Cyclocross or XC MTB?

simbil1

I've sold one of my MTBs and am thinking about building a winter trainer / cyclocross bike.

I read the bikeradar article about cyclocross bikes and couldn't quite see what they are supposed to be good at.
Is it safe to take a road groupset into the mud - does it still work well? Are road wheels tough enough for cross' or do you go through a pair a season? Will a £800 cyclocross bike be more suitable for fast cross country than by £2k xc MTB? Can cyclocross bikes handle steep descents (assuming the rider has moderate but not expert skill)?

The thing that appeals to me is having a road like position in an off road context which should improve my road confidence and skill.

Monty Dog

I sold my XC MTB and now only have a crosser for offroad use. It really depends on the type of XC riding you're planning to do and your style of riding. I mainly use mine on fire roads, hardpack trails and bridleways - with my routes often having sections of road to join up various bits of trail / bridleway - for this purpose it's excellent. Also riding technical singletrack on a crosser is far more challenging, as you have to be far more precise and can't rely on the suspension to rectify poor lines. The great thing is that a cross bike on the road is not much slower than a road bike, so 'mixed' rides are more fun and it offers the chance to cover a far wider area than you would with an MTB. Round here, the terrain is either dry hardpack or very, very sandy - so skinny tyres are better - apart from the occassional muddy sections. However, if you're riding steep, rocky or muddy sections, then an MTB is probably better. In terms of wheel strength, I've never had any problems - with a crosser you learn to ride smoothly. Stick a pair of road tyres on a crosser and you'll have no problems on normal road rides either.

simbil1

Thanks MontyDog. Ditto on the terrain as I'm just across the way in Guildford and would use the crosser for group rides which are very unchallenging on my MTB and quick local blasts. I'm still not sure I could justify it though - sounds like narrow lower profile nobblies on the MTB with stiff forks would produce very similar results.

andrewgturnbull

simbil1 wrote:

I've sold one of my MTBs and am thinking about building a winter trainer / cyclocross bike.

I read the bikeradar article about cyclocross bikes and couldn't quite see what they are supposed to be good at.
Is it safe to take a road groupset into the mud - does it still work well? Are road wheels tough enough for cross' or do you go through a pair a season? Will a £800 cyclocross bike be more suitable for fast cross country than by £2k xc MTB? Can cyclocross bikes handle steep descents (assuming the rider has moderate but not expert skill)?

The thing that appeals to me is having a road like position in an off road context which should improve my road confidence and skill.

Hi there.

Yes and no.

Yes my ultegra groupset has lasted 2 winters of general off road riding and cross racing - and still works faultlessly. A good set of repairable handbuilt road wheels will also be fine - my open pros on 105 hubs are also going strong. Although I have replaced one rim after bending it into an unnatural shape.

Can you keep up with the mtb boys on the descents? Not really. When I've been out with guys on mtb the combination of hydraulic disc brakes and beefy suspension allows them to go a little more mental downhill then I could. But on the other hand, they can't keep up with me on the climbs!

I think wiggle are selling an £800 disc brake cross bike now - which might help off road. Not legal for sanctioned cross racing though...

Cheers, Andy

simbil1

Thanks Andy - a good climber is always appealing. I have been looking at the 2008 Focus cyclocross disc bike, looks very very tempting. Do you have a link to the cross racing approved equipment list? Are discs likely to be allowed anytime soon..?

andrewgturnbull

simbil1 wrote:

Thanks Andy - a good climber is always appealing. I have been looking at the 2008 Focus cyclocross disc bike, looks very very tempting. Do you have a link to the cross racing approved equipment list? Are discs likely to be allowed anytime soon..?

Um, not really sure. You'd probably be ok in most local races, as they usually allow mountain bikes to race too. National champs or anything like that would be a no-no though.

Cheers, Andy