Cyclocross Bike for £1000ish

cambb

Hi,
My Cycle to work scheme opened yesterday so i'm in the market for a Cyclocross bike for my commute to work.It's about 8 miles on paths + i intend to use it at the weekends with my mate who ride various hybrid bikes.

Now I can only use halfords or they will order a bike or a local supplier. Now was going to get the Boardman CX but to be honest it was reduced recently at the bank holiday so not sure if to wait + new model is out shortly.

Any case my list is as follows:-

Genesis CdF '13,
Boardman CX,
Specialized Tricross Sport Disc '13
Cube Cross Race Cyclocross Racing Road Bike 2013.

Any pointers or anybody ride the above?

I'm not really sure about the different components either

mikenetic

Discs give you great stopping power in all conditions, BB5s only adjust on one side so can be bit of a fiddle to set up for good braking/no disc drag.

The CdF is built like a tank, the Boardman is lighter by about a Kilo. The Boardman has the rear caliper fitted between the seat and chainstay, which means that fitting mudguards and racks is easier. The CdF will take a front rack for heavier touring, but the gearing is wrong for heavily loaded work, especially in hilly terrain.

The Tricross is pretty much between them.

The Cube is very much a CX race bike. No eyelets for handy commuting stuff, so forget about racks and mudguards. It's also has a lower gearing (smaller big ring) as it's fitted with a CX-specific unit. You're likely to be spinning out when the going gets faster on the road.

If the Boardman is reduced I'd go for it - brand snobbery be damned, next year's model won't be a radical departure and you're getting a lot of bang for your buck.

None of them are bad bikes, however. But I'd say that for a commuter the Boardman is the pick of the bunch.

simon t

merida cross 4?

cambb

mikenetic wrote:

Discs give you great stopping power in all conditions, BB5s only adjust on one side so can be bit of a fiddle to set up for good braking/no disc drag.

The CdF is built like a tank, the Boardman is lighter by about a Kilo. The Boardman has the rear caliper fitted between the seat and chainstay, which means that fitting mudguards and racks is easier. The CdF will take a front rack for heavier touring, but the gearing is wrong for heavily loaded work, especially in hilly terrain.

The Tricross is pretty much between them.

The Cube is very much a CX race bike. No eyelets for handy commuting stuff, so forget about racks and mudguards. It's also has a lower gearing (smaller big ring) as it's fitted with a CX-specific unit. You're likely to be spinning out when the going gets faster on the road.

If the Boardman is reduced I'd go for it - brand snobbery be damned, next year's model won't be a radical departure and you're getting a lot of bang for your buck.

None of them are bad bikes, however. But I'd say that for a commuter the Boardman is the pick of the bunch.

Thanks for some excellent info.

So i've discounted the Cube.

How does the GIANT TCX 2 fare against the rest and the merida cross 4?

Thanks again

matt@theforce

Another vote here for the Merida CycloCross4. I've done around 300miles on mine so far and loving every ride.

Its great value for money compared to others, the Groupset is mainly 105 & the Hayes CX5 disc brakes are great (even compared to hydualic's)

I cycle a min of 17miles each way on my commute and take in Cycle Paths/Roads/Bridleways & DH trails in Wharncliffe Woods (depending on how much spare time I have on my commute), its a fantastic all rounder

cambb

Well would you believe it just been and ordered the Merida this morning.

passout

Merida does look nice but I reckon the Boardman is fine too. Fairly even.