Dolan Multi Cross as a winter hack.

Yi Harr

As On-One aren't going to be stocking the frame I wanted for the foreseeable future it's back to the drawing board in my search for a winter hack. My only criteria are that it must have mudguard and rack bosses and cost less than €1,000.

I have considered the Genesis Croix De Fer and Vapour and also the Surly Crosscheck. Currently the bike at the top of the list is the Dolan Multi Cross (the Sram Rival option).

Any comments on the Dolan or any other bike suggestions welcome.

Lumen

That Dolan looks nice, but does it have rack and mudguard eyelets?

Yi Harr

Yup, it has front and rear mud guard eyelets and has rear bosses for panniers.



Would there be £200 worth of difference between Rival and Force? Would I better off sticking with Rival and upgrading the wheelset?

Lumen

My only concern would be whether you really want to be lumbered with cantis given that you're probably going to be running narrow tyres.

There are a decent number of bikes available with clearance and eyelets for rack and mudguards that have conventional calipers which will feel much, much nicer to use.

Yi Harr

Hadn't noticed that they were cantis, would/should they really be a deal breaker?

I don't think I've ever had a harder time spending money then I have on the search for an illusive winter bike.

Ryath

Yi Harr wrote: »

Hadn't noticed that they were cantis, would/should they really be a deal breaker?

I don't think I've ever had a harder time spending money then I have on the search for an illusive winter bike.

Surely you don't have to look far
http://www.dolan-bikes.com/road-bikes/aluminium/Sram/Preffisio%20Road%20Bike?product_id=251
Actually looks like quite a bargain

Yi Harr

It's a bargain alright but unfortunately the paint job does nothing for me.

Ryath

Yi Harr wrote: »

It's a bargain alright but unfortunately the paint job does nothing for me.

The all black of the cross bike does look better but it is for winter so you'll be cycling in the dark most of the time and I'd sooner have brakes that worked.

Yi Harr

Yeah, the brake issue has made me reconsider the Multi Cross but I still wouldn't be able to make myself buy the Preffisio. Personal aesthetics would play a large part in my purchase.

funkyjebus

There is a massive difference between canti and caliper imo, in terms of both stopping power and maintenance. Canti's tend to squeal aswell.

If you can set them up right they are ok (I've heard!), but i really don't like them.

You could switch the canti's to mini v brakes, but calipers are still a better option.

chakattack

Yi Harr wrote: »

It's a bargain alright but unfortunately the paint job does nothing for me.

I've seen them in they flesh and the paint job looks really nice - much better than the pics and looks more expensive than it is. The white flash on the black frame looks great.

Especially in winter, braking power wins over looks everytime.

studiorat

I've a mate does 30k daily commute on his Preffissio, mudguards, rack the lot. Very nice bike IMO.

Yi Harr

Braking power would be an important factor for me which is why I'm tending away from the Multi Cross. Then Genesis disc braked bikes are becoming more of an option.

I've no doubt the Preffisio is an excellent bike but like a load of other bikes that flash graphic does nothing for me. Perhaps it looks better in the flesh than online.

It's funny how when looking for a new bike it's very easy to justify increasing the budget.

Lumen

I really like my disc brakes but they're definitely more hassle to set up with integrated shifters than calipers, they are significantly heavier, pads need to be run in and they limit the choice of wheels (700c with disc compatible hubs is not that common, at least for decent wheels).

Add that to the surprising expense of disc-braked road bikes (hundreds of euros more than the rim braked equivalents) and I'm not sure I'd bother if I didn't want to be able to run massive tyres.

Wet braking with calipers is more than adequate if you choose the right pads.

funkyjebus

Yi Harr wrote: »

Braking power would be an important factor for me which is why I'm tending away from the Multi Cross. Then Genesis disc braked bikes are becoming more of an option.

I've no doubt the Preffisio is an excellent bike but like a load of other bikes that flash graphic does nothing for me. Perhaps it looks better in the flesh than online.

It's funny how when looking for a new bike it's very easy to justify increasing the budget.

Disc brakes will be heavy and probably mechanical not hydraulic therefore offering nothing but weight over calipers which are the standard brakes for road bikes for a reason.

Lumen

funkyjebus wrote: »

Disc brakes will be heavy and probably mechanical not hydraulic therefore offering nothing but weight over calipers which are the standard brakes for road bikes for a reason.

Mechanical disc brakes offer several advantages over calipers.

Rims last forever and can go quite badly out of true without affecting braking.

Wet braking gives exactly the same feel as in the dry, at least until you lock up.

Larger tyre volume can be accommodated, if you need that.

The downsides are set up hassle, greater weight, worse lateral wheel balance/asymmetrical braking forces, poorer feel/modulation, and probably shorter pad life.

funkyjebus

I knew you'd come back with all that! Weighing the pros and cons imo there is no advantage on a bike being used on the road.

In addition, most likely they will be attached to a steel or alu fork adding further weight.

Id prefer them to canti brakes any day of the week though

Yi Harr

I never realised buying a bike I probably don't really need could be so problematic.

My mtb has direct pull cantilever brakes and aside from some squeal I've never really had a problem with them. If anything they have (or seem to have) greater stopping power than my road bike which has normal calipers. Would this be down to wheel size?

Lumen

Yi Harr wrote: »

My mtb has direct pull cantilever brakes and aside from some squeal I've never really had a problem with them. If anything they have (or seem to have) greater stopping power than my road bike which has normal calipers. Would this be down to wheel size?

No, it's down to differences in cable pull/mechanical advantage between flat bar levers and drop bar levers.

Cantis are perfectly fine with flat bars.

funkyjebus

Yi Harr wrote: »

I never realised buying a bike I probably don't really need could be so problematic.

My mtb has direct pull cantilever brakes and aside from some squeal I've never really had a problem with them. If anything they have (or seem to have) greater stopping power than my road bike which has normal calipers. Would this be down to wheel size?

Problematic or fun?

They are probably v brakes that you are talking about, which are grand, but canti's on a road bike squeal more and brake less. You could change them to mini 's but they arent as good as regular v brakes and run very close to the rim. Normal v brakes will not work with sti shifters due to cable pull length.

Yi Harr

Fun but problematic (mainly for the credit card) as I am discovering more and more lovely bikes which, even though they neither fit my budget or criteria, I really want to buy.

I am also getting to learn about direct pull and mechanical advantage.

The only reason I wouldn't want to change the canti's to mini's would be mudguard clearance.

So, if buying a drop bar bike with cantilever brakes it really should be fitted with direct pull/short pull brake levers?

Lumen

Yi Harr wrote: »

The only reason I wouldn't want to change the canti's to mini's would be mudguard clearance.

So, if buying a drop bar bike with cantilever brakes it really should be fitted with direct pull/short pull brake levers?

There's not much sense in running a drop bar bike if you have to brake on the tops.

You need to make a decision about which tyre sizes you're going to use, and stick with it.

Assuming you're going to have drop bars and integrated brake/shifters, the choices are:

1. Calipers and clearance for maybe 28mm with mudguards, if you're lucky. Then you have great brakes and no hassle apart from keeping your wheels true.

2. Cantis and loads of clearance, but relatively crap braking unless you are very careful with setup, and even then you have to choose between lots of lever movement (bad) combined with lots of power (good), or little movement (good) combined with little power (bad).

3. Mechanical disc brakes and lots of clearance, tricky set up, weight, expense, good braking albeit with less finesse than calipers.

Road bikes really don't need more than 25 or 28mm of tyre width, so a choice other than calipers make little sense until it snows or you're going offroad often. And then you're best off using a MTB if you have one.