Next step up bike?

[annie]

I do some long trips and have thought about touring bike to help carry the load better. I also, however, sometimes ride on fire roads and such and worry if those are sturdy enough for that. I do *not* mountain bike as I have a terrible fear of falling though. I'm leery of another hybrid, but I don't know how road bikes handle if they are not on smooth pavement. Most of my riding will be on the road, I just like having my options open.

Normal road bikes can handle rough roads but it's hard on them and you can flat much easier. Probably not a good idea. Touring bikes can take more abuse because they are built sturdier and with wider tires to support loaded touring. I wouldn't WANT to do gravel roads on one, but it could be ok for short distances. A cyclocross bike might actually be the best choice for you, but make sure, if you want to carry a load, that the bike is set up for that. I don't know much about cyclocross bikes - do they have braze-ons for racks? Can you ride it loaded and keep it stable? You'll have to ask about ANY bike as to whether it is compatible with disc brakes. I don't know if any bikes, other than mtbs, come ready to ride with disc brakes. I do know that my road bike brakes, with a loaded BOB trailer in back, have sufficient braking power to stop on steep downhills. You might want to talk to other riders in your area and see if they think disc brakes are necessary.
Good luck and keep us posted on what you find out/decide!

annie

[roughingit]

The two that I am looking at now (Jamis aurora and bianchi volpe) are listed as both cross and touring bikes. I think I might have narrowed it to those two, but I'm still going to keep looking for other options as well. Both of them have space for larger tires should I need them and I noticed the Bianchi already has wider tires than the road bikes (though not so wide as a mountain bike). Haven't seen the Jamis in person yet, though it looks good on paper. Both bikes have braze-ons for front and rear racks and plenty of room for fenders. They also have index shifting which seemed a little more comfy to me.

I know a mountain bike *might* be modifiable to what I want, but after the amount that I would have to spend getting everything changed out, I doubt I would save that much. Better to get what I need in the first place to me.

I think I'll take a ride to Albany today or tomorrow and see what thier bike shops are like. I'm disapointed that I couldn't try more bikes out. Or maybe I'll take a ride to Salem this weekend if this nice weather holds up... Hmmm...

Forgot to add: I have seen *one* road bike with disc brakes, but no rack mounts and *one* touring bike made by Giant with them...but quite out of my price range. I am comforted by hearing that your brakes can handle a downhill stop with trailer though. I'm quite nervous about brakes because mine are not very good at all.

[CorsairMac]

you might also ask your LBS guys about the disc brakes while you're out looking..........both my MTB and my commuter bike come with built-in bolt holes for the disc brakes, in case I ever want to upgrade. I'm guessing most of the other brands are doing the same thing.

[Surlygirl]

I have a Surly Cross-check. Not the lightest bike in the world but it suits. I can put 28 tires on it and have room for a fender and run it on dirt roads or I can use 23's on it and use it on the road. You can also put a rack on it. I've done fire trails and lots of road riding. Its steel so its heavy but its also a nice ride.
The frame sells for around 400 and built up I think I've seen them for around 800. Some bike shops carry them. I ordered mine on-line at aebike but you should try one before you buy.

[Trek420]

I've been following this because your "next step up" bike could be my "step down bike" or winter trainer. I love talking about cycling when I commute but sometimes I just wanna veg on the train. The fancy lookin' road bike everyone wants to talk to me about it, they ignore my mountain bike when I ride that but if I ride that I'm late to work.

Yeah, I know, leave early and or get stronger.

So I'm looking for plain looking, flat bars (what is this that non-cyclists have about drops?) fast enough to get me to work on time. May have to bring my checkbook to Veloswap in October.

Surly sounds good or the Trek.....

[roughingit]

The problem with disc brakes mentioned by every lbs person I talked to (visited four of the shops here, the fifth really just caters to mountain bikes) is that they make it difficult to mount on a rack. You can buy specialized racks or have them built, but that's a bit spendy for my taste.

I'm also finding that many touring cyclists on other forums seem to dislike disc brake because they are harder to repair on the fly. They say the same about the index shifter, but the bar end ones seemed kinda scary to me.

No one around hear had the Surly's in stock. One of them looked up the price of the Long Haul Trucker for me, but it would have been waaaay over the thousand mark I'll have to ask about the Cross-Check though. I do like the steel frames so I have been leaning towards them in my search.

I looked at the Trek's, but they were also too spendy and I have read that they do not handle as well when they aren't under a load. Not sure which Trek it was that was so squirrely when I rode it, but I know it was more than I wanted to spend.

Off to look at Surlys!

[RoadRaven]

Sounds like you are really thinking hard about the best choice, Rough

Keep thinking about what you want to do with riding

Mountain bikes and 'comfort' hybrids are quite a lot heavier than road bikes... hence the "squirrely" feeling when you tried one. But if you want to ride on sealed roads, at speed, and get up hills at a good speed, then a road bike is what you want.

I have a mountain bike and a road-racing bike... I find it really difficult to adjust to my heavier, more unweildy Black Thunder.

Where you will ride, and how you wnat to ride will help you make this decision.

[annie]

I'm also finding that many touring cyclists on other forums seem to dislike disc brake because they are harder to repair on the fly. They say the same about the index shifter, but the bar end ones seemed kinda scary to me.

At first use, the bar end shifters seem a bit difficult to use, but you get used to them very quickly! They are very easy to use and eventually, you just shift automatically, without even thinking about it. So I wouldn't let those scare you away from any bike.

I agree, the Trek touring bike does handle better under load. But most touring bikes do.

The Surly bikes sound awesome. If I were in the market for one, I think that's what I'd be looking into.

Good luck!

annie

[roughingit]

Thanks guys! I think now I just get to wait until everybody has the ones I like in stock and visit bike shops in other towns to test ride some more. They all seem like good bikes. The Surly has a *lot* of good reviews standing behind it, but I guess ultimately it just comes down to fit now that I've narrowed the playing field. I think I might even drop twenty-five bones to get fitted since I don't know what the correct position *should* feel like.