NormanF

Is the country bike category another term for all rounder?

My new Schwinn Super Sport DBX is an updated country bike:





There are others. Do people want a bike that looks like a road bike but isn't one? It appears the market is saying "yes" to the demand.

A complete description of the term "country bike" can be found here:


https://www.harpethbicycles.com
/bikes/countrybike.html


Does any one like them for commuting and errands?

rugerben

From that article, it sounds like what this guy is calling a "country bike" are pretty much CX bikes.

Think about it. he describes being in a slightly more upright position than a race bike, which could describe CX bikes, or the comfort oriented road bikes (think Giant Defy and C'dale synapse). But then he says they have mounts for fenders and racks, could be used for touring, and have room for wide tires.
This just screams CX to me.

old and new

I agree with both of you. The article too.
NormanF, that's a nice bike. Handsome and heavy duty.
As far as the CX aspect, there's alot to that. Bikes that seem to meld into that profile make alot of sense as they've no down side.( no pun int.)
Lemond had the Big Sky, Secialized & Giant & others have the higher-up-front types.
They don't "admit it" as such, just like older characters are hesitant to admit that the overly racey bikes aren't as sensible. I've felt the need for high stems lately.

NormanF

There's CX aspect to it in that some of those bikes can do double duty: be ridden off road as well as on the pavement. Its kind of a marriage of the CX, hybrid, mountain and road bike genres. So a little bit of everything is thrown together to create a useful bike rather than a specialist. And its more comfortable than the usual road bike since endurance as opposed as to speed is emphasized more with relaxed geometry bike like some of the ones you mentioned. And every manufacturer now offers a few models.

BarracksSi

I have a DBX exactly like that, except that it's gained fenders and Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires. The only reason I'm considering selling it (for its second time; I got it lightly used myself) is because it's one size too big.

If the OP or Harpeth Bicycles didn't know already, what CX means is Cyclocross.

One point about the DBX, though -- its rear eyelets are positioned in such a way that a disc-compatible Topeak rack won't bolt on without extra work. The eyelet hole is just too close to the tip of the seatstay. It would also have to share a bolt with fender mounts.

BarracksSi

Another point --

That Rambouillet in the link is old school, but not what I'd call a "country bike" by their standards -- I don't see rack mounts, and I'm not sure if it even has fender eyelets.

NormanF

The Rambouillet has them and Grant Petersen's bicycles are works of art - with prices to match. They're "old school" in that Rivendells can do just about anything - and he means that with his philosophy.

NormanF

How did you end it up getting it a size too big? I know that can happen. A LBS will have the parts to fit a rack to the rear disc seat stays - and that takes some work.

BarracksSi

I got it from a local who was selling it because it was a size too big for him. I figured that since I was a bit taller, it would be nice for me -- but I'm not that much taller than he is after all. It feels like when I was a kid and borrowed my grandma's bike.

I'd have to add maybe 1/4" of spacers just to get the rack to clear the seatstay weld, and since the SKS fenders already on it have those thick plastic mounting tabs, I think that's just too much to shove onto one tightly-positioned eyelet. There are other bikes that allow simpler installation.

BarracksSi

He's a retro grouch with an attitude. Nice bikes, but holy cow, they cost a lot for what they are. If he lives the philosophy he preaches, his house shouldn't even have electricity or running water.

adaminlc

It sounds more like a company trying to market to a newly perceived niche market. They aren't presenting anything new, simply suggesting that the way it has been done in the past still has merit. For those of us who commute and otherwise ride cx bikes on the street with slick tires have already figured out what this article is trying to argue; so has anyone who rides an old Schwinn or Centurion or some such as an intentional choice over something newer.

mihlbach

I disagree with those being like CX bikes. CX bikes are fundamentally race bikes..they are light, have knobbies, and no fenders or racks and a fairly aggressive fit (even if the bars are a bit higher than road racing bikes). What they are calling a country bike is just the classic concept of "the road bike", with a few moderalities, such as disk brakes and threadless headsets, etc. Not all racing bikes are road bikes, some are more practical. There's really nothing new here.

