Road bike or Cross Country

[gimpy]

so it turns out
my scaphoid has suffered from non-reunion(i blame rugby,wrestling, and bmx)

so i am going for a 2nd surgery, requiring bone grafting from my right arm, and apparently a better and bigger screw.
My doctor felt pretty sorry for me, so he decided to put me in front of the list. Although the date isnt' confirmed, the surgery will take place around Late June, Early July.
I definetly don't want another non-reunion, so im going to take time off from weight lifting or any physical activities involving my wrist until January. And eventually i plan on working myself up to next summer for mountainbiking.

So.. once the bone becomes into one piece(which it didnt' last surgery) and i were to get the go sign from my doctor(3-4months) im going to try to get some cardio done to promote growth hormone, as well as feeding blood to scaphoid because it has a very poor blood supply.
and of course accomplish some biking
Which brings to my question, what should i buy? a cross country mountain bike, or a road bike?
my main purpose is to have fun, and to become physically fit.
i know my limits and definetly wont' hit any rocky trails on a mountainbike(if i were to get the XC bike) during recovery? i have enough knowledge of cross country bikes. And as far as fitness goes, Both should get me the same result as long as i push myself. So things i am wondering about are
-resale prices of road bikes
-strength of carbonfiber bikes(fork?,tube/tire)
-Devinci any good?(saw one at steeds)
-helmets recommendation?
-eyewear recommendation(w? prescript?)
-types of road bikes?(alot on websites, cyclecross,track, etc)
-clothing(winterriding vs summerriding)
-clipless(never had them)
-seats(softtissue protection?)
-general FAQ, etc

I shall be posting the progress on my scaphoid for it is common injury caused by over-extension of wrist

[sanrensho]

Too many questions to answer, but I'll start with your basic one and throw in another option:

XC bike: Advantage in winter when it's icy and friggin' cold/windy. What really gets you on a road bike in the winter is the wind (due to the speed).

Road bike: Advantage outside of the winter months. From a fitness/cardio perspective, there's a reason why XC racers train on road bikes.

Cyclocross bike: By switching out the tires/wheelset, you essentially get two bikes in one. A road bike with narrow slicks, and a knobby-tired fire road bike. (E.g., LSCR area trails and non-technical climbs like Old Buck.) Or keep your knobbies on and mix-and-match to your heart's desire. With the cyclocross bike, I don't have to choose between roads or trails when I head out. I just pump up the tires hard and lower the PSI if/when I hit dirt. The decision might depend on the trail/road network in your area.

Resale value on a road bike will generally be better, because they get less abuse and thus hold their value better.

I say cyclocross bike if you want the option to hit easy trails occasionally. However, won't you want front suspension too ease the impact on your wrist?

[gimpy]

better if he doesnt' mountain bike

[brian]

better if he doesnt' mountain bike

la bicicletta by MEC on Broadway.

[sanrensho]

One more thing I'll add is that you will be more at the mercy of the terrain on a XC bike. In other words, you run a higher risk of landing on your ass even on easy trails, compared with a road bike (I'm not talking about competitive road racing or group riding.)

That's not to say that you can't hit a patch of ice in the winter or catch a rock on a downhill on a road bike. However, in my experience, the odds of a freak accident like that are much lower on the road vs. trails.

As for the brand issue, worry about the type of bike and fit first, brand last.

[sanrensho]

Helmet: One that fits (seriously).

Saddles: Ditto above (everybody has a different preference, but stock saddles on bikes are usually terrible)

[G-spot]

I would say Road and a trainer. that way you can ride and not worry about falling or being hit by a car ,while you are recovering.I just finished knee surgery and for rehab I used a road bike on a trainer. Now I'm out on the trails and the knee is doing good from the trainer riding.

[gimpy]

la bicicletta by MEC on Broadway.

thanks guys for the response,

I'm guessing this shop has everything i need (including gears,helmet, lights,etc)


-------------------------------
Do the winter clothings truly keep you warm(before yuo are warmed up)?

