My vote is for something like the Trek Domane and just change tires according to terrain.

Riding a CAAD12 on farm roads is the epitome of hardness.

Higgs_Zaphod You also didn't mention what your budget is or if you are looking at new or used like your facebook marketplace bike you have now. If your "here" has any bike shops, visit as many as you can and if the staff is knowledgeable they can answer many questions before you buy. They will also likely know the roads you described.

That's not my experience.,

Put smooth, street tires on your MTB.

Meaty, Beaty, Big & Bouncy...

Yep. The Cannondale = harsh myth is finally dying, but it'll be around a while still.

Just the aluminum ones? Or maybe just the older, made in USA, CAAD models? I have three Cannondale bikes but only heard that my CAAD4 is harsh, which I will likely confirm once it is built since it is limited to narrower wheels and tires.

Hello, first post in this forum. I've got an old Diamond Back Response Sport, 1993, that is needing new tires. The size is 26 x 2.1. I ride it off road on trails I've made and need some recommendations for good quality knobby type tires. There are slick roots and sharp imbedded rocks to contend with. The tires on it are what came on it new. Can't believe they still hold air! But the terrain I ride in has shredded most of the knobs off and even have some cord showing in spots from the rubber being ripped off. Thought I'd get on here to get some suggestions for which tires would work best for me. I'll be 69 in a few weeks and started back racing motorcycle hare scrambles after a 36 year layoff. Trying to get in the best shape possible and biking has become part of my work out routine. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

+1
I ride a steel framed road bike with 25's and havent had a problem with the terrible roads around where I live...

But you should probably start your own thread and not hijack someone else's.

The Crit Series Cannondales, which, in terms of geometry, were essentially track bikes with brakes and gears added, were as "harsh" riding as any of the Italian steel bikes with the same geometry. (My mid-'80's Bianchi Specialissima was unmerciful. I'd be reluctant to even attempt to maneuver on a Rigi, let alone ride one for more than a couple of blocks.)

Once the short-lived fad for ultra-short-wheelbase criterium-geometry bikes had passed, the aluminum Cannondale road bikes and the Italian steel bikes reverted to more conventional geometry. Lively, but not uncomfortably so.

Edit: good point about the limited tire clearance. Cannondale aluminum road bikes weren't the only bikes with limited clearance back then, of course. Now that it's become axiomatic that wider tires are better for almost every rider under almost any conditions, probably best to avoid buying any of the older road bikes with tight clearances, regardless of frame material.

Not trying to "hi-jack" anything. Just saw the title "New Guy Questions" and thought this was where I needed to post. My mistake.

Not a problem. We're all guilty at one time or another. It's just that you will get better responses and answers from a dedicated thread tailored to what you're asking.

I second, or third, getting an Endurance framed bike. I have one which I use 90% on road, 9% on gravel and 1% on sidewalk.

I run 28s but it can easily handle 32s if I were to do more gravel. The frame is more relaxed/compliant for a smoother and less high strung ride than a pure racing road bike, which I feel you would appreciate on longer rides. I also have pure road bikes and a mountain bike for comparison and feel the endurance or a nice gravel bike would fit what you are looking for. (Would definitely veto a hybrid).

To the OP, welcome to BF. When I started serious riding about 5 years ago, I went with a gravel bike. Mostly for the lower gearing. You can always get a second set of wheels so you can have a road set and a more gravel or light trail set. So, there is a lot of flexibility.

However, aside from a gravel bike, I've had a Trek Domane endurance road bike for about a year now. Since I too, found I like road riding the most. And as my fitness improved, I found I wanted some higher speed gearing. That said, endurance road bikes often take moderately wide tires. My Domane is rated to 38 mm (I think) and while at one time that was the widest of any endurance bike, I think there are others that may take even wider tires now. I run 32 mm for road riding. The 32 mm are as fast as the 28 mm I used to use and just that much more comfortable.

The line between gravel and endurance road bikes is getting a bit blurred. But the main thing is a gravel bike will have lower gearing and allow for wider tires. With your description of use, I think an endurance road bike would be fine. As for gearing, I'd study up on the gearing on the bike you have and compere it to what you might buy. If you see that you are using lower gears on the bike you have and really need that, then lean towards the gravel bike gearing. But don't overthink it. One additional gear lower isn't going to be the difference of making it up normal climbs.

Welcome to BF and don't be shy about starting new threads. It's just no big deal to start a new thread.

I love it, OP new guy makes 1 post and gets 40 responses in 3 days never to be heard from again.

I'll be 80 in December, I ride an old beater road bike 3-4 days a week, mostly 5-6 miles, sometimes as much as 10-12.

Last week I learned an important lesson: Get yourself a couple of pair of bike shorts and wear them when biking. Bike shorts are made with inner shorts and outer shorts. The inner shorts have a nice, big, pad that gives you a soft place to sit as well as keeping your personal parts padded and protected. I wish I had discovered bike shorts years ago!!

I bought three pair of NEPEST Men's MTB Mountain Bike shorts.

Sage advice. Road bike with some 28’s or 30’s, a good saddle and a fitting, and we’ll have a new climber in our midst.