re: #294 wrenchwench

I’m about half-assed ready to replace my bike, and I need some learned advice. The bike I think I want might be a very bad idea, and/or might not actually exist.

I most frequently ride on pavement, but I like being able to drop into lower gears and cut across a rough, empty field from time to time. Big, fat mountain bike tires make riding on pavement feel like swimming upstream (rolling resistance), but light, narrow tires that are conducive to speed on pavement tend to go flat when they encounter the slightest twig or if I pop a curb too hard.

I don’t like the way you sit on a standard road bike, and I don’t like the handlebars. “Mountain bikes” seem much more to my liking, but all the ones I’ve seen have suspension front forks, and I think I prefer a more rigid frame.

The so-called “hybrid” bikes - what I have now - manage to combine the worst of both worlds.

What I would really like is an indestructible yet weightless bike with an extremely low center of gravity, as maneuverable as a 20” BMX bike but with 700C-size wheels and multiple gears. And lasers.

What do you suggest?

Others, feel free to chime in as well.