Doug G

It's fairly confusing anymore about the different types of bikes....

I'm thinking a combo of commuting 8 miles in town, weekend bike trail/road rides ~30 miles, and occasional moderate singletrack, on a single bike. Right now have a Raleigh C40 that works pretty good, but is kind of heavy at 35 lbs.

So the question is, what kind of bike, and what should I look for in a bike? I like the idea of the cyclocross bikes, but they are generally expensive. Some kind of lighter hybrid maybe?

EricDJ

A cyclosross bike looks just like a road bike, will be a little more durable. The frame is slightly different to be able to accept a wider tire such as a 700x32 or 35 size for when its not on a paved surface. In no way feel like this makes it suitable for things a mountain bike is capable of when not on a paved surface.

A Hybrid/fitness definition bike varies by maker. Generally it is a step between a mountain bike, with a 700c road wheel. May (hybrids more) or not (fitness) have a suspension fork, I prefer not. Most have mtb components except the road brakes for the 700 size wheel. Treks new 7.7fx uses Ultegra road components, maybe someone else but I haven't seen any. They can or may not use disc brakes, its a preference thing.

Its all a preference to you. Whether you like a road style bar or a mtb style bar. Heres my bike.

hillyman

Are you sure the C40 weighs 35lb ? I would just shave some weight off what you have.
Dump the spring saddle, switch to a regular seatpost, maybe change stems and see if you can put on a rigid fork, buy 2 sets of tires (slick and knobbies). Most hybids (or cross bikes) are going to weigh around 30lbs anyway so why buy a new bike?

EricDJ

Looking at your specs if you have a new model, hillyman is right. Ditch that seatpost, ditch the suspension forks. A different stem to change the bar angle. Want more speed, ditch the tires and get some 28, 32 or 35 sized.

If you look at say a Jamis Coda Elite which is their high end, it's 25.5 as discussed lately. My bike without the disc brakes the current way is under 19 pounds. It Ti so its light, but to go offroad, i'd need bigger tires like mentioned above. 25 pounds is a decent weight to handle abuse.

Keep in mind a manufacturer weighs a smaller bike usually. My bike was listed as about 18 1/2 pounds. Add pedals and a computer and the fact that I have the largest frame, it's 22 pounds on my home scale with me holding it tried multiple times.

cooker

I'd encourage you to get two bikes. I have two road bikes and a mountain bike, and lots of people on these forums have several bikes. I wouldn't enjoy riding one of my road bike regularily on trails, except maybe really hard packed, fairly level ones like converted railway right-of-ways...they're just not suited to anything twisty, rocky or steep..they're too tall to be as maneuverable in a tight spot as a mtn bike, the gears aren't designed for a hard climb, and and I'd be worried about getting a flat or mangling the rim all the time.

In contrast, my mountain bike is ok for commuting but a little slower, especially with knobbies, compared to the road bike. I can use it in a pinch to get to work, but I'd hate to have to switch back and forth between slicks and knobbies too often. I suppose in theory you could have two complete pairs of wheels, but by then why not just get a second bike? BTW, all three of mine were bought second hand for $200 or less, so cost doesn't have to be a limiting factor.

I suppose if I could just have one bike I'd probably get a mtn bike with slicks, but it would need a rear rack for commuting, so that might rule out suspension.

R

chipcom 

After giving away my road bike to the kid and my hybrid to a coworker, I only have one bike, and it is a touring bike (Fuji World). For me, so-called light touring bikes are a great choice if you want one bike for multiple purposes. Decent chainstay length and wheelbase, good gearing, room and mounts for fenders, racks and wider tires. Jamis Aurora and Bianchi Volpe are good choices too, IMHO.

Doug G

Yep, that's right, 35 lbs., weighed it myself. It's a couple of years old, so would see about a trade-in... the guy in the bike shop suggested just getting a different bike rather than switching parts, as much of the weight is in the frame.

I thought to just go with a roadie, but better would be something more durable and able to take on easy singletrack...

hillyman

Well ya, of course he said that, he wants to sell you a new bike. The C40 aluminum frame isn't going to add that much weight, thats why its aluminum. I would agree if you had to pay someone to switch these parts it would cost more than its worth, but its not that hard to do it yourself.
Hard to have one bike great for road and trail though.

