One bike for everything?

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Originally Posted by indysteel

Yeah but that weight savings comes at a price. Even the AL version of the Warbird is a far bit more expensive than the Crosscheck, Vaya or Casseroll. Plus, it's AL. I wonder how it rides in comparison.

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Bwahaha! Surly states on their blog that they're thinking of pouring molten lead into their frames because so many people say they're "heavy". LOL.

I have an LHT. I love it. It's not that heavy. If you're not competing in the pelotons of racing glory, you should be just fine.

Surly's are the most versatile, capable bikes with possibilities for modification, that I've ever come across. The Cross-Check can fit really big 700x45c tires. Such a cushy darned ride! The LHT has big clearances too! I've ridden long distance on my LHT, it's not impossible. I don't think the Salsa's are as modifiable or customizable to suit the rider's tastes. Which now that I've owned a Surly, I don't know if I can get enough of!!! :D

I also like that Surly powdercoats their bikes, which isn't pretty but is extremely durable.

My brain keeps nagging, get a Rivendell, but where would I park that fancy of a bike. Nowhere. I don't live in a high-crime city, but damn I'd need 16frickenlocks to lock up that thing. And a car alarm. And a doberman. I already lock my bikes like a crazy-person anyway. #bikethievessuck

Best of Luck in your search! *get a cross-check* Tee-hee!

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Originally Posted by moderncyclista

Bwahaha! Surly states on their blog that they're thinking of pouring molten lead into their frames because so many people say they're "heavy". LOL.

I have an LHT. I love it. It's not that heavy. If you're not competing in the pelotons of racing glory, you should be just fine.

Surly's are the most versatile, capable bikes with possibilities for modification, that I've ever come across. The Cross-Check can fit really big 700x45c tires. Such a cushy darned ride! The LHT has big clearances too! I've ridden long distance on my LHT, it's not impossible. I don't think the Salsa's are as modifiable or customizable to suit the rider's tastes. Which now that I've owned a Surly, I don't know if I can get enough of!!! :D

I also like that Surly powdercoats their bikes, which isn't pretty but is extremely durable.

My brain keeps nagging, get a Rivendell, but where would I park that fancy of a bike. Nowhere. I don't live in a high-crime city, but damn I'd need 16frickenlocks to lock up that thing. And a car alarm. And a doberman. I already lock my bikes like a crazy-person anyway. #bikethievessuck

Best of Luck in your search! *get a cross-check* Tee-hee!

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My tiny little LHT (42cm) is piggy on weight. Nearly 30lbs. It's built with fairly lightweight stuff: XT drivetrain, 23h Bontrager Mustang wheels, and lightweight Delta/Blackburn racks. But it's still a cadillac ride. I've done a few 60 mile day rides with it.

My pseudo-Crosscheck (Motobecane Fantom CXX) is a bit heavy, but a frisky ride compared the the LHT.

Surly bikes are pretty awesome for the pricepoint. My SO has an LHT and a Crosscheck.

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Originally Posted by eofelis

My tiny little LHT (42cm) is piggy on weight. Nearly 30lbs. It's built with fairly lightweight stuff: XT drivetrain, 23h Bontrager Mustang wheels, and lightweight Delta/Blackburn racks. But it's still a cadillac ride. I've done a few 60 mile day rides with it.

My pseudo-Crosscheck (Motobecane Fantom CXX) is a bit heavy, but a frisky ride compared the the LHT.

Surly bikes are pretty awesome for the pricepoint. My SO has an LHT and a Crosscheck.

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What would you use the LHT for that you wouldn't use the Gunnar?

(Man, that was a awkward sentence, must be tired. . . )

As the super content owner of a Salsa Vaya I will throw it out there that Salsa does make the Vaya in titanium if you can budget that. I simply LOVE my Vaya. Most comfortable bike ever and even though it's not a light weight it still has a lot of pep. I didn't try to build mine up light. It's more utility than anything but I find it's still my favorite bike of any I have owned. If I could change anything about it I would have bought the frame in titanium but the price wasnt an option at the time. Maybe in the future :-)

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Originally Posted by WindingRoad

As the super content owner of a Salsa Vaya I will throw it out there that Salsa does make the Vaya in titanium if you can budget that. I simply LOVE my Vaya. Most comfortable bike ever and even though it's not a light weight it still has a lot of pep. I didn't try to build mine up light. It's more utility than anything but I find it's still my favorite bike of any I have owned. If I could change anything about it I would have bought the frame in titanium but the price wasnt an option at the time. Maybe in the future :-)

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Doesn't titanium fatigue (ie. stretch and become spongy on a microscopic level - affecting power and pedal stroke to energy convergence) like aluminum over time? Steel always seems like a better choice, to me anyways.

