What am I even looking for?!?

[ACiveE]

A while ago I got into road biking--my significant other is big into cycling and ONLY road cycling. It seemed completely theraputic for my chronically bad back. Unlike most physical activities that had me in pain almost instantly, I was pain free even after 70-100 miles. Naturally, I purchased a road bike--a beautiful carbon fiber Cannondale Synapse with Ultegra/Dura Ace. I now ride every couple of days and almost every weekend(and alllll weekend). I have met many great people and learned of lots of great trails, paths, and rides. I however am unable to participate in some of this because I have a road bike. No dirt, gravel, chipped rocks with my little tires. So I'm looking at add a bike but I have NO idea what I am even looking for.

I'm naturally leary of people trying to sell me things so I want to have my ducks in order before I go into the store to even chat. I am even open to buying used, online, whatever. So here are my desires: I want to be able to ride on bluechip/gravel/etc. I do NOT need to be able to race through the woods jumping off of cliffs/rocks/whatever else some of those mountain-bikers do. I am looking for something relatively light--I have a really bad back. I'm in my early 20's and I've now had two back surgeries, likely more to come--and I live multiple flights up stairs in an apartment complex and have to carry my bike up and down each time I ride. I like the positioning/fit on my current road bike... I'd say I have a relaxed road position... but not upright at all. I want something that looks sleek and sexy. I know--vain. haha...


So what should I be looking for?... I don't really have a budget per se, as I just want something that will get me out on the trails but not leaving me with tinges of regret down the line(ie I wish I would have upgraded to this or that... or why did I waste my money on this).

Insight? Please..... What *kind* of bike should I look for? Brands, models?

[KnottedYet]

Cyclocross bikes might be what you are looking for.

There are lots of brands, frame materials, etc. I have two cyclocross bikes: a Waterford X-12 made in USA, and a Surly Cross Check made in Taiwan. Both my bikes are steel. I like steel, ymmv.

Cyclocross bikes are kind of like spry sturdy road bikes. They are built to have clearance for juicy tires and the bottom bracket is higher so you can get over oogly-bits in your way.

Here are a couple pretty things to look at:
Surly Cross Check: http://surlybikes.com/bikes/cross_check_complete/
Salsa Fargo - wild and crazy! http://www.salsacycles.com/fargoComp09.html
Waterford: http://waterfordbikes.com/now/models.php?Model=671
Gunnar: http://gunnarbikes.com/site/bikes/cross-hairs/
Jamis Aurora: http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebik...rora_spec.html
Redline Conquest: http://www.redlinebicycles.com/bikes.../2010-conquest

[ACiveE]

Salsa Fargo - wild and crazy! http://www.salsacycles.com/fargoComp09.html

ooooh... fun!

Thanks! I will look into these links. So will most cyclocross bikes be trail-ready? or will I have to switch out the wheelsets?

[Zen]

Cyclocross bikes might be what you are looking for.

Or a touring bike.

[KnottedYet]

ooooh... fun!

Thanks! I will look into these links. So will most cyclocross bikes be trail-ready? or will I have to switch out the wheelsets?

They are meant for the trails etc, so the wheels are already what you want.
You may choose slicker or knobbier tires depending on what you intend to ride on, which is what I did. I switched my knobbies for Vittoria Randonneurs on my Surly cuz I don't really need knobbies when mostly I ride on asphalt and only a little packed dirt.

[KnottedYet]

Or a touring bike.

Touring bikes are way sexy, too. They tend to be a lot more stable (less squirrelly) than cyclocross. You can load the heck out of them and still sail along.

If you can get to a shop that sells Surly, compare a Surly Long Haul Trucker (touring) with a Surly Cross Check (cyclocross). Give each a good ride and take them over some gravel, grass, and dirt. Same brand, same frame materials; so the comparison might more clear than if you mixed brands and frame materials.

Besides, it's another excuse to ride more bikes!

Surly Long Haul Trucker: http://surlybikes.com/bikes/long_haul_trucker_complete/

[WindingRoad]

A very cool bike I like is the Giant Seek. It's technically a commuter bike but has a big fat slick tire on it. Rides like the wind and pretty light weight.

Initially I thought trail bike for you because of your back; that's a mountain bike with dual suspension. The drawback is they tend to be pretty heavy because of the extra 'stuff' but because they ride so smooth I thought that might be good for not jolting your back around on rough off road courses. I know they make carbon one's too that are a lot light but they are a bit pricey, however it sounds like you have a pretty kickin' road bike so maybe you should go try one out?

I love that road bike you have, I rode it at the LBS here and it was like butta'. It's quick feeling but very forgiving to the body, great design by Cannondale on that one.

