GovernorSilver

Belated condolences on the stolen road bike.

I do prefer rack + panniers, but my preferences are different from the OP's - he's the one who really wants to ride faster.

I like my current - and only - bike but I eventually want a 2nd commuting bike - one with drop bar for varying hand positions and easier to change tubes and swap tires. I have to do extra work to do anything related to tires, especially the rear wheel because I have to remove the chainguard. It's the flipside of having a bike that can be rained on, yet can be parked in my house with hardly any extra maintenance, due to the internal hub and chainguard.

I probably won't get my 2nd commuter bike for a year because I need to upgrade the "engine" first, but it's not too early to start looking at options. "Get steel for loaded ride" seems to be the standard advice, but some road bike manufacturers are advertising their latest endurance road bikes as being suitable for commuting - eg "rack and fender mounts are ready to get to work or seek out adventure" appears in the ad description for the aluminum version of a popular road bike model.

RubeRad

Just because it has mounts doesn't turn alu into steel.


I don't know what all your criteria and budget are, but I commute every day on a CrossCheck (and it is also my "road bike"), and looking down the line a few years, I'm planning on replacing it either with a Volagi Viaje 1x10, or a BD Fantom Cross Comp Ti. $1400 either way (the Ti is not in stock right now, but accepting preorders for delivery in Oct)

tjspiel

Thank god for that!

I know steel has many fans but lots of people are plenty satisfied with aluminum, especially when paired with a carbon fork.

There are three different bikes I've been commuting on in the last month. Two bikes have aluminum frames with carbon forks and one is steel. The one with the rack and the most versatile has an aluminum frame. I like them all and even the aluminum roadie has mounts for a rack. I was even using them for awhile. The roadie wouldn't make a good touring bike though for a couple of reasons. The first being that the chain stays are too short for anything but small panniers. It has nothing to do with the fact that it's aluminum.

I don't get too worked about about frame material. As I said I like all my bikes, but I'd rather not use a steel bike in the winter just because of the damage that salty roads can do to steel. Plenty of people still ride steel here in the winter though.

Anyway Guvnor, you may have trouble with heel strike if you try to put panniers on a performance bike even if it has rack mounts. If the rear tire is only a few millimeters from the seat tube, that's a clue that it may not work out well.

GovernorSilver

One of the endurance road bikes I'm looking at is the aluminum frame + carbon fork combo, with the geometry for a more upright riding position compared to this manufacturer's performance road bikes. It's billed as a weekday commuter, weekend explorer/fun rider.

Another is the Surly Straggler.

I'm mostly looking at the selection of endurance/gravel road bikes (not performance bikes) at a particular shop, because if I buy there, I get a free fitting from reportedly the best fitter in town.

Good point about the chain stay. I'll include that on my list of measurements to take. I had a minor heel strike issue with my panniers before I switched from riding with heel-padded running shoes to skate shoes. Thanks for the post - glad to see a report from an aluminum rider.

tjspiel

If you're buying from a shop the you have the added bonus of being able to try a few bikes out. Then you won't have to rely on the personal opinion/preferences of others. You can form your own.

ColonelSanders

What makes up that 60lbs?

HardyWeinberg

Chain stay length is an issue not just for heel strike but also potential pannier position. Basically if you can't center the pannier weight at or in front of the rear hub the performance of the bike will lag. Phrasing it differently, if you cannot get a pannier's weight centered over the hub or in front of it, the bike will ride better with a backpack. My wife has a cannondale synapse that is an awesome bike, but with a rack, 100% of the pannier is behind the hub, and its tail waggles like there's no tomorrow. A bike that you can get the pannier weight at or in front of the hub will ride better with a rack and panniers than a backpack (if the sweat etc... of a backpack detracts from your ride experience)

kickstart

Its an all steel bicycle. Roadsters are taller and longer than other bikes other than long tails, 28" heavy duty stainless rims with 13 gauge spokes, dyno/rollerbrake front hub, IGH?rollerbrake rear hub, Schwalbe marathon plus tires, full valanced steel fenders with large mudflap and rear bumper, heavy duty rack capable of supporting the weight of a person, steel crankset with oversized BB, full size dyno lights front and rear, battery lights front and rear, spring Brooks seat, 2 steel folding Wald baskets, frame mounted wheel lock with heavy duty tether chain, double leg centerstand, enclosed chaincase, coat guard, full size frame pump, large seat bag with tools, spare tube, seat cover, tire repair kit, cycle computer, ergonomic grips, oversize stainless hardware, tool-less adjustable stem, front end parking stabilizer, Shimano campus pedals.

