Road Bikes
Two-Wheeled SUV
The challenges facing a city bike are myriad: potholes, congested commutes, day-long escapes beyond the burbs. The Specialized Tricross Sport Double ($1,100; www.specializedbikes.com) handles all these and more. Developed for cyclocross—a brutal, wet, muddy, cold, and deliriously fun style of winter road-bike racing on dirt tracks—the beefy Tricross Sport Double comes standard with a durable, oversize fork that's been reinforced with shock-absorbing rubber, and has fatter than normal tires. The extra heft gives it the juice to tackle the occasional dirt road or rail trail. Yet because the bike is built for racing, the 23-pound (10-kilogram) aluminum 16-speed is fast and snappy enough to handle aggressive drivers, or better, long rides out of town.

Light and Right
In the past five years, carbon fiber has found its way into just about every part of high-end road bikes. Strong, light, and utterly responsive, it's an ideal material in every way but one: cost. That's where the Masi Gran Corsa ($1,870; www.masibikes.com) comes in. This 19-pound (9-kilogram) gem hits the sweet spot between the high performance of carbon and everyman affordability. Masi uses carbon where it most improves the ride—in the seat stays and fork, for example—and places aluminum elsewhere, keeping the cost down. The ten-speed has a classic geometry, excellent for weekend rides or tours across Tuscany, and it's durable enough to be the only road bike you'll ever own. 






Pick up  the May 2006 issue for 38 amazing family escapes, wild beaches, and cool festivals, Sebastian Junger's lessons from the road, and the best bikes for summer.

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