Cyclo X V Road Bikes ....... FIGHHHTTTTT

chuckcork

AndyManc wrote:

I've looked at Audax bikes and they seem very boring , with their sensible mudguards and 1930's colour schemes. :P

Sensible mudguards stop the cr*ap on the roads from covering you front and rear, for those who wear glasses like myself it also stops the spray off the wheels from coating the glasses and making it near impossible to see. That you get to work drier and cleaner is a big plus when doing it every day.

Right about the colour schemes, though an Audax bike with a garish road-bike paint job would just be weird.

Kieran_Burns

The Tricross sport comes with 32c (but as I've said before: they look bigger) and with frame and fork clearances that allow BIG mudguards.

Mine are suitable for 35-42 (I think!) and cover the tyres beautifully, I get no spray covering me at all.

If you're going to fit lightS at the front you'll probably need http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Minou ... 300001170/ get the shorter one as the long one tends to bounce a lot on the rougher surfaces

Welcome to the Dark Side, mask and dark cape are through the door on the left

Aguila

AndyManc wrote:

I'm thinking about getting a road bike

I've looked at Audax bikes and they seem very boring , with their sensible mudguards and 1930's colour schemes. :P


Your comments and advice is welcomed .

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Audax bikes are so not boring!! Will be quicker than a CX bike for sure. Plus still have the more relaxed geometry for yer back.

Check this out:

http://www.condorcycles.com/fratello.html

I test rode a tricross before deciding on an audax. I thought it was rubbish, felt really flimsy in comparison. Components pretty cheap.

downfader

Kieran_Burns wrote:

If you're going to fit lightS at the front you'll probably need http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Minou ... 300001170/ get the shorter one as the long one tends to bounce a lot on the rougher surfaces

Welcome to the Dark Side, mask and dark cape are through the door on the left

I'm planning on getting the 80mm extension Minoura for mine. Theres a swivel one too, but I think thats going to be more suited to the curvey flat bars

BTW its less than a tenner at cycle world

AndyManc

Yes, yes, I've bought the bike , I did mention that in an earlier post :roll:

Mud guards (insert smiley rolling about the floor with sides splitting) :P

I don't do mudguards :roll: , I've now got 4 bikes and the only one with guards is the hardtail and I still get covered in crap, well, my waterproofs do, they are my mudguards

I used mud guards when I was a kid, but I don't think they're necessary.

As far lights are concerned :idea: , Wiggle had to draft in emergency supplies after I spent the last 3yrs buying all their stock, but I'll check out the extension suggestion, cheers.


Roll on this Friday




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itboffin

My Dolan CX is now def my best bike okay so it still staying pretty mucn on road with road tyres but the gearing and set up is near perfect for my local terrain, I'm tearing a new one on anyone I meet riding a roadie up these local hills, gotta love the compact upfront with full MTB cassette, all I need now is aero bars and I have my dream machine.

BUY DOLAN FRAMES 8) 8)

Aero bars on a CX would be wrong, surely???

NGale

I have to admit I am thinking of going over to the darkside and investing in a cyclocross bike in future for some of the sustrans routes in the local areas and not worry about knackering a good road bike.

itboffin

NGale wrote:

I have to admit I am thinking of going over to the darkside and investing in a cyclocross bike in future for some of the sustrans routes in the local areas and not worry about knackering a good road bike.

DO IT!

Look at the lovely lines

NGale

itboffin wrote:

NGale wrote:

I have to admit I am thinking of going over to the darkside and investing in a cyclocross bike in future for some of the sustrans routes in the local areas and not worry about knackering a good road bike.

DO IT!

Look at the lovely lines

you realise that if I get one it will officially make me a pervert :roll:

itboffin

and that would be bad how?

I bet the poor chap I left for dust this afternoon wished he'd had a cross bike, he'd just joked he had no gears left at which point I pointed out my MASSHOOF ring and disappeared into the distance.

Ah!!! CX bikes totally rule, esp for old farts like me

NGale

itboffin wrote:

and that would be bad how?

I bet the poor chap I left for dust this afternoon wished he'd had a cross bike, he'd just joked he had no gears left at which point I pointed out my MASSHOOF ring and disappeared into the distance.

Ah!!! CX bikes totally rule, esp for old farts like me

well types of cycling are like sexuality.

Mountian Bikes - The Hetrosexual Male, all grrrr and tough
Road Bikes - The Homosexual, it's a lycra thing
Cyclocross - The Bisexual, can't make up their mind, want their cake and eat it
Hybrid - The teenager who dosen't quite yet know what their sexuality is

:roll:

itboffin

NGale wrote:

itboffin wrote:

and that would be bad how?

I bet the poor chap I left for dust this afternoon wished he'd had a cross bike, he'd just joked he had no gears left at which point I pointed out my MASSHOOF ring and disappeared into the distance.

Ah!!! CX bikes totally rule, esp for old farts like me

well types of cycling are like sexuality.

