# Recommendation for a road bike with "bigger" tires?



## amheck (Mar 12, 2007)

Hey gang,

I originally posted in the Cyclocross forum, but this may be a better place to get a recommendation of what I'm looking for.

Original thread is located here:
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=94185

And a copy of the post:
Hey gang,

I'm a mountain biker and would like to get my first road/cyclocross bike. I've been reading about cyclocross and looking at bikes on ebay, but I'm having a hard time finding something I want in my price range (~$500). And every LBS I go to really talks down the cyclocross bikes.

My problem is....this is my first road bike and I really don't know what exactly I want and/or need. We do have brick streets around here with some pretty good bumps and gaps in the bricks. I found cyclocross as I was looking for an all-around bike.

But what I'm wondering is, can I put some bigger tires on a road bike, and be able to ride down over the brick streets to the park, but still be able to ride well on the road? I don't need anything knobby, as I don't plan to race cyclocross. I was looking looking for something, perhaps, that rides well on the road, but that lets me occasionally take it on the grass or dirt.

Thanks in advance for any advice you may have!

Aaron


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## Reynolds531 (Nov 8, 2002)

amheck said:


> Hey gang,
> 
> I originally posted in the Cyclocross forum, but this may be a better place to get a recommendation of what I'm looking for.
> 
> ...


It sounds like you want a sports tourer. Since you don't want to drop a couple of grand and get a Rivendell Ramboullet or A. Homer Hilson http://www.rivbike.com, you can always turn to ebay. There were many quaiity bikes from Trek, Miyata, and others from the early and mid eighties that would take 32 mm tires and have a slighly longer wheelbase. You can get one in good shape for a couple of hundred dollars, then make a few simple updates if you want index shifting and wider gear range.

Don't let the bike store talk you into a racing bike if you're not going to race. For the riding you describe the cyclocross with touring tires would be a better choice than a racing bike, but an old sports tourer is a perfect fit..


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## Geet (Sep 17, 2004)

Another option you may want to consider is a performance hybrid. They don't have the drop bars of the road bike, but many of them are reasonably light, have similar geometry to a road bike and can take a fatter tire. They tend to be less expensive than most road bikes, but you get what you pay for in terms of components.


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## amheck (Mar 12, 2007)

Thanks guys, I'll take a look at the tourers and the performance hybrids.

For the hybrids, do you have any brands/models to start my research with? I assume it'd be easy to add drop bars to those? maybe I can find something in my price range used with a 105-group.


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## Spinfinity (Feb 3, 2004)

*certainly easy, maybe not cheap*



amheck said:


> I assume it'd be easy to add drop bars to those? maybe I can find something in my price range used with a 105-group.


Shift and brake levers may not be interchangeable between straight and drop bars. If not, their cost could be pretty high relative to a sub $500 bike.

Another vote for a 1980's sport-touring bike. I rode to work yesterday on a Reynolds 531Puch with 700x32c Panaracer Pasela tires. It would appear to me to be close to exactly what you're after.


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## Geet (Sep 17, 2004)

amheck said:


> Thanks guys, I'll take a look at the tourers and the performance hybrids.
> 
> For the hybrids, do you have any brands/models to start my research with? I assume it'd be easy to add drop bars to those? maybe I can find something in my price range used with a 105-group.


Off the top of my head you should be able to find the Kona Dew or Dew Deluxe fairly easily and they can take a fairly large tire. Trek has the 7.3 FX, and Specialized has the Sirrus series.

If you can get your hands on some of the Canadian brands there are some good options as well. Brodie, Norco, Devinci and Rocky Mountain all make good performance hybrids.

It is generally not that difficult to convert a flat bar to a drop bar bike. You would need new handlebars, new shifters/brake levers or brifters (combined shifter and brake lever). Depending on the type of brakes (i.e. v brakes) some accommodation may need to be made for the amount of cable that needs to be pulled. If you go with a disc brake, stick to a cable disc variety. There are no road levers that can operate a hydraulic disc brake.

Nothing wrong with a used bike. I got my cross bike from eBay and I am happy with it.


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## undies (Oct 13, 2005)

$500 is tough if you're looking for a new bike. If you can push your budget to $800-900 there are a number of touring bikes that can accomodate larger tires. These would include the Jamis Aurora, Surly Long Haul Trucker, Fuji Touring, Novarra Randonneur, and maybe some others.


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## brianmcg (Oct 12, 2002)

A vote for either a Surly Long Haul Trucker: 700x35mm Pasela touring tires. I can take this bike anywhere.
View attachment 87103



Or a CrossCheck:









Tons of room for big fat tires to go offroad or over cobblestones or pot-holes. Rack and fender eyelets a plenty. Usually about $400 for the frame. I think you can get them for less than $1000 built up. www.surlybikes.com

The only problem is that many shops do not stock them, but just about every shop can get them if they have an account with QBP. It would be hard to find a shop that doesn't have an account with QBP.

I would take your business somewhere else if your shops talk down cyclocross bikes. It sounds like they don't know much about versatility in a bike and want to sell you what they have in stock.


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## Henry Chinaski (Feb 3, 2004)

brianmcg said:


> Or a CrossCheck:


Nice looking Cross Check, though the front der needs to be a bit lower.  

I'd also vote for the Cross Check. I built mine up with flat bars for commuting. 










I think the complete bike sells for around $900 with decent parts.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

. . . or a Pacer. 700 x actual 32 easy.


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## astroclimb (Aug 7, 2003)

*CX bikes are great...*

for commuting or general purpose riding. I've been commuting and generally riding on a cyclocross bike for sometime now, and it is wonderfully stable and not so heavy that I felt the climbs around here (northern NM) were too difficult. Just put together a Soma for myself, so the CX bike goes back to being used for CX and off-road riding; several posts have mentioned Surley's, look at the Soma's (Smoothie, Smoothie ES and/or their cross bike) as well for a good, relatively less expensive option. 

So, ignore what the LBS said about a CX bike, good ones are great to general purpose riding. And moreover since you're an MTB'er as well, a crosser off road (as long as its not too steep or rocky) with a set of good CX tires is TONS OF FUN.


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## brianmcg (Oct 12, 2002)

Henry Chinaski said:


> Nice looking Cross Check, though the front der needs to be a bit lower.


The LHT is mine, but the Cross Check is just a pic I got off the internet. You are right, that is one high front derailleur.


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

brianmcg said:


> ......You are right, that is one high front derailleur.


Kind of matches the seatpost extension.

BTW I too think that a CX bike will be fine but that the LHT would be ideal.


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## PdxMark (Feb 3, 2004)

I just noticed that the Ibex banner ad here on RBR lists a 105-equipped cross bike on sale for $999.


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## Hjalti (Feb 26, 2004)

*So many options*



amheck said:


> Hey gang,
> 
> I originally posted in the Cyclocross forum, but this may be a better place to get a recommendation of what I'm looking for.
> 
> ...


1. You'd be surprised what skinnier tires can do off road. I have a friend who takes them (23-25mm) pretty much everywhere and rarely has flats. But I wouldn't. I absolutely love my 37 Paselas. 

2.$500 is a tough pricepoint for a new bike, Maybe the Redline 9-2-5 if you are willing to go singlespeed? 

What I would recommend is an older steel sport tourer from the 80's. They usually have gobs of clearance for fatter tires and are readily available pretty cheap most places. Add a budget wheelset and some new tires and away you go.That is what I did with my Fuji Sports 10, which recently broke, and it's replacement, a Fuji Allegro.


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