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

[TelemarkK]

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.

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.

[TrekDianna]

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.

[fallstoclimb]

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.

[azfiddle]

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.

[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.

[Owlie]

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.

[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.

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.

[pll]

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.

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.

[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.