Boardman CX

nufc_fan

Thinking of getting a Boardman CX to use for everyday rides on a mixture of road and Cycle Path, old waggon ways etc but would want to use it for longer road rides and sportives in the summer.

I also go out on the MTB at the moment for quick 10 mile road blast that I do in about 16mph with big nobbly tyres, I would like something that I can get to 20mph or above.

Does anyone here use it like this? It seems like a decent balance but with narrow tyres is it still quick enough on the road and suitable for doing longer 60-80 mile sportives without slowing me down too much?

Or do I just buy an all out road bike?

Cheers

cougie

A cross bike with road tyres will be 99% as fast as a full on road bike.

antsmithmk

For what its worth.... You have a MTB.... You can ride that where you can ride a CX bike off road. You can't realistically ride your MTB in the type of events you mention.... But you can a road bike. And for £950 you will get one hell of a road bike in the current sales.

I have a hybrid with 26" wheels, and wanted a CX to complement my road bike. Spent about 2 weeks umming and arring over buying a CX bike but realistically it does nothing that my hybrid can't do.

antsmithmk

cougie wrote:

A cross bike with road tyres will be 99% as fast as a full on road bike.

OK but the Boardman is £950 + £50 on road tires... For £1000 you can get a better bike than the Boardman for the road...

nufc_fan

I know, difficult decision. I love the idea of the CX being so versitile and able to go off road but maybe a road bike is the answer.

Planet X Ultegra Carbon looks like the best deal for £1000

Unless I sell the MTB and just go for the one bike does everything.

gotwood25

I have a CX Team and commute from Whitley Bay into Town using the Wagonways/Coast Road and must say the bike is perfect as an all year round commuter. I have 25mm GP4000's on it and also do the majority of the sportives around the area.

Its true you can probably buy a better road bike for a grand, but don't think you will find many that stand up to all weathers/conditions for that price. Also Halfords have 10% if you are a British Cycling Member and generally Halfords always have sales on.

I picked mine up for under £800 so was an absolute bargain. I am also in the process of getting a new one and not sure whether to keep mine or sell, so there could be a well looked after 2nd hand on the market soon :-)

simonj

Had one of these and personally found it a little heavy and not too exciting to ride. Good point is it has a standard road compact crankset 50/34 rather than the more normal CX specific 46/36, bad point for me a bit heavy for the money and the cable disc brakes I hated. Disc brakes are a personal thing, so maybe best to decide that first. Also look at exactly what off road cylcing you are likely to be doing. Are you going in the mud or are you just going down a few tracks or canal stuff that a road bike may be able to withstand with tough wheels a bigger tyres. Personally for me I'd stick away from cable disc, save weight and go with something like a Caadx. Else if it's more road with just a bit of path, then maybe a Sportive bike and put 25/28mm tires on. Also consider if you are likely to need mudguards or panieer racks, if not and your budget permits, you may be able to go for a carbon road bike. When I looked a comparible spec CX bike was more exspensive than an outright road bike, maybe because more road bikes are sold so you get the commercial savings there or maybe the market is just more competitive on road bikes. Having said that I have a SuperX CX and SuperSix road bike, I love the CX versitility, but my road bike tends to feel faster and more agile. Since I tend to do a mix of road and canal I tend to use the CX most. If a sportive bike could take slightly bigger tyres than road and you don't do much real off road that may be a good compromise option and suit your useage more.

trek_dan

Can't see the point in buying a cross bike and putting slick tyres on, you'll not be able to take it any further off road than a road bike - you might aswell just buy a road bike and not take the weight penalty you get with a crosser IMO. If youre talking about 'The Wagonways' around North Shields up to Cramlington I take my road bike with 25c tyres on there sometimes, its fine for road bikes as long as its not too boggy.

cougie

If you only want the one bike I think CX is the way to go.
Road tyres for when you're doing long or fast road rides.
Stouter tyres for when you're doing off road.

I've really not noticed my CX being slower than road bikes and with the clearances I can push it a lot further off road than I could with a road bike.

simonj

I agree CX is versatile, but road and cx are different, different geometries, handling and feel. A CX is not inherently heavier than a Road, my SuperX was only 300g heavier than my SuperSix EVO, 6.4kg EVO vs 6.7kg SuperX. If you need the clearance for bigger tyres go CX if not Road. I did and so have just sold my SuperSix, spent the money on a Scott Addict CX frame to have a go at building up a second CX.

voodooman

Getting a Ridley CX as the commute last year meant I got fed up with swapping tyres on my mountain bike. For 599 I got the one with Tiagra and carbon forks from CRC. It also has the rack and mudguard mountings.

For me I needed a do it all bike with a road bias, that could take my weight, plus a rack. Ideally I wanted disc brakes, but the Ridley looked nice so I bought it. That has left me with enough money for the rack and guards, plus some better lights and better commuting gear.

My commute is 12 miles on paths, tracks and bike paths and virtually never on tarmac so comfort was everything. I'm trusting to competitive spirit to keep up with my mates on sunday outings, but at 45 I'm never going to be Bradley, or Chris, so why bother?

Monty Dog

I'd happily road race my CX race bike, it only weight 17lbs and is the stiffest bike I own - speed it down to the rider, not the bike. Hybrids are quite different as they usually have a more upright riding position which means getting low can be tricky - flat bars and limited hand positions can be uncomfortable after a few hours too. Yes, you can ride a road bike on light trails, but handling will be sketchy and any mud will build-up under the brakes and bring you to a halt.