Cross bike as winter training?

passout

Hi

Do cross bikes make good winter trainers?

Thinking of getting an 09 Kona Jake (cross bike) or a Ribble Winter Trainer for under 600 quid & through cyclescheme. I'll be doing fairly long distance training on it firstly and foremost and maybe some commuting in the future. Any advice appreciated.

Cheers

Wooliferkins

They make ideal commuters/winter trainers. Some have mudguard and rack eyes and are good for touring.

APIII

Yes. I've not ridden my 'good' bike for several months, the cx has been great. If you're looking for downsides, you could say it's a firm ride as the frames built for strength, but tbh, it's fine for 3-4 hours.

beancounter

Why not. I use a Cannondale cx bike for wet commuting and winter training. It's a bit heavier than my other bikes but some of the cycle paths I use are poorly surfaced and the extra robustness of the frame and wheels is reassuring. It's shod with Marathon Plus so no cold & wet puncture worries, but a bit more rolling resistance.

bc

Monty Dog

The fact that you have bigger clearances means you can ride wider tyres to compensate for the slightly less forgiving ride of the more robust frame. Most cross frames have bottle cage, rack and mudguard mounts to make them very adaptable too.

Mark Alexander

You can't go wrong with a Ridley Crossbow £850 new.