[QUOTE=mtrnka
But I wonder, does anyone actually take their Volpe off-road? I bought mine for shorter tours (california coast and around the bay area) and commuting (and because I am a big guy), so the slicks made sense, but recently I've been interested in riding some of fire roads in the Marin headlands. Will my Volpe actually hold up on these (with something like the original knobby tires back on it) or should I wait until the day when I might be able to afford a mt bike as well?
[/QUOTE]

Oh the Volpe goes off-road just fine. I got mine the first couple of years it came out when it was something of a hybrid of touring and cyclocross bike. I took it up Saddleback Peak in Orange County, CA on the OCW's annual mountainbike ascent of that +-5,000 ft climb. Rocky, sandy, rutted fire road. I did just fine and was remembered for years by club members for the feat. I used the 700x28 tires I commuted on. Now I would use 32s. Jumps and extreme singletrack, no. Key point, I had honed my handling skills riding the icy roads in Colorado.