Road bikes - off road a bit

cks133

Hi all,

I'm thinking about getting my first proper road bike; a specialized allez or a boardman comp I haven't decided yet. I will be using the bike mainly for commuting (~8 miles to work) and also weekend rides.

My question is: How well do road bikes cope off road a bit?

90% of my trip is on road/cycle path but there are a few short cuts I can take on the way to work that mean I will be on firm grass paths or grit for a few hundred meters.
Is it bad for the bike to ride on these surfaces or will it just be uncomfortable/unstable? I can skip these short cuts and stay on the road, just takes a bit longer to get to work.
I may think about getting a hybrid if a road bike is too incompatible.

Cheers for any help!



Chris

Ollieda

As long as there's no large hard bumps or anything you won't do any damage to the bike in terms of structural damage. But there is an incresed chance of punctures esp. on the gravel and slick tyres will have less grip on the grass.

If your currently riding a MTB to work you will prob find that you get higher speeds with a road bike and therefore taking the slightly longer way / less risk way round won't be too bad an option, it might even be quicker considering the higher pace!

ex-pat scot

'Cross bike.

Specialized Tricross.

Lillywhite

Keep any off road stuff on loose gravel paths or such to a minimum if you're riding with 23/25 mm road tyres.
Exercise caution and don't bomb it otherwise you could come to grief and more importantly chip the paintwork on the frame with all the flying gravel. :oops:

I also avoid any newly chipped country road like the plague. :twisted:

bice

In summer it should be OK, but be careful of getting grit all over the drive, from front wheel especially. Obviously, avoid holes etc, but I do a couple of pavement hops on my commute without worrying about it.

cks133

Thanks for the advice guys. I think a roadie is the way to go. I will change my route if I have to.

racingcondor

Your biggest risk will be paint chips (from loose gravel) and flats so you'll need to have some reasonably tough tyres on there. I wouldn't worry too much about chips, you're more likely to get them from debris kicked up by other traffic than your own tyres.

I regularly take my road bike across a common near home though just because I quite enjoy the challenge of slicks on wet grass... just ride smoothly and it's a nice change from the road.