New Clyde, bike question, MTB or hybrid?
 

I've just found this part of the forum and I'm surprised I wasn't cross-posted here. 6 ft, 250 lbs. Usually uncomfortable on road bikes, looking for something for rough urban riding, odd trail possible, tempted by Surly (cross-check?) and ss/fixie. Speed and agility would be great, desperately need something where the wheels won't pop. Only just come across the Clyde world and feel like I've come home...everyone I see riding on the levee is so bloody skinny.

Rough Urban Riding? Specialized Hardrock would be a good choice. Put some slicks on it for pavement and you get a great urban tank.

Well I just picked up a Specialized Crosstrail and it reallt holds up under 320. It also, I believe, meets your needs! Check it out!

welcome home and, for urban riding, you can't go wrong with a cyclocross bike that has disc brakes

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=368115

Cyclocross would be my choice as well.

Surly cross-check fit my bill? If I can get propery fitted for it it looks great. Tyres look sturdy enough. Any experience out there? Might need to upgrade the wheels, of course...

cross-check is much loved here.

I use a kona JTS in much the same way, though it is a little more aggressive than the cross-check.

If you have a good LBS that will fit you, it's a great way to go.

Get a cross bike. I wish my hybrid was a cross. Definatetly the a better combination of features than a hybrid.

I wish they made a cheap cross bike.

What makes you uncomfortable on road bikes? The geometry of a 'cross bike is similar to that of a road bike. Or at least moreso than that of a MTB or hybrid bike.

depends what's cheap. Kona Jake is around $800, and can be found cheaper.

You can also go used.

especially at this time of year, when people are getting rid of perfectly good bikes because they bought a new one, ebay, craigslist, etc, are your friends.

It may be too late to get 2007 stock at sale prices as bike shops seem to start the switch over in October after Interbike/Eurobike.

Sounds like a great idea to me!

You can also buy the frame/fork and work with your LBS to build it to suit you. This might work best if you have some extra cash.

Cheap is not a $800 bike to me. I am currently unemployed and don't think a new bike is in my future. Finding used is not easy, because there does not seem to be much used "Cross" stuff in my area. I watch craigslist daily, but will not buy from EBAY anymore.

Look for an old 80's road bike, sport/touring geometry....you can pick up the frame for a steal, and they'll handle the wider Cross tires. Put a set of Cross wheels on it and Voila! You have an "Old School" Cross bike :) You will have to "Cold Set the frame for wider hubs, or you can build the 700c cross wheels with the original hub. Schwinn Touring Bikes, like the Passage are good for this......higher crank clearance than a modern road bike.

Stay with the friction shift, and a couple hundred or so for the wheels, $20ish for the frame.....

I have been looking for an old road bike to do this with, but everything I have found is made for someone much shorter than me. I am 6'3" and either the frames were not made that large back in the 80's, or if they did everyone is keeping them. The only one I found so far, they wanted about too much money for. That is definitely one of the things I am looking for. I would make it a cross bike, that I could also convert into daily rider.

Fun, cheap and something I could abuse and not feel bad about. :-)

Wrists, neck, too much weight on the former. From memory the old lbs which fitted me on my current bike (bianchi castro valley) had me comfortable, but lost them after Katrina and haven't found a good lbs since. There's a place here which seems helpful and know their fitting, so I think I should be ok on the cross-check. I'll try one of their MTBs, too...

A follow up: the cross-check comes with Alex Rims (#AL-DA16). Any thoughts on these? Broken spokes have ruined my riding this year, so I would rather pay for hand-built if necessary. No car (note) gives me some flexibility here. Should I expect the LBS to give me much credit if I ditch the stock wheels?

If I see a 58-60 CM old roadie that isn't too valuable to convert, I'll shoot you a PM. I have access to the Abandoned bike pile every spring from Purdue and some treasures often pop up. If it's just a frame, I can probably score it to you for shipping cost only, as I can likely get it free if the wheels are trashed. It would definitely need overhaul and recabling, since it will have likely hae sat in the elements for a while. I've rebuilt and flipped locally though more than a few bikes this way. ;)

need something where the wheels won't pop
 

Recommend you considering touring bikes, which are designed to carry rider and ~70 pounds of gear. You can get in either drop or straight bars. REI offers the Randonee and Safari (Cannondale, Trek and most other also offer touring bikes). Cross bikes, and 29er are other candidates. For a nice ride check out the Cross / Tour at http://www.habcycles.com/cross.html

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Tom, Purdue, as in Purdue University**********??

I am an hour away from the closest university, but I never even considered something like that. Most of the bikes on campus are new blank-Mart bikes that are not worth building. I will ask around and see what they usually get for bikes in the spring and what they do with them.

Sometimes there are shops around major universities that cater to the vintage/singlespeed crowd. Every once and a while there is a nice frame just sitting there.

For example, my friend's ex started a shop back in State College that is now doing very well:

http://www.freezethaw.com/

I am going to ask about some contacts at the closest universities to see what they end up with, and some of the LBS shops. The ones I know about only have new bikes, or very expensive used on consignment.

Yeppers, Purdue U :D

I'm in Lafayette, Indiana.

BTW, shipping would likely be around $35 or so. ;) My LBS will give me a shipping box for free.

EDIT: Be there early and first to get the best selection from the Salvage Dept at the University. :D

Look at the Specialized Tricross also.