The age old question....should my next bike be a cross or touring bike?

Currently I have a Specialized Dolce (48 cm I think?) for my road rides and a Trek FX 7.2 for my 11-mile roundtrip commute and short around-town rides. I hate the hybrid, and am going to reward myself for paying off my student loans 6 years early by selling it and buying a new bike!

Things I don't like about the hybrid that I hope the new bike will solve:
1) Aluminum fork KILLED my hands doing the C&O this year, despite getting trekking bars -- so I'll def go either steel or carbon fork
2) The damn v-brakes on my hybrid are difficult to adjust properly and always get knocked against the rim and start rubbing.
3) I feel like a dork sitting so upright, and when I wear my laptop backpack the straps pull on my shoulders from being so upright. Also the upright angle gives me difficulty in the netherregion on longer rides.
4) I just generally feel like I can't harness any power on my hybrid and its really slow to ride. Not that I need to race my commute but it would be nice to be on a more fun bike. The geometry doesn't let me do a proper standing climb or duck under the wind.


So I'm trying to decide between getting a touring or cross bike. The new bike will be primarily for my commute and riding around town, like I mentioned, but the husband and I are hoping to do more bike touring in the future as well, and I won't be able to get another bike for that. Minimal trails/offroad riding, no interest in actual cross racing.

What I see as the pros/cons of each type of bike (may not be accurate!):

Cross bike -- faster and more fun, better for around town and my bike commute, but limited loading capabilities and possibly unsteady under a load?

Touring bike -- slower and steadier which I may find frustrating, but obviously more suited for the touring we hope to do. Husband claims touring bikes can be unsteady when *not* loaded, although I'm having a hard time believing that.

I'm not sure how much the load *really* matters -- we did a few nights camping on the C&O just fine with rear panniers on both of our bikes (husband has a steel cyclocross from bikes direct) and my husband pulling a trailer. I don't actually think we'd need many more things for a long tour, we'd just have to wash clothes and repurchase food along the way.

I will also have to choose between steel and aluminum/carbon I guess - do touring bikes come as aluminum/carbon?

I've tried to do some research on this, but I started reading things about "heel clearance" and "high bottom brackets" and my head started spinning (what is the point of a low vs high center of gravity?). I'm concerned I will make the mistake of getting the better "all around" bike and will then be frustrated with it not being good at anything -- this is basically what happened with my hybrid, after all.

I'm open to specific bike suggestions - I've heard good things about the Surley cross check, but I wonder how I will feel about a steel bike as I've never ridden one.

How about a light tourer? It will have the proper braze ons for adding racks, fenders, bags, whatever you want for those times when you're touring, but make great bikes for cruising around town. The Soma Saga and Bianchi Volpe come to mind.
Good luck.

All of these bikes look nice. I'm not even sure how to evaluate them! I haven't started actually shopping yet, but my fear is that no bike shop will carry touring bikes in a petite lady size.

Where do you Live? Go to The Surly Website and look for dealers. Don't be afraid of a steel bike :) For me, it was the answer to road fatigue. If your head can't get wrapped around a touring bike than look at the cross check and the straggler. Both come in smaller sizes. BIG NOTE - if you were in my shop I would be putting you on a bigger bike than any racing style bike. Go read about the bike on our website. Happy Shopping

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Originally Posted by fallstoclimb

All of these bikes look nice. I'm not even sure how to evaluate them! I haven't started actually shopping yet, but my fear is that no bike shop will carry touring bikes in a petite lady size.

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Originally Posted by Sky King

BIG NOTE - if you were in my shop I would be putting you on a bigger bike than any racing style bike. Go read about the bike on our website. Happy Shopping

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SkyKing-

I'm curious about this....for the Straggler and the Cross Check. I find that I ride a 52 cm road frame, but a 50 cm cross check/straggler (since the BB is higher, I have to size down to get the same effective top tube). Have you not found this to be true?

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Originally Posted by Muirenn

I've been curious about this, too. The size 50 CC is equivalent to my road bike, a Pinarello race set-up. But it sounds like I'd need a larger Surly? How would I even figure this out? I hate being too stretched out. I assume it's stack and head tube height, and a touring bike should be more upright?

OP, I didn't mean to get so far off your question about Surly's. I love Surly's. It's just I know of quite a few petite TE'ers on Salsa VAyas. The smallest Vaya's have 26" wheels and very high head tubes. Makes standover less of a problem, and possibly mitigate toe-overlap, while still having a very high front end, allowing the rider to sit up a little.

The reason a high bottom bracket is problematic in a petit bike is that it implies higher standover. It's generally at least 1 cm higher than a comparable road bike. I know some women on this forum have a 25-27 inch inseam, or thereabouts, and struggle to find a bike that is small enough in the top tube and has low enough standover. The Vaya has excellent low standover, while still a high enough front end (head tube) to be upright and comfortable.

