Do you ride your CX offroad?

supertwisted

So there's a fair few commuters who use CX bikes for the commute due to their durability etc.

Do any of you ride them off road though?

I currently ride a road bike for the commute, and sometimes I'll pass a bridleway or muddy forest trail and think "ooh, that looks interesting, if I had a CX bike...."

But at the same time, I simply can't get my head round the idea of riding off road on drop bars and spindly wheels (I know proper cyclocrosser's do it and I've watched the videos, but they are clearly all mentally unwell and CX racing is no doubt just a care-in-the-community scheme).

Kieran_Burns

Yes.


(edited to add)

http://youtu.be/o17Hv0AhH-4?hd=1

This is me on my commuter bike and my 100k route covers about 30 miles of bridleway - the beauty of a CX bike - see somewhere you want to cycle - go cycle

hfidgen

Yep

Though not if it's too muddy because then I have to clean the fecking thing.

Mr Plum

Generally, no... but I did ride it over a mountain in the Lake District on 25mm road tyres. I didn't want to, the sat nav made me.

I wouldn't ride it down a muddy bridleway/forrest trail if I had the choice though. That's what a MTB is for

mudcow007

ive tried a bit on my tricross, bit bleeding scary to be honest i'm use to 3ft wide (exaggeration) riser bars with loads of control

Kieran_Burns

hfidgen wrote:

Yep

Though not if it's too muddy because then I have to clean the fecking thing.

You do the hose thing, like the mud-huggers play with after one of their mtb-scat sessions.

You do have a strange sense of being a little pervy when hosing down mud off what looks like a road bike.

raymondo60

Definitely! In fact, I'm still exploring the limits of my CX bike in the world of 'off-road'. OK, so it's not a replacement MTB - however, I love the 'muddy towpath' riding, the 'I wonder where this forest trail leads?' riding, and the 'huge expanse of grassy meadow' rides that are so off-limits for the road bike. I ride a Boardman Pro CX with mudguards and there really is nothing I've done so far that has phased it, and that includes a hugely muddy ride over the top of Ashtead Common in Surrey, generally a place I would only visit on my MTB.

Ride on my friends!

mudcovered

supertwisted wrote:

So there's a fair few commuters who use CX bikes for the commute due to their durability etc.

Do any of you ride them off road though?

Yep. Over gravel, small rocks and at the moment mud. Keeping the drivetrain clean is a pain but otherwise no problems. A CX bike is just a rigid 29er with slightly narrow tyres and odd handlebars.

Mike

will3

Yes, though currently not much time to play offroad.

walkingbootweather

Depends what you mean by off-road.

I often tackle grassy, muddy and gravel tracks or canal paths on my tourer. If you mean single-track then I'd stick with a MTB style bike.

spasypaddy

now that my Planet X has died my CX is going to become my mainstay bike (in the short term anyway). originally it was only ever going to be ridden off road now im going to ride it on road with road wheels and off road with off road wheels.

supertwisted

Is their a significant difference in CX bike geometry that somehow makes drop bars feel
stable off road?

Edit to say: When I say offroad, I mean gravel trails, forest paths, muddy tracks etc. Not full on singletrack over roots and rock gardens or anything you would wish you had an MTB for.

The feeling I get on my SCR is that drop bars would be horrible off road, but then this is a pure road bike so perhaps the angles are part of what makes it feel like that.
Or maybe it's my MTB background, like mudcow above I've been spoilt by suspension, slack head angles and big riser bars.

will3

Can't say I find drop bars feel unstable on or off road, TBH

The ride can be a bit harsh with relatively small tyres etc, but basically it's the same as riding a 1980s MTB but with drops and more gears.

Personally I think that riding a cx bike off road (on a track or similar - nothing too hard) is a great buzz. Really steams along.

roger_merriman

for mild tracks and on grass road bikes are fine, I ride my SS mildly off road, as long as your not brutal the bike is fine.

22-48

Yes, I have even ridden mine at Afan and Cwmcarn, great fun, super fast and the best bit.... the look on the faces of people on mtb's as you pass them. Of course I call it my drop bar 29er

gb155

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Yes.


(edited to add)

http://youtu.be/o17Hv0AhH-4?hd=1

This is me on my commuter bike and my 100k route covers about 30 miles of bridleway - the beauty of a CX bike - see somewhere you want to cycle - go cycle

BE HONEST, hows it handle those paths when they are snow covered dude ?

Kieran_Burns

Depends on the tyres tbh - I've ridden on snow / ice with the treaded CX tyres and it's been fine. The tricross is very neutral handling, which makes it predictable.

rolf_f

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Depends on the tyres tbh - I've ridden on snow / ice with the treaded CX tyres and it's been fine. The tricross is very neutral handling, which makes it predictable.

Presume you can get Schwalbe Marathon WInters on them for maximum non ending up in the canal style security?

Kieran_Burns

I'm trying to remember what treaded tyres they are at the moment - I know they're 38c and I'm pretty sure they are Schwalbes but which actual model....

They are excellent for traction in snow / ice so I expect they'll be great on mud

mudcovered

supertwisted wrote:

Is their a significant difference in CX bike geometry that somehow makes drop bars feel
stable off road?
Edit to say: When I say offroad, I mean gravel trails, forest paths, muddy tracks etc. Not full on singletrack over roots and rock gardens or anything you would wish you had an MTB for.

