HD road bike?

Michael S. Miles said:

I'm wondering what people's opinions are on how to get a reasonably heavy duty road bike. I don't
mean high usage, I mean able to handle poorly paved and often wet roads. I don't want to have to
worry about potholes and making wheels off-round, having slick tires in wet conditions and
falling, perhaps able to take the occasional gravel/hardpack trail. Basically, a bike that will
help transition from riding my hardtail MTB on the road to an easy-to-maintain road/touring bike.

Expected price range: 800-1000, but I'd like to stay on the low end of that. Perhaps an cheap
cyclocross bike?

Anything wrong with the cited touring bike? They're usually built to handle heavy loads. "Slicks,"
actually tires without cosmetic tread, aren't necessarily slick, or you can get wider tires with
some sort of patterened tread on most tourers.

Given a reasonable selection of decent LBSs (not a given in most parts of the country!), you
should be able to find a stock bike between about $650 (REI's Novara Randonee on sale) up to
Trek's 520 ($1100, IIRC). Fuji, Bianchi, Canondale and Jamis have models in between.
Unfortunately, your LBS may have sold out of their touring bikes in your size back in April, and
won't have any more until February.

Pat
--
Apologies to those easily confused. Address is spam-resistant. Correct email address like pdlamb
'round-about comcast point net.

Michael S. Miles said:

I'm wondering what people's opinions are on how to get a reasonably heavy duty road bike. I don't
mean high usage, I mean able to handle poorly paved and often wet roads.

Expected price range: 800-1000, but I'd like to stay on the low end of that. Perhaps an cheap
cyclocross bike?

Have a look at the Surly Cross-Check. Good value in a cantilever-equipped road bike with room for
huge tires & fenders. *Any* bike shop can get you one, so you can shop around on price, service
agreement or shop reputation.

1x1speed.combikes.htmOpen ↗

I've not tried this particular bike, but I own a Surly 1x1 and I've been pleased with its
quality/price quotient.

Chalo Colina

"Michael S. Miles" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

I'm wondering what people's opinions are on how to get a reasonably heavy duty road bike. I don't
mean high usage, I mean able to handle poorly paved and often wet roads. I don't want to have to
worry about potholes and making wheels off-round, having slick tires in wet conditions and
falling, perhaps able to take the occasional gravel/hardpack trail. Basically, a bike that will
help transition from riding my hardtail MTB on the road to an easy-to-maintain road/touring bike.

Any road bike SHOULD be able to withstand usage on poorly paved roads, wet roads, and
gravel/hardpack. If a frame fails (not in a crash) under such use, it probably has some kind of
manufacturing or design flaw (or is a "throw-away" design). Even racing bikes should be able to
handle those kinds of surfaces... I'm sure that racers don't want to put up with their frames
self-destructing in races on rough surfaces (e.g. Paris-Roubaix). They do get new frames yearly or
so, but the margin for failure shouldn't be so thin that they risk cracked frames in a race.

Look for a bike that has enough clearance for wider tires (at least 28c depending on your weight),
and a good warrantee. A cyclocross bike would work fine, though you would have to deal with (in my
opinion) more annoying cantilevers.

Michael S. Miles said:

I'm wondering what people's opinions are on how to get a reasonably heavy duty road bike. I don't
mean high usage, I mean able to handle poorly paved and often wet roads. I don't want to have to
worry about potholes and making wheels off-round, having slick tires in wet conditions and falling,
perhaps able to take the occasional gravel/hardpack trail.

A touring bike? But don't labour under the illusion that tread is useful in wet conditions.
--
David Damerell <[email hidden]> Distortion Field!

"Michael S. Miles" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I'm wondering what people's opinions are on how to get a reasonably heavy duty road bike. I don't
mean high usage, I mean able to handle poorly paved and often wet roads. I don't want to have to
worry about potholes and making wheels off-round, having slick tires in wet conditions and
falling, perhaps able to take the occasional gravel/hardpack trail. Basically, a bike that will
help transition from riding my hardtail MTB on the road to an easy-to-maintain road/touring bike.

Expected price range: 800-1000, but I'd like to stay on the low end of that. Perhaps an cheap
cyclocross bike?

-Mike

what you need is something that will take wider high-volume tires. either a cyclocross or touring
bike should work. i live on a rough gravel road and have to stick with wider tires to avoid pinch
flats. the main limiting factor on many of the newer road bikes is the short arm brakes they are
putting on them. shimano brought back their standard length sidepull brakes for this reason. the
other answer is cantilevers, like my lemond cyclocross bike has. a good tire for your purposes would
be the panaracer paselas. they work well for both road and light trail riding and are a lot more
comfortable riding in the wider sizes. the price is right, too. my last set came from nashbar and
were $21/tire. smokey