Possible New Roadie, but Stuck in the Mud..!

[Biking Bella]

Hello ladies!

I have recently moved and want to take up cycling again, but I'm very stuck about what bike type I should look into. Case-in-point, I will probably bike on mostly road/paved surfaces, but there might be times where I want to ride the Great Allegheny Passage (look it up! its pretty awesome) which is a more light gravel path.

So therein lies the question of which bike type to look into an research...road bike? hybrid? mountain with hybrid tires?

Help! I just don't know where to get started....
Thanks in advance!

[Biciclista]

what kind of biking did you do before? how long a ride do you envision doing?

[zoom-zoom]

Cyclocross bike? I think that's what I would do in your position. My next bike will be a 'cross frame. We live in an area with probably 1/3 unpaved 2-tracks and I'd like to try a few races, too.

[TsPoet]

I suspect cyclecross is a great idea.
But, what I did back in the dark ages - a MT bike with 2 wheelsets, 1 for road and 1 for off-road.

[m.eliza]

+1 for a cyclocross bike

[ny biker]

but there might be times where I want to ride the Great Allegheny Passage (look it up! its pretty awesome) which is a more light gravel path.

How likely is "might" and how often would those times be? Do you live near enough to ride it frequently?

[warneral]

what a neat trail. looks like fun!!!

[indysteel]

I just bought a Jamis Aurora--a touring bike--for a trail similar to the GAP. My other bike is a road bike; I'm not sure I'd want to use the Aurora as my primary bike. It's almost 10 pounds heavier.

[Biking Bella]

Ladies,

Thanks SO MUCH for taking the time to try and help me in this infancy stages of my education. Let me see if I can answer all of your questions. If I miss anything or think of more questions/suggestions, let me know!

I used to bike everyday after high school on my mountain bike....wanted to see how fast I could lap the town before I collapsed. haha. I would say that at the time I would easy push out 5-6 miles.

I would venture to say that the cyclocross bikes would be a good option (or the road frame with different tires/wheels) seeing as though I would probably be on a paved surface for at least 75% of my biking career. The GAP is about 25 mins up the mountain, but its not convenient on week nights.

I hope this helps, and thanks in advance!

[JennK13]

My cross bike is pictured below (the Fuji), and I love it and use it for those kinds of trips. It came stock with 700x32 tires which weren't bad for riding on the street (I wore them out and have since switched to 700x34 for racing cross). I do have a second, lighter wheelset with a wider range cassette as the cross bike doesn't have as wide of a range of gears for climbing as I'd like on the road (I'm in Colorado). Dh and I rode the Mickelson Trail in South Dakota earlier this year, and it was perfect for that. I highly suggest a cross bike - mine has done everything I've needed it to without having to get another bike; I have done well in triathlons and am a group ride leader on road rides by simply switching out my wheelset to the slick tires.

[Biking Bella]

Jenn, thanks for the peek at yours. Looks great!

I was able to go to one of the local cycling shops that features mainly Specialized and Trek. They had a couple cross bikes there. One had flat bars and the other had drop bars. I was able to take them both for a spin.

The Trek (FX 7.2, I think?) was roughly $700 and was an easy ride, but it just felt like the shifting components were cheap. (No offense to those of you out there with this bike, I'm just comparing the two.) It reminded me a lot of my mountain biking days back in high school, so at least I was familiar with the geometry of the bike.

The other was a Specialized Tricross...$1200. It was a lot smoother to shift through, but it took me a few moments to get used to the steering as I have never done a drop bar before. I was down in sloped position more than I was on the flat bar. Seemed like a daunting bike, but it was more of a challenge and I enjoy challenges.

Afterwards, the friend that I met up with brought his two bikes for the GAP trial. We are the same height so it worked out nicely (I just have longer legs than he does, hahah!). Did about 12 miles that day! =D Had to push through the last 2, but it was a lot of fun. I road his mountain bike, he was on his C'dale road bike. One thing I noticed about riding though is that my hands were going numb often, so I had to switch up my hand positioning a lot. Thoughts about this?

[chicagogal]

Jenn, thanks for the peek at yours. Looks great!

I was able to go to one of the local cycling shops that features mainly Specialized and Trek. They had a couple cross bikes there. One had flat bars and the other had drop bars. I was able to take them both for a spin.

