CX bike for roadie?

[Chewyeti]

I'm looking at getting something for riding road... i'm sure road in itself is plenty fun...

A Cyclocross bike yields a little more practicality for the off road spurts.....semi dual purpose

other than some weight, tire clearance and tire choice, and brakes - how is a CX bike different from a roadie?

Looking for something i can do plenty of road miles on with the change of tires..... and then be able to hit fully/chino/turnbull or the like on it when i need to...

[stevers]

Not sure about fully/chino/turnbull, but I've done the fire roads in aliso and all of peters on my cyclocross bike. I like the idea that I don't have to plan my road ride around nicely paved roads.

Anyways, I think the major differences between a road and cx is also the BB height (higher on the cyclo) and the riding position. You want to be a bit further back on a cx, with the handlebars a bit higher. HT angle would be a bit more slack, though I don't know how much of a difference it makes in a dual purpose bike (vs a cx racing bike). Lastly, the wires do not run under the TT since you sometimes chuck the bike over your shoulders. Some manufacturers flatten out the TT near the ST to accommodate this action.

Oh, and heavier wheels. I read somewhere that you can't do serious road biking with a cyclo cause the wheelset is heavier and it makes riding in a big group harder (since it takes longer to brake/accelerate into a nice tight drafting position in a group).

[jeff^d]

I think that unless you're racing the road, a cross bike is a really handy, mutli-purpose bike (for reasons you mentioned). They tend to have slacker angles and more of an upright position, making them a little more forgiving and stable, but IMO, harder to stretch out and get in the drops.

Cross bikes are great for commuting and usually offer better fender/rack connectivity options, and sturdier wheels to handle the abuse, compared to a road bike.

The weight aspect shouldn't be overlooked, though. For the price of a ~19 lb road bike you're probably looking at ~24-25 lb cross bike.

[Chewyeti]

Probably wont ever do any reaaaall serious road slaying with it. More of a commuter that can offroad..... so i guess the wheel weight isnt an issue

Thanks for the insight. Anyone else?

[Pho'dUp]

La Cruz! 135mm rear wheel spacing so you can just use some disc brake wheels you have already. Or in a pinch borrow some wheels from your CX bike for your your mtn bike.

http://www.salsacycles.com/laCruz08.html

That or maybe a Fargo for ultimate utility.
http://www.salsacycles.com/fargoComp09.html

[Rob]

Anyone interested in a One of a kind Tricross frame/fork?

It's fast with those wheels on it and slicks. Weighs only 18lbs...

Those Dura Ace wheels are also meant for Cyclocross use too.

[Chewyeti]

Originally Posted by Pho'dUp

La Cruz! 135mm rear wheel spacing so you can just use some disc brake wheels you have already. Or in a pinch borrow some wheels from your CX bike for your your mtn bike.

http://www.salsacycles.com/laCruz08.html

That or maybe a Fargo for ultimate utility.
http://www.salsacycles.com/fargoComp09.html

I did look at the salsa's... a little out of my price range. I test rode some roadie frames at jensons and found out im about a 60 for size....

Originally Posted by Rob

Anyone interested in a One of a kind Tricross frame/fork?

It's fast with those wheels on it and slicks. Weighs only 18lbs...

Those Dura Ace wheels are also meant for Cyclocross use too.

its too small...


Looking at a cheap ultegra level motobecane complete from bikesdirect.com

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...oss_pro_IX.htm

[jeff^d]

How about a Surly Crosscheck complete? I think they run about $1000, you might be able to find some '08 models on close out...

[Chewyeti]

seems you can get a better component spec (ultegra) versus tiagra on the surly.

[JOx2]

go full on roadie, there is no in between. you'll be a much much happier person.

[stevers]

+1 on the crosscheck.

Steel frame. 132.5mm rear hub spacing, so you can use 130mm road or 135mm mountain hubs. Semi-vertical dropouts in case you want to go SS or fixie. But yeah, you're looking at the mid-ish 20lbs for this bike. I don't really see the need for drop bars on a CX, too. Bullhorns just seem cool, though risking the hipster look -___-.

