Road bike for offroad use?

dhobiwallah
dhobiwallah Posts: 272
edited July 2014 in Cyclocross
I am taking part in the coast-2-coast challenge in a few months which contains road and offroad sections. One bike to do it all!

I have a CX bike which is fine, but my compadre has been outbid on numerous examples on eBay so we are considering other options..

1. 1.5 inch slicks on his MTB for the road

He is fitter than me so I am loving that option, but 50 road miles might push the balance too far the other way and affect the enjoyment for both of us.

2. Keep bidding on CX bikes in the hope one comes good

3. Borrow an old road bike from another mate and source some cheap cantis/mini v's and some CX tyres for the offroad day.

Any thoughts?

Would the MTB be hugely handicapping?
Is there a 'good' time to but 2nd hand CX? (Although I would have thought we are already in that time)
Is a road bike easily 'convertible' and would it be up to the job?

Thanks

Comments

  • jomoj
    jomoj Posts: 777
    is this the whitehaven to Tynemouth / Sunderland C2C?
    If so then there are several on / off road options, some of the off road is just gravel, some is more like MTB territory so you need to work out the route first.

    However, I've done the mostly on-road one on a CX bike twice and it's an ideal vehicle. The road bikers in the party struggled on some of the gravel bits but obviously had a slight advantage on the tarmac. The one guy on an MTB was handicapped by it until we got on to the Waskerley Way, which has sections of stony path that can be a bit rough for really narrow tyres.
  • monkimark
    monkimark Posts: 1,951
    How would you fit cantis to a road bike?
  • On_What
    On_What Posts: 516
    I always think these sorts of events you take what you feel comfortable on, and ride to it's advantages. For instance if you take an MTB you've got to make it count on the muddy bits, and accept you will lose time on tarmac.
  • dhobiwallah
    dhobiwallah Posts: 272
    Its the Scotland C2C, and the organisers basically recommend a CX bike as the best (but not only) option.

    As to fitting them to the forks - I haven't seen the bike yet but had (after a quick google - wrongly it seems) assumed that the forks would have brake mount bosses. It looks like that option has quickly been scrubbed!
  • mikpem
    mikpem Posts: 139
    Mini-V's/cantis might be a problem on a road bike but having looked into the possibility of fitting knobbly tires to a road bike I found that you might be able to get away with a pair of old school touring bike side pull brakes (I think Tektro R539 are this kind of design and you can get them new) but you might still trip up if the frame/fork doesn't provide enough clearance.
  • kajjal
    kajjal Posts: 3,380
    I do both road and MTBing , It really depends on the route. A mountain bike will be heavier but have no problems on rough sections due to big tyres, suspension and disc brakes. On road fitted with slicks and the suspension locked out a hardtail MTB is rapid enough but won't keep up with a road bike or a CX bike especially up hills.

    Checkout the route and see what it consists of.

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