I currently have one bike, a ~2004 Norco Bigfoot that I put slicks on to commute to work and do fitness rides on roads and I also put on knobbier tires for riding out to camp (Northern Ontario lingo for the cottage) which is 30km on paved 2-lane highway and 30km on moderately rough dirt road. I also like to bike on cross country ski trails which are pebbly but not very technical and I use the knobbies for that too. I use a rear rack and panniers for commuting but for longer fitness rides, rides to camp or on trails, I remove the rack and panniers. So, as you can see, my bike is somewhat a multi-purpose bike.

It is seeing its age, especially in the gears, chain and derailleurs so I am considering replacing it. I can't afford to purchase 3 bikes (a sport road bike or cyclocross for road fitness riding, a mountain bike for camp and trails and a commuting bike for comfortable commuting) but even a new single bike would require me to ask it to perform multiple roles.

I was thinking of a 29er because it would certainly work as a commuter and road bike but I am not certain how it would fair on trails and the dirt camp road (especially when the road gets really washboardy). Besides, I would still want to switch tires between road and offroad purposes.

I also thought that I should consider 2 bikes: a road bike for road fitness rides and a mountain bike for commuting, trail riding and, despite the 2 different surfaces/conditions, the ride out to camp each weekend.

Want to join in to the conversation?

Correction: after having browsed the Internet Archive, I learned that my bike is a 2002 model (the 2003 used 7005 alloy, disc brakes and different shocks).

I'd probably look at a touring or cyclocross bike to use for road riding and commuting then do a rebuild on the Norco. That gives you a road bike and an off-road bike. Then start saving for the sport road bike which will allow you to make the touring or cyclocross bike into a dedicated commuter/tourer.

I thought 29ers were intended for rough stuff. If so it would be nicer on the trails and dirt road than on pavement. I'm sort of thinking about a bike along the lines you are thinking of, both road and off road. A dual-sport in motorcycle terms. I've been considering the Surly LHT with fairly fat tires, the Salsa Fargo with thinner tires, or a Rocky Mountain Sherpa (which it looks like I can't find!) with wide tires. My commute is 9 or more miles each way with several miles of gravel and about twice as many miles of nice pavement, all back roads.

Don't you need to haul stuff when you go out to your camp? I want front and rear rack capability though a rear rack and panniers are fine for my commute.

None of those three bikes I mentioned have very low granny gears, the LHT and Fargo go down to 20 gear inches, and the Sherpa is 25! My Rocky Mountain Fusion that I'm riding now goes down to 17 and I use it fairly often when climbing hills with a load. Is your riding usually flat?

Would you actually be changing tires all the time, or splurge for spare wheels so that you can just swap them out when you want different tires?

So far, I've been swapping tires. If my bike was new or at least newer, I might more quickly consider a second set of wheels but a new rear wheel will have a new cassette on it which means that it will be "out of synch" with the wear and tear on the current chain so I would want to change the chain which would then be "out of synch" with the chain rings and they too should be changed so it would be an expensive proposition for a 9yr old bike.

With regard to packs, I would expect that my current rack would fit a 29er so I am not concerned about that. My ride out to camp is a bit of a fitness ride in that I am bringing only myself (and water to drink along the way) but my gear is either out there or coming behind me in the car driven by my wife.

My choice was a Surly Cross Check. I build it up as a road bike, but with a rack, panniers, beefy wheels, and stiff brakes it can handle the daily round trip to work without missing a beat. I still use my single speed mountain bike (my first commuter) to ride out local dirt park on weekends.