Originally Posted by
Igualmente
Nice neighbours. There are also other cross bikes with triples that will give you the gearing you want (eg the Trek Crossrip with a 30 tooth small front ring, 28 large rear cog). If you are needing even more and prefer the riding position of the flatbar, you can even get a hybrid with a 26 tooth small front ring combined with a 32 rear cog. Should be able to climb small mountains with that, but slowly, slowly.
The OP mentioned physical issues, I don't know if flat bars would help. A touring bike would tend to be more stable I would think. I don't know the specific concerns.
I hope I'm not hijacking this thread but myself I would actually prefer a drop bar road bike that would accept wide tires as a solution for a faster bike that can still go off road if necessary. What is the consensus on carbon forks? They seem to be on most road bikes, CX and even some MTB so is there really still any reason to be concerned about durability?
OP mentions punctures on road bike tires. Am I correct to take these comments to mean that faster tires are also more prone to punctures?