"Zilla" <
[email protected]> a écrit:
> I ride an MTB but want to venture into road. I want to get a bike that I can also ride on off-road
> trails like fire trails, trails in the rails-to-trails system, and not necessarily rugged trails
> really suited for my mtb. Should I...
> - Get a cross bike.
> - Get a road bike an put cross tires on it if I go off road. Is that even possible?
> - Get a touring bike an put cross tires on it if I go off road. Is that even possible?
> --
> - Zilla
Forget the road bike, as most road bikes are actually "racing bikes" and won't allow anything wider
than 700x25 or, if you are lucky, 700x28.
It leaves you with 2 options: touring bike vs cross bike.
Cyclocross bike. Single name for many geometries. Typically, a cross bike has a high bottom bracket,
which is good in the mud and on slightly technical trails, but not on rail-to-trail trails, bike
paths and roads. In all these situations, a low bottom braket has a slight advantage as your feet
are closer to the ground when you stop. Also check that your cyclocross bike has eyelets for fenders
and racks and decent gearing.
Touring bike: Again, a lot depends on the individual bike. My Trek 520 has clearance for 700x35
front and 700x42 rear _with_ fenders. I could use a 700x37 front, but with really tight clearance
under the fender (or without fender). For muddy trails, a little bit more clearance in the front
might be great, but there are quite a few cyclocross tires available in 700x37 (my current Winter
tires) and 700x42, and a few available in 700x35. The Bruce Gordon also has great clearance for
large tires, and if you are on the short side, the BLT-X uses 26" tires... which means a fair
selection of touring tires and a wide selection of fair-width knobbies for muddy trails. Generally
speaking, a touring bike has longer seatstays, which are better if you use panniers. It also has a
more stable geometry, which might not be as good on a technical trail with a lot of tight turns; in
general, however, the more stable geometry of the touring bike would be a plus in most of the
environments you describe.
Compared to the cyclocross bike, the touring bike would be a better choice than the cyclocross
bike... andsince you have a mountain bike, it would be a more different bike and more
appropriate one.
But a last thought: if you mostly think of rail to trails and other paths and trails, I would
suggest you look at your equipping your current MTB with a set of slicks (high pressure smooth
tires). You will get a real improvement in speed, comfort and stability over the typical wide low
pressure knobby tires usually found on MTBs. And if you want to go from technical trails to
rail-to-trails, an option would be to get an extra set of wheels for your MTB. Mount one set with
slicks and the other set with knobbies.
Regards,
--
Michel Gagnon -- Montréal (Québec, Canada)
mailto:[email protected]