CX bike with disc brakes

leecasey

Hi, I'm looking to purchase my first serious bike. When I say serious I mean over £500 which is where my budget started... now I have found myself looking at £1300 bikes after hours of research.

I've decided to go for a CX. Reasons being, I believe I will be mainly on roads, but want to be able to take the odd soft trail path if need be.

There seems to be a bit of a lack of CX bikes with disc brakes, which I've decided I want.

The bike that ticks all boxes for me is the Cube Cross Race Disc £1300
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cube-Cross-Race ... _58175.htm

This is a little more than I really wanted to spend though.

So I've also been looking at the Merida Cyclo Cross 4 £999
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Merida-Cyclo-Cr ... _55228.htm

and the Whyte Charing Cross £1000
http://www.discountcyclesdirect.co.uk/p ... s_id=14159

Can anyone else recommend any other offerings around this price bracket with disc brakes?

rubertoe

There are plenty of bikes in your price braket that come with Discs

Look at CX bixes at Evans and Planet X

and have a look here

leecasey

Planet X doesn't have a single Cyclocross with disc brakes anywhere near my budget.

rubertoe

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBP ... force_disc

Not a CX as such but will fit the purpose, As I said, look at the other thread.

andyrr

I've just confirmed a purchase at Evans of a Jamis CX/commuter bike, the Nova Sport. This is well below your budget limit but a) It sems a great deal and b) There are more expensive Jamis's with the same frame but better spec'd eg the Race version which has carbon fork, Tiagra 10sp and BB7's and you coudl look at that.

I'd previously taken a fancy to the Ridley X-Bow that comes in around £840 (not many in stock it seems) - this has BB7's and Sora 10sp with Alu fork, nice looking bike but for me unfortunately I had to go for the cheapest possible bike so I'm getting a pretty low-spec bike although it appears to have a decent frame to hang it all on. Plenty of scope for upgrades and I'm feeling an upgrade to 9speed will happen as I've the necessary spare shifters to reduce that cost.

I've had Sora on my bikes before - was 7 speed I think so even more rubbish - and it worked ok but the mechs seemed prone to seizing, the rear sometimes terminally, and my test of the Jamis seemed to show that the front mech liked to produce chain rub more than it liked to be quiet but that may be something to spend a little time tweeking with. Rolled along fine, comfy 32mm cross/road tyres didn't feel like it weighed a ton.

Also, amongst others, I've seen the Trek Cross Rip/Elite - quite a dull paint-scheme but that may be to your liking. Carbon fork and decent brakes too.

The Rookie

Boardman CX?

Beware of expensive imitations!

Kieran_Burns

Felt F65X as per my signature.

Tricross Sport disc
Tricross Elite disc

There are plenty out there....

raymondo60

I am extremely happy with my Stevens Vapor, which is in the price range mentioned. Only down side is it doesn't have mudguard or rack eyelets, but hey, not everyone's perfect! It is a super bike to ride though; very racy, and comes with superb Ultegra and the classic 46/36 CX chainset.

leecasey

Thanks everyone. I went for the Whyte Charing Cross in the end.

father_jack

tbh I wouldn't bother with disc brakes, getting them setup is a pain. Have to be within .5mm between pads and rotor, any more and lose lever travel. If the rotor is even slightly bent you get rubbing.

meanredspider

Father Jack wrote:

tbh I wouldn't bother with disc brakes, getting them setup is a pain. Have to be within .5mm between pads and rotor, any more and lose lever travel. If the rotor is even slightly bent you get rubbing.

And I'd disagree entirely - been using them (BB5 and BB7 on different bikes) for over 18 months now and I wouldn't consider a bike without them. A doddle to set up and infinitely better in damp conditions than rim brakes - my biggest worry on group rides is having people run into the back of me! And you're more likely to have a rim go out of true than a disc.

supersonic

A lot of these bikes strike me as rather expensive. In the MTB world, if someone brought out a fully rigid bike with bottom end 10 speed components and cable discs for a grand it would be derided.

meanredspider

supersonic wrote:

A lot of these bikes strike me as rather expensive. In the MTB world, if someone brought out a fully rigid bike with bottom end 10 speed components and cable discs for a grand it would be derided.

Well you could use the same argument for all road bikes too (rim brakes being generally cheaper than mechanical disc calipers). A decent carbon rigid disc fork isn't a cheap thing and STIs are generally far more expensive than separate shifters and mechanical brake levers.

father_jack

meanredspider wrote:

Father Jack wrote:

tbh I wouldn't bother with disc brakes, getting them setup is a pain. Have to be within .5mm between pads and rotor, any more and lose lever travel. If the rotor is even slightly bent you get rubbing.

And I'd disagree entirely - been using them (BB5 and BB7 on different bikes) for over 18 months now and I wouldn't consider a bike without them. A doddle to set up and infinitely better in damp conditions than rim brakes - my biggest worry on group rides is having people run into the back of me! And you're more likely to have a rim go out of true than a disc.

that's not what I said. Of course braking is good in the wet. But setting disc brakes to have decent performance at the lever not sloppy is a pain.

I wouldn't say they're a doddle. If the rotor is even warped by .5mm it messes the whole setting up procedure, with it wobbling even a tiny amount that means pads will be much further away (both sides)

They really need to have a lot of movement initially, so they can be 1.5mm from the rotor.

