cx bikes

scarthie99

are cx bike good on the road look at buy cx frame then buy at road groupset and wheelis

ugo.santalucia

Get the Planet X Kaffenback... disc brakes, decent groupset, steel frame, it also looks nice... doesn't get better than that

jordan_217

In a word, yes! They are extremely versatile bikes, more than capable for road use and lots of fun when you do head off road.

My bike has a Tiagra/105/Ultegra mix groupset, with the only significant change to a road bike is the brakes - they are cantilever. Disc brakes are becoming more common place now though. Canti brakes aren't great TBH but with a bit of fettling and some better pads (Swiss stop for me) they can be improved.

I also use Mavic Aksium wheels, fitted with Scwhalbe 700x30mm CX tyres. The rest of the finishing kit is all intended for road use. If you are building yourself then you may want to consider carbon forks. I recently upgraded the CrMo forks on mine to some Kinesis Pure CX carbon ones and they're a vast improvement, particularly on tarmac.

If I could only have one bike it would be this one.

Monty Dog

In the off-season, I use my CX race bike fitted with skinny tyres for road duties as it is as light as my road race - there is a slight difference in the way the bike handles in comparison to a road bike, but it doesn't impact on speed. Bigger tyre clearances gives them greater versatility. I also have a CX/travel bike with S+S type couplings that means I can take one bike on holiday with 2 sets of tyres and ride anywhere I want - it has enough clearances to take a 38mm studded snow tyres too. Disc brakes are more beneficial offroad than on IME - I have cantis, mini-vees and discs. We ride the Southdowns Way every mid-summer on CX bikes - only on the really technical downhills do you lose out to MTBs but with 10,000ft of climbing, the lighter weight wins every time.

NickintheLakes

I have a Giant TCX1

Decent spec' bike + TRP CX9 linear pull brakes thus avoiding canti shudder.

Mine is fitted with Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 32mm tyres.

Very comfortable with the fatter tyres, light enough for me and looks the dogs.

Unless you are a racer and desperately need a more stretched out position then I have no idea why CX bikes aren't the default choice for most non-competitive road cyclists.

adamangler

Just bought a CX bike, coming from mountain biking so i cant comment on a proper road bike, but feels very comfortable and fast on the road, i plan on putting some lightweight road wheels/tyres on come spring for the road. Very versatile bike. Pleased i didnt get an out an out road bike now.

scarthie99

look at lynskeys 2013 ProCross frame

Dougall

Been looking at getting a CX bike myself to cover commutting, bit of off road stuff, even winter training duties with a change of tyres on it.

Merida Cyclo Cross 4 has 105 5700, disc brakes, aluminium frame & carbon fork.
It's got bosses for mudguards & a rear rack so potentially could do some light touring in the summer on it.
Comes in at a grand so getting it via C2W

Spoke to a couple of guys who have them & they say they're cracking bikes

cougie

I've an Uncle John cross bike from Planet X. I've done adventure races on it, hilly sportifs and an Ironman race too. Its a lovely bike - if I had to have just one bike - that would be it. So versatile and it'll not get left behind on the road either.

FransJacques

scarthie99 wrote:

are cx bike good on the road look at buy cx frame then buy at road groupset and wheelis

How fast do you want to go off and on-road?

You need to tweak what kind of bike you buy accordingly, if you want a bike that rides like a tank and gets over anything like a tank get a Kaffenback. If you want a bike that you'd scarcely tell apart from your road bike Evans has the Cannondale Super X with Sram for £1600 which is a steal.

Fast is fun every time.

dave35

Looking at a cyclo cross bike myself-forced to pack up t.t'ing soon so looking for a good all rounder,would prefer disc brakes but not sure on their stopping power out on the road e.g coming down a hill at 30 mph and having to stop at a set of lights sharpish.
Wouldn't have a huge budget-ideally around £1600-this would now become my only bike.

arlowood

Pick up the current issue of Cycling Plus

They do a group test on CX bikes with the winner being the Pinnacle Arkose Two at £900

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pin ... 3#features

The C+ reviewers felt it had the best blend of ability for both on and off-road use. Just be aware that their test bile had a compact 50/34 chainset while the Evans spec above suggests that the one supplied is a 46/36. I'm sure you could get them to swap the chainset if need be as a 50/36 would be much more road use compatible

dave35

Will have a look at this months mag, that link shows a discontinued bike but i get the idea.

davem399

dave35 wrote:

Will have a look at this months mag, that link shows a discontinued bike but i get the idea.

Heres an uptodate link for the 2013 models

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/pin ... e-ec039562

mroli

Dave35 - have a look at the Condor Bivio X too - disc/canti compatible frame with the ability to add mudguards (if you don't get the canti only version). http://www.condorcycles.com/Cyclo-cross/View-all-products.html

http://road.cc/content/news/48657-just-condor-bivio-x-frameset-%C2%A359999 is a nice "first look" at it.

