Affordable Cyclocross Bikes / less than £500

uzapuca

Hi guys,
There are many articles on Affordable Road Bikes like this one
http://road.cc/content/news/72001-best- ... -%C2%A3500

however i couldn't find anything on Cyclocross Bikes. I don't know if this is the place to ask for this or not.

1) Could you give me some advice on which CX bike to buy for less than £500? I live in a city where streets have many holes, besides i like to do some off road too. I wanted to have something lighter that can take some bad roads.

2) How much different is to ride a CX bike from an urban bike? I see there are some changes in geometry, brakes, crankset axis height and so forth. I usually ride an hybrid (Kona Smoke urban bike) with 2" tire baloon tyres in the city as well as for off road use. Have you notice much difference in the way of riding a CX from a urban or road bike?

Thanks for any info
Cheers,

The Rookie

There are no new CX bikes (as such) sold for that sort of money.

A CX bike really is just a 'road' bike with more relaxed layout and slightly longer cockpit (much like a touring or Audax road bike) and with enough space between the seatstays for wider tyres, due to the wider tyres they use canti, mini-V or disc brakes, the frames usually have mudguard bosses.

A touring bike with brakes and wide enough stays for larger tyres will do the same.

night_porter

This is a sub £500 cross bike with the added benefit that it has £100 off at the moment http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... ross-bikes

You would need to be quick though as their discount sales do not last long.

Check out their next one up and it has disk brakes and is only £600 at the moment.

NP

uzapuca

night_porter wrote:

This is a sub £500 cross bike with the added benefit that it has £100 off at the moment http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... ross-bikes

You would need to be quick though as their discount sales do not last long.

Check out their next one up and it has disk brakes and is only £600 at the moment.

NP

Thanks for the fast reply night_porter
Do you have more info on those bikes? Have you ride them? just being curious since i will buy them online and i cannot personally go an test them.

Thanks again and cheers,

Big_Paul

uzapuca wrote:

night_porter wrote:

This is a sub £500 cross bike with the added benefit that it has £100 off at the moment http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... ross-bikes

You would need to be quick though as their discount sales do not last long.

Check out their next one up and it has disk brakes and is only £600 at the moment.

NP

Thanks for the fast reply night_porter
Do you have more info on those bikes? Have you ride them? just being curious since i will buy them online and i cannot personally go an test them.

Thanks again and cheers,

I have the 2012 version, although in some ways, like cable routing it's more like a road bike, apart from crappy brakes (change the pads)) I can't fault it. I've given it some awful hammerings off road too.

night_porter

Although I have not ridden one if Big_Paul (who has 6 bikes) cannot fault it there can be no better recommendation, changing the brake pads will cost less than £20 and is easy to do.

Read some of the online reviews and Revolution bikes get very good reviews and with £100 off it has to be one of the very best bargains around if you are looking for a good all rounder.

NP

uzapuca

Thanks for the good info Big Paul
good data about changing the brake pads. So i read from your experience that you are quite happy with it. Any extra comments on the riding experience?

I enjoyed very much the way you name your bikes...haha

2012 Rockrider 5.3 (Pepe Le Merde)
2012 Revolution Cross (Maid of All Work)
2012 Vitus Vee-1 (Mid Life Crisis)
2010 Evil Resident SS/Fixie (Torture Implement)
2009 Corratec 8-speed Trekking (Das Panzer)
1988 Raleigh Record Sprint (Mis-spent Youth)

mrfpb

Can't comment on the bikes but the Edinburgh Bike Co-op are one of the most helpful bike shops I've come across. (I still use their online service six years after moving down south).

Give them a call to discuss the bike and any concerns about size/geometry, I'm sure they'll be happy to help.

uzapuca

The Rookie wrote:

There are no new CX bikes (as such) sold for that sort of money.

A CX bike really is just a 'road' bike with more relaxed layout and slightly longer cockpit (much like a touring or Audax road bike) and with enough space between the seatstays for wider tyres, due to the wider tyres they use canti, mini-V or disc brakes, the frames usually have mudguard bosses.