To me, the Surly Cross Check is more a classic diamond frame (higher standover, lower front end). The regular Surly Straggler is too, but they are coming out with a sloping TT Straggler soon. (See website). Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the standovers are any lower on that model (sloping), which doesn't make sense. The main difference is that it has 650B wheels, to the Straggler's larger 700c. Which implies a difference in handling. (Note, these are suppositions on my part, people like Sky King would know more).

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Cross bikes do have a more classic geometry because you need to run with your bike on your shoulder... here's a video that shows the techniques (handy also for carrying your bike up stairs to an apartment): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBAbZzFeT34
I also think cross bikes have a slightly longer wheelbase for stability and a bottom bracket that is a little bit higher than a road bike (for clearance over obstacles).

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Originally Posted by fallstoclimb

All of these bikes look nice. I'm not even sure how to evaluate them! I haven't started actually shopping yet, but my fear is that no bike shop will carry touring bikes in a petite lady size.

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Do you have a Giant dealer nearby? They have a women's CX bike - the Invite 2 and it comes in XS (14.5), S (16.5), M (18). I recently tested it at a LBS and it's among my top 3 choices for my next commuter bike... may be worth a look if you have a nearby dealer. FWIW, I'm about 5'5" and was testing a size M and it was comfortable... but they didn't have a S for comparison.

Typed and disappeared... I have a Salsa Vaya 3 and I love it. It's steel. I commute on it every day. It's definitely not slow. It's also set up for touring.

The Salsa does look nice! I've never even heard of that brand. I have a lot to look into now. I'm not sure what my inseam is, I'm not quite 5'3". Toe crossover is one issue that I never had on my road bike, which has normal-size tires -- my feet are tiny which I think helps here!

So I'll have to do a tour of the area shops (I'm in MD) and see what they have in stock that's anywhere close to my size, since there are so many factors to consider here! My husband ordered his cross off bikesdirect and had no issues making it work for him, but us petite ladies are always going to have challenges I guess! Luckily we do have a ton of shops around us.

I am "petite" (5'1") and recently acquired a Surly LHT 42 cm. My road bike is 44cm (Specialized Ruby) and I had to change out the bars and seatpost to improve the fit, and I still feel like it doesn't fit quite as well as Ruby. Maybe there is a little more tweaking I can do but haven't had time to get with the fitter again. I have used it for one overnight camping trip and for a few grocery store runs. I haven't ridden a cross bike, so I can't speak to that, but I think it would be okay on some light dirt roads.
It feels stable with the load once I am riding- even if it is awkwardly heavy before I get moving. It's definitely a much heavier bike to start with but it's not that noticeable while riding.
Hope that helps.

Think this has been covered, yes Cross bike is more aggressive geometry. What was interesting to us on Surly - The DH's city bike is the Surly cross check in a 58cm and fits great but he would actually go to a 56cm if he bought the Surly Straggler - again geometry.
Touring Bikes - IMO - you don't want them to small, I'd much rather go to the longer tt and then change the stem if need be. For me, riding loaded, I like the balance a longer bike gives me. I hate feeling like I am perched over the bike, I like to be settled in the bike and become "one with the bike" I can ride a 52 or a 54 Surly LHT/DISC Trucker but like the 54 if I am using it loaded. When I was bike packing on the 54 I did put a shorter stem as I was a little to stretched out on the one that came with.
Salsa is a nice brand of aluminum - both Salsa and Surly are divisions of QBP. We don't have Salsa only because they wanted us to carry their entire line of bikes - yikes, We are touring specific so didn't work my business model. (sorry for the digress)

Lots of shops in Maryland, Looks like Joe's Bike shop carries both brands.

Hm.
My CX bike really isn't a CX bike, at least, it's not a racing-oriented CX bike. It's more like an off-road road bike and light touring, though I haven't seen how it performs under load (it doesn't have a rack on it yet). It's steel, so it is a bit heavy compared to the road bike. Of course, standover really isn't an issue for me, and finding a CX bike with a low standover might be difficult. I'd look into something like the Vaya.


If I remember correctly, unloaded touring bikes will ride like a tank, but you trade that for stability when it's actually loaded down.

I think your choice is going to come down to size availability first and load carrying capacity second. If you're not going to do fully loaded (as in camping/cooking/multi-day treks), you have a few more options.

I want to do long-distance, self-supported touring. I got a Velo-Orange Campeur this spring in a 51, which was the smallest size they carried at the time. They are now in testing with a 650 wheel and plan to have 47 and 49 sizes: http://velo-orange.blogspot.com/2014...ampeur-26.html. It might be fun for you to go see them as they're in Annapolis.

