Roadie needs help with a cheap cross project please
galatzo
Posts: 1,295
Hi
It all started when my mate took me down a muddy towpath on my shiny clean N2A last year, I moaned like hell about it at the time but secretly quite enjoyed it and wished I had a suitable bike….
Looking for some help with a first cross bike, although it would mostly be used for tow paths and park rides with the kids and some winter road riding.
Prob looking at Kinesis Five T (would like the Pro6 but that means discs and budget is tight) Other suggestions welcome.
I’ve got some Fulcrum Racing 5.5 wheels that I’m hoping I can use – what size tyres could I fit on these and would they be ok for light off roading (seem pretty sturdy) ?
Rest of the kit will probably be picked up off Ebay and the Forum, probably 105 although it’s really cheap new at Merlin.
Do I need a cross specific mech that I’ve seen Shimano do ? (top and bottom pull or something)
What brakes should I be looking at ? Really don’t get the cantilever and v-brake thing !
Not cool with you proper crossers but I will need some of those extra brake levers to go on the bar tops.
A suggested build list would be great.
Saddle, seatpost and bars I can work out !
Cheers
It all started when my mate took me down a muddy towpath on my shiny clean N2A last year, I moaned like hell about it at the time but secretly quite enjoyed it and wished I had a suitable bike….
Looking for some help with a first cross bike, although it would mostly be used for tow paths and park rides with the kids and some winter road riding.
Prob looking at Kinesis Five T (would like the Pro6 but that means discs and budget is tight) Other suggestions welcome.
I’ve got some Fulcrum Racing 5.5 wheels that I’m hoping I can use – what size tyres could I fit on these and would they be ok for light off roading (seem pretty sturdy) ?
Rest of the kit will probably be picked up off Ebay and the Forum, probably 105 although it’s really cheap new at Merlin.
Do I need a cross specific mech that I’ve seen Shimano do ? (top and bottom pull or something)
What brakes should I be looking at ? Really don’t get the cantilever and v-brake thing !
Not cool with you proper crossers but I will need some of those extra brake levers to go on the bar tops.
A suggested build list would be great.
Saddle, seatpost and bars I can work out !
Cheers
25th August 2013 12hrs 37mins 52.3 seconds 238km 5500mtrs FYRM Never again.
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Road wheels should be fine, I don't know your model, but as long as they are not stupidly light weight, I have found any road wheels fit for purpose, used Aksiums and now on RS11s. Fine for fat and knobbie tyres.
You can use road kit, mine has 105, durable but cheap enough to replace.
If you are using rim brakes, Cantis/Vbrake are your only option. Pleasantly surprised by modern cantis, they seem to work fine. V-brakes are more powerful and easier to setup but lack the clearance of cantis.
Do you have "chicken" leavers on your road bike, not really needed on a CX bike IMO, but if it makes things more comfortable for you, get some.
Good news on the wheels so that'll save a few quid.
The bikes for family stuff as much as anything so the need to pull up quick when the boy brakes or falls off is important.
Wont be used in massively muddy situations so v-brakes could be ok. Which are more powerful and how much for a budget set of canti's or V's ?
Mini Vs on front, canti on back works fine from my experience...
I've ridden cross with fulcrums - totally fine. I'm including a pair (spare) in the sale. You could run one pair as 'road' tyres and one as 'cross'...
I have Fulcrum 5cx and as far as I know the only difference between them is the double sealed bearings to keep the muck out so they should be fine. Tyre size should be ok as mine take 23mm and 33mm tyres equally well.
A word on top levers. Unless you ride mainly on the tops you will be slower to stop as you need to change your hand position. Another thing is if you need to stop in a hurry chances are you may need to steer out of trouble at the same time. As the top levers are towards the center of your bars you will find your steering far less reactive. I found this out with my son who had them on his cross bike last race season. His handling in downhill corners was poor when he was braking on his top levers but as soon as I took them off his cornering improved no end. Saying that if you're intent on having them I have his levers for sale, Cane Creek. Message me if you're interested.
@joewalsh thanks for the offer but only need a diidy 52 toptube !
@devhads thanks re the top levers I'll let you know as I'm now considering if really neccessary following your advice. Will look up the mini v brakes now.
Thanks again
re: front mech - most cx frames have down pull cable routing anyway but you need to check and get the right mech.
wheels - nothing too light and low spoke but road wheels are surprisingly sturdy anyway.
FWWIW - the kinesis frames are good, I've been battering a Pro 5 to work and back for a few years with some occasional racing and it's stood up really well. Just about to port most of the bits over to a Pro 6 so will shortly have a 54cm frame and fork + brakes up for sale. Sounds like it would be too big for you though.
If you are building this up to ride off road then I would consider a wider bar (+2cm) and shorter stem (-10cm) than you might fit on the road bike of the same size. It just gives a bit more control leverage on rough ground and allows you to ride on the hoods where you might have felt better on the tops - thus meaning you dont need top levers. cx frames often have a low headtube as well so you can flip the stem to get a bit more rise if needed.
Slight change of plan.
I really like the Crosslight Pro6 but it is disc specific.
How much would a set of wheels cost for this ? It will probably only be used for light off road stuff so I don't need anything amazing just a long as they're good value, Shimao RX05 ok for my needs ?
