At the risk of adding to the information overload...

I own a typical aluminum road bike (Specialized Allez) as well as a Surly Cross-Check, which is mostly stock and configured for an upright position and uses 28c tires that are fast and robust (but not cheap ). I use the road bike when I'm doing a club ride and want to ride fast; I use the Cross when out for a relaxing ride, dealing with dirt/gravel paths, and on tours.

I'm going to guess that you are not a mechanic, you're looking for a complete bike. So:

• I have made significantly better performance gains with crude interval training than I ever got by switching bikes.

• However, the road bike is a tad faster than the cross bike at speeds above 15mph. My best guess is this is due to aerodynamic factors that could be mitigated with a more aero rider position, narrower rims/tires, caliper brakes, taking off the rack...

• The road bike has twitchier handling than the cross bike. Some people incorrectly perceive that as "being slower."

• The Cross bike is more comfortable than the road bike.

I tried to use the Cross-Check as my "do everything" bike, and it could do everything except the fast club rides. At the time I had some slight regrets, but it's worked out fairly well.


Another option is an "endurance" road bike like the Specialized Secteur. They're designed to be in the same speed range as a normal road bike, but more comfortable. The Secteur has an aluminum frame, and the Apex version will have very low gearing, which will help your knees on the climbs.