Some advice - Which CX Bike or maybe self/build one?
dru
Posts: 1,341
Hi people,
With the spring coming it might sound odd, but I'm considering getting a CX (cyclocross) bike
This will be used for possibly some commuting, but will ultimately be used for trial riding (tow paths etc) as well as being used to go CX racing (never done it before) next fall/winter and maybe even be used as my winter trainer as well (with a suitable change of wheels/tyres)
Anyhow, I know very little about CX bikes but from what I can see you get them in basically the same size frames as road bikes, some come with CX chainsets (48/36) or as compact or triples.
And hence I'm wondering about compatability with other road wheels etc that I have.
Looking at the budget/starter end of CX bikes they seem to have 8 or 9 speed setups - with my road and tt bikes having 10 speed sram/shimano, should I be looking at also getting a 10 speed CX so I can swap wheelsets depending upon use? or just accept that as long as the freehub can take an 8/9/10 cassette then I just change cassettes when changing wheelsets?)
With the above information I probably have a budget of around £800.00-£900.00
Should I be looking to purchase a complete bike for this price or should I be looking to purchase things seperately and sourcing a seperate frame, groupset etc etc.
Would be very welcome to here anyones opinions on this subject, particulalry with what I should be looking for in a CX bike.
Also, presumably for CX I'll be needing a frameset with the same or similar geometry to my current road bike or is it ok to ride one a little small than the road one?
Thanks,
Dru.
With the spring coming it might sound odd, but I'm considering getting a CX (cyclocross) bike
This will be used for possibly some commuting, but will ultimately be used for trial riding (tow paths etc) as well as being used to go CX racing (never done it before) next fall/winter and maybe even be used as my winter trainer as well (with a suitable change of wheels/tyres)
Anyhow, I know very little about CX bikes but from what I can see you get them in basically the same size frames as road bikes, some come with CX chainsets (48/36) or as compact or triples.
And hence I'm wondering about compatability with other road wheels etc that I have.
Looking at the budget/starter end of CX bikes they seem to have 8 or 9 speed setups - with my road and tt bikes having 10 speed sram/shimano, should I be looking at also getting a 10 speed CX so I can swap wheelsets depending upon use? or just accept that as long as the freehub can take an 8/9/10 cassette then I just change cassettes when changing wheelsets?)
With the above information I probably have a budget of around £800.00-£900.00
Should I be looking to purchase a complete bike for this price or should I be looking to purchase things seperately and sourcing a seperate frame, groupset etc etc.
Would be very welcome to here anyones opinions on this subject, particulalry with what I should be looking for in a CX bike.
Also, presumably for CX I'll be needing a frameset with the same or similar geometry to my current road bike or is it ok to ride one a little small than the road one?
Thanks,
Dru.
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Comments
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just bought a Ridley Xbow for £800 (new) for a mate. Looks good. Solid spec and no big issues.Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer0
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I'd say for 8-900 squid you should be looking at a complete new bike either with tiagra or 105
Shop around for a 2010 bike and you should get a good deal
Cross bikes make a superb commuter, fast and light. My only gripe is mudguards can be an issue. I had to settle for an aeroplane wing MTB style rear one which looks daft but keeps the crap off your back. I just did the Cheshire cat 100 on mine with road tyres on.0
