[Closed] Help Me: What TYPE of road bike should I buy: CX? Tourer? Or carbon road god?

Honky Inc for now and maybe upgrade the frame to a Ti disc one later if you get more into it (to save a bit of weight, although the Honky Inc isn't actually that bad weight-wise)

If you are going to be using panniers etc then you can basically forget the whole lightweight/carbon thing (unless you're going to end up with two bikes). Those bikes you listed would all be good, as would a Kinesis Pro 6.

Gearing - look for a triple. You'll get lots of disparaging comments about manning up but ignore them. You could also fit a MTB rear mech and MTB cassette to give you even lower gearing for those longer, end-of-day, loaded hill climbs.

Nice part of the country. I was up in Lairg late last year and did a ride out to Tongue and back.

http://www.blog.scotroutes.com/2012/09/by-klibreck-and-altnaharra.html

So you've put a bit of thought into this then? 😉

I bought a road bike a couple of years ago and decided I wanted to get something as fast and light as I could get for my £1k-ish.

I picked a Boardman team carbon and have never regretted it, the feeling of effortlessly flying along the country lanes is highly addictive.

I've recently got a s/h CX bike to use in the winter and it's a fair bit harder work and has a triple chainset which I have already come to HATE. It's still nice to ride but I wouldn't want it as my only bike.

So I'd say...

Should I just get a full carbon road god instead, continue using the MTB as my regular utility/transport/commuter bike

If you're carrying any decent amount of baggage, look for a steel frame with conventional 32 or even 36-spoke wheels. The issues I've had with touring bikes haven't been weight-related, but bust spokes and detached rivnuts can cost you a lot of time.

If you ride hills regularly you'll be fine on conventional road gearing or compact.

Most experienced cycle tourers don't seem to hurry at all, they just get up early and keep plodding. If your friends turn out to be a bit keen you can always ply them with extra whiskey in the evenings to handicap them. 😈

Disc brakes are miles better than cantis but you really don't need them unless the bloke directly in front of you has them. 🙂

Pro 6 custom build or Boardman Team CX off the shelf.

I have the Boardman, and its great as both a winter road bike and cx race bike. I've not toured on it yet, but it feels stable enough to do so on.

They really are very good bike.

Compact?

Can I possibly hope to keep up with carbonned lycra'd roadies on a CX or tourer?

Fitness has a far far far greater impact on this than what bike you're kno, despite what marketing departments push.

[quote=cp ]Can I possibly hope to keep up with carbonned lycra'd roadies on a CX or tourer?
Fitness has a far far far greater impact on this than what bike you're kno, despite what marketing departments push.
He's ****ed then! 😆

I was in a similar position (ish - didn't have a trip like that coming up)

I kind of wanted a tourer, kind of wanted a cx bike, kind of wanted a road bike, but didn't really need any of them (had a did-it-all hardtail like you), and certainly didn't need one of each!

When I saw the Singular Peregrine, I thought "Here we go, it's a third each of all the bikes I don't quite want enough to buy." I loved the idea of a frame that could be lots of different bikes over the years with a change of tyres, bars, possibly wheels.

Rack and mudguard mounts, EBB for Alfine or singlespeed, clearance for 2.0" 29er knobblies. Build it with light road kit and it's still going to be a few pounds heavier than a carbon wunderbike, but a bit of pedalling will sort that out!

And you've got a lifetime of options - "spares and bits" don't attract as much attention in the garage as a whole bike, even if they cost the same!

Plus it looks nice.

Good work on the weight, too!

Yes, all three is the correct answer. 🙂

i recently bought a charge filter, my mate at the same time bought a cannondale caad8.
after 6 months of use, the conclusion we have come to is, i wish i had bought something a little racier, and my mate wishes he had bought something a little less racy.
i have disc brakes on mine, they work ok, but not sure id bother with them tbh, they dont actually work any better than rim brakes.
(tektro lyra, upgraded to shimano rotors immediately)
the ability to fit full mudguards is a bonus though imo.

Honky Inc

It is super cheap [url= http://www.evanscycles.com/products/kona/honky-inc-2012-road-bike-ec034487 ](£925) at Evans[/url] at the mo.

look for a triple. You'll get lots of disparaging comments about manning up but ignore them

Yeah I'm not worried about upsetting roadie etiquette or [url= http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/ ]The Rules[/url].