And disc rims go out of true granted you won't need to true them but still need spoke tension to be right.

supersonic

Even though, many 1k bikes come with pretty good and sophisticated suspension forks which cost more than a carbon rigid. There does seem to be a discrepancy that is not good for the drop bar user/type of bike.

Even using after market parts I can build an MTB lighter than the Charing Cross here for a grand.

meanredspider

Father Jack wrote:

But setting disc brakes to have decent performance at the lever not sloppy is a pain.

I wouldn't say they're a doddle. If the rotor is even warped by .5mm it messes the whole setting up procedure, with it wobbling even a tiny amount that means pads will be much further away (both sides)

Well I've had no issues setting them up at all. There's a procedure that works really well for the BBs that takes me under 5 mins. From then on, it's just a matter of winding in the pads until you get noise then backing them off a click - it couldn't be much simpler (short of hydraulics).

As for disc warp - not a problem I've come across and would be the same for hydraulic brakes on MTBs too. If the worst happens and you can't true the disc, just replace it.

supersonic

BB5s are among the best of the cable disc brakes. Good rim brakes (especially pads) can make a world of difference.

cookdn

meanredspider wrote:

Father Jack wrote:

tbh I wouldn't bother with disc brakes, getting them setup is a pain. Have to be within .5mm between pads and rotor, any more and lose lever travel. If the rotor is even slightly bent you get rubbing.

And I'd disagree entirely - been using them (BB5 and BB7 on different bikes) for over 18 months now and I wouldn't consider a bike without them. A doddle to set up and infinitely better in damp conditions than rim brakes - my biggest worry on group rides is having people run into the back of me! And you're more likely to have a rim go out of true than a disc.

+1. Not had a problem with the BB5's on my CX, they perform fantastically whatever the weather. The CX is used exclusively on the road.

I can understand people not liking discs on road bikes from an aesthetic perspective, but I haven't yet seen an argument from a functional perspective that makes sense to me.

meanredspider

I struggle to understand why people should get in a stew about the aesthetics too. I think they look purposeful and aggressive. But the cycling world is incredibly conservative so it's not a surprise.

supersonic

Aesthetics mean nothing to me, but if a persons rim brakes are working fine (they do on my commuter, just don't need any more power - but then again it is a flat bar with good V brakes and excellent levers) they just will not need them, and the weight could be prohibitive for the weight weenies.

cookdn

supersonic wrote:

Aesthetics mean nothing to me, but if a persons rim brakes are working fine (they do on my commuter, just don't need any more power - but then again it is a flat bar with good V brakes and excellent levers) they just will not need them,

I think the difference in levers is a factor as flat bar levers pull more cable than STI levers and the different hand position probably allows you exert much more power at the lever. I remember the difference going from cantilevers to v-brakes,then to parallel push v-brakes on MTBs in the mid/late ninety's before hydraulic discs became reliable and affordable.

supersonic wrote:

and the weight could be prohibitive for the weight weenies.

I think MRS did a comparison on this recently and there wasn't a lot in it.

supersonic

They should be able to factor in different leverage into the caliper to balance it out, but you can get flex issues.

In a world where the weenies will buy a new stem to save 7g lol ;-)

cookdn

meanredspider wrote:

I struggle to understand why people should get in a stew about the aesthetics too. I think they look purposeful and aggressive. But the cycling world is incredibly conservative so it's not a surprise.

+1. (But what do I know, I ride a bike from Halfords ).

meanredspider

supersonic wrote:

They should be able to factor in different leverage into the caliper to balance it out, but you can get flex issues.

STIs do make it difficult due to the mechanics of operating the levers from on the hoods and on the drops. On the hoods, you need travel to make up for the lack of leverage and, on the drops, you have plenty of leverage but reach can be an issue so travel is an issue. It's a real compromise. I don't think you can get full-blown V-brakes to work with drops (only minis - which limit power). The great thing about discs is that you can play tunes on the disc diameter to adjust the braking force you get for any particular bike set-up. My Volagi, for instance, has 140mm on the rear and 160mm on the front.

I should also remind everyone that rider weight makes all the difference when it comes to braking

supersonic

Surely the disparity of leverage (ie drops or hoods) still exists though, as the levers are the same?

Optimum leverage is around 1 to 4, the Vs have to work around the STIs which are designed for a different brake system (same with the calipers ie MTB ones will not work well).

But as ever, it is what works for you. I lock the wheels up long before I run out of brakes!

meanredspider

supersonic wrote:

Surely the disparity of leverage (ie drops or hoods) still exists though, as the levers are the same?

But as ever, it is what works for you. I lock the wheels up long before I run out of brakes!

Not at all - it's where your fingers are on the lever. On the hoods you are near the pivot so the effective length of the lever is shorter (and you're using your two weakest fingers). On the drops you're using the whole lever and your stronger fingers.

I've never locked a front wheel. As I remember, you weigh about as much as the average 11-year-old though....

supersonic

So why isn't it a compromise with mechanical discs if you are using the same brake lever? Maybe I have misunderstood you!

I'm 14 stone kitted out ;-)

meanredspider

supersonic wrote:

So why isn't it a compromise with mechanical discs if you are using the same brake lever? Maybe I have misunderstood you!

I'm 14 stone kitted out ;-)

It is a compromise - but discs have more power and better modulation - more opportunity to work around the issues

father_jack

stupid disc brakes went out of alignment again stupid grumble annoying bah humhug grumble just by doing a bit of work. both sides. Messing around with rear wheel, thought give front wheel a spin, rub rub rub :? great. Re-align that, then re-do rear brake calipers.