Hopefully I have put this in the right place- if not, please let me know where I should post it. I had a question regarding a Van Dessel Country Road Bob. I currently have an old steel frame bike I use for getting around but I find it a little sluggish when I try to ride long distances / high speeds. So I've been casually looking for a road bike and a 29er and I stumbled across the Country Road Bob (which is a single speed bike- hence why I figured this group would know more about it than others). The claim is that the CRB can be ridden well as a road bike (assuming you put in a decent road wheelset / appropriate (23-28mm) tires) and as a 29er for single track (again assuming you put in a mtb wheelset w/ appropriate (1.9-2.1in) tires). This seems like a great option as it would prevent me from having to buy a road bike and 29er separately. I am a skeptic though- I'm worried this situation would leave me with the worst of both worlds (still sluggish on road, with poor function as a mtb). This is the 2008 CRB with aluminum frame and carbon fork. If the fork is the issue for mtb I would consider buying a separate fork. Any advice would be useful. Thank you!

i have road bikes bikes i cant answer in your question sorry. But just curious what road bike do you have and feel sluggish. I have one old 1987 bianchi strada lx.

I have an 1988 trek 360. It probably needs a little lovin' to make it ride like it could. But I use it a lot- for a three year period I was using it for commuting everyday: ~150 hard miles each week regardless of rain, mud, or snow. I probably should have a bike set aside for faster riding if I plan to get more serious into road-biking or triathalons. (or should I?). Maybe the answer to all of this is to just man up on my trusty old trek and only blame myself for feeling sluggish.

^ I also have a Trek 360. That bike was definitely not designed to serve as an all-weather commuter, but if the frame and components are in good shape and have been recently overhauled, it would be fine to keep for casual road riding.

The trek isn't designed for all around commuting but it works damn well for it (in my circumstance at least). I do realize I could use it for causal road riding- and I do. But if I am to consider more serious road riding I'm thinking I should find an alternative.

That thing looks awesome. But my question remains: If I buy a rig like that to use as a 'mr. potato-head' of sorts- swapping in and out parts as I need -Would I be wishing I had an actual road bike when on road and an actual mountain bike on single track? I would love it if a single bike could fit all my needs but I don't want to sacrifice too much performance. Should I just wait, save up, and buy separate bikes specifically designed for road / mtb?

Yes.