where it can play on the smooth roads and in the nice warm sunshine. Sincerely, Hard Core Roadie. Go with a road bike. Cyclocross bikes are great but for the demands you plan on putting on your bike, a comfort road bike (like the Giant OCR series or Felt Z-Series) might actually deliver with a nicer ride and quicker speed. Also, there are straight bar road bikes available if the drop bars are an issue. The flat factor is not a big deal on a road bike contrary to popular belief. That's usually something you will hear from someone that has little or no experience with road bikes. Most road bike flats occur because the tires are underinflated. I just had my first flat in over a year last week and I ride 200-250 miles a week. Cyclocross bikes might be perfect for your ride now but you'll want that road bike when you get to California. My advice: buy the road bike and just ride. I doubt you'll be disappointed. |
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