Hi,

I'm a student in Calgary looking to buy a decent bike for some commuting, cruising around the city and occasional trail use.

Two models that I am consider are:

Rocky Mountain Metro 50: https://www.simonsbikeshop.com/Robson...metro%2050.htm
Rocky Mountain Crosstrail Comp: https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/...d=09Crosstrail

They both seem like very good models. I personally like the appearance of the Metro 50 more. But it has narrow wheels which may make it less suitable for some uses. Should I be concerned about the effect on my bike if I go down over a curb or hit bumps and potholes?

Thanks for your help!

I personally don't the heavy fork on the Specialized. Are your city streets riddled with monster potholes? If you are commuting and doing some trail riding, the cross trail would be overkill.

I'd look for a commuter type bike with smaller, slicker tires. The 35c tires on the Metro are even larger than I would like, but if conditions on the ground warrant it...

Have you checked out Jamis' cross bikes?
https://www.jamisbikes.com/canada/the...allegro1x.html

The Coda series might be nice, too, with wider tires. I have 32s on mine, and I hear you can get 35s on there. The steel is a nice ride.

Don;t forget Devinci and Norco.... Canadian brand. I think Devincis are still locally built.