If you could have only one type of bike, which would it be?

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TopHatFox
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If you could have only one type of bike, which would it be?

Post by TopHatFox »

I pick a touring bike with removable rear and front panniers and a one wheel trailer, specifically a Surly Long Haul Trucker or Cross Check with waterproof Ortlieb panniers and a BoB Yak. All used if possible.

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A touring bike can take me cross-country, get me my groceries, take me camping, go through snow & ice with studded tires, and go through some light trails--even if it's not as fast as a road bike or as hardy as a mountain bike.

(Of course, if I could have three bikes, it'd have to be touring, road, & mountain--no car. (: )

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C40
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Re: If you could have only one type of bike, which would it

Post by C40 »

Yeah, touring bike.
One with wide tire clearance. I had a Surly LHT, built with nice touring equipment, and sold it when I was racing a lot. Regret that regularly. Another option would be a hard tail mountain bike with mounts and racks, and two sets of wheels (one mountain, and one for roads with a really small cassette and narrow tires.)

Kriegsspiel
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Re: If you could have only one type of bike, which would it

Post by Kriegsspiel »

I started with a mountain bike, sold it to buy a road bike, and sold that, now I'm on a Surly LHT and I don't see myself exchanging it for anything.

TopHatFox
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Re: If you could have only one type of bike, which would it

Post by TopHatFox »

Kriegsspiel wrote:I started with a mountain bike, sold it to buy a road bike, and sold that, now I'm on a Surly LHT and I don't see myself exchanging it for anything.
Do you find the Surly LHT to be significantly slower than your old road bike; what's your average mph on the LHT vs. the road bike? (both unloaded)

I'm just curious to see if there's a "giant" or "small" difference between the avg mph the same person can achieve on a touring bike vs. a road bike, using the same amount of effort while riding either.

USAF Sgt
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Re: If you could have only one type of bike, which would it

Post by USAF Sgt »

I only have one bike. It started life in the 1970s as a Raleigh International ten-speed. I bought it at a garage sale in very bad condition, stripped it to its frame and built it back up as a fixed gear. Its my pride and joy. I don't own a car, and in the last eight years, its racked up a lot of miles including four El Tour de Tucson rides.

I'm not much for mountain biking, and my bike is sufficiently sturdy to serve as a touring bike, I never even fantasize about getting another bike. Mine has had a lot of tweaking over the years, trying to perfect it, which is a fun hobby in itself, and probably keeps my eye from wandering too much.

Tyler9000
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Re: If you could have only one type of bike, which would it

Post by Tyler9000 »

Funny -- this forum is the last place I'd expect to make me pine for an expensive consumer purchase, but I've found myself looking at Surly bikes all night. ;)

I've been looking to replace my old Trek MTB for something better on the roads (but still capable on dirt trails), and the ones recommended above seem quite nice. Any recommendations on where to find a used one, or perhaps a less expensive alternative?

sky
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Re: If you could have only one type of bike, which would it

Post by sky »

I like my old Schwinn World Tourer the best. I bought the bike for $2 at a garage sale, cheap because the kickstand was loose and kept falling down (hacksawed it off). The handlebars were switched over to mustache type long ago to make a commuter out of it. It has fenders and lights. Incredibly heavy steel frame but solid. I had an equipment failure this weekend, I overtightened the handlebar stem and cracked it, so I had to dig into my pile of old bikes while waiting for a new stem ($26 plus shipping). I have ridden this bike to work and around town for years with no maintenance whatsoever and hope that it will continue to be reliable after repair.

My current ride to work is a 3 speed Union Moment built some time in the 1960s. I commuted to university in NL on this bike.

bristoldude
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Re: If you could have only one type of bike, which would it

Post by bristoldude »

Tourers always seemed too heavy to me.

Currently I'm on a aluminium racer with pannier rack mount points, If I could choose again I'd go for something a cyclo-cross with all the mount points. all the speed and lightweight aspects of a racer but space for knobbly tires and disk breaks.

JohnnyH
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Re: If you could have only one type of bike, which would it

Post by JohnnyH »

Hover bike, duh... Or I suppose another vote for touring. Heavy enough for dirt trails, but I prefer comfort over speed.

henrik
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Re: If you could have only one type of bike, which would it

Post by henrik »

I've had this one for many years and consider it almost universal. Use it mostly for city transport (including transporting a child and groceries), also made 200+ km hikes, even some but not much offroading. 3 gears, 21 yr warranty.

Kriegsspiel
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Re: If you could have only one type of bike, which would it

Post by Kriegsspiel »

Zalo wrote:
Kriegsspiel wrote:I started with a mountain bike, sold it to buy a road bike, and sold that, now I'm on a Surly LHT and I don't see myself exchanging it for anything.
Do you find the Surly LHT to be significantly slower than your old road bike; what's your average mph on the LHT vs. the road bike? (both unloaded)

I'm just curious to see if there's a "giant" or "small" difference between the avg mph the same person can achieve on a touring bike vs. a road bike, using the same amount of effort while riding either.
No, I think the LHT is faster than the Schwinn. Maybe that's just because the Schwinn was so old? I bought the LHT new. I'm not sure what my MPH is, but the LHT requires less effort to pedal, the brakes work better, the handlebars are more comfortable, and shifting is easier. The LHT has the index shifters on the end of the handlebars, whereas the Schwinn had them where the handlebar stem connected to the cross bar.

Gilberto de Piento
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Re: If you could have only one type of bike, which would it

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

I'm going to add another vote for a touring bike. I'd like to add the requirement that it have disc brakes.

A cyclocross bike is also a great choice but have fewer options for mounting racks, fenders.

That said, I have a 29er mountain bike set up with a rear rack, fenders, rigid fork, and road tires. I like the flat bars on snow and ice in the winter.
Next would be a Surly Big Dummy that could run 4" tires.
I'm told there is a custom big dummy-like frame using pugsley wheels and tires in the city I live in but I haven't seen it yet.

KevinW
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Re: If you could have only one type of bike, which would it

Post by KevinW »

Another vote for a touring frame with fenders and a pannier rack. But unlike a store-bought touring bike, I prefer the simplest gearing that works for local conditions; maybe a freewheel, flip-flop hub, 3-speed hub, or at most 1x9 or 1x10.

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C40
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Re: If you could have only one type of bike, which would it

Post by C40 »

I've been doing some bike research and this is my ideal functional bike - a Surly cross-check single speed. Surly make nice frames - durable but not excessively heavy. The frame has rear-facing horizontal dropouts (real SS/fixed dropouts) AND also has eyelets for mounting fenders and racks. This a rare combination. The paint is modest so as not to attract attention. You can also remove the decals if you wish to make it even less conspicuous.

http://surlybikes.com/bikes/cross_check_ss

It wouldn't work well for full-on Mountain touring. You could use a flip flop hub with a big gear on one side for mountain ascents though.

For now, I just bought the bike below, which I think will work pretty well for transportation and hauling small-medium sized things. It's a pretty good option for <$200. And bikes like this are way easier to find than something as specific as a used Surly cross-check SS.

Image

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