what type of bike is best?

[goobyegravity]

sorry if this has been asked before but im a noob, i just recently gotten into road cycling and here in st.louis the roads and sidewalks are in horrible shape. i ride a 06 trek 1000 and the roads here beat the hell out of the wheels and i was wondering if id be better off trading it in for some sort of hybrid?

 

[Frankgt2]

how the streets beat your wheels? broken spokes? goes out of true?

 

[goobyegravity]

mostly out of true, i mean there are potholes everywhere and sometimes they are hard to miss with traffic, and sidewalks here are very un even and cracked so i just feel like im doing a lot of damage to the rims while riding

 

[Frankgt2]

I would rather find alternate routes, depending on the time obviously the traffic increases and it would be crazy to do an unexpected move to evade a pothole... Of course, there are also stronger wheels, Ive heard the mavic ksyriums are pretty strong wheels, but other says they are heavy but I havent tried them out yet.

 

[goobyegravity]

hmm main problem is almost all st.louis streets are bad, but ill hunt around for different routs

 

[goobyegravity]

hmm main problem is almost all st.louis streets are bad, but ill hunt around for different routs

 

[JoelTGM]

what about just getting thicker tires? I got some larger ones with kevlar in them because I have to ride on a lot of gravel. Also some bike rims are pretty strong. I heard of this guy who got hit head on by a speeding car, and his front wheel was just barely bent enough that it couldn't be used. Head on they're tough, from the side not so much.
If you ride a hybrid bike it's just going to be a heavier frame with bigger tires, when you probably don't need the heavier frame.

 

[goobyegravity]

yea i figured it would be heavier, i guess i underestimate the strength of the rims, i come from a bmx background when i was a child so im not used to the thin tires,

 

[AlanG]

I have a carbon road bike mostly for weekend rides, but I commute on an aluminum with carbon fork 2009 Fuji Cross Pro cyclocross bike. I got it at a good price on closeout recently. Previously, I was commuting on a Trek front suspension "comfort bike" that was comfortable even on potholes but a bit heavy and slow. The Cross Pro is a bit more rugged than my road bike and has Aksium wheels and 700x32 tires. A lot of my commute is on a gravel trail that is smooth in parts and rough in some places. I think it is mostly the tires that makes it much better than riding the road bike on this trail. Plus I have aluminum fenders, lights, and a cargo carrier on it. I find that full fenders are a necessity for commuting in the rain or I'd be covered in dirt from this trail. The bike has a slightly longer wheelbase too which also helps give a smoother ride. I find the performance is very good... not much behind the other bike and a more comfortable ride overall. I've used it in rain and so far in about an inch of snow.

You can try putting wider tires on your bike, but a lot of road bikes are limited to about 28mm wide.

This is it. The 2010 comes with Sram components and they have different models for 2011. Of course there are lots of other similar choices.

http://2009.fujibikes.com/Specialty/Cyclo-Cross/CrossPro.aspx

 

[AlanG]

I have a carbon road bike mostly for weekend rides, but I commute on an aluminum with carbon fork 2009 Fuji Cross Pro cyclocross bike. I got it at a good price on closeout recently. Previously, I was commuting on a Trek front suspension "comfort bike" that was comfortable even on potholes but a bit heavy and slow. The Cross Pro is a bit more rugged than my road bike and has Aksium wheels and 700x32 tires. A lot of my commute is on a gravel trail that is smooth in parts and rough in some places. I think it is mostly the tires that makes it much better than riding the road bike on this trail. Plus I have aluminum fenders, lights, and a cargo carrier on it. I find that full fenders are a necessity for commuting in the rain or I'd be covered in dirt from this trail. The bike has a slightly longer wheelbase too which also helps give a smoother ride. I find the performance is very good... not much behind the other bike and a more comfortable ride overall. I've used it in rain and so far in about an inch of snow.

You can try putting wider tires on your bike, but a lot of road bikes are limited to about 28mm wide.

This is it. The 2010 comes with Sram components and they have different models for 2011. Of course there are lots of other similar choices.

http://2009.fujibikes.com/Specialty/Cyclo-Cross/CrossPro.aspx

 

[AlanG]

Double post - deleted

 

[AlanG]

Deleted (I don't know why I got multiple posts after editing, and I don't see how to delete a post.)

 

[randochap]

Yes, wider tires will help a lot. The ultimate "hybrid" in my opinion comes in the form of the 650b road bike, that will accommodate up to 40mm tires. Here's a machine that can be both fast and extremely comfortable for the recreational rider.

 

[BrianTX]

if the roads are so rough that they beat up the rims and there are no other routes to take, then go with a mountain bike or hybrid bike with a full suspension.