right bike
 

i am a newbie
posted other questions in gerneral forum
aksing similar here since the bike i am looking at is a cyclocross
i am 230 lbs, 5'11" and will ride roads mostly
may hit the shoulder or a dirt road or 2, or some rails-to-trail or light gravel
worried about bike selection
have not ridden in 25 years
drop vs straight bars
drop offer me more options over time for hand position
tire size-is fatter better for me, more forgiving, better on multiple surfaces?
looked at trek fx and pilots, and at specialize sirrus, sequoia elite, and now tricross
i like the tricross comp triple
is it too much bike for a beginner?
what shouid i do?
lbs has a tricross expert i coudl try, and one of eac h of the others mentioned but not the tricross sport or comp to test ride
help!!!

seems my thread is similar to one by rickyaustin
sorry about that
but i love these forums
good to have a place to get help and advice
seesm bikers, like archers, want to help each other...
glad to be here
any ideas about what bike i should get?
lbs is big on specialized, and some trek
if i drive further i could get jamis or cannondale or giant
ideas???

over 20 views of my thread and no replies
i could use some advice
please
help a guy avoid a mistake...

i was in your situation about three years ago. i now ride about 100 miles a week on a soma smoothie es. i weigh 200 and i am 5'11. pretty fit. a road bike with relaxed geometry and the ability to take 700 x 32 width tires is a must if you are going with a road bike. all that being said....

i started with a $170 department store iron horse hybrid. i spent $200 within2 months upgrading tires and various components, ie losing the suspension post.

if you think you will ride more than 15 miles at a time i would recommend a similar road bike to the soma or a cross bike. if you don't have much cash an early 80's to mid 90's classic road bike may fit the bill

i

I was also in a similiar situation over a year and 25 pounds ago. You are on the right track to think of a cross bike. At first the drop bars felt foriegn, but now I can't imagine only having one hand postition. I'm not too fimiliar with the Tricross, but it can't be bad.
Check out the Kona Jake if you're looking at a triple I'm sure it costs < then the Tricross. That's what I got, my only complaint is the Sora shifters. It's hard to hit the thumb switch from the drops.

There's the Ridley Cross Bow if you're into archery :)

I think the cyclocross bikes are a great middle ground, do-anything, go-anywhere bike. I just picked up a Tricross Comp Triple last weekend and really like it - I'm coming from a full suspender MTB and it is just so much faster and more efficient on the road. Sure, I know it probably won't keep up with a true road bike on the road, but I don't intend to race and I know I'll lose less ground on the road, than I can gain on the off-road.

The cyclocross bikes are more stable and relaxed than a pure road bike (great for beginners and more recreational riders) and I love the fact that I don't have to turn around and go back when I'm exploring and the road turns to dirt. I took mine on some easier single track and was extremely impressed with how the bike handled. The ability to add touring racks helped tip me to Tricross as well.

The only thing I'd have some reservation with, if you haven't been in the game for 25 yrs, is the mechanical tuning/tinkering/service side of things. I've always felt comfortable being able to do all my servicing and fine tuning on my bikes and I think you just need to do more of that on a reasonably high spec bike than you do on say, a low spec bike. If you are willing to learn yourself, or willing pay get it done, then go I'd vote to go for the Tricross.... if not, then maybe a basic, lower spec hybrid might be a better choice to start out with.

so more confusion after finding 2 more stores to visit
what about fuji or jamis steel vs spec tricross comp or other aluminum cyclocross bike
what about a touring bike in steel for a big guy like us
will a touring bike be too heavy and sluggish in the long run
is steel that much more comfy
i think many here, tom, will say yes, get steel
i went to the rivendell site, wow, but gonna cost to m uch i'm afraid
send help
send money
send someone to help negotiate with the wife
ok, just send more advice please... it is much appreciate :)

MODERATORS:
Can we move my thread to the Clydes forum PLEASE?

Hi, 6'4'' 275 3 years riding after a 20 year hiatus. started too cheaply with a hybrid and the too cheaply again with another slightly better 6 mos latter.

Now a Surly Cross Check built up by LBS. Love it. Ride mostly packed trails and roads. Have a look at the Surly, the Kona JTS and maybe the Scott or KHS. I like the steel and flexibility of the Surly.