Need a FAST bike for road riding, commuting and touring...hybrid??



buckmaster

New Member
Apr 24, 2011
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Hey, so, I just sold my Felt F80 (really nice, quite aggressive and fast) as I need to get something more versatile that I can throw racks on for some touring. What I loved about my Felt was how quick and light it was, but, it can't accommodate any racks at all meaning anything I"m carrying had to go on my back. So, I'm hoping to find something similar in speed/style but with rack mounts. A hybrid seems like an option but I wonder if it'll seem ridiculously slow? What about a more "robust" road bike? I feel like a touring bike would be too...chill...for my style when I'm riding around without a bunch of pannier's and whatnot. Any advice helps! Thanks!

Susie.
 
What you need to look into is a sport-touring bicycle. These are bikes that are like road bikes that have a triple crank added and usually have some provision for adding a rear rack. They will usually have tires that are a little wider than what would be found on a regular road bike to help compensate for weight and loss of stability of carrying a load.

No matter what you get, it is not going to be comparable to your F80. You will still be able to ride as fast as you did on the F80 but you will expend more energy doing it. If your load is not extremely heavy, you could have gotten a rack that clamps onto your seat tube and can be removed in a couple of minutes when you want to ride without it. Some examples are in the links below.


http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1023817_-1_20000__400104
http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1023820_-1_1596009_20000_400104
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_203673_-1_201905_10000_202379
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_120340_-1_202273_10000_202379
 
I use a cyclocross bike for commuting, carrying stuff, and heavier duty conditions - dirt trails and rain. I have 32mm wide tires with a modest tread and full fenders as I ride a lot on packed gravel trails rain or shine. It also is very nice on pavement and quite fast. You could have a set of narrow road wheels (or just change the tires) and it will be nearly as fast as a regular road bike. I don't have a triple but I have 34 on the front and 28 on the back so it is fine on hills. A really low triple - might be needed for carrying a lot of stuff up long climbs. A cyclcross is a bit heavier of course than the lightest road bikes especially with fenders and a rack, but there are some light weight full carbon cyclocross bikes too. Some cyclocross bikes are used in the Paris to Roubaix race.

A hybrid with flat bars is similar but you may not be able to get into a low more aerodynamic position - depending on the bars and bike model of course. I hear some people use trekking bars and get more stretched out and more aero using the front part and more upright using the closer grip area..
 
+1 with both kdelong and AlanG.

Depending on your load and your riding surface conditions, touring bikes will do the job, having wider tires and being more stabe for the extra load. I've seen some road bikes get turned into touring and commuter bikes quite nicely. The city couriers can stack up alot of stuff on a road bike.

-Greg
 
Originally Posted by gman0482 .

+1 with both kdelong and AlanG.

Depending on your load and your riding surface conditions, touring bikes will do the job, having wider tires and being more stabe for the extra load. I've seen some road bikes get turned into touring and commuter bikes quite nicely. The city couriers can stack up alot of stuff on a road bike.

-Greg
I just want to state some of the difference between a cyclocross frame and a touring frame. Cyclocross frames usually (not always) have a higher bottom bracket (11 inches or so.) This give more clearance for riding in mud but also raises your center of gravity a bit and your feet will be further from the ground. Whereas touring bikes usually have a lower bottom bracket which lowers your center of gravity and lets you put your toes on the ground more easily. Cyclocross bikes often have in-line brakes in addition to the brifters but these can be added to other bikes. I find these brakes to be handy when riding in traffic so I can keep a more upright position with my hands on the top of the bar.

I think it is easier to find cyclocross bikes than touring bikes these days.