Originally Posted by
Addison
<snip> Please forgive the ignorant, but what is the difference between cross and touring frames? What is the best for a 45 mile ride, half on hardpack dirt? Lots of things that I left out, so apologies in advance.
I guess I want another ride to take the stress off of my road bike, but still perform ok on roads, do modest off road and be able to go out on a lightlly snow covered winter ride.
lets hear it,
Thanks
Generally speaking, a touring bike is designed for heavy loads with attachment points for racks, both front and rear. A Cyclocross bike is designed for speedy travel on grass and dirt. Some Cyclocross bikes are really general-purpose drop-bar bikes and can be used for light touring, commuting, non-technical trail riding.
I would look at bikes like the Salsa Vaya, these are versatile bikes that can be used for both touring and non-technical trail riding. Also consider a lighter Cyclocross bike if you want to maintain speed. Gunner makes the Cross Hairs, Hyper-X and Fast Lane. Consider using Sram Apex componients with the Compact crank and the 11-32 ten speed cassette. Any of the Gunnar bikes I listed would be a great frame to built a sporty & versatile bike with. Doing it within you price point should not be a problem.
http://gunnarbikes.com/site/