In Heaven, where all the roads are smoothly paved, the sun is shining, and it’s always 70 degrees, the Trek Madone 6.2 would be the bike I would want to ride every day. The Madone has a carbon frame and weighs less than 15 pounds. I changed the stock wheels to Ultegra wheels with Continental GP 4000S tires. I managed 10,000 miles in 2014 without a single flat on those tires, and repeated the performance in 2015. The wire thread showed through the tire before they ever got a flat. It’s my best friend all summer long.
My latest edition to my collection is the Niner RLT9 gravel specific bike. It’s as comfortable and fast as a road bike on pavement, but it eats gravel like nobody’s business. The RLT9 is constructed of hydro-formed aluminum and comes equipped with a chunky, carbon fork. Compared to a CX bike, the RLT9 has a taller, slightly slacker head tube and a longer wheelbase, which it gains in the chain stays. Those differences make the RLT9 slower steering and more stable on open roads.
My Trek 7.3 FX is a nice, heavy duty road bike suitable for gravel or dirt roads. It’s a 3 X 8 speed that is geared nicely for climbing, but its lack of suspension can make for a bone shaker ride. However, it is a nice and solid ride with the early winter or spring winds, whereas the Trek Madone can get battered by a heavy crosswind. And quite frankly, I think the baby blue frame is just pretty.
My Pinarello Treviso is a solid, night riding, cold weather bike. The flat handlebars make shifting and braking much easier while wearing heavy winter gloves. The aero Easton EA50 wheels also make for smooth riding against a headwind. It is currently a 9 speed with a very inexpensive Sora crankset and brakes, and will soon be updated to a 10 speed with Ultegra parts. It is a very pretty bike that never fails to turn heads!
Then there’s the Surly Pugsley fat bike. My foul weather friend, and main ride out of necessity at least 4 months out of the year! The fat bike is currently boasting 4″ Dillinger tires for the snow.
And finally. there’s my Trek Top Fuel 9.9 full suspension MTB. The old school 26″ wheels make for zippy handling on trails, and its lightweight carbon frame make it fast on the road.