EricDJ

What bike did he suggest for you? What is your budget?

MichaelW

I'm another rider using a light touring bike for all-purpose riding, on and off road. You have to be more responsive than an MTBer and you can't to stunts or jumps but for Just Riding Along trails, even steep technical ones, a touring bike will do.
The difference in strength between bikes is not huge. If we exclude expensive, ultra-light race bike, then any std road bike is strong enough for riding off road. They lack the tyre clearance and low gears to cope with mud or rougher surfaces.
CX bikes are about the same weight as road bike (often the same tubing) but with more tyre clearance and sometimes a higher bottom bracket for added ground clearance.
Touring bikes have beefier frames for carrying loads but are not excessively heavy. My steel tourer is lighter than most production Al hybrid bikes. The tyre clearance is similar to CX.
Hybrid bikes are generally heavier because they are lower grade bikes, using cheaper tubes and components and they have a whole lot of extra "features" such as suspension forks and seatposts , plus excessively wide tyres. Some of the sportier ones (like Specialized Sirrus) are nice and light.

gurana

I'd also advise to consider multiple bikes for such a wide variety of wants. It may be possible to get a bike that would do all those things, but you'll never find a bike that can do all of them well. I think this makes sense to a certain degree, because features that make it excel in one aspect, will detract from its value in another aspect.

I believe the truism is 'jack of all trades, yet master of none'. I tried very hard to find a bike I could use for all of these purposes as well, and my eyes went crossed. Eventually I came to the realization that I would need multiple bikes, then I bought the style of bike I wanted more. Eventually I'll get a bike suitable for singletracking, but for now I'm very happy with my roadie.

dan828

I bought an '05 Fuji Cross Comp a couple of months ago with the idea of commuting/weekend trail road/rides like you are saying, and it's worked out great for me. The LBS was getting rid of the '05 stock in order to be ready for the new '06 models so I picked it up for $800, which I didn't think was too bad. I weighs in a just over 21 lbs and it's a CX so it's nice and sturdy with good clearance.

cooker

I'm actually a pretty tame off-road rider, but even so, my '84 Trek 520 tourer wouldn't do well on any irregular single track. Even with a triple chain ring the lowest gear is still way too high for even a mildly twisty technical section, and the fattest tires I could fit wouldn't take me up a gentle but mucky slope the way 2" knobbies could.

R

Doug G

Hah! Even more confusing.... two bikes vs. one do-it-all. Or even an option of switching parts on the existing bike.

I really think a light no-suspension hybrid or cyclocross bike would do it. Basically the same thing I guess but with drops vs. flat bars. One problem is little garage space for two bikes.

chipcom 

I can understand that. I haven't done anything off-road since I moved back to Ohio from NM. The vast majority of my riding is road and packed path, though I don't shy away from most logging or bridle trails, heck, I grew up riding them on all kinds of bikes. My Fuji's gearing is a bit better than what comes stock on a 520. 26f-32r on the low end. I never understood why Trek puts the road style gearing on their one and only touring bike.

supcom

Well, you can get one bike that's mediocre at everything, or two bikes that do the same things well.

If you are adamant with using a single bike, consider a high end hybrid like the Trek 7700FX. This bike is (or at least was) built on what appears to be the same frame as Trek's XO-1 cyclocross bike. The big difference being flat bars vs drop bars and cantilever brakes vs V-brakes. Both bikes will take wide tires necessary for offroad riding. A typical road bike won't do that and will be very poor on singletrack. Of course, you can put narrow tires on the hybrid (I did) and get much of the performance of a road bike.

Or, you can start over and do it right. I would put skinny tires on the C40 so it rides as well as possible on the road and spend my money first on a good MTB. You will be able to ride trails and road. Then, I would then save money toward buying a nice road bike. Trade in, or sell, the C40 when you buy the road bike. Or, keep the C40 (I hate to part with a good friend) and enjoy all three mistresses.

I would not do any major upgrades to the C40. By the time you're done, the money would buy a new bike.

rideabike

Ditto for me on the fuji cross comp. I've ridden it on the road and over some unpaved paths that I would never have ridden a road bike on.

Since it's a cyclocross bike, it takes wider tires. I really like the ride.

I just couldn't get used to the way I sat on a hybrid.