Hi everyone! I made my first post a couple months ago asking for Recommendations for a Everyday/Touring Bike, and I got a lot of really good feedback. Since then, I've done a lot more research and know a bit more about what I would want to get out of my bike. I am hoping to do a supported tour across the US at some point in the next few summers, so would need a bike capable of doing 60+ miles a day for a few months. Like I mentioned in my previous post, I also like to do a lot of trail riding, so the bike also has to be capable of handling gravel/dirt roads. Lastly, I am planning on joining a cycling club in September so I would like to have a bike that will allow me to keep up on short/long road rides.

I know that this is a lot to ask from one bike, but with all this in mind, I have narrowed down my bike choices to the Jamis Aurora 2015, Specialized Tricross 2014, Specialized Tricross Sport Disc 2014, or the Specialized Diverged A1 2015. Ideally, I would like to keep the price less than $1,200. If you have any suggestions as to which one I should pick, or know of any other models that would suit my needs, please let me know! Thanks!

Generic: You dont have to ride the Bike exactly like it comes out of the Box,
in fact a decent Bike shop will make a lot of component parts changes at Point Of sale , before you take It Home.

If You are going on a Tour on your Bicycle, by (fuzzy logic) definition its a Touring Bike.
Supported (Vs Self Supported) the requirements are even looser , they carry your stuff

LBS here sells a different brand , Specialized seller is in another town.. why not test ride the bikes in person?

Modest Pace of 10 Mph for 6 hours gets you 60 miles down the road ..

Trek's 'Cross Rip's and New 720 is aluminum 520 is steel Disc model Made this Year ..

i reckon if u think more on your gear than the bike your half way there.
go as light as u possibly can 2 rear panniers to hold everything and you can basically choose any bike you like.

I don't know anything about specialized bikes, I've heard they are good, but If your willing to look at Surly they have a few that might fit your bill. For touring mostly roads and some easy gravel or back roads you could look at the Long Haul Trucker. If you were planning touring mostly back county and rougher roads then the Ogre or ECR would be better. However for day riding a mix of roads they have the CrossCheck.

Check out their website and see what you think.

This is just an opinion of course which is what you asked for, personally of the 3 I would get the Jamis because of it's steel frame being more durable and comfortable on longer rides vs aluminium.

However having said that, for about the same price I would probably lean toward the Kona Sutra because it can handle wider tires than the Jamis, better Deore hubs, better shifters instead of Microshift, and better derailleurs instead of Tiagra and the bottom of the line Sora found on the Jamis. the Kona does cost about $200 more than the Jamis but you get about $600 (if priced separately) better components that will last longer with less problems which would be necessary on a long tour, plus the wider 35 tires instead of 32's on the Jamis will be more suited for gravel and dirt roads or paths. If you can find a 2014 Sutra the price on that would be an instant grab for me.

Well... according to your profile, you already have a trek 820. Doesn't this cover the trail riding part a lot better than a bike you are expecting ride trails, tour and to keep up on club rides? If you can keep two bikes, the 820 and a new bike that is just for supported touring and club rides would mean a lot less compromise.

I suppose I will probably just end up doing this. In this case, what would you recommend for the purely supported touring/club bike?

There are lots of Tiagra and some 105 bikes in your range. My pick would be something like the very well rated Cannondale CAAD8 series. The Tiagra model is around your budget, but I like the 105 5 which may be in your budget on sale. Especially since you are just starting out, and you want to do long rides, a higher stem is probably in order.

This is just one suggestion for a bike that will carry you on long day rides at a quick pace, including your supported tour. You really have to do some research, some soul searching as to what you really want to do, and see what bike speaks to you.

Hi Ms. katiemac, I hope you wont mind the intrusion or other disrespect, please ignore me at will, but is there any chance in the next few years that there will be many/any male riders in your company? On a regular basis? If so, I suggest you opt for a light weight bike like the sporty Diverge A1. You'll be glad if your bike accelerates faster when you're sprinting for the line. Haha, Jokes aside, I think it is far better to buy what you want to ride today and leave concerns about something 3 years away in perspective.

Whatever you do. Make sure there's a good amount of red in the paint scheme because everyone knows red bikes are fastest.

Hi Katie,

Glad to hear you're still coming to B-F for advice! Road cycling (whether it be endurance, club cycling, or touring) is a ton of fun and a great way to meet other people/cyclists.

If you're going to be on supported tours and club rides, I think the Diverge will be your best bet. Deux North's Hunters took the Diverge on both long distance road rides and off-road/gravel riding. They can run up to 35c tires which are wide enough for dirt roads, and they have endurance road geometry - meaning it's more nimble and less squared-off than a touring bike (like the Surly LHT).

If you're planning on doing an unsupported tours. I might recommend the Jamis, or maybe something like the CrossCheck, Salsa Vaya, or All-City Spacehorse. My girlfriend has one, and she loves it, but it's definitely oriented towards touring and commuting. All-City also makes the Mr. Pink, a very highly regarded Gravel/Rando bike.

Best of luck picking a bike!

-Red

Thanks Red!

I think I am leaning more towards the Diverge at this point, but I would like to keep the possibility open for unsupported tours in the future. It doesn't look like the Diverge has fork braze-ons, but would I still be able to comfortably tour with it if I had a trailer? On the flip side, would the Aurora be good for club riding?

Yeah, the Diverge is limited in that capacity though it does support a rear rack (It looks like even the A1 has eyelets for a rear rack). I think if you're planning on doing a little more with the same bike in the future, and you aren't going to enact the N+1 rule and get an totally separate bike for each task (touring, road/gravel rides, etc.), you may want to look into options like the CrossCheck, Vaya, Spacehorse, and Mr. Pink.

The Aurora could be a club rider, but really the bike is oriented toward touring. Jamis goes as far as keeping spare spokes on the frame. It also comes standard with a triple crankset. The bike has more squared geometry with relaxed seat tube angles, and compared to some of the more straight-up road bikes you're considering, the bar-end shifters may seem not as ergonomic/convenient.

Unfortunately the CrossCheck & Vaya are a bit out of my price range at the moment, and I can't seems to find a LBS that sells All-City bikes. What about the possibility of using the Tricross as a club bike? I know the geometry isn't exactly right, but would I be able to use it as a club bike if I put some new tires on it?

You can ride a clunky mountain bike wearing sneakers. I have ridden my Surly LHT with front and rear racks on a club ride. It all depends on the type of club ride and how strong you are.

Like indyfabz said, "It all depends." Clubs are different; some are fast and furious, while others are more relaxed. Some of the larger clubs accommodate both type of riders. It all depends on your ability and aspirations. I ride my cyclocross bike, a Bianchi Volpe, on our club rides without any problems. However, we are more at the relaxed end of the scale. I do have a very light road bike, but it is less fun to ride in the hilly country we have around here. Out of the 3 types of bikes I have, touring, CX, and road; the Bianchi is the one I ride the most.

Bikes like the Tricross and my Bianchi are really generalists. They can do everything from loaded touring to club rides. However, while they can do most things very well, they barely excel in any one thing. Unlike road bikes and dedicated touring bikes, which excel specifically in areas they were designed for, but are not very suitable for riding outside of that range.

I think the Tricross is probably a good all around bike, but you might take a look at the Volpe. Regardless of the bike you choose, get a triple. The triple crank will not slow you down on club rides, and will be nice in the future if you decide to tour.