Bike categories?

[Kalidurga]

Actually, I would take cyclocross out of the mountain category- and I would highly recommend a 'cross bike for someone who rides a variety of terrain. After realizing that my hybrid was holding me back on pavement, I traded it in for a 'cross and immediately extended my ride length (on both dirt and paved roads) by almost 10 miles. The one issue I'm dealing with is that having only two chainrings up front makes uphills harder, but that just means I need to increase my leg strength. With a little customization, a 'cross bike can be an excellent all-round bike. It's definitely a category that deserves attention.

For more detail:

The Case for 'Cross

Wikipedia: Cyclocross bicycles

(Sorry if this sounds like a testimonial. I'm just so infatuated with my new baby!)

[bcipam]

I included cross bikes in the mountain category cuase I didn't want people to think they are like comfort/hybrid bikes. Far from it. Cross bikes are designed for a very specific purpose - generally for serious rides on paved road and trail. I see alot of cross bikes doing the fireroads up in the mountain. Gearing is generally alittle lower end (ie more granny than racing) than road or hybrid bikes and geometry is quite different from hybrid bikes ( it is more agressive like a road bike). But if someone rides rail trails or old roads, a cross bike is perfect!

[mimitabby]

Actually, I would take cyclocross out of the mountain category- and I would highly recommend a 'cross bike for someone who rides a variety of terrain. After realizing that my hybrid was holding me back on pavement, I traded it in for a 'cross and immediately extended my ride length (on both dirt and paved roads) by almost 10 miles. The one issue I'm dealing with is that having only two chainrings up front makes uphills harder, but that just means I need to increase my leg strength. With a little customization, a 'cross bike can be an excellent all-round bike. It's definitely a category that deserves attention.

For more detail:

The Case for 'Cross

Wikipedia: Cyclocross bicycles

(Sorry if this sounds like a testimonial. I'm just so infatuated with my new baby!)

No, this is great, tell me more. I have never heard of these. Do they all have roadbike handlebars too?
What kind of bike (brand, make, model) do you have?

[madisongrrl]

www.madcross.org

[Quillfred]

Mimitabby

This is my winter-commute bike from a local company. Pic doesn/t show but the fork is wider and sturdier than many road forks. When I bought Fred, he had knobby tires on which I switched out. I will bring him to a ride. He's a 2004. I will get Disc brakes one of these days.

http://www.redlinebicycles.com/adult...quest-pro.html

Quillfred

[Triskeliongirl]

I would not group sport bikes with hybrids. A sport bike is just a road bke that is somewhere between a racing bike and a touring bike. A serious cyclist can ride a sport bike if they want something more comfortable than a racing bike but not as relaxed a geometry as a touring bike. I think recently manufacturers have done away with these desgnations, and refer to perfromance when they divvy up road bikes.

[SadieKate]

Cross bikes are more usually lumped in with road bikes because the frame, wheels, bars, levers, etc., are the same. Think of cyclocross as riding a road bike with knobby tires on a steeplechase course. If you're shopping for parts, you look in the road categories.

They can be set up with a flat bar but some races may prohibit flat bars and require drop. My pink bike in my avatar on bikejournal is a cross bike with flat bars. Bill's has a cross bike with road tires that he uses for road riding. They're wonderfully versatile bikes.

[TsPoet]

Don't forget recumbent. And remember recumbent also has a whole bunch of categories.

[Kalidurga]

What kind of bike (brand, make, model) do you have?

This is the cyclocross bike I have: Specialized TriCross. I got the Sport version so that I could afford all the extra gear and customization that I knew I was going to end up shelling out $$ for. It came with fairly smooth 700x32 tires, but I'm thinking of picking up some that are a bit knobbier so I can switch back and forth depending on where I plan to ride. I'm also considering getting a rack that I can throw on and off to run errands close to home.

I could probably go farther and faster on the road with a true road bike, and I could certainly do gnarlier stuff off-road with a mountain bike, but I love the feeling that I can be spontaneous and go almost anywhere on my TriCross. It's definitely in MomOnBike's category 1.