A touring bike with brakes and wide enough stays for larger tyres will do the same.

Thanks for the info The Rookie
I am sorry i lost your message in the list at first.

Regarding what you comment
A CX bike really is just a 'road' bike with more relaxed layout and slightly longer cockpit

Would it be better then cost / benefits equation to buy an affordable road bike like this one
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-3-red ... 74036.html

and just change the fork for a wide one?

uzapuca

indeed night_porter the price with the discount is great! Thanks for the extra info by the way

uzapuca

mrfpb wrote:

Can't comment on the bikes but the Edinburgh Bike Co-op are one of the most helpful bike shops I've come across. (I still use their online service six years after moving down south).

Give them a call to discuss the bike and any concerns about size/geometry, I'm sure they'll be happy to help.

Thanks for the extra info mrfpb
I will give them a call and check with them for more details.

Best

night_porter

If you want to go off road then stick with a CX bike but if you want to stay on road then the Triban looks okay. But your link shows there are many good value road bikes under £500 too.

Incidentally just changing the fork won't help as the brakes would prevent you from putting on a larger tyre as well, besides the rear could not be changed so the bike would be quite odd.

NP

Big_Paul

uzapuca wrote:

Thanks for the good info Big Paul
good data about changing the brake pads. So i read from your experience that you are quite happy with it. Any extra comments on the riding experience?

I enjoyed very much the way you name your bikes...haha

2012 Rockrider 5.3 (Pepe Le Merde)
2012 Revolution Cross (Maid of All Work)
2012 Vitus Vee-1 (Mid Life Crisis)
2010 Evil Resident SS/Fixie (Torture Implement)
2009 Corratec 8-speed Trekking (Das Panzer)
1988 Raleigh Record Sprint (Mis-spent Youth)

I replaced the Rockrider MTB with a Triban 3 funny enough!

Back to the Revolution, it just goes well, it's not a fancy spec by any means but for reliablility it's the one bike that has just kept going, at the minute it has mudguards, a rack and 32mm Gators for longish relaxed runs. I did get the wheels trued once and a car kicked a big stone up that bent one for the chainrings, but you can't blame the bike for that.

The Triban is a faster bike, it's lighter but the "red" version with the carbon fork has the same shifters as the Revolution, but the max tyre you will get on it is a 25 on the front, I tried a 28 and it just fouled the brake, and if you're a big oaf like me, you'll be wanting as wide a tyre as you can get anyway.

Triban is an excellent bike, but the Rev Cross is more useful.

uzapuca

night_porter wrote:

If you want to go off road then stick with a CX bike but if you want to stay on road then the Triban looks okay. But your link shows there are many good value road bikes under £500 too.

Incidentally just changing the fork won't help as the brakes would prevent you from putting on a larger tyre as well, besides the rear could not be changed so the bike would be quite odd.

NP

You are right, indeed. Just by changing the fork it will not solve all the issues. Besides i never thought of the rear tyre as well.

uzapuca

Big_Paul wrote:

uzapuca wrote:

I replaced the Rockrider MTB with a Triban 3 funny enough!

Back to the Revolution, it just goes well, it's not a fancy spec by any means but for reliablility it's the one bike that has just kept going, at the minute it has mudguards, a rack and 32mm Gators for longish relaxed runs. I did get the wheels trued once and a car kicked a big stone up that bent one for the chainrings, but you can't blame the bike for that.

The Triban is a faster bike, it's lighter but the "red" version with the carbon fork has the same shifters as the Revolution, but the max tyre you will get on it is a 25 on the front, I tried a 28 and it just fouled the brake, and if you're a big oaf like me, you'll be wanting as wide a tyre as you can get anyway.

Triban is an excellent bike, but the Rev Cross is more useful.

Thanks for the good info Big Paul
Sure, the thing with the Triban that confussed me is was marketed as a CX bike but now after your good review i see is more of a road bike in style and specs. I don't like the fact that i could not carry a wider tyre than 28. I am so used to my fat schwalbe balloon tyre of 2" that the list i think i could do is 32. Good point indeed!

