Commuting - Need a durable Alaska worthy bike

I am looking for a durable bike, that is not a mountain bike, to get me places. Nothing fancy, preferably in the 400 - 750 dollar range. I have seen road bikes with slightly knobbier tires. Cross Trail? I believe they are called. It needs to be able to hit lots of washboard roads and potholes.

Any Suggestions? Please post links if you can.

Thanks

Kyle

Surly Pugsley? You could probably even ride it in the winter on the snow!

I don't think you understand. I would like to get a fast bike, a road bike, that will survive rough roads. I have a decent mountain bike, but the riding I do doesn't require a mountain bike. That is a cool bike though, but I ski in the winter.

Cyclocross bikes may be what you are referring to.

Yep, thats the word i was looking for. Any suggestions for a cheaper one? I like the Trek X0 but I think its a bit too expensive.

For a budget of $400-$700, I would suggest you go the used route and swap some parts out.
I would find a good lugged road frame from one of the fences on Craig'sBay, a 70's-80's Raleigh Competition would be good it can handle a fat tire, and hang an internal hub on it. You will probably have to clean the frame and do a rattle can paint job, and replace some parts, but for that budget you can have the bones for a great bike.

An internal hub, with your roads, the salt, grit, etc. I think would be superior, a derailleur makes for a maintenance nightmare. It'll be your largest expense but I would think that in high maintenance Alaska, a low maintenance drive train would be as least as important as the frame.
A lugged steel frame, even an old one, will give a nice ride and hold up well.

A sprung Brooks saddle goes a long way on a rough road too, I live on one, I really like my Champ Flyer.

Luck,

--A

For a budget of $400-$700, I would suggest you go the used route and swap some parts out.
I would find a good lugged road frame from one of the fences on Craig'sBay, a 70's-80's Raleigh Competition would be good it can handle a fat tire, and hang an internal hub on it. You will probably have to clean the frame and do a rattle can paint job, and replace some parts, but for that budget you can have the bones for a great bike.

An internal hub, with your roads, the salt, grit, etc. I think would be superior, a derailleur makes for a maintenance nightmare. It'll be your largest expense but I would think that in high maintenance Alaska, a low maintenance drive train would be as least as important as the frame.
A lugged steel frame, even an old one, will give a nice ride and hold up well.

A sprung Brooks saddle goes a long way on a rough road too, I live on one, I really like my Champ Flyer.

Luck,

--A

I might follow this advice for a winter commuter. MI isn't Alaska of course, but harsh winters aren't exactly rare. I never thought about the internal hub being a good idea for sloppy and corrosive conditions, thanks

Bianchi Roger. Single-Speed to deal with the super-cold, steel frame, and a beautiful bike.

For a budget of $400-$700, I would suggest you go the used route and swap some parts out.
I would find a good lugged road frame from one of the fences on Craig'sBay, a 70's-80's Raleigh Competition would be good it can handle a fat tire, and hang an internal hub on it. You will probably have to clean the frame and do a rattle can paint job, and replace some parts, but for that budget you can have the bones for a great bike.

An internal hub, with your roads, the salt, grit, etc. I think would be superior, a derailleur makes for a maintenance nightmare. It'll be your largest expense but I would think that in high maintenance Alaska, a low maintenance drive train would be as least as important as the frame.
A lugged steel frame, even an old one, will give a nice ride and hold up well.

A sprung Brooks saddle goes a long way on a rough road too, I live on one, I really like my Champ Flyer.

Luck,

--A

That sounds like a good idea, I have a friend who works at a bike shop and I'll talk to him about it, I have a snomachine (snowmobile for the lower 48ers) that gets me around in the winter and I dont think any bike is going to handle 40 below well. My dad would probably pay for part of a new bike because they like the idea of me being outdoors. They owe me a new bike anyway, my mountain bike is the same one i had in the third grade. My biggest worry is tires, not gears or frames. The roads up here are brutal on tires.

Bianchi Roger. Single-Speed to deal with the super-cold, steel frame, and a beautiful bike.Sorry, aluminum frame and disk brakes.

Bianchi Roger. Single-Speed to deal with the super-cold, steel frame, and a beautiful bike.

I like that bike, the top model is the one I looked at in portland, it was a bit too much money for me. My biggest concern is that there is only 1 speed, Fairbanks is a pretty hilly area.

The cheapest cross bike I know of is the Redline Conquest Sport. You should be able to fit relatively large tires, and the all aluminum frame, while perhaps giving a sort of harsh ride, will not corrode due to the harshness of winter roads. Steel will.

If you were willing to go single speed, I might look at the Redline Monocog. Pretty cheap, a great bike. it's a mountain bike but rigid framed, so depending on the tires and gearing it could be decently fast. However, it sounds like you want geared.

The cheapest cross bike I know of is the Redline Conquest Sport. You should be able to fit relatively large tires, and the all aluminum frame, while perhaps giving a sort of harsh ride, will not corrode due to the harshness of winter roads. Steel will.

If you were willing to go single speed, I might look at the Redline Monocog. Pretty cheap, a great bike. it's a mountain bike but rigid framed, so depending on the tires and gearing it could be decently fast. However, it sounds like you want geared.

I like it, my friend who works in a bike shop is trying to steer me towards the Gary Fischer mountain bike frames that have smaller tires. They look like they might be nice as well.