humbug

hi there, i'm a newbie--one of those frustrated MTB-with-baldies guys who is looking to make the move to something faster. for my price range, i was pretty much looking at an entry-level roadie like a trek 1000 or giant ocr3, but my friend suggested i look into something more sturdy like a surly cross-check to better withstand the crappy LA streets where i mostly ride. my question is, do i really need a cross-check if i don't go off-road that much? i'd like to sacrifice as little speed as possible. but if i get a cheapo aluminum bike, will it crumple like a soda can the first time i fall? isn't a bianchi brava just as strong/flexible as a cross-check but faster? any advice is appreciated.

PedalMasher

What I always tell people is if you plan to do group rides, everyone else will have a roadie and you will too if you want to keep up.

If you want something for the urban jungle, get a cross bike or fixie. A roadie will work for urban riding too as long as you throw some conti gatorskins on it or something, but a cross bike will help with clearance/durability as the bottom bracket it higher.

KeatonR

I personally don't think that a cross bike with road tires on it is any slower than a designated road bike. As cross bikes go, the Surly might be on the heavier side -- but if you get, say, a Bianchi Axis and ride it with fully inflated road tires, you shouldn't experience any real deficit.

KevinF

I have trouble believing that there's really any sizeable performance difference between a 'cross bike with road tires and a dedicated road bike. I have a 'cross bike (Soma Double Cross) that weighs in at 22 pounds; it could easily be in the 19 pound range if desired. I fit the same on both my Soma and my dedicated road bike. Most cyclocross bikes come standard with some variation on the compact crank theme, but that can easily be swapped out for a standard double if you so desire.

MRGolfo

I don't think the geometry of a cross and a road are the same. Your are more upright with a cross.

To the OP, go get a hybrid. I check the fx7.5 or something like that by trek. Nice ride.

Gummee

I disagree. How upright you are is all in how you build em.

My Crosshairs rides a little differently than my S-Works, but nothing I wouldn't hesitate to enter a crit on.

The biggest difference is gearing, and if you run 34/50 you're not too far off 39/53 anyway.

M

late

Hi,
you can aslo consider road bikes with 57mm long reach brakes. An example would be the Surly Pacer.
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/surly-pacer.html

Other examples include the Specialized Seqouia and my Gunnar Sport.

Primetime75

Get the Road Bike. Put a decent set of wheels and tires on it and you will be fine. I live in LA and ride around LAX with no problems.

terrymorse 

You need to demo a light and fast bike to see the difference.

My rain bike is a Klein that weighs about 23 lbs. My main bike is a sub 15-lb. Fuji climber. When I get on the rain bike and try to climb, it's as if I'm dragging an anchor. The same goes for acceleration.

Before I had tried a light bike, I didn't think there was much difference. I did the Everest Challenge in 2004 on my heavy Klein (and won the public race). When I went back out there last year on my light bike, I easily took 10% off my previous climbing times.

wyborowa

I think that cyclo-cross is a better option. Don’t think that cyclo-cross bike with a road tires is slower than the road bike. Just compare the bike parts, there are same. Plus quick change of tires and you ready for off road fun. Btw, its up to the rider how fast you could ride.

I have Kona Jake 06 with a pair of Continental Grand Prix 3000, 700CX25. It weights 22 pounds. I use my bike for commuting, and I love it. You might also consider Kona Jake The Snake, 19 pounds with better parts.

More information on the Kona website: www.konaworld.com

Keith99

Are you keeping the MTB? Are you getting the street bike for fun or commuting.

If you are keeping the MTB and riding for fun I think this is a no brainer. Go for a pure road bike. If there is some ride on really nasty streets you can use the MTB. You have the bike at one end of the spectrum. Why go for one in the middle and have nothing that fits well for the other end?

humbug

thanks for all the advice. pretty much what i expected to hear: the difference in speed seems to be negligible to the novice/intermediate rider and more noticeable to the advanced/racer type. i am of the former so i think i'll be fine either way. i guess my other concern is how well starter roadies, which seem to mostly be made of aluminum, stand up to urban abuse. again, i may be too much of a novice to notice the 'stiffness' of AL or whatever, but i just don't want it falling apart on me in a year from one too many potholes.

