RadioFlyer

Greetings, I'm looking for one all purpose bike, primarily roads, occassional dirt service road. Mostly using it to commute to work, but can do the rare century. More of an upright design. Something very durable that can bunny hop potholes, ride off of curbs.

If it came with a rack and fenders, that'd be great, but not necessary. It would have to have the necessary attachments (bolt holes?) on it. Something that can work in the rain, snow, but still move on dry, nice days. I prefer steel, don't think I can afford titanium, afraid I would be too rough on a carbon frame.

How much efficiency does a folder lose compared to 700c wheels? I like the idea of a folder, altho I'm not sure if it's as practical or durable as, say, a touring bike?

Recumbent is out of the question as I like the extra visibility and I suspect bunny hopping one is way out of my skill set

Does a solid, upright (compared to a racing roadie), multi-purpose hybrid bike exist?

Thanks in advance!

Cyclon

A cyclocross bike like the Surly Crosscheck or the Bianchi Volpe may fit your requirements.

roads: check
occassional dirt roads: check
rack and fenders: check
steel: check
rare century: check
more relaxed geometry: check

Oh, and I have a folder for short jaunts. Although I did bike 30 miles with it once. I'd prefer a full-size bike.

RadioFlyer

Thanks!

I'll look at the Surly and Bianchi.

But since I posted, I've done an extensive search here and I'm thinking that the Kogswell Randonneur/Porteur might be the bike I'm looking for. I don't suppose you can give me any feedback on it?

Kogswell

The nice folks at the Kogswell Owners Group (KOG) might be able to help:

https://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/KOG/

scattered73

Love my cross bike very versitale, though if I were to buy another I would have got one with rack eyelets and maybe a triple instead of a double.

geo8rge

I do not think bikes with similar quality parts but different wheel sizes vary much in efficiency.

Small dia wheels give a rougher ride. Folding Bikes with small dia wheels are often less stable. Down hill at high speed is a bad idea on many folders

Montague CX ships with a very poor parts package. It does have the same feel as any other 26" sized bike.

Try downtube for a cheap into to folding bikes.

Velo Dog

Take a look at a Bike Friday. You can get a very decent bike for less than $2K, but if you have that much and you want something versatile and packable, Bike Friday makes some really nice rides. I know at least two people who've ridden them across the country. www.bikefriday.com, I think