But actually it was my mate who said "Get a triple, riding a double nearly killed me on the hills"

Don't think it will be "full" panniers. It's only a 3 day trip and we're staying in B&Bs. My mates reckon on about 6-8kg of luggage to haul (mainly cycling gear, tools, spares, pub clothes, locks)

So you've put a bit of thought into this then?

I am a terrible shopper! Research everything to the Nth degree then up too conflicted to buy anything! I actually started this long search by looking at Alfine 11 stuff (like the Pompetamine Versa 11 - but think that it just [i]too[/i] heavy to keep up) 😀

Alfines don't give a low gearing range either!

i have disc brakes on mine, they work ok, but not sure id bother with them tbh, they dont actually work any better than rim brakes.
(tektro lyra, upgraded to shimano rotors immediately)

From the reviews I've read BB7s seem like the only ones to consider.

Don't think it will be "full" panniers. It's only a 3 day trip

So that'll be 3 complete changes of riding gear then. :Scotland:

Also, buying a bike specifically for one trip?

You can get a wider range cassette to use with a compact double chainset.

i would look at what your mates are riding.

your Credit card touring.

id be loooking at a giant defy if they still exist or what ever the equivalent is . a highly underrated bike - its not niche or bling it just works.

nearly all those bikes you have listed put you at a serious disadvantage to your mates already. and incase you dont know that corner of the world has some short(its all relitive..i class Cairn o mount as short) sharp steep climbs especially along the top of scotland and its generally rolling - very little "flat" so weight and rolling resistance will play a big factor.

i wouldnt bother with disks on a road bike either - again the weight penalty isnt worth it for very little gain - road bikes hardly go through their pads/rims as it is.

im in the same boat as the OP, how come no one has mentioned Ribble yet? They appear to be the best value in my naive opinion.

There are some great deals on the Salsa Vaya at the moment, but I don't think you really want a touring bike.

You could try and find a Salsa Casseroll, although I would change the cantilevers to mini-vs.

I've got a Salsa Pistola, which is steel but no longer made and doesn't take a rack, for road riding. And a charge filter for commuting, winter riding, light touring. It weighs a lot and I ditched the cantilevers. It has a compact double, but I have got it to work with a 12-32T cassette out back without having to change the rear mech.

i would look at what your mates are riding.

Mate in same position as me (needing to buy a bike) went for a Focus Cayo Evo 5.0 which seems very roady.

Existing roadie mate is on a Specialized Allez.

The issue for me is, if I go for a full on road bike I'm not sure I'll get a lot of chances to ride it outside of the trip, whereas a CX style bike could replace my MTB as my regular commuter so I'd get a few good miles in.

It makes sense to buy something you'll get more than one trip out of. How are your mates planning to carry any gear? A rucksack would be a nightmare!

road bikes hardly go through their pads/rims as it is

That's because there's barely any friction, especially in the wet 🙂

How are your mates planning to carry any gear? A rucksack would be a nightmare!

Pannier racks on P-clips.

Salsa Vaya

just built one. lovely bike but my god the front end is high. no spacers and -17° stem just to get the bars below the seat.

I wouldn't recommend anyone buys one with out a test ride.

A crosser would be a great all-purpose road bike/winter bike/tourer but for that kind of ride you are going to want a lightweight, fast bike not a relatively heavy crosser. The weather in Scotland in May is often blindingly sunny and warm, by the way.

If you're in the NW and you're about 6' you'd be welcome to borrow my Specialized Tricross disc and see how you get on with it; it is about 1 mph slower on average than my roadie but it's very comfortable over long distances.

There's also the Boardman CX. The Croix de Fer is a disappointingly heavy bike.

A triple is for riders who want to plod up hills while a double is for roadies who are keeping up a good average speed and want to attack hills IMO.

[quote=GrahamS ]> How are your mates planning to carry any gear? A rucksack would be a nightmare!
Pannier racks on P-clips.
Brave.

[quote=globalti ]A crosser would be a great all-purpose road bike/winter bike/tourer [i]but for that kind of ride you are going to want a lightweight, fast bike not a relatively heavy crosser.[/i]
And I'd disagree. But that's the nature of forums - we are all entitled to express an opinion.

Just to add to the confusion - Jamis Bosanova?

Steel, Discs, guards, Drops and 10speed STI, sub £1k. Spend the rest on either BB7s or lighter wheels?

To be fair it's not the lightest bike in the world.

Or a Pinnacle Akrose 2/3 - alloy framed disc crosser with guard and rack mounts.

Sorry, probably not helpful... 🙂

brave why ?

never had an issue with pclips even off road , ive been with other who have but generally its user error as oppose to any fault with the pclips them selves.