NormanF

The ideal commuter bike would be one where you could fit thin or large tires under fenders, rack and lamp mounts and an upright position for comfortable riding. One might call the country bike the "Swiss army knife" of bikes because of the multiple roles it can fulfill.

tjspiel

I agree with some of what they're saying. The road bikes of the 70's were all purpose bikes. When MTBs became popular, road bikes were relegated to various niches.

I also think the term "road bike" is overloaded. It's includes everything with a drop bar, -even CX bikes which aren't true "road" bikes anymore than MTBs are. I'm not saying that CX bikes can't be used very successfully on the street, it's just not what they're intended for. BTW, as I understand it, in the early days of CX racing, many folks used adapted touring bikes.

Anyway I can't say the term "country bike" rings true for me, but then I don't like the term "commuter bike" either.

stringbreaker

Looks pretty good to me I'm going to ask my LBS that handles Schwinn if they are going to get any in stock soon.

GP

They are definately nice but I wouldn't classify them as works of art. That old school stying is pretty classy looking though.

NormanF

Agreed. I don't think there is a consensus yet on what to call bikes that have an all-purpose character to them. That's why there are a lot of forums on here for specific bicycle categories but not for the kind the catch-all "country bike" is aimed at.

tsl

No. It's just another marketing label for people who can't think for themselves.

The shop in question is out in Dogpatch Tennessee. So to market to country folk, they call them country bikes.

Very similar bikes are sold in the city as urban bikes--my Trek Portland for example.

In fact, the urban LBS across the street from my urban apartment building sells those very same Schwinn DBXs in the "country bike" article as city bikes.

A label is just a label.

Now, whatever you choose to call them, they *are* great all rounders.

While my Portland is sold as an urban bike, I didn't buy it because of that, even though the vast majority of my riding is in the city. I bought it because the qualities of ride, position, fit, handling and accessory mounts fit what I need.

Despite being sold as an urban bike, my Portland is my first choice for centuries. It's also my first choice for light touring. At the same time, I swap out the 28mm road tires for cyclocross tires, and it's a blast on dirt roads when I vacation in the lake country of Ontario.

BluesDawg

Didn't Rivendell call their A. Homer Hilsen a "country bike"?
https://www.rivbike.com/products/list...product=50-650

NormanF

Why yes they did - the A. Homer Hilsen is the current replacement for the discontinued Rambouillet. This was their take on it:

"The A. Homer Hilsen is a Country Bike. A "Country Bike" is our name for a smart, useful, comfortable, practical, and hellatiously versatile road-ish bike. It's a road bike with good clearances for tires and fenders, and one that can carry racks. It's not a loaded touring bike for self-contained extended tours. But you can certainly put 20-25 pounds on it and head out for the weekend. Everything you wish your current road bike can do, but it can't, the A. Homer Hilsen can. The zippiness that you wish your comfort or mountain bike had, but it doesn't, the A. Homer HIlsen has."

A "country bike" isn't a touring bike but a road bike that can be used for commuting, weekend outings and general recreational riding. It combines the speed of a road bike with the comfort of a hybrid or mountain bike.

neil

Every slight variation gets its own category now. Basically sounds like a "country bike" is either a touring bike that can't carry a heavy load or a CX bike with fender clearance and rack mounts.

chipcom 

"Country Bike" is just more Grant Petersen marketing speak.

A bike is a bike is a bike...add whatever descriptive adjectives that your little heart desires.

tjspiel

You people just don't get it.

There's a clear distinction between "country" and "urban" bikes. Country bikes are painted with earth tones or maybe subtle blues, greens, or yellows, - you know, colors you see in the country.

"Urban" bikes are painted in military/camo colors, cause cities are dangerous places and you don't want to be seen on a flashy bike or make it a target for theft. You want to be seen a bike that might just shoot back.

NormanF

Country bike - complete with with sunshade and lemonade!

RogerB

Could I ride it in the suburbs? What if my LBS is in the suburbs? Would they call it what I need to hear? Should I call them and ask if they have any "Suburbans?"