road vs cyclocross

[nospamplease]

i rode a Lemond Poprad for a couple of years until it got stolen a few weeks
ago. i'm constrained by money (i.e. unemployment) for a replacement, as in
under $1000, as in *way* under $1000. it's pretty hard to find any
cyclocross bikes--new or used--in that price range, so i'm considering a
road bike. my question is: how much can i treat a road bike like a CX bike?

i didn't race cross, i mostly wanted it for light trail riding. i ride
20-30 miles daily and i do about 80% road, about 10% hardpack smooth dirt
trails and about 10% gravel/stone and washboard trails. i was pretty happy
with the Poprad, liked the feel of steel, though i've never had an aluminum
bike. can i do some light trail riding on a wispy road bike without
worrying about crumpling it up? are the wheels the weakest link for
non-asphalt riding? are those skinny little tires going to flat-out a lot
if i go off-road?

thanks.

--
michael

 

[Dan Daniel]

On Thu, 07 Oct 2004 05:35:16 GMT, "nospamplease"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>i rode a Lemond Poprad for a couple of years until it got stolen a few weeks
>ago. i'm constrained by money (i.e. unemployment) for a replacement, as in
>under $1000, as in *way* under $1000. it's pretty hard to find any
>cyclocross bikes--new or used--in that price range, so i'm considering a
>road bike. my question is: how much can i treat a road bike like a CX bike?
>
>i didn't race cross, i mostly wanted it for light trail riding. i ride
>20-30 miles daily and i do about 80% road, about 10% hardpack smooth dirt
>trails and about 10% gravel/stone and washboard trails. i was pretty happy
>with the Poprad, liked the feel of steel, though i've never had an aluminum
>bike. can i do some light trail riding on a wispy road bike without
>worrying about crumpling it up? are the wheels the weakest link for
>non-asphalt riding? are those skinny little tires going to flat-out a lot
>if i go off-road?
>
>thanks.

Find a mid-80s road bike with longer chainstays and good clearance for
wider tires. You should be able to find a decent one for maybe
$150-200 depending on the condition. Or from free and up at garage
sales, etc. Fix it up and go ride.

The biggest factor for you will be tire clearance. Most recent road
racing bikes will barely handle a 25mm tire. You can go off road with
any bike, but if you can go up to 32mm or so it'll be better.

 

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

On Wed, 06 Oct 2004 23:00:51 -0700, Dan Daniel
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Find a mid-80s road bike with longer chainstays and good clearance for
>wider tires. You should be able to find a decent one for maybe
>$150-200 depending on the condition. Or from free and up at garage
>sales, etc. Fix it up and go ride.

Seconded. There are lots of old, unloved bikes out there just waiting
to be polished up and ridden.

Guy
--
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