I weight 70 kilos or 150 pounds (UK) and 1,70 m. or 5' 7" tall.

Best,

Big_Paul

uzapuca wrote:

Big_Paul wrote:

uzapuca wrote:

I replaced the Rockrider MTB with a Triban 3 funny enough!

Back to the Revolution, it just goes well, it's not a fancy spec by any means but for reliablility it's the one bike that has just kept going, at the minute it has mudguards, a rack and 32mm Gators for longish relaxed runs. I did get the wheels trued once and a car kicked a big stone up that bent one for the chainrings, but you can't blame the bike for that.

The Triban is a faster bike, it's lighter but the "red" version with the carbon fork has the same shifters as the Revolution, but the max tyre you will get on it is a 25 on the front, I tried a 28 and it just fouled the brake, and if you're a big oaf like me, you'll be wanting as wide a tyre as you can get anyway.

Triban is an excellent bike, but the Rev Cross is more useful.

Thanks for the good info Big Paul
Sure, the thing with the Triban that confussed me is was marketed as a CX bike but now after your good review i see is more of a road bike in style and specs. I don't like the fact that i could not carry a wider tyre than 28. I am so used to my fat schwalbe balloon tyre of 2" that the list i think i could do is 32. Good point indeed!

I weight 70 kilos or 150 pounds (UK) and 1,70 m. or 5' 7" tall.

Best,

At 70kg you'll be fine on any tyre, I'm 105kg and I have 25's on the Triban, but 28's on the Record Sprint and Evil. The 32's are for comfort.

voodooman

I looked at the revolution, but it just isn't big enough (I'm 6'6", with 36") on their big size. I cannot fault them for helpfulness both via email, then phone call. I ended up ordering the ribble X-bow from CRC for 599. A little over your initial budget, but carbon forks, aluminium frame with mountings for guards and a rack. It was highly rated by my good friend who is (and always has been) a bike nut.

I'm a bit worried by rim brakes after years of hydraulics, but I'll invest in something else once I've actually ridden it. Bottom line is that it is going to be a workhorse, with three commutes a week (25 mile round trip per day) and needs to be rugged and comfy. I'm also heavy (108 kg) and the fatter tyres should hopefully soak up some of the surface buzz.

supersonic

How much road/off roading will you be doing?

uzapuca

voodooman wrote:

I looked at the revolution, but it just isn't big enough (I'm 6'6", with 36") on their big size. I cannot fault them for helpfulness both via email, then phone call. I ended up ordering the ribble X-bow from CRC for 599. A little over your initial budget, but carbon forks, aluminium frame with mountings for guards and a rack. It was highly rated by my good friend who is (and always has been) a bike nut.

I'm a bit worried by rim brakes after years of hydraulics, but I'll invest in something else once I've actually ridden it. Bottom line is that it is going to be a workhorse, with three commutes a week (25 mile round trip per day) and needs to be rugged and comfy. I'm also heavy (108 kg) and the fatter tyres should hopefully soak up some of the surface buzz.

Thanks for your suggestion voodooman
just curious could you send me the link in CRC for the ribble X-bow for 599? I got Zero result with ribble in CRC right now.

Cheers,

night_porter

I think he means Ridley x-bow not Ribble.

The link is http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ridl ... tAodCX0AIw

Nice bike but they only have 1 left and it is too big for you!

rubertoe

buy my focus... pm if your interested.

probably too big though

uzapuca

supersonic wrote:

How much road/off roading will you be doing?

Hi supersonic, i think it will be 70% road/city urban and 30% off road.

uzapuca

night_porter wrote:

I think he means Ridley x-bow not Ribble.

The link is http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ridl ... tAodCX0AIw

Nice bike but they only have 1 left and it is too big for you!

Thanks for the info! it looks like a very interesting bike. It seems that model is out of stock right now.

Best,