I've still mulled over an Atlantis despite the risky propositions of chaining it up...anywhere. LOL. But, budget and possibility wise, my money is still on the Cross-Check. (If you're not into the LHT that is.) ;D

There's nothing stretchy about my titanium bike.

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Originally Posted by Crankin

There's nothing stretchy about my titanium bike.

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Frame fatigue is supposed to take years. I'm not a metallurgist, so it's just something I've heard about in bike shops and read about online. New bikes probably wouldn't feel stretchy, and in the time it takes for the metal to fatigue - I'm sure most people assume they're getting slower because of age, not power transfer. *shrugs*

It would seem that it does not: http://www.ibiscycles.com/support/te...ium_advantage/

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As long as these loads are kept below a certain level, titanium and steel both have thresholds below which they will never fail.

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Originally Posted by Blueberry

It would seem that it does not: http://www.ibiscycles.com/support/te...ium_advantage/

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"Fatigue is a stochastic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stochastic) process, often showing considerable scatter even in controlled environments.
The greater the applied stress, the shorter the life.

Fatigue life scatter tends to increase for longer fatigue lives.

Damage is cumulative. Materials do not recover when rested.

Fatigue life is influenced by a variety of factors, such as temperature (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temperature), surface finish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface_finish),

presence of oxidizing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxidizing) or inert (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inert) chemicals, residual stresses, contact (fretting (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fretting)), etc.

Some materials (e.g., some steel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel) and titanium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium) alloys) exhibit a *theoretical* fatigue limit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatigue_limit) below which continued loading does not lead to failure.

In recent years, researchers (see for example the work of Bathias, Murakami, and Stanzl-Tschegg) have found that *failures occur below the theoretical fatigue limit* at very high fatigue lives (109 to 1010 cycles). An ultrasonic resonance technique is used in these experiments with frequencies around 10-20 kHz."

I guess it "is" possible, even below expected limits. That's why I've seen even steel frames crack. Meh. Carry on. :)

Again, I vote Cross-Check! A single-speed complete version comes out sometime the end of this month! Single-Check!

Titanium may be fatiguable (is that a word?) but no one I know has ever had an issue with that. So while it might be within the realm of possibility, I'm betting my steel frame and all my friends' titanium frames will out last any carbon or aluminum bikes..... so that isn't something a normal sized person should be worrying about. We use titanium for its strength and lightness in airplanes... And THEY get a workout.

oh and I use one bike for everything too. It's a custom steel framed road bike (Davidson) I have a whole bunch of stuff on it, but i use it for shopping, going to the library AND big rides (well, nothing really long recently)

Hi-
I was wondering how you compared your specialized Ruby and your Gunnar sport? I am seriously thinking of switching my Ruby frame for a Gunnar steel.
ANy input appreciated.

Steel fatigues over time as well. My old touring bike, which I had for 23 years, eventually started to feel too whippy for comfort. And I've seen steel frames break - usually track frames, while some large and muscular sprinter is starting off the line for a kilo. There is no perfect material that lasts forever.
As to a do-everything bike, I vote for cyclocross bikes as well. My husband loves his Ridley Crossbow, and he has no intention of riding 'cross, ever. It gets ridden with touring tires to do the bulk of his riding. The carbon road bike comes out only occasionally. I bought a steel touring bike 2 years ago, but now I'm thinking that it's a waste for someone who doesn't tour, much heavier and more sluggish than his Crossbow. I'm thinking of selling it to buy something like the Ridley, perhaps a Kona Major Jake.

If I were looking for the 1 bike, I would be looking hard at a Surly Straggler. It has different dropouts, that make fenders easier (they can be a pain on the rear of a regular cross check when a flat happens).

I have 2 cross bikes, and have never ridden (and never intend to ride) cross.

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

... may I ask which level(s) your back issue is at?

My PT has suggested that if I ever get back on a bike at all, I'll need to ditch the road bike. I've got issues at multiple levels, but the one that really gets nailed on the road bike is L3-4. I'm still skeptical that anything shy of a unicycle would let me ride in perfectly neutral spine regardless of terrain ... but I'd like to hear your experience.

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I severely injured my back years ago (L5 and L4) badly enough that I ultimately had to have a spinal fusion. Although I still have numbness in my left side and occasional severe sciatica, I can ride road and MTB bikes without any problem. But this requires that I do two things - walk a few miles every day (apparently that builds a good balance of back and stomach muscles) and I have to adopt a different position on the saddle (my sit bones don't bear my weight, it mostly is supported by the pelvis, which is rotated). Hope you can find a way to ride again too.