gforeman 

I love my Trek Madone 3.1, and ride it 98% of the time. When I go on vacation to the beach, or some other locations, I take My Gary Fisher Mtn. bike. I have the GF set up as close to my Madone that was fitted as possible. It has road tires on it.

The problem is, the straight handlebars are killing me on long rides. My hands and arms are numb. I really miss the drops. But I need the larger tire size for the terrain I ride on (rough asphalt, cracked buckling bike paths).

I want a bike as CLOSE to my Madone styling as possible, with bigger tires. I also really want taller gearing than what is on the GF.

At the beach, I do much longer rides compared to my daily rides here at home.

The Madone has 700x23c tires. I'm looking at the Trek Ion CX, that has 700x38c. Is this going to give me a wider tire?

Also, the Madone has:
Crank - SRAM S350, 50/34 (compact)
Cassette - Shimano Tiagra 12-30, 10 speed

The Ion has:
Crank - SRAM Apex, 46/38
Cassette - SRAM PG-1050 11-32, 10 speed

So the gearing is going to be different.

My LBS has Trek and Specialized, so would like to stick with one of those brands. I like to shop local.

Any help is appreciated.

vesteroid

The ion cx is a nice bike. I nearly bought one myself. I went with a custom built cross check instead as I did t want the cross crank that comes on the ion and I wanted a front rack that the ion can't do.

The ion does have mounts for a rear rack, and I am not sure about fenders...if that's even important to you.

Yes 38 tires are significantly wider then 25

I think you need to ride it, as the geometry is going to be different than your current bike.

If you can actually find one a specialized tri cross may meet your needs as well...they have a disc model with apex on it, I believe.

gforeman 

Yes, the LBS recommended the Tri-Cross. I see a lot of choices with 700x32 tires too. Not sure they are that much bigger. The problem is they are waiting on the 2013 bikes now, so not sure I can even get either, but It will be a few months before I need the "travel" bike again.

TrojanHorse

Sounds like a cross bike is exactly what you're looking for and you're right - the gearing will probably end up having a much wider range (not quite mountain bike wide)

bdinger

To me, the Salsa Fargo seems to be the obvious choice. It will go everywhere that your Madone will, has drops, and many a folk love them to death. I know of at least two guys who have ti and carbon road bikes collecting dust while their Fargos are racking up the miles.

fietsbob

Loaded touring folks do Drop bar conversions of hardtail MTBs often.

the commuter-cross bike category is a popular one,
as the frame takes a 700-35 wide wheel, fine.

drop by your favorite [Trek?] Dealer and test ride the Dual Sport bikes..

Many will also have a QBP account, as well, for the Salsa/Surly Brand Imports.

yes, a 38 tire is wider than a 23 tire.

gforeman 

Yeah, I know, but I guessing is wide enough compared to my Mtn. bike tires (I think are 26x1.75)

Bill Kapaun

A 38MM tire is basically 1.5" wide.
A 1.75" tire is about 44-45MM wide.
1MM=.03937"

jethro56 

38/25.4 ~ 1.5"

sstorkel

Rather than spending money on a whole new bike, why not just get different bars for your mountain bike? I, too, found that straight bars made my hands go numb often in as little as 20 minutes. Swapped for bars with more "sweep", which put my wrists in a more natural position, and the numbness went away.

If you want to go this route, look for bars like the Bontrager Race Lite Flat "Big Sweep", the On-One Mary or Fleegle, Misfit Psycles FUbar or FU2bar or NUbar, various Origin-8 bars, etc. I found that the Bontrager "Big Sweep" bars with the 17-degree bend were just what I needed! My latest MTB has bars with slightly less sweep combined with a bit of rise, which also seems to work.

gforeman 

I spoke to the LBS about putting drop bars on. The parts to convert everything made it not-so economical. I think I'm ready for a new 2nd bike anyway. I have someone I will give my GF to.

vesteroid

Hmm.

tergal

Sounds like a plan , good thing you are in a different Country i would hate to hear the screaming match over this one.

