Originally Posted by
Thrasymachus
@
Loose Chain:
The you who beat them on Cross-check could have been beaten by a clone of you on a lighter bike. That is what matters. I also notice you have six bikes listed in your profile, so you don't face my problem of paucity of space and funds. Kind of like all the too common single-speed cheerleaders who have a stable of bikes yet foolishly advise someone who has or will only have one, to go single-speed...
And all that I am telling you, having been a cyclist all of my life, and the Cross Check being the bike I now ride 90% of the time, for a general purpose, do all bike, concern yourself more with the practical features and less with it's weight. Perhaps something with a steel frame and a carbon fork, some good wheels with 28 to 32mm tires, like I said, the perfect do everything bike is not made right now. For me, it would be a titanium CC, for others it might be something very different but when you start trying to do commuting, performance riding, trails and fitness all on one bike, that is a large pill to swallow without giving up or compromising something. The something that I was willing to give up was a few pounds to get durability and functional qualities.
An aside, I cannot ride hands off on any of my bikes for any distance except for my CC. Last night, due to a sore back, I kept sitting up and finally said to hell with it. I rode twenty miles, never touched the bars but for a few stop signs. Now when I ride my Pinarello, it is like, Holy Hades, this thing is twitchy, but in the peloton, it is a razor, not a club, the CC is a club, somewhat crude, but it never dulls.
LC