The Campeur is a bit heavy for daily commuting the way I have it built up with their front and rear Campeur racks and Copenhagen kickstand, but at the same time I have the flexibility to grocery shop on the way home or take off for a weekend overnight. I think it handles great whether loaded or not. I call it my Cadillac ride, as I barely feel our potholes with the steel frame and 37mm Continental City a Ride tires. I ventured out much earlier this spring than I would have on the urban hybrid with skinnier tires and aluminum frame.

The other bikes I seriously looked at were the Salsa Vaya, Soma Saga, and All-City Space Horse. I just happened to get a stellar deal on a pre-built Campeur that I couldn't resist.

You might find that a Surly LHT will be a good fit...I am about your height and ride a 46 cm but I do have longish arms and legs so YMMV. 26" wheels so no toe overlap problems, especially important for a bike that ought to have fenders put on. The Salsa Vaya sounds like it has a lot of the same advantages and might have more standover clearance if this is an issue. Somebody mentioned the Bianchi Volpe which is another nice bike that comes in sizes down to 46 cm...700c wheels but I didn't notice major toe overlap when I test rode one. Enjoy the search!

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Originally Posted by mzone

I think your choice is going to come down to size availability first and load carrying capacity second. If you're not going to do fully loaded (as in camping/cooking/multi-day treks), you have a few more options.

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We do want to do long self-supported tours, but I'm actually thinking they won't require many more things than just a couple nights on the C&O did. We'd have to wash clothes, obviously, and maybe carry more food if we are between towns and can't access food, but the bulkiest items were our sleeping bags, sleeping pads and our tent, which you need no longer how far you go for. Am I being naive in assuming this?

For the C&O my husband pulled a trailer and had a small food bag on his back rack, and I had two loaded panniers on my hybrid, and we were fine - so I'm thinking load isn't a HUGE issue but please tell me if I am wrong! I assume that a light touring or cross bike would handle a load basically the same as my hybrid?

You will probably be just fine splitting the load between the two of you with the two panniers, and the trailer is a bonus. For me as a solo traveller, a tent, stove, food, clothes, sleeping bag and pad, rain gear, etc. takes me up to four panniers.

Check the specs on the racks you plan to use. Many have weight ratings. Check out the Adventure Bike Touring Society site and also the blogs on crazyguyonabike.com for gear reviews and route ideas.

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Originally Posted by Sky King

Think this has been covered, yes Cross bike is more aggressive geometry. What was interesting to us on Surly - The DH's city bike is the Surly cross check in a 58cm and fits great but he would actually go to a 56cm if he bought the Surly Straggler - again geometry.
Touring Bikes - IMO - you don't want them to small, I'd much rather go to the longer tt and then change the stem if need be. For me, riding loaded, I like the balance a longer bike gives me. I hate feeling like I am perched over the bike, I like to be settled in the bike and become "one with the bike" I can ride a 52 or a 54 Surly LHT/DISC Trucker but like the 54 if I am using it loaded. When I was bike packing on the 54 I did put a shorter stem as I was a little to stretched out on the one that came with.
Salsa is a nice brand of aluminum - both Salsa and Surly are divisions of QBP. We don't have Salsa only because they wanted us to carry their entire line of bikes - yikes, We are touring specific so didn't work my business model. (sorry for the digress)

Lots of shops in Maryland, Looks like Joe's Bike shop carries both brands.

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A cross bike may have a more aggressive geometry relative to a touring one (I am not sure about this) but the geometry is more relaxed relative to a road bike. Head tubes are typically taller for a more upright ride.

I'll second (third? fourth?) the Salsa Vaya. I own a Salsa Colossal, but when I was test riding bikes, I tried out the Vaya. It's very sturdy without being slow. Lots of fun to ride. I am 5'-5" and fit on a 52cm, so I imagine you would fit just fine on a 50 or 52cm.

I have a follow up question: Do we think its appropriate to buy a steel bike when it will be spending some time in the rain? I commute to work and have to lock up to an uncovered rack (security guards don't let me bring my bike inside). I'm not too worried about security because I've been parking my hybrid there for a year with no issues, and there's cameras and security guards around (fed building), but I am a little worried about my fancy new bike getting rained on. I probably won't bike in when its absolutely pouring but at the very least it will be exposed to mid-day drizzle. Does that change anything here? I mean I imagine touring bikes are built to get rained on right?

Treat it with Frame Saver prior to building, touch up scratches with paint or nail polish, and it should be fine. I don't worry too much about riding either my steel MTB or steel road bike in the damp and drizzly. Pouring rain requires some more post-ride care, but that's true for any frame material IMO.

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Originally Posted by Msquared2

I'll second (third? fourth?) the Salsa Vaya. I own a Salsa Colossal, but when I was test riding bikes, I tried out the Vaya. It's very sturdy without being slow. Lots of fun to ride. I am 5'-5" and fit on a 52cm, so I imagine you would fit just fine on a 50 or 52cm.

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Hey, I think I know who you are...and we're on another forum together (RunningAHEAD.com). Howdy! :D