Road Cycling - touring or cyclocross bike ?

Hi, I'm new to road bike and i looking for something on road and some gravel bike path. I was looking at a hybrid bike but i saw that a road bike might be better for me. I found touring and cyclocross bike with wheel similar to hybrid bike but you can put good road wheel on it later. Can someone help me choose the right bike thanks

I choose a Surley CrossCheck. It weighs more than the aluminum or carbon bikes that a lot of the roadies ride. I had been riding mountain bikes for the last several years.
I usually ride on bicycle trails here that are old railroad right-of-way. They are typically black top but there are some gravel sections. Not worrying about cars, the rides allow me to enjoy the views. Already this year, on these trails I have seen White Tailed Deer, Red Tailed Hawks and Fine Tailed Milfs.
The CrossCheck also has mounting areas for a rack so that I can carry my camera gear in saddle bags.


I hope to join up and ride with a road group later this year. I will probably have to put on some narrower wheels and tires to keep up but the Cross Check is built for that. My brakes have adjusters so that I can make the switch easily.

The last two weeks, I have been going through wet, snow, ice and mud areas. On a skinny little road wheel, I'm not sure I would have much confidence.

I found touring and cyclocross bike with wheel similar to hybrid bike but you can put good road wheel on it later.

I'm looking for the same type of bike. So far the Bianchi Volpe seems to fit my needs the best. Bianchi calls it a cyclocross bike, but it's probably more of a light weight tourer.

...White Tailed Deer, Red Tailed Hawks and Fine Tailed Milfs

:D

...White Tailed Deer, Red Tailed Hawks and Fine Tailed Milfs:D
That's a lot of tail.

I bought an "02 Lemond Poprad with the 853 Reynolds frame. Upgraded the components to full Ultegra and bought a set of Vredestein Campos CX tires (28's) for the Mavic Open Pro Wheels. But this still wasn't "road" enough for me. So I bought a second set of wheels - Neuvation Aeros and put Bontrager Race Lite tires on them.

Voila, a great cyclocross bike and, with a wheelset change, a great road bike. It's not as light as my other roadie but it has completely different characteristics and is a great ride. And, I can take it offroad or into foul weather without hesitation.

55/Rad

I bought an "02 Lemond Poprad with the 853 Reynolds frame. Upgraded the components to full Ultegra and bought a set of Vredestein Campos CX tires (28's) for the Mavic Open Pro Wheels. But this still wasn't "road" enough for me. So I bought a second set of wheels - Neuvation Aeros and put Bontrager Race Lite tires on them.

Voila, a great cyclocross bike and, with a wheelset change, a great road bike. It's not as light as my other roadie but it has completely different characteristics and is a great ride. And, I can take it offroad or into foul weather without hesitation.

55/Rad

Glad to hear that. My girlfriend is gonna test ride an 04 Poprad this weekend hopefully. I comes with 105. She wants a road bike and to race cross next season so we thought it would be a perfect bike.

on topic: I use an old touring bike in cross races. So as far as what to get for your purpose I'd say what ever feels rite. A good tourer should have cantelever brakes that you can put cx tires on and go down gravel roads even some mountain paths.

I just sold my road-only bike and kept the wheels on it for my Bianchi Axis. Bianchi's Volpe or Axis, Lemond Poprad, Fuji Cross, Jamis Nova, K2 Enemy, Kona Jake or Jake the Snake would all make great choices. You can find great deals on some of them too (K2 Enemy is particularly well-spec'd and can be found for $750).

I have a Volpe 2003, fitted with Planet Bike fenders, rear rack and Nimbus Armadillo 700x28C tires, works well and gives a very comfortable ride.
Corsaire

Glad to hear that. My girlfriend is gonna test ride an 04 Poprad this weekend hopefully. I comes with 105. She wants a road bike and to race cross next season so we thought it would be a perfect bike.
Yes, the "Rads" are back to coming with full 105 - which is great. I found the hardest part about trying to have a bike for both cross and road was the tires. I assumed the Vredesteins would be good for both but found that I just wasn't satisfied enough with them for road use on dry days. Hence, the second wheelset.

She will love it though - the steel ride is very sweet.

55/(pop)Rad

NB check out the width of the rear axle. For road (and CX racing)it is 130mm. For touring it is usually the MTB stadnard of 135mm.
If you want to swap a lightweight road wheel into the bike, go for 130mm.
CX/tour bikes like the Volpe are good for general riding, and are nippier than expedition-worthey bikes like the Trek 520.

Hi,
only problem I have with 'cross bikes is that I live on the side of a mountain. It's nice having the low gears when it gets steep. If you get more involved in cycling, you may go find yourself cycling the Rockies, or New England, or even Italy for that matter. It would be helpful to know your weight, and what sort of budget you have for buying the bike.

My Axis came with a triple and my lowest gear is 26f/32r. The Volpe has a triple too with a 28f/32r lowest gear.

My Axis came with a triple and my lowest gear is 26f/32r. The Volpe has a triple too with a 28f/32r lowest gear.

My Airborne and Bianchi both have triples with 30f/27r. Rarely use it though.

http://groups.msn.com/BicyclingForumPicPost/grampysstuff.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=5983

http://groups.msn.com/BicyclingForumPicPost/grampysstuff.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=5986

I have seen White Tailed Deer, Red Tailed Hawks and Fine Tailed Milfs.


Hehehe... nice.

The Axis is a great bike. If I were looking for a great, all-around multi-purpose road bike, I'd get it. I especially like that the newer version has a triple chain ring (started in 2003). I bought a Trek XO about 3 years ago because I wanted a cyclocross frame with a triple front chain ring. At the time, that was the only reasonably priced cyclocross or general purpose bike with a triple chain ring I could find. I'm glad to see more manufacturers offering cyclocross bikes with triples, because they make great general purpose bikes.

I'd vote for the Gunnar Crosshairs with a 50/34 front, a 25-12 rear, a 105 group and Mavic CXP-33 wheels with Hutchinson Acrobats. Not that I've thought about it or anything. I'm just sayin'