Time for New Bike

[tthayer]

I'm planning a west coast to east coast tour in the near future.  It's also time for me to consider buying a new bike for this tour.  Price range is hovering near a grand. I'm planning on hauling my gear with a small trailer. Any suggestions on a good touring bike for that price?  Also, would a cyclocross bike be a good alternative to riding those long distances? Any advice is appreciated.

This message was edited by tthayer on 11-9-04 @ 10:03 PM

[JayH]

Do you mean a grand for the bike, and the trailer, how about the racks, bags, etc? If you're looking at the whole package, $1k isn't terribly much if new is the plan.

A cross bike is a good compromise when looking at non-touring specific bikes, they'll allow more width than most road bikes.  I personally feel that there isn't any one bike that is good for touring, if you are comfortable with the bike with the necessary touring gear, then it should work for touring.  I tour on a MTB, fully loaded and have done 130 mile days before partially loaded on my MTB.  

Jay