Cross vs road geo

[scrooge]

A friend of mine is thinking about getting a new bike for a bit of road biking, commuting etc...He works as a wrench in a shop (rides all MTB now) and is thinking Surly (http://www.surlybikes.com/) is the way to go for him since he can get ag reat deal on one. Now his question is--should he go with a road (http://www.surlybikes.com/pacer.html) or a cross (http://www.surlybikes.com/crosscheck.html) bike?

He's drawn to the cross because of the tire clearance and versatility--like's the idea of being able to ride on occasionally dicey/icy trails here in Denver during the winter. That being said, wouldn't a long (standard?) reach brake do (almost) the same thing for him? And more generally speaking, what are the differences between road and cross geo when it comes to handling etc? Does he gain/lose anything from this perspective with either model?

[e-RICHIE]

it won't matter unless he is racing. if he is, a 'cross
position is more easily dialed on a 'cross bicycle atmo.

ps 4 more days -
http://rcrawford79.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/american-idol-judges.jpg

[David Kirk]

it won't matter unless he is racing. if he is, a 'cross
position is more easily dialed on a 'cross bicycle atmo.

ps 4 more days -
http://rcrawford79.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/american-idol-judges.jpg

Word on the street is that American Idol is being pulled to lack of consumer interest. It's going to be replaced by reruns of the Jeffersons. The free market trumps all.

I'm sure you'll understand.

Dave

[MarcusPless]

I use three different bikes for commuting; an older road frame that is now a fixie, my CSi, and a Lemond Poprad (their "cross" bike). The Lemond is certainly the most versatile, as it has the clearance for wider tires and fenders, and has eyelets and cantilever brakes to make mounting/using fenders a lot less of an ordeal.

--Marcus