fruitless

I've been riding a cross bike on pavement for almost 2 years and there are definite differences but they won't become really obvious until you ride with a fast group, even then if you are fit you wouldn't have too much problem hanging. Depending on the cross bike its maybe a 1.5 to 2.5 lb weight penalty, cross bike geometry puts you up higher and I swear that I notice the difference on descents and flats where it feels like I'm catching more air, the best cantilever brakes suck compared to even the cheapest modern road brakes but overall Cross bikes are still a substantial performance improvement over an MTB on roads. If I was going to have just one bicycle it would be a cross bike but I would still wish I could have a second pure road bike.

grahny

I have a trek x01... fully loaded it comes in at 22lbs... actually, fully loaded it's 222lbs with me on it

I use the stock bontrager select wheels and jones cx tires for riding off road... and I beat the SH*T out of it too... holds up fantastic.

I swap the tires out for a set of ritchey pro ds (or something like that) with michelin carbon 23c tires for riding straight road. I can keep up a 23mph pace on it no problem.

I could go faster on the road if I ran a different crank... I use the stock 38/46 up front and an SRAM 12-26 cassette for both on and off road. I was thinking of changing to a 39/50 for a little more top speed, though I don't want to mess with the off road clearance of the smaller chainring.

Either way, it's fast, nimble and light.. and I can hop curbs and hit potholes and then jump right onto a trail or single track without skipping a beat... sure, it's definitely no climber... hills suck the life out of me... but I can keep up with roadies pretty well too. A lot of it has to do with the rider.

grahny

Yeah... agreed... but I can get pretty aero on my cross bike with the right adjustments (I've even got aeobars on there too)... I'd also love to have a pure road bike too, but I'm not made of $$$ like some people seem to be when it comes to bikes... I don't want to take a 2nd mortgage out on my house to do it

For the money though, cross bikes are a good compromise to get the best of both worlds... I'm not racing ever so it's a great choice for me.

twahl

I have a buddy that recently built up a crosscheck and he rides well with me on the road. Not sure how it might be geared from the factory or anything, but he built it up like a road bike, and has two sets of wheels, one with road tires and one with cross tires. He also used a set of on one midge bars (cool) and set it up with bar end shifters. It's really quite a sweet ride.

shakeNbake

I ride a Schwinn Fastback everyday on cracked LA streets, most with "washboard" texture, it's holding up quite well (I'm 240lbs, btw). But I do use 700x25 tires, anything less than 23 is suicide for me.

flipped4bikes

Upright? A hybrid isn't upright? Do you even know what you are talking about? Road bikes sacrifice utility in return for lighter weight. And not even then depending on the price point. Cross bikes are usually heavier but more versatile than road bikes and a damn sight better than a more upright hybrid.

head_wind

Everyone seems to be skipping discussing handling. Countersteering on my road bike is a thrill: it feels like it dives into the turns. My cross bike (which I ride more than 90% of the time this season) merely leans the right way. The answer to which is better is obvious: it depends.

motto: _start slow, then ease off_

late

Everyone seems to be portraying this as an either/or. Either a road bike or a cross bike. My bike is a road bike, but it's long reach brakes will take a 32c tire. So simply by switching tires I can change it from a laid back tourista to a quickie that can hang with the pack. With Rivendell tires I get the best of both.

flipped4bikes

Yo late, what are you riding?

late

Hi,
I ride a Gunnar Sport.
https://www.gunnarbikes.com/sport.php

Mine is an older version. It is a mix of 853 and OS2 tubes, and has a more traditional looking curved fork. The new ones are apparently all OS2.
It's not fast like a high performance bike would be, but then none of those bikes
ever put a stupid looking grin on my face during the test ride. The Schwinn family has one last bike company, Waterford. Their 'budget' line is Gunnar, named after the family dog; and it's made by the same guys that make Waterford.

In terms of design it's halfway between a crit bike and a touring bike. It has longer chain stays, for example, but nowhere near as long as on a tourer.
But it's construction gives it more performance than you might think. It is not trying to be a racer, but slap on 23c tires and it can hang with the pack. Throw on touring tires and panniers, and it's ready to take on the world.