How tough is my road bike?

i3oxxy

I'm moving to Oz next week where I'd like to ride my Spesh Sequoia Pro on gravel paths and bumpy trails etc (nutters on the roads out there). Without wider tyres it would be completely out of the question I'm sure, but with them fitted, would my bike be cut out for this sort of thing?

Any comments or advice greatly appreciated

rustychisel

Several issues here: I assume you know nothing about Oz - I've been riding the roads here since the 1970s. Nutters are nutters anywhere you encounter them. To which location are you moving.

You might consider putting bigger thicker tyres on the bike, maybe up to 28 or 32, nice big air bag, slightly better able to deal with soft sand, mud etc.

Your bike is plenty strong when used inn the appropriate manner. All bets are off if you practise wheelstands or other stuff. Modern bikes are enormously strong, but also frail in some respects, and most are damaged when they fall over (dented tubes are common, for example), or get hit by something else.

Monty Dog

It really depends on the clearance for tyres - there's relatively little difference in weight between a 25, 28 or 32mm for that matter, but a big difference in comfort. Dropping your tyre pressure to 80-90 psi too will help. If you've ever ridden the cobbles of Flanders or Roubaix at full-belt on a race bike, you'll appreciate just how strong a modern road bike is and so trundling down a few trails on your Sequoia will be an absolute doddle - you'll be hurting way be before your bike suffers, crashes aside.

i3oxxy

Thanks for the replies, very helpful they were too.

@Rusty - Initially I'll be taking to the Warburton trail near Wandin, but could end up (ideally) in the Alpine region of N.E. Vic. It's also possible we'll end up somewhere along the Mornington Peninsula with last choice being the outer suburbs of Melbourne. I've noticed quite a few road cycling clubs which I'd be interested in joining, but was put off the idea of riding the roads alone due to the number of traffic accidents and the agressive driving style I encountered on a visit last year.

top_bhoy

I can vouch in what Rusty is saying having now experienced both sides of the coin for a reasonable time period. The drivers in Oz are no better or worse than their UK counterparts - they're all ar$e$

rustychisel

Hey, sounds like you need a bike for all purposes, so I cannot see why a Sequoia shouldn't be that bike. AFAIK there's a pretty big (artificial) seperation between roadies and off oraders in this country, most of them wouldn't converse on the same language, so it'll be just like home in that respect. Of course, you may end up needing several bikes ;-)