Originally Posted by
Tenshigure
LoL, well that's more of the Cedar Rapids area necessity, but the waters are dying down finally (I'm just four blocks from the evacuation area, though I wouldn't have been able to bike to work these past few weeks, heh).
My primary terrain I feel is going to be the paved roads / trails. I was considering potentially a Cyclocross bike, but was unsure if it'd be able to withstand decent loads. I guess my primary concern is the 'form of transportation' versus the 'touring' use, seeing that I'd use it to get around a lot more than the leisurely stuff.
I'll definitely look into the Fuji Touring bike though, I had heard good things about that one. Any opinions on the Crossroads or Crosstrail bikes from Specialized?
A cyclocross bike with a 32-36 spoke count (pretty average) should do anything you want it to do. Most come with braze ons for adding fenders and racks if you want them. These can be switched out at anytime you want. Lot's of guy's are using them to commute.
After you have had it for awhile, a second wheel set will let you have a quick change road and off road set of tires at your finger tips.
Cool thing about cyclocross is that you can ride it to a trail head on the road and then hit the trails. The standard out of the door LBS tires they come with work well enough on either paved or unpaved. I kind of like teh idea of being able to hop a curb is needed and not sweat killing the set up.
I seriously think one is in my future, as soon as I seek professional help about my Vintage Aquisition Obsession Syndrome...........