raria

Hi

This is my current stable:

a) Fuji touring (doubles as my gravel bike which its fine for as I have 32mm tires on it)
b) CAAD 12 105 2015 in alloy. Bikeradar 2016 bike of the year!
c) Breezer Venturi 2013? 105 Steel bike with sporty geometry (but not as sporty as the CAAD 12)

I got c) because it was cheap and I could easily get rid of the frameset.

So what bike type should I get to widen my riding opportunities and experiences?

I was thinking of:

i) An endurance bike possibly in CF as I don't have a CF bike. Something to ride centuries on. b) and c) I probably can't do centuries on and a) I could but it would be a trudge.
ii) A 29er suspension bike to allow me to ride more single track/cross-country.
iii) A proper adventure/gravel bike instead of a)
iv) Something else?

RadialHead

What kinda budget are you looking at?

My N+1 would be a Santa Cruz Stigmata. Get one of those. I made the mistake of trying my buddy’s 2017 CC...it was good. Too good.

mstateglfr 

Do you find anything lacking with your current setup?

If you have fun singletrack around you, id consider a hardtail 29 or 27.5 as thats something your current stable cant handle.

Replacing your fuji only makes sense if you dislike using it in some way(s).

raria

So I'll take that as a vote for an adventure bike. I take my touring bike on gravel sometimes and though it has good tire clearance it doesn't have the disk brakes of a bike like the santa cruz and weight 10 pounds more!.

You kind of read my mind. My friends are saying get a gravel bike, but apart from disk brakes and being lighter (Fuji bike weights about 25-27 pounds) it won't allow me to ride different types of terrain.

catgita

With that stable I think I would be looking for larger tires. Maybe a monstercross or light MTB. Question is, straight bars, drop bars, or flared drop. Throw some Compass tires on it for all day comfort on pavement. Get the right one and you may give up a couple of the others.

mcours2006

I'd go with a CF road bike with hydraulic disc brakes. That's what I would go with

WhyFi

I would go with a CF gravel bike - something with bigger tire/fender capacity than your Fuji and also lighter than your Fuji. Toss on some light, fast-rolling 28-30mm tires and it'll make a great century bike (most gravel bikes have relaxed geometry that's similar to what you'll find on an endurance-type frame).

raria

I'm getting rid of c) (some sort of frame issues see Crazy problem: Bike Occasionally Pulls to Left).

So now I'm down to a) and b) only.

I'd like an 29er but there just isn't that much single track near me.

So it looks like an endurance bike for me unless I'm missing something about adventure bikes.

Thanks for the suggestions.

OneIsAllYouNeed

I think you need a fat/plus bike or a tandem.

RPK79

Unicycle.

danmyersmn

All-City Cosmic Stallion

WhyFi

As I mentioned previously, gravel/adventure bikes are endurance bikes with more tire clearance. A good illustration of this is the Domane Disc and the Domane Gravel. The difference: the Domane Gravel comes standard with 35mm tires and a different paint job. Unless you're completely opposed to discs for some reason, it doesn't make much sense to me to get an endurance bike when you can pop slicks on to a gravel bike - it gives you the benefits of an endurance bike and adds the capability of wider tires and/or fenders.

jbell_64

Exactly why i bought a "gravel bike".

kbarch

To widen experiences, I'd get a "more different" bike. Like an aero/race or even TT bike, or how about a fixed gear?

Maelochs

Only if he was going to actually ride it, to get that experience.

He has a CAAD 12. How much more "race" can a bike get? He has the premier Crit Racer in the nation. If he doesn't ride TT a TT bike will just be heavy and uncomfortable and unridden.

He could buy a 2-wheel-drive all-terrain off-road bike for a Really different experience ... except that he doesn't even have enough rough terrain around to justify a hard-tail 29er.

What he wants, it seems----what he would actually Ride--would be a very light gravel bike with a back-up wheel set. He wants a comfortable long-ride bike which weighs a lot less than his Fuji, and he wants a gravel bike which weighs less than his Fuji.

So he should get one.

raria

@Maelochs is right. A TT bike would be too close to my CAAD12 wouldn't it?

But the idea of a super light fixed gear bike is appealing. I think I can build one up for well under 15 pounds (wheelset and tires 4 pounds, frameset 4 pounds and cranks/saddle/post/bars another 4 pounds). I have some flat rides so that would be fun.

raria

To be fair, you can get more racier bikes. But not much more :-) CAAD12's are popular for crit racing because they are relatively cheap. REI has the 105 version on sale now for $1200.

Maelochs

Another one lost to the dark side .....

Nachoman

Personally I like having two road bikes. One is a backup for rain, visitors, the trainer and when the main bike is in the shop. Not sure exactly how this fits in with your current situation.

raria

Wow, what a guy! I never thought of getting a bike so others can ride it. The rain bike is a good idea, but I tend to hate riding in the rain so it won't get much use.

raria

Thanks for your response. Does the geometry and handling of an endurance bike match a gravel bike?

I know that the Cannondale Synapse is an endurance bike but it still handles very sharply due to a shorter wheelbase, shorter stays etc.. But I thought a gravel bike (i.e. Cannondale Slate) had to be the opposite otherwise it would be too twitchy on gravel.

Thanks again.

WhyFi

You'll have to compare on a case-by-case basis.

In general, compared to a "racing" bike, they'll both have a higher stack, less reach and longer stays. Slinging a leg over will be the real test, though - does my road bike feel more nimble than the gravel bike with slicks? Sure, but I wouldn't characterize the gravel bike as being particularly sluggish and it's probably another 5 lbs heavier, so that's probably part of the equation. More importantly though, is how I feel after longer rides on 30mm tires - much less fatigued, much less 'beat up.' You'll have to experience it yourself to see if it's an acceptable trade-off.

If I could only have one "nice" bike, it'd be a light-ish CF gravel bike with two sets of wheels (one skinny/slick, one fat knobby) ready to swap out at any time.