CX bike for commuting (and fitness blasts)

smegg79

Hello

Looking to commute to work and with 13-14 miles each way I could do with something a little faster/easier than my knobbly 26 inch MTB. Currently looking at 29er to possibly one bike solution, but simply not keen on the Geometry/weight from the ones I have tried (so I would prefer to mtb on my 26).

So thought about something a little stronger with the ability to take on some of the railways CP and woodland sections that my daily commute takes in yet still very roadie as this will be the majority of the miles.
So, had a quick blast on a Norco Threshold A3 and felt quite nice.
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/nor ... e-ec053834

How would this compare to the Jamis below?
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/jam ... e-ec054711

I see the Norco has straight steerer, not sure of advantages in road bikes of tapered. Both alloy forks. Anything else to consider in the above, and any other bike recommendations?
I read around that some people complain about the weight of these cyclocross, but to me they still seem quite light!

supersonic

There is not too much in it, though the Norco does get the better Sora kit. The tapered steerer is hard to quantify, if you are a heavy rider you may notice you get less flutter under braking.

The weight is largely due to the budget, they are right at the entry level for CX bikes. I'd take a look at this:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... jwALw#tab2

smegg79

Jamis is £130 cheaper at the moment, has a slightly larger chainring although as you note the Shimano gear is better on the Norco.
Cant find the actual weight of the Norco?
Halfords do not do my cyclescheme so no go.

would it be a good idea to put this in the CX section of forum?

alex_uk

I do a similar distance of commute - all road for me, but with many a country lane with farm traffic and so I'm also looking for a cyclocross-type bike. I currently ride a hybrid. Here's the things I'm considering:-

* Disc brakes - so the rim doesn't get worn down and the wheels are necessarily stronger * Frame eyelets for mudguards - the road is a truely disgusting place! (I also cycle past a dairy - wiffy!!) * Enough seat post sticking out to easily mount a light + a topeak beam rack, as well as small saddle bag for the puncture stuff * Enough frame + mudguard clearance to run spiked tyres when icy (this is a bit of an experiment this year)

Kieran_Burns

I'm presently using either my old Tricross Sport or the Felt F65X, both are ideal commuters (to be honest, the Tricross is better as it has front and rear mudguard mounts)

Alex - has basically listed the main points to be concerned about. You need a bike that can take 'guards for keeping you and your chainset clean. The dic brakes on the Felt were a revelation and my mate when he cycles with me, goes sailing past if it's wet and I brake

The tricross can also mount panniers and it's good to have the flexibility but I've gone back to a small rucksack now for commuting

I've also fitted 35C Winter spiked tyres to the Tricross:

Here she is in all her commuting glory:

slowbike

I'm another one on a tricross for commuting. IMHO, they make excellent all round bikes - absolutely fine for blasting down the road with narrow slicks or churning up the mud with a trailer on the back ....

I use a rack and a top rack bag to carry my stuff. And at ths time of year I have full mudguards fitted ...

I have 2 wheelsets so I can swap between commute and leisure modes quickly with minimal fuss....

andyrr

I myself went for the Jamis Nova Sport (2013 version) after trying those 2 bikes out about a year ago.
The Norco seemed to have a higher front-end than the Jamis (too high for my liking) and the fact that the Jamis had what, to me anyway, was a more sensible road-friendly gearing helped swing it.
The spec of the Norco does seem a bit better although they've now got Claris as opposed to the old Shimano thumb-operated STIs that I've got (2300 ?). After a year's use I am now struggling to get a crisp shift up and dwon the block with my transmission. Also 8 speed asa opposed to 9 but 8s maybe ideal for commuting as the components are that bit sturdier.
Tekro Lyra's are not well thought of generally but I've found them to be good so far but I think the commuting mileage is maybe beginning to take it's toll and adjustment is not always easy to find that point where the pads
don't drag but level travel is not excessive. I seem to go through pads pretty quickly but I can get a pair of organics ones pretty cheap so I don't object too much to replacing them as and when required.
One thing I found with the Jamis was that the OE fitted tyres (CX ones) meant that a SKS mudguard would not fit at the rear - I swapped to a slick 29mm tyre and that was fine. Front end with the CX tyre worked ok.
The Norco appears not to have a mudguard boss at the front - on the fork - whereas the Jamis has mounts front AND rear - fitting guards does require a little tweeking, think there are 2 methods, the one I took was to bend the stays around the calipers, easy done but does take that bit longer than a rim-braked bike involves.
The Jamis is obviously a decent bit cheaper - it has come down in price to what I paid for mine I think which only lasted a short time before rising again to over £550 - I'd say that if you want to get the cheapest decent CS-style bike possible then the Jamis is a good buy and also it has a more road-orientated gearing although the general spec is lower. If the price is not such a concern then test ride both of them as for me I was willing to pay the Norco price but I got on really well with the Jamis from the off.
For a CX bike with disc brakes I felt it's price made it a great deal.

owenlars

How about one of these?
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... road-bikes

smegg79

Thanks, lot of great info.
Not seen or tried Jamis as local Evans does not stock. The Norco felt right and love the sleek lines (always a sucker for wishbone stay). Hollowtech, not sure what the advantage is on a CX bike.

Certainly looking to fit at least rear guard, and pref a decent front guard. The Norco has bolts for rack, seems strange that a guard wont fit. Any crud guard type options?

Also hear what you are saying bout chainset, may find 46 too small when i got the guts to go fast!

Was quite happy with the weight of Norco, is jamis around same?

andyrr

Not sure how the weights of the Norco and Jamis compare - I'd guess they aren't wildly different but the spec of the Norco beign that bit better I'd take a guess that it might be the lighter of the 2. Shame that it does not have the bosses for front guards but I think people sometime utilise the caliper bracket bolts to fit these so it won't be impossible.

friedpizzainbatter

smegg79 wrote:

Thanks, lot of great info.
Certainly looking to fit at least rear guard, and pref a decent front guard. The Norco has bolts for rack, seems strange that a guard wont fit. Any crud guard type options?

A tip I picked up from the Boardman CX (they've omitted the fork mudguard mounts on the 2014 model) thread, you can use these:
http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... ogId=10151
On the fork to allow you to mount mudguards. I've used them on my Merida cyclocross to get round the disk calipers at the front and back.