Poor man's CX

unscarred
unscarred Posts: 208
edited September 2013 in Commuting general
I rode to work this morning for the first time since starting the new job - Farnborough to Bracknell. Android Navigation took me along the Blackwater Valley path to begin with, which is great for avoiding some unpleasant A-roads, but most of the route is on-road.
My all-purpose road bike with 23mm tyres wasn't great on the bridleways and gravel tracks I was riding, but it's got loads of clearance so I'm looking for recommendations for commuting-appropriate cyclocross wheels and tyres, as cheap as possible without creating something dog-slow or dangerous, please.
Any ideas?
FCN 6 in the week on the shiny new single speed.

FCN 3 at the weekend - struggling to do it justice!

Comments

  • redpat1
    redpat1 Posts: 54
    Hi Mate, have a look at this http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... ross-bikes. offers great VFM and there are slightly more expensive models if your budget can stretch to it.
    All the best

    Pat
  • MichaelW
    MichaelW Posts: 2,164
    I use plain old Schwalbe Marathon 28mm on Open Pro rims and they eat up gravel tracks and canal tow paths. 32mm is a bit better off road and not so good on the road. What rims do you have?
    Genuine CX knobblies are too soft and will wear out on the road.
  • unscarred
    unscarred Posts: 208
    MichaelW wrote:
    I use plain old Schwalbe Marathon 28mm on Open Pro rims and they eat up gravel tracks and canal tow paths. 32mm is a bit better off road and not so good on the road. What rims do you have?
    Genuine CX knobblies are too soft and will wear out on the road.

    Good advice, thanks Michael
    FCN 6 in the week on the shiny new single speed.

    FCN 3 at the weekend - struggling to do it justice!
  • Initialised
    Initialised Posts: 3,047
    I'm using Specialised Espoir Sport 28mm, they are OK on gravel and mud, only start to slip on climbs.

    That said I took an MTB with proper DH rubber on some trails I've taken the road bike down and only PR'd one in three.

    So for your purposes some 28mms with a light tread, file tread or semi slick (lugs on the shoulder) would be best.
    I used to just ride my bike to work but now I find myself going out looking for bigger and bigger hills.
  • rubertoe
    rubertoe Posts: 3,994
    Marathon Plus will get you through moust things on and off road, it really depends on how well the paths and tracks hold up to inclemment weather.

    no need for new wheels (unless you want them) just sling some 28's on what you have.
    "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

    PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
    B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Initialised wrote:
    That said I took an MTB with proper DH rubber on some trails I've taken the road bike down and only PR'd one in three.
    DH rubber is heavy and draggy (as that is what DH needs - well the grip that goes with the drag anyway) so hardly surprising, something like Rons' or Ralphs on something you could ride on a road/CXer.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • andyrr
    andyrr Posts: 1,823
    I got one of these early this year :
    http://www.evanscycles.com/products/jam ... e-ec041504
    My commute is all on-road but it is a cheap way to get a pretty decent CX bike. Come equipped with discs too (something I wanted and am very pleased I made a requirement of my purchase).

    Sorry, re-reading your post I see it's just wheels/tyres that you are looking to source not a complte new bike ! but remember n+1 ...

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