Hello,

I'm fancying adding something a little more 'road' to my collection. I haven't got a vast budget (tiny would be nearer the mark). The problem is it's pretty rural here, it's over half a mile to the nearest tarmac road. Would I be ok with a road bike or do I really require a CX bike?

Searching the web reveals that there are far more cheap / discounted road bikes out there than CX bikes but it would seem false economy to buy a cheaper road bike then knacker it within a few weeks … thoughts?

Cheers
Stuart

they seem to take some hammer on the paris roubaix 😉 the wheels will handle off road ive done cx on 105 16 spoke jobs and ksyriums no problem at all.

depends on what your after it for really my cx is great and ok on the road too but if i want a road ride i prefer the road bike by a long way

Have you seen what they ride over in the Paris-Roubaix and some of the Belgian classics. Road bikes are very robust, I think the main difference between a standard road bike and cx is clearance for bigger tyres.

My off road career began in 1985 on a 10 speed Coventry Eagle. It stood up pretty well to the abuse it was my body that didn't like it.

Stuart.

It's not that rough on the track up to your place. As said above a road bike'll be fine.

32 hole road wheels will be fine if you take it easy.

I use a Trek 1200 for commutes and occasional road ride when my training bike needs a tinker.

I weighed 98kg (88kg now) took it through our local trails on a short cut-not my idea. The leader forgot we were on roadbikes and not mtb bikes…

If the road is bad just take it slowly. Even some training routes have the odd really bad road so you just take easy over that and the rest of the time it's smooth.

For winter I'd rather a cx bike for larger tyre width and better brakes.

The best deal will be on roadbikes as they sell more than cx (which is slowly catching up)

Also place a wtd ad in classifieds. I know one seliing a Genesis CX bike but he wants at least £450 for it.

Shop around and haggle?

Cheers for the advice folk … I must admit I'm drawn towards a CX due to the fact it's not a fully fledged road bike 😉

I'll go and stalk the internet some more.

Stuart

I ride both my road bikes over all sorts of horrible stuff, and have no qualms about doing so.

There's a misconception that they're fragile and will snap in the merest hint of a breeze. Nonsense, they're quite robust.

i'm considering a specialized tricross – have you considered one ?

cx or a touring bike will allow bigger tyres. i run 35c michelins on my pompino

these are loads more capable off road than 23c tyres. comfy too.

Tricrosses are seriously tough, and damn heavy with it, think mine was about 27lbs or something stupid! Very high front end too, nothing like a road bike, for better or worse.

You'll be absolutely fine, I've ridden my road bike off road a number of times, down flights of stairs etc, they're a lot tougher than people give credit for. The biggest risk is cutting a tyre if it's really flinty.

A cross bike is more versatile, but no where near as quick/as much fun on the road as a proper road bike IMO.

I've got a Revolution Cross – its ace – i use it for occassional 20 mile commutes, and regular dodging about on canal tow paths, sustrans type railway lines and forest roads.

Generally, its tyres and my body (and lack of skill) that is the limiting factor, it will cope with anything on a good day.

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f_ProductID=10805&f_SupersetQRY=C416&f_SortOrderID=1&f_bct=c012372c012370