And how much for the disc brakes and rotors to go with it ? ( I can price up the rest)
I think the website says it's designed for 160mm rotors, don't know much about these things being a roadie but will that limit the range of brakes and wheels I can get ? or can I use rotors UPTO 160 ? And how much are rotors or are they include with the brakes ?
Cheers
hi, I'll try and answer your questions in order
wheels - yes, the rx05 are probably your cheapest option and ought to be robust and reliable but they are over 2kg in weight so not the lightest. There is a bit of a shortage of decent, reasonably priced disc brake wheels although that is changing and you're looking at about £200+ to get some hand built.
Disc brakes - there are a few cable operated options from Tektro, TRP, Avid and Shimano. I think Tektro are the cheapest option - not sure of price off hand - Avid BB7 Road and Shimano BR517 are similar price at around £35 per caliper.
Rotors come in 2 fixing types - 6 bolt and shimano centrelock. If you get shimano hubs then they nearly all use centrelock, as do some DT swiss hubs, everyone else uses 6 bolt. Rotors are typically about £12 upwards each but they last indefinitely - or will on a cx/road bike. Some brakes come with rotors - Avid BB7 and TRP spyre for example, some don't so check before you buy.
Rotor size - this is dictated by where the caliper is mounted on the frame, the caliper itself is relatively size agnostic. 160mm is a common size for XC/MTB and CX bikes, shimano seem to be favouring smaller 140 rotors for their road systems but you need to get the size that the particular frame demands - 160 in the case of the pro 6.
hope that helps - it is a bit of a minefield, just more standards to be aware of.
Bar width - wider bars give you more leverage, but are harder to fit through narrow gaps (whether in trees or at the start of a race). Again I tried all sorts of widths, and ended up the same as my road bike.
Downhill, get used to riding on the drops.
I’ll be back with regular questions I’m sure and also a pic when all done.
Just wondering on Sram Apex or Shimano 105, depends on what has best deals on I suppose.
Cheers again
I reckon my CX bike is every bit as capable as the non-suspension MTB I had 20 years ago (and a lot faster and nicer to ride!)
A cx bike is a lot of fun off road and definitely faster than an MTB in some cases but the limitations of riding position and tyres can become apparent once the track becomes more technical, rocky or rutted - fat tyres and an upright stance are a definite advantage there.
As far as parts go, my crosser is mostly 105 with some Apex cranks, just because I think they look nicer. It doesn't make much sense to me to fit anything much posher on a bike that gets filthy and beaten up but it's a matter of budget and values really.
Sure, you're not going to get wedged between trees with wider bars, but it's slightly less comfortable for no tangible benefit, and I'd rather be clashing shoulders/elbows with the guys next to me than clashing bars...
If you want to optimise your CX bike for riding slowly down technical singletrack, go ahead (or, even better, get an MTB). However, if you actually read the post at the top of this thread you'll see that it's not what the OP wants to do.
FWIW I've raced my cross bike, toured on it, commuted and stuck some aero bars and done some TTs as well. There's all sorts of things you can do with them.
So, shall we just agree that cross bikes are ace and can be adapted for different purposes depending on the needs and preferences of the owner and all have a big hug?
Perhaps I'll keep looking for a non disc cross frame as it'll be cheaper as will the components if I can use existing wheels but that kinesis pro6 does look real good.
Start cycles had a 2011 scott cx frame in my size for £300 if I recall correctly.
The Pro6 is a nice frame; I have one built up as a commuter, and even with the mudguards there's plenty of clearance to stick on a pair of CX wheels for an off-road ride with the kids.
If you do go for discs, don't overlook the possibility of getting wheels hand-built. The Novatec D711/D712 hubs are very good for the money. Because there don't seem to be any "value" disc wheels around, it may be possible to get a set built up with decent set of rims, for not a lot more than the cheapest factory disc wheels available (though cantis and budget wheels are still going to be cheaper).
Marin Nail Trail
Cotic Solaris
No it doesn't really
Still trying to get my head around which discs brakes would be ok and not much money, shimano alivio br-m3095 seem cheapest at £16 ex rotors.
Good cheap wheels I'm struggling to find, any recommendations most welcome !
Update: there's also BR 317 at about £25 each. The other cheapest options are Avid bb5 and tektro lyra.
Also checking if Upgrade have a spare pair of the crosslight wheels although stock for them and the sick green says 4 weeks+ on the website.
Depending on the wheel availability then I may go for the Shimano WH-MX31, in fact I’ll probably go with the Shimano wheels then the £100 I save will get tyres, tubes and brakes.
Any thoughts on the Shimano wheels ?
Groupset wise I’ll be scanning Ebay this weekend for the best prices on Sram Apex and Shimano 105 and whichever is cheapest I’ll go for as no preference really.
Need some tyre recommendations please.
I know with road tyres there’s a massive difference between tyres less than £20 and those above is it the same with cross type tyres ?
Use initially will be road 40% towpaths 20% off-road 40%. I guess I’ll need a mores dedicated road set of tyres for it at somepoint but what would you recommend for now based on the estimated usage above ?
Cheers
Marin Nail Trail
Cotic Solaris
Think I'll go for the Five T with Pure CX Carbonforks and also try to use bits of existing components & wheels that i have already.
Orange is the only way for me i think!
Pics to follow.
Re the rx31 wheels, they get decent reviews but they're not very light from what I've read.
My build is nearly finished, well about half finished...