another new rider

[momtohanna]

HI everyone,

What a refreshing place to find!! I've recently started riding again. I'm on a cheap dept store bike and still loving it. My first goal is a 35 mile ride in late Sept and my eye set on Bike Across Kansas (BAK) in 2011.

I would like a better bike but I'm not sure what to be looking at. I live in Kansas and there is a lot of gravel/dirt roads ~ including the road I live on which is 1/2 mile to a paved road. I want to do longer rides on the road but also need to be able to get over the gravel to get there ~ any suggestions?

great to find you guys!!

[Little Lyon]

I am torn on types of bikes. When I had a hybrid (Specialized make) it was great on various surfaces. But I could only go 3-5 miles on it. When I got my Giant Avail road bike, I could go up to 20 miles, but sand and road cracks nearly took me out. I think if you have some bad road and some good road, I'd say a hybrid with clips is good.

[HillSlugger]

Something like a cyclocross bike might do the trick

[momtohanna]

I have heard of these bikes, and tried to look for them online ~ is it a brand name or a type of bike for a certain type of event? Having trouble finding them.

Jackie

[HillSlugger]

I have heard of these bikes, and tried to look for them online ~ is it a brand name or a type of bike for a certain type of event? Having trouble finding them.

Jackie

It's a type of bike used for racing/riding on multiple types of surfaces. For example, look at the Specialized Tricross or the Kona Jake

[Deborajen]

Welcome, momtohanna! I don't have gravel roads to contend with since I live in town, but I ride a mountain bike a lot of the time because the bigger, thicker tires aren't as sensitive to surface as the road bike tires. Personally, I just like the mountain bike - it handles better, I like the position, etc. But we have a bike rack and can carry the road bikes to a starting point if we want.

I haven't done BAK but from what I've heard, I wouldn't go with a heavier bike like a mountain bike for that. If you're planning on doing some longer rides, tours, etc., you might want to check into a touring bike and car transport options. There are lots of older threads you can search, or feel free to ask again as you're thinking it through!

Deb

[wannaduacentury]

HI everyone,

What a refreshing place to find!! I've recently started riding again. I'm on a cheap dept store bike and still loving it. My first goal is a 35 mile ride in late Sept and my eye set on Bike Across Kansas (BAK) in 2011.

I would like a better bike but I'm not sure what to be looking at. I live in Kansas and there is a lot of gravel/dirt roads ~ including the road I live on which is 1/2 mile to a paved road. I want to do longer rides on the road but also need to be able to get over the gravel to get there ~ any suggestions?

great to find you guys!!

I ride my mtn bike from dirt to pavement often(dirt rd near me I use as a cut thru). It's pretty good although not the same rolling resistence on pavement like the roadie, but it works on those rides. I have a road bike that I srickly use on pavement as well. Welcome and Have fun. Jenn

[uk elephant]

My recommendation from my limited experience would be a cyclocross bike. I got the Specialized Tricross for the same reason you are asking. I needed a bike to do long distance road riding (from commuting to ALC) that could also handle the dirt trail down to uni. The tricross works great. Sturdy bike that can take tyres with a little extra tread for the dirt trials, but sleek enough for long distances on road. And it had braze ons for attaching rack and fenders for commuting. Not sure how many thousands of miles I've put on this bike by now, but it did get me through ALC twice, down the dirt trail to uni daily when I worked there, and regular commutes on rough roads up big hills here.