Bucking the Trend
![Image](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xiQxFw3bsz-YgIHp6bl8YggQGL1f_lOhVFzf_taBVD6Z5nWIKZaFAoRfjDr4tEcu-DMA9tBD9EaXdb3eN90qjuZg30RqW_dYb3dtiQFwgpNWqhezux0FeizUOiu4XYp5HsX5czgDbls/s320/pacer-14_sv_930x390.jpg)
In my previous post, No Such Thing as Junk Miles , I wrote about how a lot of road bikes today are overly influenced by racing -- making them too narrowly focused for the needs of many people who otherwise could be well served by a good-quality road bike, but instead get steered into mountain bikes, "comfort" bikes, and cruisers because they don't want something that essentially boils down to a racing bike. There are exceptions, of course, and I thought I'd highlight a few bikes available today, to fit a range of budgets, that buck the current trends in bicycle design by being simple, comfortable, and versatile. Surly Pacer (photo used with permission from Surly.) Surly Bikes , a brand from Quality Bicycle Products (QBP -- which supplies many bike shops around the country), offers a couple of bikes that fit my description of versatile road bikes. They also are pretty affordable. Using chrome-moly frames, welded construction, and single-color powder coated fini