scrifkin

Hello everyone,

Thanks for all the great responses. I posted a really long response earlier but it didn't show up and I can't type it all again right now. Here are a few points to some of your comments:

--they tried to sell me an a Giant TCR Alliance 1 - Stock for 1650.00 + tax

--I work at UCSB, I talked to geophysics PhD grad student well versed in Physics. He said bike guy is wrong, wider tires equal less flats "in theory". If anyone really cares about the physics explanation I can write out the details.

thanks

sharkey00

A Giant TCR does not exactly scream commuter.

I am interested in the reasoning provided you can take the physics out of it.

Sawtooth

I don't know, as much as I love my cyclocros bike, I MIGHTchoose something more road specific if I was never going to take it off road and lived in SB where I would never end up riding in the snow. I love my TCR and it is crazy fast....very nice for nice roads.

pwdeegan

my feeling is that a CX bike is like a road bike, but better in every conceivable way for the non-road-racing rider. besides all of the great things other posters mention (options, options, options), oh wait, that's just it: you have so many options. you can ride roads in SB, or hit a trail, or visit your friend in some muddy/snowy city and have a great time. road bikes are great fun, they're just not as versatile, or generally as ready to withstand abuse.

threeflys

I guess it all depends on how "aero" you want to be... me, not very! I ride a Salsa Las Cruces cross and a Rivendell Bleriot. I tend to agree with the philosophy that most modern road specific bikes are way too much like the pro racer's bikes, I don't know about but I know I can't bend like they can. A cross bike is, at least, a step in the right direction to being a bit more upright. Throw some road tires on a cx bike an you're good to go...

3MTA3

i work at a bike shop & plan on riding my cross bike 50 miles round trip to work this summer. i rode my road bike last summer & i'm looking forward to this change in pace. i'll stick with my roadie on some commutes, but whatever. i can't say that the salesman was "wrong," but i wouldn't rule out a road bike for your commuter. it sounds to me like either would be a good option, however as many people pointed out the cross bike will be more versitile with the ability to choose tire widths, add fenders, & attach racks if you want.

kawasakiguy37

I think a touring bike is ideal for commuting, nice long and stable.

mustang1

I've been looking at cx bikes for commuting too becuase of rack and fender options. On a sunny day however, I would prefer the nimbleness, speed and fun of a race bike. No problem for me on 23mm.

I don't think a cx bike is the best of both worlds. It's not as fast as a race bike nor can it handle the terrarin an mtb can. However it IS highly versatile and a strong cntender for my next bike. It's almost as good as a race bike and can go off road too. Its more comfortable than a road bike and excels at its intended purpose.

dirty tiger

When I asked my LBS about cx bikes they were very supportive.

In fact, they told me they try to talk people out of traditional road bikes and toward 'cross bikes. In rural CO MUP's and decent bike lanes are very rare. Chipseal and gravel are more common.

One mechanic told me that they most of the local "roadies" are riding cx bikes. The LBS staff are big on Cross Checks.

mr coffee

if you're a multi-season commuter this could be the bottom line...

Saddle Up

This thread is starting to age but I think it is still relevant. I've been involved in sales for a number of years and this type of thing happens in them all types of industries. Sometimes sales people forget that their opinion really does not mean anything. It's all about the buyer's needs, not what the sales person's personal bias or opinion is. Sometimes we forget that. This guy referred to in the original post means no harm he just needs to refocus on the customer instead of being an expert.

BearSquirrel

Sounds like a roadie trying to get you to be like him. Or, he stocks road bikes and not cyclocross.

Buying a road bike for commuting is limiting. A cyclocross bike from Surly or Salsa will give you the most options in terms of racks, bottle mounts, brake selection, fender selection, tire selection, etc..

One incontrovertible fact is that you cannot fit studded tires on a road racer. There simply is not enough room and these come in handy in the winter. In regards to wider tires, you can run them at lower pressures. And of course, more rim clearance provides more pinch flat protection.

grs1969

It's 135. I've been looking at one for a disc braked pseudo-cx/dirt road bike. Richard Schwinn tells me (I emailed gunnar@waterfordbikes.com, Mr Schwinn himself replied about 10 minutes later) that it's very similar to a their Crosshairs in handling, but has a more relaxed riding position for touring, and it uses beefier tubes so it can be loaded up.

Vicious cycles, Winwood and Bontrager make disc road forks that would go with it.

The Smokester

It (The Gunnar Fastlane) has 135mm dropouts.

The frame is $900. The matching "Uni-Fork" Disk fork is $250.

Here is a link
https://gunnarbikes.com/fastlane.php

I have a Gunnar Sport which I also think makes a great commuter as well as a superb long distance bike.

prathmann

I actually tend to agree with most of what the salesman was saying but still think you should look for a different shop. The shop should be trying to work with the customer in meeting his needs, not trying to persuade him that he wants whatever the shop is trying to sell. Versatility is a good thing to have in a commuting bike. You may not want a rack today, but if you later need to carry more stuff or your back starts telling you it doesn't like the backpack then it's nice to have the option to easily put on a rack. Same with fenders and wider tires - you can always take them off a bike with touring or CX geometry, but you may not be able to add them to a bike that has minimal tire clearance.

But I bike-commuted almost every day until I retired and most of it was on tires of 23 mm or less in width.

andr0id

I used to commute on a road bike using 700x23s. I think they are fine on decent roads where you are familiar with the road. I think the main advantage of the wider tires is at night when you run over something you didn't see or when you end up being forced to ride through something you didn't want to ride through. You're less likely to flat in those situations with the wider tire.

I used a rack and the spring loaded pannier bags. I don't believe in carrying weight twice. Why do I need an extra 20 lbs of pressure on my butt?

hbsyncro

buy what you WANT. its your $.