I wouldnt buy a bike that required them for a tour out of choice though - my circumstances have been using inappropriate bikes to tour to save buying ANOTHER bike.

Pannier racks on P-clips.

You should make it clear that you'll be enforcing a strictly no-borrowing policy in relation to your rack or your dry clothes...

You could always get in touch with this chap and ask him what bike he'd recommend. I'm sure he would have plenty of strong opinions on the subject of disc brakes, luggage capacity and suitable gear ratios.

[img] [/img]

Is the Scotland trip going to be self-supported and carrying all the gear or just a credit card trip? If the former, a roadie will be almost useless as you will need panniers and plenty of gears.

thorn audax should also be on your list.

For that sort of trip, I can't see you being at any disadvantage on a CX bike unless your pals are all raging racing roadies and want to do the whole thing on a 20mph average.

Your choice should be around what sort of CX bike though. Something like a do it all Planet-X Uncle John or a racier (CX racing that is) bike with shorter top tube, small head tube etc. I just sold my colnago world cup but it had mounts for racks, took discs or canti's and was a superb cx racing bike.

You sould like a mountain biker at heart and your local terrain sounds like it suits a CX bike for getting around faster etc.

I do a bit of everything, have a race carbon road bike, CX race bike, Pompino for commuting etc. If I was going on a tour with a few blokes i would be on the CX bike. If I were alone I would just singlespeed the Pompino with a low gear and enjoy it. But Unless I had a support vehicle to carry my stuff I wouldn't bother with the road race bike.

thorn audax should also be on your list

why ? heavy , old school and not very well made in my experiance of thorn bikes.

mine came free with a [s]rohloff hub though.[/s] cereal packet

something like this, with a caradice sqr tour bag.

http://www.raleigh.co.uk/ProductType/ProductRange/Product/Default.aspx?pc=1&pt=14&pg=8074

druidh - Member
GrahamS  » > How are your mates planning to carry any gear? A rucksack would be a nightmare!
Pannier racks on P-clips.
Brave.

If you're in the NW and you're about 6' you'd be welcome to borrow my Specialized Tricross disc and see how you get on with it

Ooh ta. Whereabouts are you? I'm North East (Wylam near Newcastle)

Is the Scotland trip going to be self-supported and carrying all the gear or just a credit card trip?

Credit card. B&Bs. Just carrying clothes, tools, spares and drinking trousers - no tents, sleeping bags or any gear like that.

(BUT I would like a bike which was capable of that kind of thing in the future because it appeals).

The weather in Scotland in May is often blindingly sunny and warm, by the way.

In Scotland? Are you quite sure? 😉

There's also the Boardman CX

Yeah that's on the list - looks like a good off-the-shelf option, only downside is the CX Team has BB5 instead of BB7s which I've read aren't quite as good. And it is a double chainset (SRAM).

You sound like a mountain biker at heart

At heart, but not so much in practise these days 😳
(kids, work, time, life etc) Hence my riding is mainly commute, utility, child transport and family pootles at the mo. And missus is pregnant so this is unlikely to change for a bit!

caradice sqr tour bag.

Yeah I actually commute with a Carradice SQR Slim. Good bags.

Kinesis TK2. Lovely bike. Light, quick, can take mudguards and rack and has clearance for larger tyres. Can operate fine as light tourer, fast commuter, winter bike or fast distance sportive type machine. A couple of my mates are serious roadies, riding out and out full carbon, Colnago £4k+ bikes. Both have the TK2 as winter bikes and when pressed both will admit that there's actually not as much difference as you might think between the Kinesis and their "best" bikes. It will do everything you want of it and then some. In fact, it's so good I'm probably going to buy one myself

Cotic X, my mate uses one on the road as his winter bike. They're lovely to look at, have disks and the new one has rack mounts.

Graham – I've done some rides and tours on road and cx bikes around that neck of the woods, with panniers/ trailers and unburdened. I also know the road and off road riding round the NE pretty well and from what you describe in the OP I know what I'd choose in your position, both for that/similar tours and using after and before (commuting down the tyne etc, quick spins locally, and 100 milers round N'land and the Pennines etc...).

Basically I wouldn't worry about getting the bike best suited for the tour you suggest – there aren't many really specific demands that roads up there make on kit. Most of them will be fun on any road or cross bike and for touring with friends you won't be that worried about the negligible difference in pace between racier setups and more relaxed options. Comfort might be an issue, but I've rarely noticed it much different on differing bikes over the same course. Personally, I'd be thinking longer term about general use, and for me I'd go for something versatile, good fitting, ideally alu framed, carbon forked, with a compact double chainset. I'd also like discs if using on proper off road.

