Cyclocross bike -vs- Touring bike plus a few other questions...

[bglaser496]

Planning to ride the Pacific Trail from Vancouver to San Francisco.  Would a cyclocross bike make sense because it is lighter and higher performance than a touring bike?  I do a lot of road biking so position is comfortable.  Second Question: Is early October a good time for this ride? 3rd Q: Any good links for a packing list?  We are planning to camp along the way.  Final Q?: What types of locks do touring riders use?

Thanks for your help.

[John Nelson]

I'll take a stab at it.

(1) If you already have a cross bike, then by all means you should use it. But if you have neither a cross bike nor a touring bike, then I'd buy a touring bike for touring (unless you plan to do cross racing when you get back).

(2) Early October is fine. My own preference would be to start a bit earlier to get longer days and somewhat warmer weather.

(3) There are tons of packing lists, both here and over at crazyguyonabike. You have to decide whether you want to go ultralight, light, normal or all the comforts of home. There are lists for each, and personal preferences are all over the map. Start with this link, but don't stop there. You can find many others.

http://www.adventurecycling.org/resources/how-to-department/bicycle-travel-basics/what-to-take-and-how-to-pack/

(4) Lock advice varies all over the map too. My advice would be, as much as possible, not to rely on a lock to protect your stuff. Don't leave your bike and gear unattended in sketchy places. Most places are very safe, however, and a lightweight lock will be enough to discourage opportunity thieves.

[RussSeaton]

1.  Depends how much you are going to carry.  Cyclocross bikes have forks which do not accept front racks, particularly lowrider racks.  Touring forks accept these racks so you can haul four panniers.  Cyclocross bikes are good for rear rack only loads and a handlebar bag.
2.
3.
4.  No lock or a light minimal lock to use when you go into stores.

[DaveB]

1.  Depends how much you are going to carry.  Cyclocross bikes have forks which do not accept front racks, particularly lowrider racks.

The current Surly Cross Check has rack eyelets on it's fork blades.  However, the Cross Check is more of a general purpose bike than a truly competitive cyclocross  frame. 

[Pat Lamb]

If you're going to ride in the Pacific Northwest, look at the dropouts.  Many 'cross and touring frames are remarkably similar, except that some 'cross frames have horizontal rear dropouts (Surly Crosscheck, for one).  This can be an issue with clearance getting the wheel out when you have fenders (highly recommended for the PNW).

OTOH, the Surly LHT has an extended top tube to go along with its vertical dropouts.  Note frame weights are within a few ounces for comparable 'cross and touring models.

Best advice I can give is test ride a lot, if you can find models to test ride, and pick the one you like best.  You'll probably be riding it long after the tour is over.  If you can't find a touring bike to ride, work with a good bike shop that will help get you set up right on the fit.  Despite "pick the one you like best" advice, there's not a whole lot of difference between different models.

[bikepete]

Bianchi Volpe is called a cyclocross but has bosses for front rack. I'm on my second one, wife on her first. We carry front low riders. No problem. check clearnce for wide tires. Fine for mine, narrow for my wife's.