Mountian Bikes - The Hetrosexual Male, all grrrr and tough
Road Bikes - The Homosexual, it's a lycra thing
Cyclocross - The Bisexual, can't make up their mind, want their cake and eat it
Hybrid - The teenager who dosen't quite yet know what their sexuality is

:roll:

erm I'm in big trouble I have ALL of those bikes :roll:

NGale

itboffin wrote:

NGale wrote:

itboffin wrote:

and that would be bad how?

I bet the poor chap I left for dust this afternoon wished he'd had a cross bike, he'd just joked he had no gears left at which point I pointed out my MASSHOOF ring and disappeared into the distance.

Ah!!! CX bikes totally rule, esp for old farts like me

well types of cycling are like sexuality.

Mountian Bikes - The Hetrosexual Male, all grrrr and tough
Road Bikes - The Homosexual, it's a lycra thing
Cyclocross - The Bisexual, can't make up their mind, want their cake and eat it
Hybrid - The teenager who dosen't quite yet know what their sexuality is

:roll:

erm I'm in big trouble I have ALL of those bikes :roll:

yer just a tart then :roll:

itboffin

NGale wrote:

itboffin wrote:

NGale wrote:

itboffin wrote:

and that would be bad how?

I bet the poor chap I left for dust this afternoon wished he'd had a cross bike, he'd just joked he had no gears left at which point I pointed out my MASSHOOF ring and disappeared into the distance.

Ah!!! CX bikes totally rule, esp for old farts like me

well types of cycling are like sexuality.

Mountian Bikes - The Hetrosexual Male, all grrrr and tough
Road Bikes - The Homosexual, it's a lycra thing
Cyclocross - The Bisexual, can't make up their mind, want their cake and eat it
Hybrid - The teenager who dosen't quite yet know what their sexuality is

:roll:

erm I'm in big trouble I have ALL of those bikes :roll:

yer just a tart then :roll:

Don't mention the T word Jash will be all over this tread, that is if he wasn't somewhere out in the countryside 'without' the Prince I bet he's really pleased about being sans bike this week

AndyManc

Picked up my bike today , includes nice manual and free bag + free service in 6 weeks time .

Anyway the guy gave me a run through of the gears :shock: , coming from a MTB background I wasn't sure :oops:

Anyone that knows Manchester will be aware there's an off road cycle lane (opposite St Mary's ), I jump on my bike there and give it a run.

First impressions, the front end seems a bit twitchy when I'm out of the saddle(maybe my mtb technique let me down) but the gears were very smooth and there’s a great feeling of speed.

So onto Oxford road :? , notorious in Manchester, massive pot holes, mental bus drivers and the road for the highest cyclist death rate in Manchester.

Picking up pace, past Oxford road station, onto a 3 lane one way stretch.

I suddenly became aware of all the cars and busses blasting their horns :shock: , as I approached McDonalds I saw this Chinese dude in a blue Honda civic turning into the one way carriageway ... FROM THE WRONG WAY , he was heading straight for me :shock: :shock: :shock:

This copper saw what was happening and jumped into the road in front of me holding his hand up to the Honda driver to stop him.

Thank f*** he did stop, UN-BA-F*******-LEVABLE.

A great start to my roadie experience. :P





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LazyBoycp

AndyManc wrote:

So onto Oxford road :? , notorious in Manchester, massive pot holes, mental bus drivers and the road for the highest cyclist death rate in Manchester.

Picking up pace, past Oxford road station, onto a 3 lane one way stretch.

I suddenly became aware of all the cars and busses blasting their horns :shock: , as I approached McDonalds I saw this Chinese dude in a blue Honda civic turning into the one way carriageway ... FROM THE WRONG WAY , he was heading straight for me :shock: :shock: :shock:

This copper saw what was happening and jumped into the road in front of me holding his hand up to the Honda driver to stop him.

Thank f*** he did stop, UN-BA-F*******-LEVABLE.

A great start to my roadie experience. :P .

Do you think Oxford Road's really all that bad? Yes, there are pretty bad potholes and the quality of driving leaves something to be desired (double-parking (including Police cars!), turning without indicating, etc) but I've actually changed my commute to use it rather than Princess Parkway - the bus drivers there can be homicidal maniacs, driving an inch or two away from you at >40mph. I really don't like the 'remain in lane' bit as it crosses Whitworth St though - nobody pays attention to this and I nearly got taken out by some idiot who thought it would be a good idea try to overtake me while ignoring the lane markings. :evil:

If you managed to cope with that idiot in the Civic then you should be fine. Quite tempted to follow in your footsteps and get something CXish.

AndyManc

LazyBoycp wrote:

Do you think Oxford Road's really all that bad? .

I would never use Princess Parkway, they can reach 50mph or 60mph along that road. Oxford rd/Wilmslow Rd is high capacity slower speeds.

The pot holes near the museum are a disgrace, thank f*** I was on a CX bike, next time I'll take pics and report it.

There are also issues around rusholme and fallowfield, the cycle lanes are always blocked and you've got cars pulling out or car doors beings smashed into your front wheel.

Manc council need to get it sorted, they made the mess, it doesn't have to be that bad.


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itboffin

AndyManc welcome to the club.

I chose to ride my tourer today rather than the cross big mistake as half way I forgot and went off road pssssss!!!!!