[ACiveE]

Touring bikes are way sexy, too. They tend to be a lot more stable (less squirrelly) than cyclocross. You can load the heck out of them and still sail along.

If you can get to a shop that sells Surly, compare a Surly Long Haul Trucker (touring) with a Surly Cross Check (cyclocross). Give each a good ride and take them over some gravel, grass, and dirt. Same brand, same frame materials; so the comparison might more clear than if you mixed brands and frame materials.

Besides, it's another excuse to ride more bikes!

Surly Long Haul Trucker: http://surlybikes.com/bikes/long_haul_trucker_complete/

Can you explain what you mean by squirrelly?

[KnottedYet]

More or less responsive.

If having a bike respond to your every command (intentional or not) feels wrong, you might say it feels twitchy or squirrelly.

My best example is with kayaks. I love the longish (17 foot) touring kayaks. I can't stand the chubby short puttering kayaks because they feel sluggish. Racing kayaks (long and very narrow) scare the ever lovin' cr@p out of me because they respond to every dang move I make and I seriously feel like I am gonna flip 'em over. Too squirrelly for me, but someone who loves racing kayaks is going to feel like my favorite touring kayak is sluggish and not responsive enough. It took a lot of kayak rentals for me to figure out what I liked best.

Ride lots of bikes, the more the better, and on lots of surfaces. You'll notice which bikes feel like they were made for you and which feel like you're engaged in a wrestling match.

Tire size makes a big difference, too, so also make notes of which tires you like on which surfaces during your test rides. I have no problem riding 23-25s on fresh gravel, but prefer 32s. So if I found a bike that felt marvelous in every way but wasn't quite up to snuff on gravel, I'd ask the shop to change out the tires before I gave up on the bike.

[lauraelmore1033]

You can definitely ride trails with a cyclocross bike, but as I recently discovered doing the "Stinky Spoke" ride, certain areas of steep, (somewhat, but not too technical) single track, or thick gravel will give you trouble. If you don't mind hopping off the bike and hoofin' it through those spots, you can certainly still have a lot of fun with your MB buds. I did, however, scour craig's list afterwards for an "entry level" MB, and am finding that having the proper bike for the conditions is MUCH more satisfying.

[ACiveE]

You can definitely ride trails with a cyclocross bike, but as I recently discovered doing the "Stinky Spoke" ride, certain areas of steep, (somewhat, but not too technical) single track, or thick gravel will give you trouble. If you don't mind hopping off the bike and hoofin' it through those spots, you can certainly still have a lot of fun with your MB buds. I did, however, scour craig's list afterwards for an "entry level" MB, and am finding that having the proper bike for the conditions is MUCH more satisfying.

I've attached a generic photo from the internet... would a cyclocross be able to handle this? This is what a lot of the trails around me look like. I have been browsing craigslist but it seems like you need to be *very* savy... not quite where I am yet!

[lauraelmore1033]

Definitely looks do-able, I'd say.

[moderncyclista]

I'd go cyclo-cross bike. It would be lighter on average than a mountain bike. Which is one of your concerns right? With back probs. and flights of stairs to climb. Lots of manufacturers make them - one thing - if you are short, most cyclocross bikes don't come in a small enough size. I think Surly's CrossCheck is the exception. If you are not, you don't have to worry.

Trek makes the XO-1 and XO-2 www.trekbikes.com, Specialized makes the TriCross www.specializedbikes.com, Jamis makes some fine bikes - Nova Race, Nova Pro, and SuperNova www.jamisbikes.com, and the other suggestions are great too!

Do your research. That is the best advice I can give you. Go to your Local Bike Shop (LBS for short on the boards) and ask questions. Do not go to a dept. store - steer clear of cheap. Quality does matter in bicycles. Or, if your budget is big go custom. You have lots of options. Happy bike-shopping to you.

[KnottedYet]

I ride my Surly Cross Check on trails just like that and little dirt and gravel roads. She likes 'em!
http://surlybikes.com/bikes/cross_check_complete/ Anything more exciting than stroll-able trails, I wouldn't ride any bike on. Cuz I'm just not that coordinated...

If I did things like that more, I'd keep knobby tires on; but mostly I ride on asphalt so I use smooth tires.

[ACiveE]

Hmmm... so I went to a LBS this evening. I told them my desires and asked them about cyclocross bikes. They balked at the idea stating that it would be an incredibly rough ride and that it didn't seem to be what I need. They suggested a Gary Fisher dual sport. Ideas??? Is that a ridiculous suggestion? They said riding a cyclocross would be like slapping slightly larger tires on my road bike. On packed dirt, a decently comfortable ride but on larger chipped rock, it would be bumpy and jarring.

Following this suggestion I inquired about why I would go with a "dual sport" instead of just a mountain bike then... they didn't really answer that for me.