New on-road to off-road adventure bikes

[HkNewman]

http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/gear-shed/cycle-life/GT-Grade-Carbon-Ultegra-Review.html

PLUS 5 others. Making it possible for having one regular bike that could go off road (non-wilderness of course). These models bit steep for a bike IMHO and as the article suggest, steel versions have been around for decades

Ed: odd to off, though some may qualify for the former

[Will Elliott]

YEAH! It's great to see more utilitarian bikes out there!

BUT

for $4000, I recommend buying a packraft, a sea kayak, a fatbike, summer wheels, and a plane ticket to Alaska. An "excellent value." Or any quality cyclocross bike and literally burning the other $3500. Like, in a fire. I'm surprised among this bike's revolutionary attributes they didn't list the wheel itself— that's about how long tall headtubes, slack angles, and narrowish tires (35mm) have been around. Here are some great resources for practical bikes one can ride on-road or off, uphill or down:

https://gypsybytrade.wordpress.com
http://salsacycles.com/
http://surlybikes.com
http://www.konaworld.com/

[Will Elliott]

HK, in case I sounded mean-spirited— I share your enthusiasm. I'm just bummed when marketers and the cycling press make the price of entry seem so high. Thanks for posting nonetheless.

[BlackHatGuy]

While the high-end carbon is expensive, they make the same bike (frame) in alloy with cheaper components for less than $900. That's not too bad.

I'm salivating a bit, though, over the high-end carbon bike. I don't see any rack attachments though, which would kill it for me.

[Philip Tschersich]

It just looks like any of the multitude of disc-equipped cyclocross bikes out there these days. Get a Fuji Altamira disc off eBay for well under $2k. If you want a mass-market brand, get a used Specialized Crux disc CX bike. They ride great, have good tire clearance, and with a 34/50 up front and a big cog in the back you can climb some steep stuff.

[Dave T]

beautiful bike to be sure. and looks good in alloy with 105 for $1300.

but I love my Surly's.

Disc Trucker, Ogre, Big Dummy.

steel/real.

[Rick Adams]

Picked up a specialized awol comp a couple months ago. nice to be able to ride on dirt,gravel and roads without a worry. Some bikepacking on the agenda too.

[HkNewman]

@Will: no sweat. I'm not about to leave an expensive bike out to get ripped or stripped, … though cheapos have been targeted too. The featured bikes do look nice. Could flat black paint a less expensive one..

@Rick: I'll have to check it as a replacement out as my Specialized aluminum '29 gets up there in dog years. Having one bike for much of my riding is appealing.

[BlackHatGuy]

"Picked up a specialized awol comp a couple months ago. nice to be able to ride on dirt,gravel and roads without a worry. Some bikepacking on the agenda too."

I'm heading strongly in the direction of a Moots Routt 45 – titanium. Will be a for-everything bike like your awol comp – road, dirt, gravel, backpacking, touring, even some mild single track.

I'm going for a fitting next week. I still have to figure out how I want it built up/components and such. Probably won't actually order it until March/April, then it's up to an eight week wait.

Getting psyched already, and I haven't even had my fitting yet!

[Jordo _99]

I was in a similar situation last year and built up an on/off road bike with a used frame and some parts I had laying around after upgrading some parts on my road frame. I'm curious what people think:

Frame: Lemond Proprad (True Temper Plat OX tubing, rack mounts, canti brakes–would love disk but I wanted to be able to interchange wheels with my other bikes)
Groupset: SRAM Franken-Force (ie, lots of various SRAM parts that equate to being different years of Force/Red…I don't like their chains though)
Bars: KESTREL EMS PRO SL CARBON (180g and makes the WW in me proud but the husband who wants to stay alive will be putting on an alloy bar if I were to go on some kind of
Wheels: Neuvation R29s (alloy, 20/24 spoked)
Tires: Schwalbe CX Comp (700×38 cyclocross tires) w/ self sealing tubes that I hate

Gearing is a compact up front (36/50) with a very wide cassette in back (11-32).

I haven't really had many issues with not having enough gear ratio to make it up steep inclines but I rarely see >5% since I"m in the midwest. I'm wondering how you guys think it would do on a trip like the Continental Divide? Mainly, I'm a roadie but I wanted something that can handle single track but I've been slowly turning into a bike-packer over the past few years.

The tubing is pretty thin, but strong. My main concern is that if the frame cracked I'd be done because a random welder would have trouble getting it repaired. For my current needs, having a 17lb bike trumped having one that's bombproof.

[Dale Wambaugh]

I like my hybridized mountain bike for a one bike does it all choice. I would be in the Surly camp starting over with a fistfull of cash.

[Tjaard Breeuwer]

Here are mine

:

[Rick Reno]

Will-

Thanks for sharing those links… and I'm all over saving $$$ fo radventures rather than blowing the wad ont he laterst technology. My only questin is, where are the $500 "quality cyclocross bikes" yu recommend? Nt al Salsa, Surly, or Kona!

[John Higgins]

i've got an 1989 scott mt. bike, and a 90 bianchi hybridized mt.bike i use to get back and forth to the trail head. the bianchi's in the works. wanted a back up just in case one gets stolen. just getting into more longer distance off road bikepacking. fit the old trek oclv carbon mt bike up some bikepacking bags. all three bikes together fitted out under $1000. i just bikepacked a cool refresing beverage on an 1888 high wheel now that what i call refreshing.

[John Higgins]

$500 cyclocross bike not bad quality for the money. friend of mine got a mt. bike from them i put together for him. they did screw up the bottom bracket thought the Q-factor was off an inch from the derailleur spec. and was breaking chains. that could happen on high end bike also.link below

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/liberty_cxd.htm?gclid=CMTytPDD-cQCFWMV7AodMiIAJA

[BlackHatGuy]

My first pic of the last big 'toy' I'll be buying. Frame shipped to my bike shop today, should get there mid-to-late next week, then another 4-5 days for them to build the bike. Then I'm riding it!

Pretty psyched. Will take a few pics when it's built and in my hands.

[Ken Thompson]

I am fan of steel frames. Only interested in having one bike at a time. Unless the second one was a Brompton. For on and off road, well unpaved roads, not really single track. What should I be looking for? An older Trek? Need a large frame with a long cockpit. Not interested in a gazillion gears. light, but durable. Canti brakes are fine. Discs seem nice but not necessary. Being able to run some wider 29's at times seems useful here.

Almost every bike I have owned has been stolen. Miss that English Raleigh the most. Prices on some of the new bikes is beyond what I will spend, even if I had hundreds dropping out of my pockets.

So much crap out there.

I can build it myself if needed. Would like to spend less than $500. Well less of course.

[Greg Mihalik]

Vamoots YBB, here.
14 years and counting.

Enjoy your ride.

[Author]

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