Why,
Because it makes for a virtually indestructible, and maintenance free utility vehicle. I've put 3000 miles on it since January of this year in all kinds of weather, yet other than tire pressure, and a shot of grease in the rollerbrakes I haven't touched it for maintenance or repairs. Last time I peeked at the chain, it still looked as clean and wear free as one would expect after a days ride on a dry road.

ColonelSanders

Have you put photo's of this beast up on this forum?

I'd like to check it out.

kickstart

My 3 roadsters,
left to right, 1935 Raleigh Sports model X, 42 lbs, 2013 Flying Pigeon path racer, 31 lbs, 2014 Gazelle Tour Populair T8, 60 lbs (48 lbs stock)

ColonelSanders

With the weight of that bike, is that because the frame is made out of hi-tensile steel?

I'm still struggling to comprehend how it is so heavy.

mconlonx

Expense? No real reason if you don't have a hangup on steel. I was going with info the OP provided and stuck with complete bikes around the same range as the CrossRip and FX they tried. And "I don't want a racey roadbike." Which would probably leave the Trek 1.5 out of the mix. What low end, carbon, not too racey, frames are there that can take fenders and a rack?

spare_wheel

the 7.7 fx can and the low end madones could (sadly no longer available). the hidden fender mounts on new treks are no longer rack compatible which is a mistake, imo.

mconlonx

7.7 FX is not low end, not drop bar; Madone is too racey. The Surly Pacer and Soma EX seem to fit the OP's requirements better. When Trek widely dropped rack eyelets on the road bikes, and introduced cross bikes like the Boone and Crockett without them, they also introduced a lightweight rack for such bikes...

kickstart

Yes hi-ten steel. A larger than normal bike, built to be reliable transportation for the non enthusiast, therefore overbuilt to last a lifetime of abuse with little maintenance. The Wald baskets alone weigh almost 5 lbs.

SlowJoeCrow

Heavy is one of the defining features of a Crosscheck, you may be able to shave some weight and improve speed with lighter wheels and by taking off the rack, but a lot of the weight and over the road slowness is inherent in the frame. If you want to go fast on weekend group rides your best option is to leave your Crosscheck as is to do what it does best and get something lighter and faster for the weekend which could be a road bike or an aluminum cross or gravel bike on slicks.

GovernorSilver

Thanks for this info. The Synapse is one of the bikes I'm looking at. I admit, I do enjoy not having a backpack when I commute on the 90 degree days. Then there's the grocery-carrying aspect of panniers that I like.

As it turns out, my current commuter (Breezer Uptown 8) has a longer chain stay than most of the endurance/gravel road bikes listed at that shop. I might look more at touring bikes as well as check out newer brands/models like the Salsa Vaya 2 or 3 that are designed to be both touring bikes and endurance road bikes (those have pretty long chain stays).

snow_echo_NY

oh i see, totally confused you two, sorry about that. I know what you mean on the internal hub for gears and chainguard. it's a great solution for a low maintenance bike...but if your bike does need maintenance it won't be very easy to fix.

i would test ride if you can, and when i say test ride, see if the shop will let you take the steed out for the day for a loaded ride and see if it's for you. there are shops that will esp. if you participate on their rides.

best of luck finding something!

GovernorSilver

No worries! Looking forward to doing lots of test rides!

Wolf Dust

Sweet! Really love that '35 Raleigh Sports... Those are the bikes that inspired my Surly Cross Check setup.

kickstart

Something interesting to note, the pre-war 26" "sports" models like my 1935 had true roadster geometry like the larger 28" roadsters. The post-war "sports" like my Robin Hood or the ubiquitous Raleigh are entirely different. Bikes like Linus, Public, Windsor and others who call their bikes "roadsters" or "Dutch style" are really neither, they're actually renditions of English 3 speed sports.

Wolf Dust

Yeah, I guess I did mean the post war models like this 70's 3 speed Raleigh. Much more closely resembles the geometry of my bike. Looking at your '35 Raleigh from that angle gives the illusion of steeper angles.

kickstart

This picture shows my post-war Robin Hood "Sports" 26" in front of my pre-war Raleigh "sports model" Roadster 26".

The wheelbase is identical, but the bb is about 1" higher on the Raleigh.