Cyclocross bike advise

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  • monkimark
    monkimark Posts: 1,928
    Nothing wrong with planet x customer service imo. Been using them for 12 months or so and they've been great.
  • javidr
    javidr Posts: 139
    Problem with planet x is that as they dont have a physical shop, you need to send it by post if there is any problem. If you buy a bike in a shop, will be quicker to have it solved

    And after that, how easy is to find planet x parts and how expensive are they?
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    JaviDR wrote:
    Im starting to get crazy, reading that carbon frames are not recommended as those can break easily, so maybe i turn again to aluminium frame

    There's a lot of that about on internet forums, basically saying that carbon will shatter into a million bits if you go over one speed bump. Not sure, carbon is tough so if you can afford it, go with that!
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    JaviDR wrote:
    And after that, how easy is to find planet x parts and how expensive are they?

    Aside from the physical frameset itself it's all standard parts which you can get at any bike shop (or Wiggle) so I wouldn't worry about that.
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    edited January 2014
    JaviDR wrote:
    I have a lot of power and like going in the highest gear (48-14 in the falconer), but my cadence sometimes is poor, so i want to improve it without loosing speed

    48/14 gives a ratio of 3.42
    Cassette. I have those 4 options. I would say that 11-28 is the best, but maybe there is a lot of change between gears (11,12,13,14,15,17,19,21,24,28). Which one would you choose?:

    11-28 is fine and gives you a nice wide range. If it's a compact chainset then it's 50/11 which is a ratio of 4.54 quite a bit higher than you're used to so you've got some room to go faster! ;)

    Handlebars. Im lost with this one as well. It is the first time i will have this style of handlebar. All my previous bikes had the typical handlebar

    Drops are the typical handlebar ;). For starting out I'd say a compact drop, but the size depends on your physical dimensions.
    White


    Stem. Again, a new word for me... if giving any extra information from me (eg, arms length) would help, i can provide it
    [/quote]

    Really difficult to say, perhaps impossible until you get the bike; most riders, including myself will go through 4-5 stems before they find the one for them. To start with perhaps get something in the middle like 100mm.

    PS You've chosen to do it the hard way and I admire you for that! Most people just go to the LBS and point to a bike they like the look of!
  • javidr
    javidr Posts: 139
    So any shop will repair and fit the parts for me then?
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    JaviDR wrote:
    So any shop will repair and fit the parts for me then?

    Yeah, that's the beauty of bicycles is that unlike cars they are really just a collection of individual bits, most of which are standard. There might be a lot of standards and a lot of different variations on the standard but thankfully they are standard! So any decent bike shop will be able to maintain or repair your bike.
  • javidr
    javidr Posts: 139
    So it goes to a final decission between Planet X and Norco A1

    Both have pretty much the same components, except for the frame. Norco is aluminium, Planet X is carbon...

    Any other difference between those two bikes?
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    Norco has mudguard/rack eyes, PX doesn't
    PX can build up very light (<8kg) with the right components, Norco weight not available (read into this what you will)
    PX raced by several members of this forum and seems to be a popular race bike in general; Norco an unknown quantity.

    For sizing, google the Competitive Cyclist bike fit calculator, that should give you all the info you need. I'm 6' and ride a 57cm PX XLS with a 10cm stem, but a lot depends on the relative lengths of your arms/body/legs, which the fit calculator will cover. As someone else said, stem length is a very experimental thing, so start with a cheap stem of about the right length and expect to change it in due course. As a result of this, many cyclists end up with a box of random stems, which makes the process easier for subsequent bikes.

    Well worth checking out the Kinesis Pro6, which is in much the same price range. Has mudguard/rack mounts, very similar geometry to the Planet X, and seems to be very popular indeed on the race circuit.
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • javidr
    javidr Posts: 139
    Kinesis has 25-11, i would like a 28-11. That would make a lot of difference, right?
  • monkimark
    monkimark Posts: 1,928
    Planet X does have physical shops http://www.planetx.co.uk/stores
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    You want to be basing your decision on the components that are going to last longest and are hardest to change, namely the frame and forks, and to a lesser extent the groupset (you'll end up replacing parts of this, but a wholesale shift between, say, SRAM and Campag, is quite a big deal). Cassettes are very much a consumable, and it's not uncommon for racers to have a selection of cassettes and chose the one most appropriate to a specific course. For example I'll put a 11-23 on my road bike for flat races, but take a 12-32 to the Alps. They also don't last forever (in my case ~10,000 miles) and needn't cost a lot to replace.

    That does bring up one other factor; Campag, Shimano and SRAM shifters all work differently. Some people have a very strong preference, others aren't bothered. Worth bearing in mind if you already have a preference...
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • javidr
    javidr Posts: 139
    No preference. It iz my first cx bike
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    JaviDR wrote:
    Kinesis has 25-11, i would like a 28-11. That would make a lot of difference, right?

    Don't base a purchasing decision of the cassette size / range. That's one of the easiest and cheapest components to swap out. For most purposes you can ignore whatever cassette it has.
  • devhads
    devhads Posts: 236
    A word of warning on the Norco A1. A friend of mine has one and the bottom of the headtube cracked in about 4 or 5 places after 5 months. He'd only really ridden it around the local trails and one CX training session. He wasn't abusing it, trying bunny hops or anything, just the usual rigours of a tough CX training session. He got it replaced by Evans as it was still under warranty, 3 months later though.
  • javidr
    javidr Posts: 139
    If i change the cassette, do i need to change the chain, derraileur, etc?
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    JaviDR wrote:
    If i change the cassette, do i need to change the chain, derraileur, etc?

    It depends, if you're going to a bigger cog on the back then it's best to change the chain to get the right length, if you're taking it to extremes then the deraileur might be an issue.
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    Can normally go up to 27 with a short cage mech, some will go to 28 (I know SRAM does). More than that, and you need to go for a medium cage rear mech (eg SRAM WiFli, which goes to 32).

    A chain set up for 11-28 will work fine on 11-25; whether you can go the other way without adding links depends on the specific build...
    Pannier, 120rpm.

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