Oops :oops:

Spare tube was the wrong size :oops:

jimmypippa

itboffin wrote:

and that would be bad how?

I bet the poor chap I left for dust this afternoon wished he'd had a cross bike, he'd just joked he had no gears left at which point I pointed out my MASSHOOF ring and disappeared into the distance.

Ah!!! CX bikes totally rule, esp for old farts like me

MASSHOOF?

Google comes up with this thread...

Eau Rouge

jimmypippa wrote:

itboffin wrote:

and that would be bad how?

I bet the poor chap I left for dust this afternoon wished he'd had a cross bike, he'd just joked he had no gears left at which point I pointed out my MASSHOOF ring and disappeared into the distance.

Ah!!! CX bikes totally rule, esp for old farts like me

MASSHOOF?

Google comes up with this thread...

Even bigger than massive...

itboffin

it official...

CX is MASSHOOF

always_tyred

itboffin wrote:

it official...

CX is MASSHOOF

I thought a mass hoof was something that happened at aerobics classes?

tardington

It has a good ring to it. Sounds like a John Buchan novel.

crosstowncommuter

After 2 years commuting on a slicked up MTB, I was after something a bit lighter, but not too fragile, especially as I am no lightweight and most days have to take stuff in with me

Liked the idea of a road bike, but wasn't sure it would be up to the daily grind and crappy roads on my London commute. Then a mate asked if I had thought about a CX bike, and I think its going to be perfect.

I looked at a few bikes, including some not strictly CX bikes like the Cotic Roadrat, but in the end went with a Condor CX bike I am hoping to pick up in a few weeks.

Other CX bikes that looked interesting were:
- Planet X Uncle John
- Salsa La Cruz
- Mosquito Boxer Cross
- Focus Mares Cross

I was having a hard time weaning myself off the stopping power of the MTB disks, but have been convinced that on a much lighter CX bike its not an issue. I've gone for cantis in the end, but can always swap them out for something else I guess if they are not up to snuff!

Another plus of most CX bikes is the cable routing is usually "up top" out of the way of the crud, and the ability to fit larger than 25c tyres. Plus I found the frame geometry a bit more suited to city commuting, where you aren't going to be on the drops all the time.

Will be interesting to see how much faster I manage the commute

AndyManc

Just got into work on my tri-cross, the brakes are a total waste of time, god knows what they will be like in the wet :?

They will have to be changed, :roll: , apart from that , I'll have to make a few tweeks adjusting seat, bars etc, I'll also have to stop trying to change gears using the emergency brake levers :oops:

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always_tyred

AndyManc wrote:

Just got into work on my tri-cross, the brakes are a total waste of time, god knows what they will be like in the wet :?

They will have to be changed, :roll: , apart from that , I'll have to make a few tweeks adjusting seat, bars etc, I'll also have to stop trying to change gears using the emergency brake levers :oops:

.

Give them chance to bed in - takes a little while to get brake material on the rim and scrub the surface of new pads.

lost_in_thought

Always Tyred wrote:

AndyManc wrote:

Just got into work on my tri-cross, the brakes are a total waste of time, god knows what they will be like in the wet :?

They will have to be changed, :roll: , apart from that , I'll have to make a few tweeks adjusting seat, bars etc, I'll also have to stop trying to change gears using the emergency brake levers :oops:

.

Give them chance to bed in - takes a little while to get brake material on the rim and scrub the surface of new pads.

+1

Also, if they're still bad after a couple of weeks, just change the blocks/pads. That took mine from 'AAAaaaaagh' to fine.

itboffin

AndyManc wrote:

Just got into work on my tri-cross, the brakes are a total waste of time, god knows what they will be like in the wet :?

They will have to be changed, :roll: , apart from that , I'll have to make a few tweeks adjusting seat, bars etc, I'll also have to stop trying to change gears using the emergency brake levers :oops:

.

I understand where you're coming from it was a huge shock for me going from hydro disc to calliper to cantis although I now use koolstop pads which make a huge difference to stopping power, still miss the disc brakes.

downfader

itboffin wrote:

AndyManc wrote:

Just got into work on my tri-cross, the brakes are a total waste of time, god knows what they will be like in the wet :?

They will have to be changed, :roll: , apart from that , I'll have to make a few tweeks adjusting seat, bars etc, I'll also have to stop trying to change gears using the emergency brake levers :oops:

.

I understand where you're coming from it was a huge shock for me going from hydro disc to calliper to cantis although I now use koolstop pads which make a huge difference to stopping power, still miss the disc brakes.

I thought about upgrading mine to disc brake, but didnt know if you could do that. Do you need special wheels, etc..

I want a set of Koolstops too or similar too. My pads will be out in about a month

AndyManc

Thanks for the 'bed-in' advice , I'll see if they have improved after my 6 week service.

Just got back home, smashed my commute record , great weather for a ride , everything was just a blur ,

Don't like carrying a rucksack :? so I might add a lightweight rear rack even though I was hoping to avoid that :? , my Trek hybrid has a rack (also my hardrock) and my intentions were to keep the tri-cross 'accessory' free but I just can't be doing with carrying all that gear on my back.

Will get up early and go for a spin ..... the need for speed .



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