Looking to purchase my 1st bike, which type? 75%city 25% trail

[Willcran]

Looking to purchase my first bike, what type of bike for 75% road/city riding for exercise&exploring (10-20 miles), 25% for single track trail use (all in Illinois)?

My friend just bought a Hard tail MTB but I think it might be too mountain bike heavy for road usage?? Idk. I mostly want a faster bike that works easy on flat roads, but with the capabilities of being able to go off-road (so not a road bike, right?) Would a gravel bike be my answer? Or a cyclocross? Or is a hard tail still a good mix to benefit for what I’m looking for? Or a combination of the two (like cyclocross with wider tires?) Just trying to get a good understanding of the best type of bike for me. Thank you!

[Henry_G]

Gravel or CX bike seems to be the way to go here considering the 75% road/city factor. These bikes will have the speed & sporty feel. You can always have two sets of wheels/tires if the budget allows. How rough are the trails?

"I mostly want a faster bike that works easy on flat roads, but with the capabilities of being able to go off-road" - sounds like a gravel bike definition

Do you have a defined budget? I can throw a few options.

[Zviedrs]

(05-25-2020, 06:36 PM)Willcran Wrote:  Looking to purchase my first bike, what type of bike for 75% road/city riding for exercise&exploring (10-20 miles), 25% for single track trail use (all in Illinois)?

My friend just bought a Hard tail MTB but I think it might be too mountain bike heavy for road usage?? Idk. I mostly want a faster bike that works easy on flat roads, but with the capabilities of being able to go off-road (so not a road bike, right?) Would a gravel bike be my answer? Or a cyclocross? Or is a hard tail still a good mix to benefit for what I’m looking for? Or a combination of the two (like cyclocross with wider tires?) Just trying to get a good understanding of the best type of bike for me. Thank you!

With 50/50 I would consider having 29er mountain bike, but considering 75/25 proportion I have to agree with @Henry_G.

[Joe_W]

It's a question of whether you like the road bars (I do, so I bought a cyclocross, and my tourer has drop bars as well) or not (my wife doesn't).

Second factor: how technical would be the terrain? Suspension does help in some cases.

Gravel bikes usually have clearance for wider tyres than cyclocross bikes do, but for really wide ones I would probably use a 27 1/2 wheel set (put 29mm road tyres on the original wheels). The circumference of the tyre is then closer to the design parameters of the frame, which means that handling will be more consistent.