CX position compared to road bike

nickbotfield
nickbotfield Posts: 68
edited May 2017 in Cyclocross
I've got a CX bike incoming this week and I'm wondering if I should replicate my road bike position on it. It's not extreme at all, so no slammed, super long stem. Do most people have a shorter and taller setup on their CX bikes?

Comments

  • fat daddy
    fat daddy Posts: 2,605
    I do ... but I don't know if its advisable, I find it easier and more confidence inspiring to have wider bars, more spacers under the stem and a short stem to bring it in and make steering quicker

    the down side of the short stem is when I am on the road and put the power down from a slow speed and turning, ie coming out of a slow sharp bend, the front wheel wants to pull to one side momentarily ... the longer stem negates this .... but off road where the speeds are slower I find the shorter stem allows me to avoid things last minute

    All that in effect though I do get a bit of lower back ache after a while of hard work, ie long climbs or a lot of off road
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    My positions are very similar; bars are slightly lower on the road bike, for purely aerodynamic reasons, but not a huge amount.

    I'd start with the same position as your road bike, and work from there. Your legs and body are doing exactly the same job, so the ergonomics aren't going to be very different. At the end of the day, it's just another bike...
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • imposter2.0
    imposter2.0 Posts: 12,028
    nickbotfield wrote:
    I've got a CX bike incoming this week and I'm wondering if I should replicate my road bike position on it. It's not extreme at all, so no slammed, super long stem. Do most people have a shorter and taller setup on their CX bikes?

    Depends what kind of riding you plan on doing. Assuming you will be riding CX events, then the geometry is there to offer you a 'slightly' more upright position, which can be useful offroad.
  • nickbotfield
    nickbotfield Posts: 68
    Thanks for the advice folks. I'll start with the same position and see what happens!
  • iron-clover
    iron-clover Posts: 737
    My position is radically different from the road bike- but my position on the road bike is still way forward (saddle in front of BB) as a throwback from when I used to do TTs every week on it.

    I've set my CX bike up more like I would a MTB- weight further back (although probably about the same as most have on their road bikes) and handlebars are about 1.5-2cm higher with the hoods rotated backwards a bit to give a really secure hold. The air resistance is very noticable on the road, and if I take it on a club run I have to tuck behind someone all the time, but off road it's a lot more confidence inspiring now I've adjusted the handlebars.

    If you look at the professional CX setups you'll see they have their bars and levers quite high for handling- but if you don't plan on riding off road too much (or just riding 'easy' bridleways and gravel tracks then there's no reason you can't replicate your road geometry.
  • kajjal
    kajjal Posts: 3,380
    Just set the bike up to suit your riding.
  • LeePaton
    LeePaton Posts: 353
    Mine used to be higher at the front and a bit shorter but now it's exact same within maybe a mm due to different frame geo and available parts.

    I do still my levers at a slightly more upward rise as I find it gives a better grip for throwing around but the height in the bar is to the naked the same.
    It's not so much about winning, I just hate losing.
  • CheqeredKhazi
    CheqeredKhazi Posts: 1
    I recently picked up a Giant TCX and also have a TCR (road bike) and although I think the cyclocross bike is designed to be slightly less aggressive my bike fits are pretty similar (maybe because I struggle to get really low and aero in the road bike)
    Surely find a comfortable position which I guess will be similar to your road bike
    I hope you enjoy doing the off road as much I as I have / mind you makes you realise how smooth a modern road bike is!

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