The Trek (FX 7.2, I think?) was roughly $700 and was an easy ride, but it just felt like the shifting components were cheap. (No offense to those of you out there with this bike, I'm just comparing the two.) It reminded me a lot of my mountain biking days back in high school, so at least I was familiar with the geometry of the bike.

The other was a Specialized Tricross...$1200. It was a lot smoother to shift through, but it took me a few moments to get used to the steering as I have never done a drop bar before. I was down in sloped position more than I was on the flat bar. Seemed like a daunting bike, but it was more of a challenge and I enjoy challenges.

Afterwards, the friend that I met up with brought his two bikes for the GAP trial. We are the same height so it worked out nicely (I just have longer legs than he does, hahah!). Did about 12 miles that day! =D Had to push through the last 2, but it was a lot of fun. I road his mountain bike, he was on his C'dale road bike. One thing I noticed about riding though is that my hands were going numb often, so I had to switch up my hand positioning a lot. Thoughts about this?

Hands go numb when you put too much pressure/weight on them. Your hands should be super light on your bars (like playing a piano). Likewise, you should be able to take a hand (or both hands) off the bars without losing stability, because you should be supporting yourself with your core, not your hands. This is partly a function of bike fit, and partly a function of one's own fitness.

[Biking Bella]

Hands go numb when you put too much pressure/weight on them. Your hands should be super light on your bars (like playing a piano). Likewise, you should be able to take a hand (or both hands) off the bars without losing stability, because you should be supporting yourself with your core, not your hands. This is partly a function of bike fit, and partly a function of one's own fitness.

Thanks Chica! For the sake of education, if I would find myself in that same situation in the future, aside from exercising my core muscles more, what would i have to do with the bike's geometry to help alleviate that pressure?

[chicagogal]

Thanks Chica! For the sake of education, if I would find myself in that same situation in the future, aside from exercising my core muscles more, what would i have to do with the bike's geometry to help alleviate that pressure?

raising the headset so that you are more upright usually helps (but then you are less aerodynamic). Also, if the seat is tilted downwards you will likely find yourself pushing yourself back up with your hands (and legs).

Also, it is often just a comfort level thing. Once you are more confident/comfortable on the bike, you will grip the bars less tightly. Try to consciously tell yourself to loosed your grip (this will actually help a lot with handling too).

[Biking Bella]

Thanks again for the help and insight. I can see how making those adjustments could make a difference in my positioning on the bike. I'll have to keep that in the back of my head for next time, but hopefully that won't happen on my bike!

So I've been doing a lot of research on the hybrid/cyclocross bikes and I've narrowed it down to under a dozen. What do you ladies think about any of these initially? (Trying to keep under $1k, but not have tricycle-like components, hah!)


Jamis Allergo 2
Trex 7.3 FX
Giant Rapid 3
Specialized Sirrus Elite
Cannondale Quick 3
Giant TCX 2
Specialized Tricross

[Biking Bella]

Just in case anyone is keeping track here (:)), I'm going to ride a Schwinn Searcher Expert tomorrow. The component parts seem to be of better quality than some of the A-line brands we've been naming on here. I'll let everyone know how it goes!

[Roadtrip]

The Trek (FX 7.2, I think?) was roughly $700 and was an easy ride, but it just felt like the shifting components were cheap.

...

The other was a Specialized Tricross...$1200. It was a lot smoother to shift



I don't know that you can truly compare a $700 bike with a $1200 bike. That extra $500 is going to buy you a few upgrades :D

If you like the geometry and feel of the FX, you may try and find a 7.5 or even a FX 7.7 to take for a spin.

Good luck with your search!!
Shannon

[Biking Bella]

Got the Schwinn today! :) Can't beat a bike that is about 40% off with the added bonus of $50 off coupon and $40 instore credit. :) Thanks everyone for the help! First ride you ask? Well, I do need a 1/2 gallon of skim milk for my cappuccinos... ;)

Let the "now that you have a bike" advise begin...! :D

[cmafit]

I'm reading this thread with great interest. I've been looking at the Cannondale Synapses (know I didn't spell that right = but saw that someone on this page has it) and also have a friend that wants to sell me her Fuji Cyclecross that's not right for her (which the same person also has a Fuji CX). If I read the post right, the Fuji CX would work as a road bike by just switching out the wheelset for road? My concern would be hills as I'm not a good climber and would prefer a triple ring if possible :) Looking forward to hearing from you all. Your knowledge is amazing!