"David L. Johnson >" <David L. Johnson <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Fri, 03 Jan 2003 13:01:29 -0500, Ken wrote:
>
> > I am looking for a road bike with fatter tires -- so I can ride on grass and prepared trails.
> >
> > In the alternative, I am looking for a mountain bike with drop handlebars.
>
> You have many choices. Most real touring bikes are specifically designed for just that: loaded
> tours. So, they would have many braze-on fittings for things like extra water bottles and front
> and rear racks, and would have clearance for fenders and wide tires. They typically would have
> bar-end shifters, and components chosen for durability rather than light weight or fashion.
> Geometry is more relaxed: 72-73 degree seattube angle, longer stays, more tire clearance but not
> higher bottom brackets. They can be expensive, for a good one, since the market is small and
> buyers are particular.
>
> Other options would be a cyclocross (or just "cross") bike. Designed for winter off-road races on
> typically muddy courses, they are less likely to have a lot of braze-ons for racks or fenders, but
> might, and they do have room for wider tires, and typically have either cantilever or V-brakes,
> but drop bars. Built for more impact, but less weight, than a touring frame, with geometry more
> like a road racing frame, and high bottom bracket. They would have either mountain-bike components
> with the drop bars and STI brifters, or they might have closer to standard road components (save
> brakes) with some protection against mud.
>
> Of course, no law says you can't put drop bars on a mountain bike. For what you describe, an old
> rigid-fork mountain bike would work fine, with only the bars and stem swapped out. You might worry
> about the stem length, since drop bars require you to be further forward than the mountain bike
> bars. Tha angles aren't the same as a road bike, so it won't handle like one, but it might do
> quite well. You do need to make sure the brakes work adequately. Most drop-bar brake levers don't
> pull enough cable for v-brakes without adaptation.
This is all great advice, but...
If you're buying new, it's almost always cheaper, easier, and better to buy a bike that's already
set up the way you want. Manufacturers get huge discounts on parts which are very expensive when
bought retail -- you could easily spend an extra $300 converting a classic MTB or touring bike to a
cyclocross bike, and that's assuming you make perfect guesses on which parts to buy, and what size.
Start experimenting, and the bills really add up. Many folks on this newsgroup are experts at this
kind of mixing and matching, have encylcopedic knowledge of various frames and parts, and a huge
supply of cheap/free parts to draw from. Most of us don't.
So I'd recommend looking for a cyclocross model. It will already have the drop bars, suitable
geometry, and fatter tires that you need. There aren't many on the market compared to other models,
but there are still plenty of them. Here are a couple to start with:
http://www.lemondbikes.com/2003/bikes/bikes_poprad.html
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/surly-cross-check.html#complete
Another bike worth considering is the Bianchi Volpe, which over the years has been marketed as
either a cyclocross or touring model:
http://209.217.20.46/site/bikes/20_Volpe.html
The Volpe is a good choice because it comes with road tires, which are better than knobbies
everywhere but muddy cyclocross races. That's at least $50 saved right there (for example).
I'm sure there are plenty of others too.
Matt O.