[hoovermd]

Originally Posted by Chewyeti

...
Looking for something i can do plenty of road miles on with the change of tires..... and then be able to hit fully/chino/turnbull or the like on it when i need to...

Chewy,

As you know a 'Cross bike is suitable for most anything here in OC. Great as a SS, Even better fixie!

I like my Redline Conquest Pro.
Not too much difference on the geometry, but "real" cross bikes have cantis (not that wussie V-brake stuff).
Frames are a bit beefier and sometimes the BB is higher.

[ubermensch]

Originally Posted by Chewyeti

I
Looking for something i can do plenty of road miles on with the change of tires..... and then be able to hit fully/chino/turnbull or the like on it when i need to...

I recently put together a Cross Check and have been logging a good amount of road miles on it to get it/me ready for a tour in July, and so far I couldn't be happier with the choice. The geometry does feel a little funny (I'm used to my main 'racier' bike), but it's not like you can't ride the thing. It's really not a big deal. I might even try a crit when I'm in Salt Lake during my trip.

I chose the Cross Check because it gives me the option of running legitimate 29er wheels/tires if I can't find CX tires that are aggressive enough for the trails. It also has the bosses for mud guards so it'll also be my main bike (for the road) during the winter months. I just love how versatile it is.

[SpeedyChix]

Other diff. from road bikes
CX frame will have wider clearance all the way around for fatter tires, canti brakes for tire clearance as well. Usually slightly longer wheelbase and slighly more stable geo.

Many stock/built CX bikes are priced better than their comparably equipped road mates. Weight penalty ... w/o too much pain, they can come in at 17-19#s

Wheelset: Open Pro 32s and Ultegra hubs aren't piggy and will take pretty much whatever you toss at them. Mount up some high volume tires and you can run all kinds of off road stuff.

I like doing dirt road rides or even reg. road rides and having the option to head down a gravel road, two-track or trail w/o pause.

[bikerider]

I've got a lemond poprad with disc's on it. It is a lot of fun to ride and commute on, but if you don't have dirt in between you and your work you might want a road bike. But if your looking for an alternative to just road and want to ride to a trailhead and do some fire road, it is a good choice. I live by Cook's and ride Blackstar (not all the way to the motorway just fireroad) and back. Much more pleasant than doing those road miles on a mtb. It also handles the smoother stuff in Aliso and El Moro as well. It's nice to be able to ride to Aliso, up Mathis to TOTW, down Park, thru El Moro and back home. It's something you wouldn't want to do on a mtb and couldn't do on a road bike.

One thing though, the gearing is lower than a road bike. My front chainring is a 36-46, much smaller than the 42-52 on my road bike. Also the crank arms were 170's probably for better ground clearance.

http://treksandiego.com/itemdetails.cfm?LibId=38102

[sdyeti]

My man has a Felt CX bike which he put road tires on...now he can use it for both.

[stevers]

Originally Posted by sdyeti

My man has a Felt CX bike which he put road tires on...now he can use it for both.

+1 on felt cx!

I forgot to mention the chainring sizes, too. Mine is 36/46, but i swapped out the granny gear to a 32. Normal road bikes are 39/53 (or somewhere abouts that).

[sdyeti]

I think he may be doing that soon, too.

Originally Posted by stevers

I forgot to mention the chainring sizes, too. Mine is 36/46, but i swapped out the granny gear to a 32. Normal road bikes are 39/53 (or somewhere abouts that).

[protijy]

I am running a fuji cross comp for cx and road.

For road I run 23c tires and lighter wheels, CX I run openpro's and a stans tubless setup.

I have been riding a good amount of road ~1500 miles so far this year and its a great setup. The geometry is def more relaxed, good for my back but bad for desecnding (at 45+ the slacker HT angle can lend to twitchyness in cross winds) The longer wheel base also lends to the twitchy feeling at higher speeds. Its also pretty heavy with Neuvation Cycling M28s and 105/ultegra its 19.75lbs....

But I'd def recomend a CX setup

[sperminator]

Chewy I have an old 10 speed sitting in my parents garage that they would love to get out of there. You work on my fork and im sure it can be yours. the shifters are on the top tube. It may be in need some work but it is here for you to use if you want it.