Arkose vs. Croix de Fer
I don’t talk of the look. This is not a hipster forum. Thank you.
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No idea on the comparison, all i can tell you is my 2018 CDF is the best bike I own and the one I would keep if it had to be just one. Its a Swiss Army knife of a bike. I built mine from a frame so that probably helps as it is exactly what I wanted spec wise, but it is a lovely thing.1
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Isn't Arkose an aluminium frame?
My CdF is the best bike of the three I have owned. It only takes a 33mm tyre at the front with a mudguard, which is the only reason for getting a gravel bike (Boardman ADV) more recently. I think the newer CdF range have better clearance.
I don't think it's a snob thing. Is Genesis a snobs brand?(But I will admit to liking the look of skinny steel tubes more than the big toblerone tubes of modern alu or carbon frames).
Even with steel fork, and narrower tyres, I get a smoother ride over rough ground with the CdF than with the carbon forked ADV. They both have Sora, but the Genesis was well worth the higher price tag.
The wide clearance is for the mud rather than the gravel. I have some muddy canal path on my commute, and the ADV was the best I could get with the measly £750 my employer allowed.
The Arkose would have been an option, if Evans wasn't excluded. The other option was the Merlin Malt G1 was also on my list, but I couldn't have tried before I bought and again it was excluded from my C2W scheme.
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As above, one is steel and one is alloy, and so will have different riding characteristics. If you would notice the difference is another question. Both will be good for gravel grinding, though with the larger tyre clearance on the Arkose if you are planning to get proper rowdy with it I'd go for that. Carbon fork, in theory, should be nicer to ride, but ride quality is more than just material but the engineering that went into it. Not sure you'll get many people who have ridden both to do a direct comparison though.
I would echo the above, my Croix de Fer is the older 2004 model and I bloody love it. I've ridden more bikes than I care to remember (and spent more than I care to count) and it's is very high up on my list of favorites.1 -
edward.s said:
No idea on the comparison, all i can tell you is my 2018 CDF is the best bike I own and the one I would keep if it had to be just one. Its a Swiss Army knife of a bike. I built mine from a frame so that probably helps as it is exactly what I wanted spec wise, but it is a lovely thing.
Thanks!!edward.s said:No idea on the comparison, all i can tell you is my 2018 CDF is the best bike I own and the one I would keep if it had to be just one. Its a Swiss Army knife of a bike. I built mine from a frame so that probably helps as it is exactly what I wanted spec wise, but it is a lovely thing.
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Thanks!!mrfpb said:Isn't Arkose an aluminium frame?
My CdF is the best bike of the three I have owned. It only takes a 33mm tyre at the front with a mudguard, which is the only reason for getting a gravel bike (Boardman ADV) more recently. I think the newer CdF range have better clearance.
I don't think it's a snob thing. Is Genesis a snobs brand?(But I will admit to liking the look of skinny steel tubes more than the big toblerone tubes of modern alu or carbon frames).
Even with steel fork, and narrower tyres, I get a smoother ride over rough ground with the CdF than with the carbon forked ADV. They both have Sora, but the Genesis was well worth the higher price tag.
The wide clearance is for the mud rather than the gravel. I have some muddy canal path on my commute, and the ADV was the best I could get with the measly £750 my employer allowed.
The Arkose would have been an option, if Evans wasn't excluded. The other option was the Merlin Malt G1 was also on my list, but I couldn't have tried before I bought and again it was excluded from my C2W scheme.0 -
Thanks!!joeyhalloran said:As above, one is steel and one is alloy, and so will have different riding characteristics. If you would notice the difference is another question. Both will be good for gravel grinding, though with the larger tyre clearance on the Arkose if you are planning to get proper rowdy with it I'd go for that. Carbon fork, in theory, should be nicer to ride, but ride quality is more than just material but the engineering that went into it. Not sure you'll get many people who have ridden both to do a direct comparison though.
I would echo the above, my Croix de Fer is the older 2004 model and I bloody love it. I've ridden more bikes than I care to remember (and spent more than I care to count) and it's is very high up on my list of favorites.0 -
I tried a Croix de Fer and an equivalent Pinnacle a few years back. The Pinnacle felt a bit dull whereas the CdF felt livelier and generally nicer. The difference could have been something as simple as the wheels, couldn’t tell without a longer ride and swapping things over. But that was my first impression. Of the two it would have been the CdF every time, but I bought a Kinesis instead. No regrets but I did like the CdF.0
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One thing I would add as a CdF owner (2015) model is that they are remarkably heavy old things. Mine isn't far off 13kg with mudguards and rack fitted.
I do love the bike, it's totally bomb proof and I've done some big miles on it. Climbing is sometimes a bit of a chore though.
Getting the carbon summer bike out for the first time of the year - as I did today - is always fantastic.1 -
When I looked last year, the Arkose Road range was more like the Croix range with 50/34 chainset, 30mm tyres. The dirt range is lower geared (48/32) and much bigger 45mm tyres. As it's the same frame on both you could buy one or the other and get a second set of wheels and still spend less then on the equivalent Croix de Fer. (Going by list price, you can often find the Croix de Fer range heavily discounted though)
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Thanks!!mrfpb said:When I looked last year, the Arkose Road range was more like the Croix range with 50/34 chainset, 30mm tyres. The dirt range is lower geared (48/32) and much bigger 45mm tyres. As it's the same frame on both you could buy one or the other and get a second set of wheels and still spend less then on the equivalent Croix de Fer. (Going by list price, you can often find the Croix de Fer range heavily discounted though)
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