Clubmates ride it. I've got an order in....

cooper.michael1

I've got two bikes, both cross bikes, one set up for commuting/touring (Cotic X) the other for the road (PX Uncle John). Both are built with Campag Veloce and Mavics, suburb bikes...I don't own any others now.

The Uncle John is 99% as quick as my old Pinarello road bike, just a lot more versatile. Went on a European tour a couple of years back and with 32c tyres was a perfect lightweight tourer.

Rode the Cotic X on the Coast to Coast ride last month. Brilliant all rounder, for road/trails etc... really stable on long wet decents. Much quicker than my old MTB as a utility bike.

dave35

Time to choose between the Focus Mares
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... isc-105-13

Or
http://ciclosuno.com/products/complete- ... cross-bike

Or
http://ciclosuno.com/products/complete- ... cross-bike

Only looking at the Moda as my sponsors bike shop has them in stock,not sure how good Sram Apex is on a cross bike though

Tom Butcher

NickintheLakes wrote:

Unless you are a racer and desperately need a more stretched out position then I have no idea why CX bikes aren't the default choice for most non-competitive road cyclists.

Well unless you ride off road a cross bike is generally heavier, more expensive for equivalent level of kit, doesn't brake as well if it's got cantis or adds more weight and cost for discs, you'll need to buy road tyres or it's a fair bit slower, the pure race ones sometimes don't have bottle cage mounts either. They are a decent choice for those that want the option of going off road but if you don't want that option then I don't think a crosser would be my choice.

kamil1891

When I was deciding between mtb and cyclocross bike (already have 2 road bikes) I thought you either go off road or on road, therefore I went for the 29er mtb at the end. I don't know many places in the UK but where I live in the NW there aren't many offroad places you could go on CX bike apart from canal paths but if that drives your boat then go for it And even though I've got a mtb I still struggle off road, just way too much mud and too many big rocks. And when there is snow and ice on the roads a 29er is perfectly good for riding safely on the roads, and pretty fast too.

However, if I were to have just one bike for general riding (not racing) I would go for road bike with lots of clearance for 27mm+ tyres in the winter or CX bike.

Edit: Did I mention hydraulic disc brakes on the 29er? 1000x better than any other brakes on a road bike or cx

cougie

I think you underestimate what a CX bike can do. Have you seen the Three Peaks ?

mroli

dave35 - Sram Apex is just fine on a CX bike - my mate has it on his (Force on his Cervelo) and can't believe how little difference he notices. I ride Apex/Rival/Force on my bikes and they're all fine (and cross compatible/upgradable).

dave35

Thanks all, been offered a good deal on the Moda so having a reall good look at that-as I can put my road wheels on it in the summer so may even out my road bike aswell and just have a jack of all trades bike.

NickintheLakes

Tom Butcher wrote:

NickintheLakes wrote:

Unless you are a racer and desperately need a more stretched out position then I have no idea why CX bikes aren't the default choice for most non-competitive road cyclists.

Well unless you ride off road a cross bike is generally heavier, more expensive for equivalent level of kit, doesn't brake as well if it's got cantis or adds more weight and cost for discs, you'll need to buy road tyres or it's a fair bit slower, the pure race ones sometimes don't have bottle cage mounts either. They are a decent choice for those that want the option of going off road but if you don't want that option then I don't think a crosser would be my choice.

Well I can't argue what's right for you obviously.

Sure a CX bike is usually a tad heavier, maybe a pound or so tops which for the vast majority of riders will make no real difference whatsoever.

Re: spec' not agreeing with you there. Just bought that Giant with 105 front/rear/shifters, FSA MegaExo chainset, TRP CX9 brakes (a lot more expensive than eg 105 calipers), Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 32mm tyres (about as expensive as bike tyres get) - can you find me a road bike that offers significantly better kit than that for £1k exactly?

I tried several road bikes with skinny tyres before I settled on this and tbh I found no real difference in speed but a significant increase in comfort on the rough lanes up here.

Canti's are ok brakes but are prone to shudder. The TRP CX9's are a fairly high spec' linear pull and they are a fair bit more powerful than dual pivot calipers imo. Some say they lack modulation but I am mystified as to how anyone comes to this conclusion as mine modulate beautifully.

CX bikes tend not to get great press on road orientated forms where the emphasis is on weight reduction and sharp handling - two things important for very fit roadies but of little real consequence to most other riders.

NickintheLakes

dave35 wrote:

Thanks all, been offered a good deal on the Moda so having a reall good look at that-as I can put my road wheels on it in the summer so may even out my road bike aswell and just have a jack of all trades bike.

Personally it's disc's or linear pull for me.

Had some Ritchey canti's way back and they were a shuddering nightmare.

Merida/Ridley/Giant do nice CX's around the grand mark.

