deepcove

Hey team,

I'm a 6'6 guy looking for some middle ground between the Trek Crossrip, the Trek DS and the Trek FX. In my eyes, the crossrip is out of my pricerange, the DS seems a bit heavy duty for my needs, and the FX I fear would not be great on the gravel. What do you guys think?

My price range is $500-$850. I've been biking regularly for my whole life but have never shelled out much more than a couple hundred dollars for a bike.

I'm intending to use this bike for everything; commuting to work (through light gravel trails/roads), getting to class (paved roads), training (paved roads), and late night adventures (paved roads/gravel paths).
I live in a hilly neighbourhood and need not travel much more than 5km at a time on the bike (apart from training).

I am looking to participate in the Ride to Conquer Cancer also, for which I may need to purchase a road bike.

What do you guys think? Am I asking for too much to stay within my budget?
I'm not sold on Trek or anything, that's just where I've started my research.

Thanks a lot,
Arman

10 Wheels

Set your budget and stick with it.

bikefoo

I made the mistake of trying to do everything on one bike, got a Giant Anyroad 2 - good bike but it does nothing well, I have replaced it with a dedicated roadbike, and next will be a dedicated mountain bike. Just saying, you might be served by two thrifty bikes instead of one mildly expensive bike. But if space is an issue, this bike has intrigued me. Save up to 60% off new Monster Cross Cyclocross Road Bikes - Gravity Zilla XX | Save up to 60% off new road bikes

Lacumo

Welcome to BF and good luck with the age-old quandary! As said above and before in answer to this question, “do-all” bikes always involve compromises and will never be really good at any single thing that you do with them. That having been said and >>if you’re not too picky<<, a good cyclocross bike could be used as a (fairly) reasonable “do most things” bike. It’ll never be as efficient as a serious road bike and it’ll never have the off-road capabilities of a real mtn bike, but it’ll be passable for road use and it’ll handle unpaved roads, bike trails, etc fairly well. Just don’t think you’ll be doing any serious freeriding, singletrack or road racing with it and don’t look for it to be killer efficient on the roads...

deepcove

Thank you for your comment.
I've just looked at some cyclocross bikes and that's exactly what I'm looking for. Do you have any recommendations withing my pricerange?

deepcove

Thanks for your input.
That bike looks great but unfortunately it doesn't look like they make it in my size of 63cm (I could get away with 61cm). Do you have any other cyclocross suggestions?

Lacumo

I don’t know too much about cross bikes but Trek, Specialized and Cannondale are big, mainstream bike makers and I know Surly has some models that are well regarded. If you Google up “cyclocross bike reviews” you’ll probably find hours worth of reading material. After that it’s a matter of finding well-regarded local bike shops, researching prices and availability and finally making your move.

With your timing being what it is, you’r closing in on the end of the model year right now. This can cause limited availability but it can also be the cause of good deals on model year leftovers. You might find a leftover 2013 still sitting around for a honey of a price. Good luck and happy shopping!

bikefoo

Exactly Google cross bikes, commuter bikes, possibly look at touring bikes? Check craigslist for used bargains too.