Road Cycling - Cyclocross bike?

I am going to buy a new bike for road riding. I am a 52 year-old recreational-fitness rider that wore out my ill-fitting POS hybrid. I did about 800-900 miles this year and plan on continuing or bettering this mileage. I also ride rails-to-trails with my wife. I don't think the very narrow road tires are suitable for these unpaved surfaces, so I am wondering a couple of things. Can I put a tire wide enough on a road bike to ride these trails ? Would a cyclo-cross bike be an option? What differances are there between road bikes and cyclocross bikes? I can always fix up my hybrid for trails. Bikes I am considering are Lemond Alpe D' Huez, Bianchi Imola, Jamis Quest. Any comments on these bikes?
P.S. Christmas Eve in Pennsylvania-rode ten miles before it got too snowy!! Merry Christmas

In theory, you can ride any bike almost anywhere; whether you'd want to ride a road bike with 23 mm tires on a dirt trail is another thing, of course. You can get 28mm sligtly-knobby tires comfortably onto most road bikes. That should give you adequate traction on most trails, though it would be unsuitable in muddy conditions -- not enough clearance for the tire and the mud in most road bikes.

I've actually been shopping around [casually] for a relatively inexpensive cyclocross bike and, from what I've seen, they make prett good all-around bikes. I wouldn't ride one on a century or on a competitive group ride, but the geometry isn't all that much different from a tourer or a hybrid [some 'cross sport racers actually ride converted hybrids]. I was looking at the Kona Jake the Snake, which is an excellent value -- a good quality, well-specced bike at a very reasonable price.

A cyclocross bike would work well on the trails etc. you describe and the frames will accept wide tires, 28cm would be good, 32 cm would be more than adequate.

You may want to consider a bit smaller size as the bottom bracket may be "higher" than you're used to and some people find their balance is not as good because of this, especially when first riding the bike.

I've wanted a cyclocross bike for some time-good luck

Ride where it's rough and where it's not
Pat

I thinking of pulling out the spare parts box and making a cyclocross bike out of a touring frame that I've been neglecting. If I pull if off, I'm going to go six speeds with a single chainring and a bar end shifter. Now is that retro or old-skool?

Barcons=old school.

Single chainring=retro [I mean, when was the last time single-chainring road or cyclocross bikes were common?]

Six speed=retro [or at least what you happen to have on-hand... which IS retro...]

:)

I just built a "street cruiser"...at least thats what I call it.

I went with a single 53 tooth chainring and 8 speed cassette built on a mountain bike frame with 1" continental slicks. Is this a "retro" or "old school" bike? I just thought it was "cool" or at least a different idea:D

I had no idea that I was building something "retro"

Hi , I've got a cx bike which is my "utility" bike , I mainly use it for road , but when the mood gets me I put on the tioga knobbies and hit the trails , but I always prefer my mtb for off - road excursions ! , here is a pic :

Single chainring=retro [I mean, when was the last time single-chainring road or cyclocross bikes were common?]

As far as I know, single chainrings and six speeds were common to cyclocross bikes in the late 70's. The theory was less mud buildup in these wider spaces. Retro, yes, but useful.

(BTW, my most up to date road bikes are is a 10 speeds. Retro doesn't mean slow, by any means.)

Now you guys have me lusting for a cyclocross bike. Being cheap, I will probably adapt my wife's 1974 Peugeot UO-8, which already has 27 x 1-3/8" knobby tyres, wide aluminum Arraya rims, 165mm Sugino cranks, a 21" frame, and a narrow-width 6-speed freewheel for its 120mm dropout width. I think I'll keep the 1/2-step-plus-bailout gearing: 45-42 / 13-15-17-20-25-30. If I replace the mountain-style bars and stem shifters with drops and barcons, I'll have to keep letting her use my Schwinn mountain bike. Although they are not quite as good as cantilevers, the Weinmann centerpull brakes aren't bad, with KoolStop pads all around.

Must... get... cyclocross bike...

Actually, I'm seriously considering it. It would make a good winter ride and rain road bike and I am seriously considering getting into cyclocross racing next season. Moroever, the Jake the Snake is a very affordable bike...

John -

Although my love for Weinmann centerpulls is legendary, I'm going to use Mafac Racer centerpulls. They are more....cantilever-ly

Pure racing CX bikes often lack any kind of braze-on, but there are plenty of good touring/CX style bikes that are perfect all-rounders.
They do have higher bottom brackets, but they usually have a lower top tube, so you get the clearance you need, but are riding higher up than on a touring bike. Many CX riders use a less stretched out position then on the road, since control is more important than aerodynamics in the mud.

Ive used 28mm and 32mm tyres in all kinds of terrain with no problem. If you are serious about trail riding in the mud, then go for cantelever brakes. If its just dusty, then a frame that takes long-reach callipers would be sufficient, but you would be limitted to 32mm (possibly 28mm with fenders).

I think you are going in the correct direction. I used a hybrid that I modified to reintroduce myself to cycling. I still use the hybrid for bad snow or ice, but wanted a true road bike for more comfort. I ended up with a carbon frame, but found there were rough trails that weren't condusive to narrow road tires and the carbon frame would not accept wider tires. End result - I am today ordering a Gunnar Cross frame. This frame will accept up to 38mm tires as well as fenders for bad weather. In hindsight, I should have looked at a cross frame initially. It's easy to maintain 2 sets of rims and tires (narrow and wide) and exchange them as conditions demand.