Originally Posted by jdeane4
You say its ok for some touring? I am interested in possibly taking it out for an overnight weekend trip. Would the bike be fairly capable of doing that. My main intention for a bike is to just get a good solid commuter town bike. I am tired of driving everywhere and would like to slow down a bit and enjoy my day to and from places. Also, what do you all think about the Ibex Corrida LT?
Thanks again
JD
Brian is right about flat bars, but some bar-ends can help give you some additional hand positions. The brakes would be another thing I'd swap for something better, like V-brakes to give better stopping power under load and better wear. Carrying a load should not be a problem and you have low enough gearing for all but the toughest climbs with heavy loads.
I looked at the specs for the Ibex - it seems to be more of a flat-barred road bike. It's geared more like a road bike (higher gearing, less of a low range), has skinnier tires and a carbon fork - it'll ride faster, but not sure if it has the braze-ons for racks, though it should take fenders. The Ibex seems to have higher end components too.
I guess your choice depends on how much you want to spend, how much of a load you'll be carrying and how well you can climb with that load. The Trek is definitely the less-expensive alternative with more options for carrying a load and better gearing for loaded climbs. If you want to go fast and light, the Ibex might be a better choice.