Cyclo X V Road Bikes ....... FIGHHHTTTTT

Hi, I've had both, so I'll try to answer some of your questions...

Cross bikes use more or less the same drivetrain as road bikes, but with different gearing (eg smaller chainrings, wider range cassette). Finishing kit will be selected for strength, eg no carbon posts/stems/bars on production cross bikes. Alu cross frames seem about the same weight as mid range alu road frames. One thing to watch out for is the lack of bottle cage bosses on pure cross frames (eg Kinesis Pro2/3/4 cross frames). They have canti brakes, of course, are more fiddly to set up and less powerful (imho) than a good set of dual pivot brakes.

Of the two bikes that you're interested in, the Trek looks set up for cross (looks like 48/36 or similar chainrings), but the Bianchi looks like a bit of a kludge, with a road compact chainset (probably 50/36 chainrings), and quite a low front end, despite the flipped up stem.

Anyway, cross bikes are fun, the lower gearing is suited to most people's road riding, and the upright position suits a lot of people who don't want a racy position.

I've generalised a bit, and this is all based on my opinion, but I hope it helps.

I have the Specialised Tricross Sport; the mid range offering in the CXrange. I got it specifically because my road bike was not suited to the commute I do.

As I have a mix of country, bridleway, suburban and urban riding on my commute i needed something that would cope with all the conditions.

The Tricross Sport has the greater clearances as 16simon states, so I have bigger tyres on (they say 32 but I swear they're bigger) and the sport does have the bottle mounting points the Pro doesn't, plus it has mounting points for panniers and mudguards.

The whole frame is tougher than my old road bike, but the geometry (to me) seems very similar, maybe slight ly more relaxed.

As to the gearing - it has a triple chain ring with a 50/11 top gear and I think a 30/32 bottom gear

Personally I can't fault it - for what I need it is the perfect compromise. It even has the flat underside to the top bar so that you can carry it comfortably!

I forgot about the extra brake levers The only problem is that it restricts the amount of space on the bars, but I bought a short neck extender and can fit my comp, and two lights on it without a problem (cateye single shot plus and a Halfords special)

There is an overlap issue on the front wheel, but again only at LOW speed I never have any problems with day to day riding

The top one is the Comp, which costs way more than the Sport (approx £400), so if you don't mind spending the extra.

I've got a funny feeling it doesn't have mounting points for panneirs and muguards, but check this

And to confuse things further, the bottom pic (the Comp) looks like the 2008 model and the top pic (the Sport) looks like this year's model, I think.

You're quite right. I was looking at the colour (cos the Sport is usually the Brown / Silver one)

Are you sure you're looking at the 2009 model though? I've just checked and it does appear that the Comp does not have the mounts, but I'm ready to be told otherwise

However....

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-Tri ... _22007.htm

says:

The Specialized Tricross Comp 20 2009 Features are:

Frame: Specialized E5 SLX aluminium, fully manipulated tubing, smooth weld semi-compact Freeroad design, FACT carbon seatstays w/ Zertz inserts, rack and fender fittings

but the gearing is not as flexible:

Drivetrain: Shimano 105, 10-speed 12-27t cassette, Shimano 105, 10-speed chain, FSA Gossamer MegaExo, 2-piece crankset crankset, 48 x 34t chainrings, FSA MegaExo, integrated exterior cartridge bearings, alloy BB

The Sport is 27 speed with a bigger front crank and wider range rear cassette

I went for the Tricross as my commuter because my background is MTB'ing and I liked the idea of a cross bike. You can fit guards and racks on it if you want but more significantly the frame and wheels are pretty tough. Even more importantly it takes wider tyres which are more comfortable, less prone to snake bits and allow you throw your bike around a bit more too. The V brake option is a real bonus for some but personally that wasn't a big issue for me.

For urban commuting I'd go for a cross bike with the aforementioned guard/rack option. I went for the single speed Tricross and got it for under £300 from Pearsons. You will need to change the tyres though as they are VERY slow on road - budget for that.

You could of course go 'anti-fashion' and get a Dawes Galaxy. It would do the job well and has all the benefits (and more) that I've mentioned. It won't be as zippy as a light alu frame though.

Personally - Road bike, menas it is tough enough for the road. I am cool with that, have replaced my bike last road bike after 10 faithful years of service....I expect the new one to do the same if not more. What gear ratio's do you get on Cyclo X bikes? If it is the same as MTB ratios, I would go for a road bike for sheer speed.

Ah right - thickness of tyres - forgot about that. My road bike runs 53/39 12/25 - Is the frame "feel" the same? Geometry and so on? Sharp steering?

I have a Felt F1x CX bike. I may have bored other folk silly with this, but WTH.

For me the CX bike is the best all rounder imaginable. My background is MTB, and my commute is 50% Off road, so I needed something tough. Almost 2 and half years old now, nothing more done than replacement of worn out stuff. I have used it on singletrack more commonly used for MTB, my mates think I'm mad. It's back to grass roots cycling, for me CXbikes are just pragmatic, they work, you don't have to fuss over them.

Caveats:
as others have said, if you want to fit panniers, make sure there are braze-ons.
I would NOT go for 2 * 10 speed, go for 2 * 9 or 3 * 9, 10 speed chains are good for road, but for off-road they are just too fragile, despite regular cleaning and lubing I have got through more chains and cassettes than I consider Normal.
CX tyres tend to be built LIGHT, after all CX races are only about an hour. I suffered badly with RIDs (random impromtu deflations) when I initially got the bike, however since fitting Vitorria XG cross tyres RIDs have been few and far between.