Do I need a cross bike?
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 5
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Do I need a cross bike?
I am looking at the Felt F1X. I currently have a 1997(?) Trek 750 hybrid which I ride on the hilly rough back roads around here, and sometimes light off-road. But it is rather heavy and sluggish, and I am looking to spice up my riding life. Will the Felt do it? My wife says that if I ride for exercise, then a heavy bike is perfect (she's not a rider). Will the difference in performance really be worth the cost of the bike when I have a perfectly functional, similarly versatile bike already? Any advice (and counter-arguments for my wife) is appreciated...
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Sunny Tampa, Florida
Posts: 1,542
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 101 Post(s)
Liked 49 Times
in
41 Posts
Yeah, the heavy bike is more exercise, so is sewing sacks of sand into your clothes. So what?
The best exercise is the one you'll do and the fun, fast bike is going to mean more fun and more exercise.
Ron
The best exercise is the one you'll do and the fun, fast bike is going to mean more fun and more exercise.
Ron
#3
Geezer Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Cedar Rapids, IA
Posts: 1,384
Bikes: Airborne, LeMond, Bianchi CX, Volae Century, Redline 925 (fixed) and a Burley Tandem.
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Looks like a sweet ride....... enjoy.
__________________
Carpe who?
Carpe who?
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 1,258
Bikes: Classic lugged-steel road, touring, shopping, semi-recumbent, gravel
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 46 Post(s)
Liked 81 Times
in
32 Posts
I used to work in a bike shop in the ninties and a few of the most awesome and beautiful cross bikes I've seen come in the shop for repairs and whatnot started out as hybrids since real cross bikes weren't readily available then like they are now.
Personally I would fix up the Trek with some cross stuff and it would make a really nice rig.
Personally I would fix up the Trek with some cross stuff and it would make a really nice rig.
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: fogtown...san francisco
Posts: 2,276
Bikes: Ron Cooper, Time VXSR, rock lobster, rock lobster, serotta, ritchey, kestrel, paramount
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Ronsonic
Yeah, the heavy bike is more exercise, so is sewing sacks of sand into your clothes. So what?
The best exercise is the one you'll do and the fun, fast bike is going to mean more fun and more exercise.
Ron
The best exercise is the one you'll do and the fun, fast bike is going to mean more fun and more exercise.
Ron
look for a used bike on ebay or craigslist...but ride what ever you have.
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: phlia
Posts: 819
Bikes: paratrooper, bullhead, cdale bad boy
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Both heavy bike and a lighter bike can give you a good workout. But the lighter bike is more fun uphills. I recently got a Bianchi San Jose single speed to make my workouts in the city a bit more fun. ........of course that means there is a bike that is not being ridden at the moment....
But there right....go look on Ebay or Craigslist, you will find some great buys that not even your wife can complain about.
But there right....go look on Ebay or Craigslist, you will find some great buys that not even your wife can complain about.
#7
Rabbinic Authority
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Silver Spring, MD (MABRA/MAC)
Posts: 650
Bikes: Cannondale Cyclocross, Specialized Langster, Giant TCR-C2 Composite
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
You most certainly do not want a heavy bike. You won't get a workout, you'll just get a slow and sluggish bike that is no fun to ride at all. Cyclocross bikes are a lot of fun, and can allow you to ride in many different styles, but talk to people at your local bike shop first and let them know what kind of riding you want to do. The Felt is just fine for the riding that you want to do, but to really dial in the ride just right, you will have to experiment with different tires and wheels. You sound like the kind of guy who should get a pair of Ritchey Speedmax tires tossed onto your bike eventually (700x30cc are good size, fast and nimble on the road, but also good and treaded for easier, less technical trails and hard-packed surfaces. These tires can be pumped up to 90psi).