Mr. Beanz

38 mm tires on wife's hybrid measured vs roadie 23 mm tires with calipers.

38's = 1.250 inches
23's = .975 of an inch

Cychologist

The Trek Cychocross bike is a good choice. I have a Trek XO1 which is 3-4 years old, which is my ride around town and on crushed limestone trails. It's geometry, etc. is similar to my Madone 6.9 (now 3 years old). I ride the XO1 with 32mm tires, but I don't ride it on the beach.

gforeman 

I really want the Trek, but I like the gearing option on the Specialized. I want something that gives me close to my top gearing on the Madone. I don't ride "On" the beach, rather the beach roads, and some are not in great shape sometimes.

I did have fun in Duck last week riding. But I'm sure I could have gotten a lot better times and speed if I was in the drops tucked, and taller gearing.

My other problem is finding either of these since this is the end of the model year.

Going to the LBS this week and discuss my options. Might wait for the 2013 models to come out.

vesteroid

I measured my 32 at 1.287 and my 23 at .887

Rithey speed cross on the 32....must have more side lugs than a road tire

Mondo734

If you think cyclocross is the way you want to go I sugest the cannondale Quick Cx or the Specialized Tricross or Crux. I personally cruise the 2012 Specialized Crux Apex Disc model and absolutely love it, the only problem with it is that it doesnt have attachment points for fenders and racks. My Crux came with 700x33 tires and can definitely take larger ones, plus the disc brakes rock.

gforeman 

Oh man, you had to show me that one! I like it.

The Cruz Comp Disc model may even be more in my price range.

What is the difference in the "Apex" model?

gforeman 

BTW, I'm 5'11", and 225 if this makes any difference in recommendations.

jethro56 

Cyclocross season is in the fall so I'd expect the supply of bikes to increase. I have a 4.5 Madone and a Surly Cross Check. The Surly has become my bike of choice for rides longer than 20 miles. A few differences in it's setup over the Madone is that I have less drop in the handle bar to seat for more comfort. I'm running wider bars to have more leverage for steering in rough conditions.My Madone is a 60 cm. The Surly is a 58 cm. I followed the good advice I was given to get a cyclocross bike a size smaller than my roadbike.(I'm 6'2")


When I first started thinking about what this bike would be, I was thinking that I wanted a bike just like my Madone only with wide tires and the ability to have racks. What I realized was I wanted more comfort and the ability to handle non-paved surfaces. Speed was far down the list of requirements. So running a 46/36 crank really isn't limiting me nor is the extra weight of having a steel frame.

I started out running 28's in front @70 psi and 35's in the rear @70 psi. As I had a front wheel on my Hybrid with 35's I decided to try it to see what that was like @ 50 psi. It's still on the bike as it's better for gravel roads and smoother on oil and chip surfaces.


IMO right now cyclocross bike are hot sellers and Bike Mfg's are pricing them at a premium. I was able to buy a frameset and the components for less money than a complete bike from the mainstream companies. I'm very good mechanically speaking so assembly wasn't too difficult. If I decide to get into touring it will be easy to get a frame and transfer the components over to it for a tour. I believe I could do it in a couple of hours so this project has opened up a wide range of possibilities.

gforeman 

Well, it looks like I am going for the Cruz Comp Disc model. I don't want the Apex version, rather I'd like the shifters to mimic my Trek. LBS knocked $200 off MSRP. Also said they would change out the tires for what I want, give me something for the stock tires that I would never use.

I love the paint job also.

Oh, and tires. Any recommendations for 700x33 (or close) tires with fairly smooth centers? Something durable, and taking high PSI if possible (80 maybe).

Let me know, I am going to order the tires I want with the bike.

aja8888

Gary, given your height and weight (same as me), what frame size are you ordering with the new bike?

gforeman 

56, same as my Madone.

vesteroid

Jethro,

How high do you have your stem set above the headset? I left the steerer full lenght and put one spacer over the stem, but when I get my seat set up the right height, i am more leaned over then on my road bike? It feels very odd to me?