Its not as stable as an MTB but it's not horribly scary either. I commute on gravel and mud for about 50% of my journey and don't have any handling problems at all. There is also a small descent with small rocks embedded in the mud/gravel. The trick is to be relaxed on the bike and don't try to force the line. It will inevitably jump about a bit more over lumps and bumps but that's all. You just have to stay loose and let the bike float underneath you and understand when you can and can't brake.

To be honest I've found that riding a CX bike offroad has improved my MTB riding no end as you take that relaxed non-forced approach onto the MTB and it allows you to tackle more complex things much more easily.

Ive done limited riding on snow without issue but I usually switch to a snow tyre equipped rigid MTB when it gets really bad as I don't like the way that the road salt eats through the 10spd drive train. The MTB drivetrain is cheaper to replace things on when they wear out.

Mike

scruffyduncan

I have ridden, or attempted to ride, my Kona Jake over most terrain. Really muddy and roccky stuff defeated me, but for towpaths, parkland and summer conditions it is really good. Changing the tyres to michelin mud2s made an improvement.

roger_merriman

gb155 wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Yes.


(edited to add)

http://youtu.be/o17Hv0AhH-4?hd=1

This is me on my commuter bike and my 100k route covers about 30 miles of bridleway - the beauty of a CX bike - see somewhere you want to cycle - go cycle

BE HONEST, hows it handle those paths when they are snow covered dude ?

going for rides in the woods with folks on CX and myself on the MTB, on fire roads with snow and ice the CX tyres seemed to do the trick and where a lot less effort to do so!

got the upper hand on the sheet ice banks though as soft rubber spike tyres at 30PSI are quite amazing.

emotionless_softcore

supertwisted wrote:

Is their a significant difference in CX bike geometry that somehow makes drop bars feel stable off road?

I've been riding my tricross cx (fixed) all over woods, quarries, fireroads/footpaths^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H bridleways this past year, & while it did take me a while to suss out how to use the suspension (my knees) properly, I find that it's mainly the tyre width/tread pattern that I'm riding which dictates how sketchy the ride feels.

Big enough tyres & fresh enough knees, & I can take on anything a MTB could.
At times I'll definitely be on the hoods though, in order to move the gravity centre back a little. Also I find the compact drops too shallow to hold properly while standing up & pedalling uphill (without bashing knees on bars), which is a real annoyance. At first I thought it might just be my legs being weird and lanky, but then the other day I bought a track bike* and I was like: woah, I can move!

Also I concur particularly with the following:

mudcovered wrote:

Its not as stable as an MTB but it's not horribly scary either. I commute on gravel and mud for about 50% of my journey and don't have any handling problems at all. There is also a small descent with small rocks embedded in the mud/gravel. The trick is to be relaxed on the bike and don't try to force the line. It will inevitably jump about a bit more over lumps and bumps but that's all. You just have to stay loose and let the bike float underneath you and understand when you can and can't brake.

To be honest I've found that riding a CX bike offroad has improved my MTB riding no end as you take that relaxed non-forced approach onto the MTB and it allows you to tackle more complex things much more easily.

*Jury's still out on the effectiveness of commuting on a track bike through woods/quarries etc btw! One thing I will say is that the wheels I got from v-sprint (Varno on lfgss) are freaking bombproof. Today I rode down steps! Steep, sketchy steps! ...and they are still true as a die. Honestly, I don't deserve such nice things...

EKE_38BPM

+1 to Varno's wheels.
I'm already thinking about buying another pair and I don't have a bike to put them on, thats how much I like them!

cjcp

scruffyduncan wrote:

I have ridden, or attempted to ride, my Kona Jake over most terrain. Really muddy and roccky stuff defeated me, but for towpaths, parkland and summer conditions it is really good. Changing the tyres to michelin mud2s made an improvement.

Ditto. Even the same tyres.

itboffin

I make a point of not using tarmac when on my CX, I running a conti speed king up front and the schwalbe cx comp at the back both with a zefal tyre liner - low pressures and a shorter stem.

I've not found terrain or conditions yet that my Dolan can't handle including mud so deep i lost the wheels up to the axles.

dhope

EKE_38BPM wrote:

+1 to Varno's wheels.
I'm already thinking about buying another pair and I don't have a bike to put them on, thats how much I like them!

Excellent, mine should arrive this week

tri-sexual

22-48 wrote:

Yes, I have even ridden mine at Afan and Cwmcarn, great fun, super fast and the best bit.... the look on the faces of people on mtb's as you pass them. Of course I call it my drop bar 29er

good man

a cx bike can handle alot more than alot of people realise, no way a replacement for mtbs but can handle rocky sections, very rooty singletrack, bunny hop over logs etc,

spasypaddy

i rode mine in a TT last night. it was only 8 seconds slower than my Planet X (RIP). even with CX gearing on it.

notsoblue

spasypaddy wrote:

i rode mine in a TT last night. it was only 8 seconds slower than my Planet X (RIP). even with CX gearing on it.

What happened to your PX? :shock:

notsoblue

spasypaddy wrote:

i rode mine in a TT last night. it was only 8 seconds slower than my Planet X (RIP). even with CX gearing on it.

What happened to your PX? :shock: