Which cyclocross frame?

jpembroke

With my first season of cyclocross out of the way (only a few races but some good results: 9th, 8th, and 7th) I've decided to overhaul my 'cross bike and build a new one for next season. I currently ride a Planet X Uncle John and, whilst it's very nice looking and very well built, I'm not too keen on the geometry (quite a long headtube so a bit too high up for me).

I've had a look around and at the moment I'm set on getting a Kinesis Pro 5, which is significantly lighter than the Uncle John and has geometry that will suit me better. However, before I jump in and get one, just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this frame or any other ideas. Perhaps I'd be better off selling my cross bike and buying one off the peg. All thoughts from committed mud pluggers very welcome.

And if anyone wants to make me an offer for a medium size Uncle John with Planet X carbon forks and XLII headset then please PM me. It'd be perfect for someone 5'10ish IMO.

andrewgturnbull

Hi there.

I've never ridden the Kinesis, but I can highly recommend the Columbus X Wing that I've been riding/racing for the last couple of years. It's a fairly lightweight and stiff, shaped aluminium frame, with a flattened underside on the top tube to make for comfortable shouldering. The beefy carbon fork that it comes with is an absolute cracker too.

The only picture I can find is halfway down this page:

http://www.paulmilnescycles.com/cross.htm

If you're going to ride a cross bike - make it a Belgian one!

Cheers, Andy

meagain

Empellas are the prettiest - especially the carbon Bonfire!

powenb

I have a Kinesis Evo3, and the shop that built it has also recenlty built a Pro5.
Lovely looking bike, with a long flat section under the top tube, it's light, very light if you go for the Evo fork with it, although the Pro fork is stiffer.

jpembroke

Thanks for that. Not sure I can afford the Evo fork so will go for the Pro version. I'm sure it'll be fine. I do like the flat section for carrying - good idea! I would prefer a standard headset but it seems that more and more CX bikes are getting integrated headsets so I guess there can't be any problems. Just worried about the stress that a 'cross bike's headtube has to endure.

stuartbikeman

I have bought 2 x wing frames ( 3 weeks ago ) from Paul milnes , got a very good deal.
Latest colour picture here :-
http://www.columbus-bikes.be/x-wing.htm

Great frame - same as the bonfire i understand.

andrewgturnbull

Hi Stuart.

Is that a different fork on the new x-wing frames?

Cheers, Andy

powenb

The only problem is, the rear mech cable runs under the BB.
Does it not get full of cack, and then doesn't change gear very well?

jpembroke

Same as the Salsa frames. Kinesis and Planet X have just the front mech cable routed under the BB, whereas the Focus bikes have all cables routed along the top tube. I guess I'd prefer it if all the cables were routed on the top tube but having trained and raced on a bike with a BB routed cable it's not that much of a big deal.

powenb

The Kinesis only routes the front mech. cable under the BB.
The rear mech cable runs a long to TT to help keep it free from dirt.

jpembroke

That's what I said;

"Kinesis and Planet X have just the front mech cable routed under the BB"

powenb

jpembroke wrote:

That's what I said;

"Kinesis and Planet X have just the front mech cable routed under the BB"

Oh yeah :roll: Sorry :oops:

jpembroke

Mind you, whilst I don't mind having the front mech being routed under the BB, I'm not sure I'd want the rear mech routed there too. Obviously, the rear mech is more prone to indexing problems caused by mud. The Kinesis Pro is still winning at the moment.

andrewgturnbull

jpembroke wrote:

Mind you, whilst I don't mind having the front mech being routed under the BB, I'm not sure I'd want the rear mech routed there too. Obviously, the rear mech is more prone to indexing problems caused by mud. The Kinesis Pro is still winning at the moment.

Hi there.

Yeah - I hadn't thought through the consequences of the cable routing when I bought the bike. Having said that, I've had some pretty muddy races, and never had any trouble with indexing whatsoever.

I wouldn't worry too much about the front mech routing - the cabling on the ridleys looks pretty neat the way it comes down to a wee pulley near the bottom of the seat tube and then routes back up to the mech. Probably overkill though - front mechs are pretty agricultural compated to rear ones, and they don't get used very often... I reckon over 90% of my time racing cross I spend in the small ring.

Cheers, Andy

[edit] Gratuitous picture of me on muddy bike inserted here: [/edit]

100%

jpembroke wrote:

Mind you, whilst I don't mind having the front mech being routed under the BB, I'm not sure I'd want the rear mech routed there too. Obviously, the rear mech is more prone to indexing problems caused by mud. The Kinesis Pro is still winning at the moment.

Old thread I know, but what did you get in the end?

Cheers,
Steve

jpembroke

100% wrote:

Old thread I know, but what did you get in the end?

Cheers,
Steve

I got a Planet X Uncle John and have now raced on it for the past 3 seasons. It's a good quality frame at a bargain price but, like all things, has its plus and minus points. Points in favour: it's a good all-rounder and has a comfortable geometry if you want to use it for long rides. Points against: headtube and wheelbase both too long to make it an out-an-out 'cross bike. I do find it difficult to make those tight turns. Mind you, the more upright geometry means that I don't get the dreaded lower back ache in races or training rides.

jpembroke

Oh, just realised that this thread relates to my ponderings on getting a replacement cross bike. I actually kept the old Uncle John in the end. It's fine for what I need at the moment but will hopefully replace with a Kinesis next summer.

Monty Dog

Kuota Kross - rock solid rocket-ship and you can run the front mech cable top or bottom-routed. FWIW when it gets really filthy, you'll rarely get the chance to use the big ring anyway. Next season I'm contemplating a single chainring and guard for simplicity

jpembroke

Have thought about going single ring up front but I like having the added options of the double. Means I can use the cross bike on road in winter and for the odd sportive, too.

100%

I've got a Kinesis 4T that I quite like but it has a few limitations.

The entry level model has all the bosses for full mudguards and a pannier rack on the frame...which means it also has a chainstay brace that collects crap big style when it's mucky. As I only have the one bike, it'd be good to lose this.

I don't think I'm naive enough to think a new frame will make me better, but I am thinking that I could be more effective on a smaller frame though. I like the look of the X-Wing too, amongst a few others.

Cheers,
Steve

Mike67

I have a Pro 5 frame and have now finally collected all the parts to build it up into a cross bike (at least I think I have).
Should be building it up over Christmas and racing it in the New Year with any luck so will let you know how it rides.
It certainly looks the part but is an out an out cross frame with no additional mounts on the frame at all.

100%

So dd you get it built? What was it like? How was mud shedding/clearance? My 4T has an issue with mud build up around the BB, mainly I think due to the brace there. Think this only exists to mount the mudguard to and should be gone on your Pro5....

It looks very similar to the 4T to me, minus the versatility bits like rack/mudguard mounts etc.

I think I've seen a few people in the local league riding them. Must say though the EVO4 looks VERY nice, although obviously more expensive approaching the 700 quid mark for frame + fork. Still, I think that's a good price, especially when compared to the likes of a Ridley X-Fire frame or the Scott frames at 2.5K! Jody Crawforth was on one this year and it certainly looked to be working well for him when he lapped me...

Cheers,
Steve

Mike67

Yes, I did build it up, but as usual it took me longer than I thought it would.
The full build came it at a shade over 20lb with a mixture of kit from Sora shifters to Ultegra rear hub and everything in between.
Total build cost was around £420 (though I did already have the shifters and bars)

I've taken it out a couple of times so far, one test ride and one race.

On the test ride (road) it felt really comfy (700 x 30 Michelin Mud 2s probably helped) and quick too. Certainly more laid back than my road bike (CAAD9).

My first race on it saw me improve my usual finish postion by around 10 places. It was certainly easier to get up hills than my old cobbled together steel rigid MTB frame and a lot more predictable round corners and on the off camber stuff.
The flattened section under the top tube was great, as for the first time I didn't have the usual bruises on my arm after the race. Just a load of cuts from some encroaching brambles instead

I had no issues with mud collecting anywhere in particular, though there was only one muddy section on the course. There was the usual bit around the BB but nothing that would cause any mechanicals.
Only down side I've noticed with it to date is the paint marks/chips easily. There's already a couple of places where the primer is showing. Might be showing up more as it's red and the primer is white. Might be that I didn't care as much if the old one got chipped

All in all, I'm very happy with it.