Any keen cyclists?

[realityhack]

I'm buying a new bike as my mountain bike is too slow/heavy and the racer too fragile for roads locally. Was looking at hybrids for a while, cannondale and specialized have some decent, lightweight ones out...

...and then I spotted this tricross bike, which is kind of halfway inbetween - basically a toughened racer by the looks of it. I want something with a good top speed and able to handle a bit of offroad - has anyone bought tricross/cyclocross bikes - or a fast hybrid before?

For versatility and speed which would you go for, a fast/racing hybrid or a cyclocross bike?

Oh, one more thing - the top end gear ratio on the tricross is lower than I'm used to - would fitting a higher end cassette make the difference?

[Bagpuss]

don't forget you can purchase a cycle through your company and save the tax

http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/

[Sockpuppet]

threaded is.

[DimPrawn]

fat

[gingerjedi]

Oooh that seat looks like a razor blade.

[DimPrawn]

I wouldn't leave that outside guru's bedsit, it'll be gone in 5 minutes.

[realityhack]

don't forget you can purchase a cycle through your company and save the tax

http://www.cyclescheme.co.uk/

Thanks for that - it looks like I could save up to 43% of the value of the bike - but I'd have to make more than 50% of my journeys to work by bike and have an employment contract longer than 12 months, so probably not for me.

[Lucy]

Oooh that seat looks like a razor blade.

So you could sit on a razor blade and use your c*ck as a brake

[threaded]

No, if you're wanting to avoid fragile, avoid anything with carbon in it. Those forks look like an accident waiting to happen. Most manufacturers put a disclaimer on saying that the forks are only guarenteed for one seasons road use, which basically means don't do what that guy in the picture is doing more than once.

For winter commuting I am using a full suspension Audi Mountain bike, but with mudguards (fitting them to an MTB is an art), a racing bikes gear set as the usual mountain bike set is way too low for me. It has Nokian studded tires as my first 8km is unadopted road, in winter what with the tractors, milk lorries etc. it's a right mess.

I use an 'On-One' 29er that I've been and modded to have a Rohloff hub, USE-SUB fork and mudguards (yes how did I get a mudguard on a single sided fork - it's called engineering stoopid). It's for when the weather is average. Lots of air in the tires means it can take the punishment.

When it is nice and sunny I use an out and out titanium everything racer, but it is in the shop being repaired every few days, it's just way too fragile for commuting. Too flipping fast for commuting as well - doing 3 to 4 times the average speed of other cycle path users can lead to problems. I only use it to clients where I can take it into my office as it will get knicked if left outside.

[gingerjedi]

So you could sit on a razor blade and use your c*ck as a brake

uh no, I was thinking of the Yellow Page's advert of yesteryear... the exact quote (after a google) was "just look at that saddle. It’d be like sitting on a razor blade...."