Road Bike, Cyclocross, or Hybrid | Thread profile

I think you're right soccer.me. I've narrowed it down to a point where the only thing left is to do a few test drives and just take te plunge. Thanks for your advice.

My personal opinion is that you cant to wrong with a Cannondale, but that is just my opinion. I am not saying they dont have an accasional problem every once and while but when they do have problems they are easy to deal with. At least through the shop I used to use. I think that the best bet would be to try and ride each one of the different bikes that you are looking at. It might be worth the extra trips to see what shops have the bikes...

Thanks. I'm not really satisfied with the way the stem and handlebars look but I wanted a more relaxed postion so I could ride more miles and give my neck a change. I have an adjustable stem because I could not find a fixed one that would work. I think if they left more headtube it would look more like my raleigh. At any rate it still works the way I intended except for the toeclip overlap which at my size I have come to accept. At one...

I like my hybrid because of the upright riding position and visibility you mentioned, but my commute is only 5.5 miles round trip. If I had to spend something like an hour at a time on the bike then I think something with dropped handlebars would probably be more comfortable.

I personally started commuting on a cheap "bike-in-a-box". And quickly destroyed it. Then I adopted a used Diamondback Sorrento from my LBS. I agree though, it's personal preference. Ages ago I did road biking and MTB, but I liked off-roading, dirt jumping, and having the ability to conquer technical terrain more than I liked the flat-out speed and pavement handling of the roadies. I'm using slicks on my commuter,...

I was in a similar position. I have an MTB with slicks (05 Ropckhopper comp) and wanted another commuting bike to mix it up a bit. I looked at the Volpe, but was worried that it was more set up for long hauls and wanted more of a road drivetrain. And I tried a bunch of roadies, including some set up for comfort (Sequoia)...but they felt woody, and like I could break them. Emotionally, I won't ride a bike much if I'm worried about...

Here's what I use - an '02 Jamis Nova, cyclocross bike. I bought it as a leftover for $800. Very solid bike, steel frame, can handle abuse but is still a damn fun bike to ride, with a comfortable sitting position. As you can see in the picture, you can hang a bunch of crap off it, too, if that's important to you. Definitely shop around, you can find good deals on leftovers...

With a screenname like "RAD", you should ride a BMX! Haw Haw!

I live in NYC and commute on a cyclocross fixie. It'll take skinny road tires and knobby cross tires, a rack, fenders, etc. It's more upright than a compact road bike and comfortable enough to ride all day. I'd suggest a cyclocross bike.

I live in the DC metro and I decided to upgrade to a Bianchi Volpe that retails for about $900 but my LBS had it on sale for about $700. The Volpe is technically a touring bike. It is a beefy road like bike made from steel. The position is slightly more upright than a racing road bike. The steel absorbs the bumps in the road better than aluminum giving a more comfortable ride as well as a sturdier frame (Now it is heavier than a true road...