What would I do in your position? I'd keep the merlin for proper mtb, and get a disc equipped cx bike (boardman or kinesis seem best value at around £1k and would top my shopping list) for everything else. If you have no intention of using it on proper off road ever, then get a bargain road bike from ribble, planet-x, canyon etc., or in the sales and you won't look back. You don;t need to spend £1k though to have fun though. Whatever you choose, the roads of Caithness, Sutherland and Ross are great, so enjoy!

Thanks bajsycke - [i]"commuting down the tyne etc, quick spins locally, and 100 milers round N'land and the Pennines etc.."[/i] is exactly what I have in mind so that's useful advice.

Boardman or Kinesis are looking like good contenders.

Any suggestions on bike shops round here with a suitable range of bikes to try? So far only Edi Bikes seems to have a reasonable range of CX bikes. Evans only had 3 when I went in.

Personally, I would get the lightest most raciest bike that has mounts for full mudguards and rack mounts. Anything with rack mounts is going to be pretty sturdy surely. Would probably be fine for your commute with slightly wider than race tyres, and fine for going a long way too. Oh and rack mounts gives you most flexibility for putting kiddy seats on it too (plus for doing loaded touring if you want to later).

I have a five year old Trek 1200 which is fine - okay on towpaths and things, can fit a rack and can fit wider than 23mm tyres but I don't know what the equivalent model is nowadays.

As for keeping up with them, I've ridden with a road biker who came on a summer chain gang with panniers and a rack, full mudguards, all his work gear in the panniers. Bugger completely dropped me on my somewhat racier and much lighter bike. If you're going to get dropped, you will anyway, they'll just have to wait for you and take it slow. Remember if you've got a whole day to do 70 miles, that's less than 6 hours of actual riding even if you go at a super slow 12mph. The good thing about tours is that you can start early, so you're not in any hurry. Best thing you can do to avoid being dropped is training, whatever bike you have.

That Boardman CX does look tasty.

Narrowly managed to resist the temptation to buy one myself, but the guy whose secondhand Kona I purchased instead HAD bought one - and he spoke very highly of it.

That Boardman CX does look tasty.

Yeah it does. Only bad points I can see is it comes with BB5 brakes not BB7 - and it has exposed downtube routing which I'm naturally averse to from mountain biking.

Not sure how it would score for comfort either - looks fairly racy.

bb5 brakes are ok. only thing they are missing is the outer pad adjuster. no difference in power

pads are also a different shape and harder to get hold of - i've not needed replacements (yet) though...

what about this? http://www.evanscycles.com/products/jamis/xenith-endura-comp-2012-road-bike-ec031744
takes 28mm tyres, guards and rack.

Nice. No disc brakes though.

IMHO i don't think discs are the correct direction

I think you want a light tourer or Audax bike. Good rim brakes are fine and possible have an advantage as the risk of over heating is less

Either a wide range cassete and or a triple

I've decided when i buy a new road bike I'll want something similar to what you want.

In theory and Audax bike will fit the bill

I tried a bit of googling and came up with this:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/tifosi-ck7-audax-veloce-2013/

but I'd need lower gears

or this

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bbd/road-track-bike/ribble-7005-audax-winter-training?part=BB12RIB7005AUDAXWINT&sub=conf_BBRW&bike=1

with the benefit that you can choose what you want

IMHO i don't think discs are the correct direction

Yeah, my reasoning there is that the local paths can be fairly wet and muddy so if I want something I can also use on them, possibly as my regular commuter, then discs might be good. And I'm happy to sacrifice a little weight for the potential benefit of stopping power when loaded or in traffic.

I can see others might not want that. Certainly looks "cleaner" without discs.

Either a wide range cassete and or a triple

The Boardman CX comes with 50/34t x 11-28t which seems like a nice wide range. Doesn't seem to be any option for a triple though 🙁
In fact most of the off-the-peg bikes seem to come with doubles.

Try a double out before you change it, you might be surprised. There will always be good deals on triple chainsets if you want to change later!

If this new (and your 2nd bike) is going to be used for a variety of road related pedalling, I'd personally lean towards a light tourer / audax / cross based bike. They typically have a longer wheel base and are a bit more comfy, as well as the necessary bosses for load lugging / mud guards.