[gary j]

better if he doesnt' mountain bike

bicycle gallery in kits is also a good roadie shop. and doesn't have quite the nose in air feel as LB.

my opinion would be light XC bike. that little bit of front suspension will really take the bite out of rougher roads. and the body position isn't as heavy on your shoulder. they are also a better winter bike for after rehab.

[old_school_n00b]

Although I've heard that La Bicicletta is improving, they're still nowhere near Mighty Riders just down the street, in terms of customer service and parts availability/selection.

Mighty is also far more 'cross-focused.

[tashi]

CX bike just might be perfect.

Limits your extremeness off-road, but lets you out there after too much time indoors.

Fast on the road, and even faster with road tires (wheels, cogs,...).

I put mine on a trainer first, then road, then road/trail rides after breaking my back. Now I've got XC and road bikes and a healthy back. It seemed like a good progression for me, safe and satisfiying. The safe part seems important to me as it reduces the chances of a really long recovery.

I liked having a really wide bar for off-road. Not sold on the bar-top brakes however, the drops work well on fast trails anyway.

[baloom]

CX bike just might be perfect.

Limits your extremeness off-road, but lets you out there after too much time indoors.

Fast on the road, and even faster with road tires (wheels, cogs,...).

I put mine on a trainer first, then road, then road/trail rides after breaking my back. Now I've got XC and road bikes and a healthy back. It seemed like a good progression for me, safe and satisfiying. The safe part seems important to me as it reduces the chances of a really long recovery.

I liked having a really wide bar for off-road. Not sold on the bar-top brakes however, the drops work well on fast trails anyway.

Very wise advice from one broken back sufferer to another......

[Couch_Surfer]

I'm going to echo the cross suggestions here. I've been looking at a couple of bikes for me and wifey and cross seems to have it all.
The ones I've been scoping seem to be able to take fenders and maybe panniers (looking for something that could be used for commuting, and potentially a lightweight tour). Plus you can get throw some knobbys on if I want to run some gravel paths (twin bridges and LSCR would be good for this).
Seems like a good all-rounder.

I love my road bike - but it is definitely purpose built.

[Tracer Tong]

One more vote for cyclocross. Or road, but not xc.

[Duncan]

Cyclocross .... they come with knobbies and you can try out a pair of slicks. You can spurge on a set of aero roadie rims and a he-man corncob cluster if you get more luvin' out of the road riding. D.

[sanrensho]

The 'cross bike also gives you the ability to run wider road slicks than on a pure road bike. Since there is no suspension per se on a road/cross bike, wider tires will alleviate a lot of the harshness from potholes and cracks in pavement.

[zmcdee]

CX is the way to go. They are fast and smooth on the road plus fast on the trails. I race road I always will train on my CX bike because, to be honest I get bored on road rides, with a CX bike you can ride the road then duck in a trail. Also CX bikes can also handle almost anything, the pic is an example.

[J-Dude]

I say go XC MTB. The road scene... can get sketchy. And you can't drop off curbs on a road bike. Well, you can, but.... your dura ace rims might not appreciate it.

Here we go:
-resale prices of road bikes - no clue
-strength of carbonfiber bikes(fork?,tube/tire) - i have a carbon fibre fork with a full aluminum frame. It seems pretty strong right now :P
-Devinci any good?(saw one at steeds) - I have one.
-helmets recommendation? - Giro? Bell? Without a visor!?!?!?!
-eyewear recommendation(w? prescript?) - Addidas. They have glasses that can have an insert clipped in. Very good. Evil Eye is for MTB. The only option, pretty much unless u want to drop a ur wallet on Oakley M's.
-types of road bikes?(alot on websites, cyclecross,track, etc) - track is for velodrome. cx is kinda like what happened when the XC bike mated with the roadie race bike...
-clothing(winterriding vs summerriding) - spandex. Enough said.
-clipless(never had them) - Easy to learn to use... consider SPD type... you could cross over from MTB to Road with one pair of shoes.
-seats(softtissue protection?) - again, spandex.
-general FAQ, etc - Have fun!