[Barry Au]

hey all,

I only started biking this year and its been great so far. I'm more of a fitness/leisure rider so at the beginning of the year, I just picked up a cheap hybrid bike. However, the more I ride, the more I understand that this bike is not quite for me.

I wanted something quicker and lighter because the trails I go to is 50/50 uphill/downhill.
I dont want suspension (my hybrid has a front suspension fork and I just leave it turned off so its more quicker).
I want something a bit more comfortable like a hybrid (wider tires, but not as wide as moutain bike tires).

This whole cyclocross thing I've been reading lately seems the be what I'm looking for. It is like a road bike, but more clearance for wider tires, which is what I want because the trails I go on are usually 80% paved, 20% flat dirt road/grass. My co-worker once took his road bike on the trail we go to, and it couldn't handle the off road portion, but on the paved portion, he went through it with ease. But now he got himself a mountain bike so he doesn't have to walk his bike on the off-road portions anymore

I am not planning to do races, but do plan to go long distance at times.

So is a cyclocross for me?

[The BikeForums Team]

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[flargle]

Check out the Bianchi Volpe.
http://www.bianchiusa.com/07_volpe.html
IMO one very nice thing about the stock Volpe is that it comes with a triple chainring and wide-range cassette, making it very versatile. Check out the Surly Cross Check, too.
http://www.surlybikes.com/crosscheck_comp.html

[Ronsonic]

Any decent cross bike will just thrive on what you propose. Pick one that has any features you might want for those longer rides like rack and fender eyelets and such. You'll find that with 32-34mm tires it'll be just a super plush ride.

Ron