This would offer more scope than a flat out Sunday best CF cafe racer and would likely get used on a much more regular basis.

I see Thorn have already been mentioned and if you were feeling flush, you wouldn't be disappointed with a Ti frame, such as an Enigma Etape.

Don't know the area at all but a compact c set and large range cassette should see you up just about everything.

You can always fit an MTB rear mech and an 11:34T cassette if you find you need lower gearing

About to demonstrate my ignorance of all things road:

Try a double out before you change it, you might be surprised. There will always be good deals on triple chainsets if you want to change later!

What is involved in moving from double to triple? Is it just a new crankset? Or new front mech as well?
Presumably road shifters can pull for two or three gears without needing changed?

And what does it do to compatibility?

Another vote for the fast tourer/audax bike option. That would be the most versatile solution for your Scottish trip and subsequent touring, commuting or general riding. I wouldn't buy a road racing bike for a touring trip. The weather in May could be sunny and warm, but it could just as easily be very wet and cold. You'll be glad of something with proper mudguards when your pals are getting cold water sprayed up their backsides all day.
Rim brakes will do the job fine, but discs would be my choice for this sort of bike, and are a good idea if you plan to use the bike regularly through the winter for commuting.
One advantage of a triple is that you could use a close ratio cassette to avoid big gearing steps, and still have a good range of gears, with something low in the bag for the occasional extra-steep hill.
The Croix de Fer is no lightweight, but would be fine for a 70 mile touring day. I have not tried the Boardman CX, but it looks a very good spec for the same sort of price, only the BB5s being a bit of a downgrade.

I'm looking at an All City Space Horse.

Ready built or frame only.

http://allcitycycles.com/bikes/space_horse

seems super flexable

I am a huge fan of my Salsa Vaya for exactly the uses you describe. With 25mm tyres on I can keep up fine on a "civilised" road club run.

I use SRAM Apex, which is compact up front and has a 32t cassette at the back. That's an OK range, although if I do 70+ miles with an overnight bag I start to wish I had a triple.

The Tifosi is available with a triple chainset, they do several models, Halfords do them as well.

50:34 - no need for a tripple

How ever id prefer a triple to a compact.

When I recomended a Audax bike i imagined you doing of road stuff on your MTB. The audax bike would be for road duties only.

If you are replacing your current bike with a bike that will fill the role of your current bike then i see why you would want a disc equiped cross bike.

I'm very un fashionable and still consider a hard tail with thinish tyres an excellent and versatile bike for those on/off road rides

Some bike shops will do a triple conversion for the difference in cost in parts. It might be easier and cheaper to go to an MTB casette and mech.

I've only ever done one tour with a bottom gear higher than 1:1. But i have to say I would have loved a lower gear. I ended up walking up a road hill. Hangs head in shame even, if it was hard knott pass

Oh final sideways thought. I have heard that some hybrids have short enough top tubes to be capable of drop bar conversion. Offering a whole heap more disc equiped options

PS. Never by a bike with cantilever brakes!!!!

Sure this has been said already but if you want versatility then go for a crosser.

If you choose wisely it will make a decent road bike with a change of tyres and a good enough tourer. Plus you can also wow folks by riding trail centres with it in cross mode.

PS. Never by a bike with cantilever brakes!!!!

Sure this has been said already but if you want versatility then go for a crosser.

If you choose wisely it will make a decent road bike with a change of tyres and a good enough tourer. Plus you can also wow folks by riding trail centres with it in cross mode.

though short chainstays can cause issues with panniers, but does depend on make and size.. though proper CX do not have rackmounts etc

issues with panniers...

Which is why I said 'choose wisely'. You're right though that a pure crosser would be shite as a tourer.

Road bikes!?...YUK!

Hi Spin, sorry missed the wisely!

Yer that is why I havebeen looking at The Space Horse looks like a good all rounder, shame no disc option as it looks better than the Vaya though Salsa and All City are owned by the same company so doubt they will compete with each other.

as for the OP check out Triton cycles - they have some great deals on Salsa Vaya and other multi use bikes

[quote=rootes1 ]
as for the OP check out Triton cycles - they have some great deals on Salsa Vaya and other multi use bikes
Just don't believe anything the Triton website says about stock levels....

http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/rose-pro-dx-cross-3000-randonneur-compact/aid:611492

the whole rosebike cx range is great value.

What is involved in moving from double to triple? Is it just a new crankset? Or new front mech as well?
Presumably road shifters can pull for two or three gears without needing changed?