There's a nice Cube disc (can't remember the model) for 2013 too.

dave35

Well I went for the Moda in the end, got it for a good price-less than £800. Full Apex groupset and American Classic Hurricane wheels,just need to upgrade the Kenda tyres in the coming weeks-a bit slow/crappy,so it stays as a winter roadie for now with my pro race 3's on.
Wasn't sure about Apex before buying,but its a lot quieter than the Campag Record on my summer bike....may have to swap that over to Sram now.

robbo2011

I think they make great winter/commuting bikes which is what I use my Genesis Vapour for. It is fitted out with full mudguards and is perfect for the job.

But it is heavy and slow compared to my (much more expensive) road bike, so if the weather is good, the roadie gets taken out every time.

Monty Dog

I have 2 CX bikes and a 29er - I think folks coming from an MTB background think they 'must' have heavy, energy robbing forks and overbuilt bikes because that's what the marketing sell you - if I want to ride fast offroad I take the CX because the significant weight difference is what matters. OK, they're not much use through rock gardens, but don't find many of those in Hampshire. I use my MTB when I can expect deep mud and sand and maybe snow where it's hard to get grip on skinny tyres.

bendertherobot

Slow is relative. They can be relatively slower.

Perspective. My "best" speed from work to home (a distance of a shade under 18 miles is):

Canyon CF Ultimate 21.5 mph
Genesis Croix De Fer 19.8 mph

Even then, without more stats it's conceivable for example, that I could get towards 20-21 mph on the Genesis.

So, a bike which is twice the weight (more or less) is a tad slower. Over something like the Dragon Ride you'd be looking at a negligible difference at THOSE speeds. Except I'd never do those speeds on a Sportive. More like 16-18 mph and I'd wager both bikes would be near enough identical.

Basically, a well sorted Cross bike with road tyres would, in my view, be a near match for a road bike in most circumstances.

Conversely, off road, long haul charity rides on multiple surfaces etc, you'd come out fresher on the crosser every time.

robbo2011

Depends on the terrain. If its relatively flat then yes. If, like me you do a lot of climbing (usually at least 1000m per ride) then trust me, it makes a significant difference.

Tom Butcher

[quote="NickintheLakes"
Well I can't argue what's right for you obviously.

Sure a CX bike is usually a tad heavier, maybe a pound or so tops which for the vast majority of riders will make no real difference whatsoever.

Re: spec' not agreeing with you there. Just bought that Giant with 105 front/rear/shifters, FSA MegaExo chainset, TRP CX9 brakes (a lot more expensive than eg 105 calipers), Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 32mm tyres (about as expensive as bike tyres get) - can you find me a road bike that offers significantly better kit than that for £1k exactly?

I tried several road bikes with skinny tyres before I settled on this and tbh I found no real difference in speed but a significant increase in comfort on the rough lanes up here.

Canti's are ok brakes but are prone to shudder. The TRP CX9's are a fairly high spec' linear pull and they are a fair bit more powerful than dual pivot calipers imo. Some say they lack modulation but I am mystified as to how anyone comes to this conclusion as mine modulate beautifully.

CX bikes tend not to get great press on road orientated forms where the emphasis is on weight reduction and sharp handling - two things important for very fit roadies but of little real consequence to most other riders.[/quote]

---

If you've got a CaadX I think the majority of roadies would find it undergeared - a compact is one thing but a 46 big ring wouldn't suit many - and if all you needed was a 46 big ring then you'd probably want smaller than a 36 small.

The shuddering - if it affects the bike - is a massive problem imo - given that you pay a lot for small improvements in a bike brake shudder would stop me buying any bike for road use.

There is no way cross tyres will be as fast as a decent set of 23 or 25mm road tyres - even file tread cross tyres will be noticeably slower on the road - and typical cross tyres more so. The only people I know who ride cross bikes on group training rides either swop out their tyres or else they are very good cross riders who want to make the ride harder

As far as geometry goes cross bikes seem quite variable so hard to generalise

bendertherobot

robbo2011 wrote:

Depends on the terrain. If its relatively flat then yes. If, like me you do a lot of climbing (usually at least 1000m per ride) then trust me, it makes a significant difference.

No, it depends on the circumstances, terrain being only one of them.

A lot of people do group rides with riders of certain abilities. If you treat it as a race and try to keep up with the club's top flight crit riders you need to benefit yourself in terms of weight, particularly rolling mass.

But, if like 99% of people you do a lot of group rides where ability is judged by arriving at the cafe at the same time as the people you like the only difference is that now and again you'll have worked slightly harder. Which you may or may not actually experience.

The difference between my Canyon at 6.8 kg and my Genesis at 11 kg is significant only in terms of time over large distances. The Genesis is an extreme example. Something like the CAADX with a compact chainset would be virtually insignificant. We also have to remember that my Canyon at 6.8 kg is rather light of itself with a lot of bikes falling in the 8-9kg bracket anyway.

The science shows that 1.8l of water (1800g) on an ascent up Alp D'Huez added 1m 54 seconds. That science showed that as significant for that rider (the ascent being 50 minutes or so). I would think that for most riders who cannot ascend that quickly the gap would be less significant particulary as the weight could well be offset by the comfort.