Cchainset
Front mech (though sometimes you can get away with it)
Left hand shifter - SRAM don't do a triple shifter at all, Shimano come in double or triple flavours IIRC and I think Campag used to be triple compatible but not 100% about their newer shifters.

Possibly rear mech too...

So it's not just a case of dropping a triple chainset on 😀

Just don't believe anything the Triton website says about stock levels....

No but I got Evans to price match to their stock level on a Cannondale Road bike!

If you're keeping your mtb for your usual commute, then get a proper roadie if you want one and you think you'll use it. Better than some sort of compromise.

If you want it to replace your mtb then get a crosser.

As for this trip you're doing, anything would do. Doesnt sound like you're carry much, I'd imagine you could fit on one of those seat post racks or a handlebar bag thing?

What I wouldnt get is a tourer or audax bike due to heavy weight, boring geometry compared to a road bike. You may aswell get a crosser, at least you'll be able to take it off road.

Also, be wary of cheap, heavy, flexy steel frames that might look nice but probably ride poorly.

Dunno about disc brakes. If you're using it on the road with road tyres, I cant see the point since you have no grip to brake with anyway.

If you want a crosser then maybe they're worth it.

Any bike will do for this trip. I think you should decide what you'll mainly use it for afterwards.

Oh yeh, dunno whether these are any good but saw one the other day and they look nice!

http://www.tokyofixedgear.com/products/196-Tokyo-Fixed-Frames-2012/5174-Tokyo-Fixed---Wide-Open-2012/

HTH

If you're keeping your mtb for your usual commute, then get a proper roadie ....
If you want it to replace your mtb then get a crosser.

That's really the crux of my dilemma.

On one hand it would make sense to get a bike suitable for my commute and other pootles round the bridleways etc

But as my mate astutely pointed out, I already have my mountain bike for that so why not get a pure road bike?

BUT.. I'm unconvinced I'll get time to do long road rides...

Think I'm erring towards a CX now. The Boardman definitely seems good value but I'm heading to Edi Bikes today to look at the Whyte and Specialized options.

I'm in the process of swapping my Cotic X for a Kinesis Pro6. Its the first time I've swapped a steel bike for an aluminium one, but I under estimated the difference that the heft of steel would make, and carbon's a bit too vulnerable for the sort of use the bike will get.

I really like the Cotic. It's very comfortable and pretty, but its a tad small for me and its a bit heavy. The Pro 6 looks like its going to fit the bill for me as a considerably lighter, slightly racier allrounder for winter road riding, commuting and the odd bit of off road too. It takes guards and a rack, and only has a slightly longer wheelbase than a proper road bike for equivalent top tube length.

Dunno if this is any help - I'm not planning to go touring on mine - but some of the thought processes are similar.

[img] [/img]

?

Arkose 3, £1000
BB7s + top levers, 105/FSA - with BSA bb. Full carbon tapered fork. Easy to mount guards and rack

One my faves of the range. The £900 version (tiagra/BB5) won Steve Worland's CX bike test in C+.

+1 boardman carbon team comp just stunning value and great bike is my work horse. TBH I looked at cx but in th end as I have MTB I went for road no regrets. CX is fine bike just that I would spend most time on commute and off road is MTB. Ive used my MTB on CX events

IMHO opinion Canti lever brakes are harder set up than v brakes and less powerful

Combined with the cross style hanger on the bars they can be a recipe for disaster as fork flex affects the amount of braking

Some one said you can't ride a tourer off road. Oh dear. Things were so much easier before bikes were tightly pigeon holed be marketing people

I recommend the New Ribble Sportive carbon bike
a very comfy ride for commute bike

[img] [/img]

+1 for the Audax stylee bike. I rode a cross America a couple of years ago with a Roberts Audax frame fully loaded, when I reached Oregon I rode Cycle Oregon, a 500 mile, week long ride. Nearly everyone else was on their bling road bikes. I had no trouble keeping up, indeed after a 4300 training ride I was flying and even embarrassed a few 8)

Arkose 3, £1000

Looks interesting. Local Evans didn't have any in when I went there last week.
Bit heavier than the Boardman and Whyte but good spec (105 and BB7s)

Giant Defy 1. Road geometry, sportive comfort, ability to take a rack (Tubus Fly) and guards. As mcmoonter says, the bike you seek is a "clubman" or an Audax bike. The Defy is really Giant's take on that. The extra weight of a cross bike will leave you dissatisfied if you want pure road riding. At your price point, I'd avoid carbon.