Choosing CX bike.

studiorat

Okey-Dokey. I've decided I'm going to use at BTW to fund a new bike for the winter. I'd like to try out a CX race or two to see can I finish it! But mostly for winter training. I'd like to give XC a go end of summer or next year.
Budget up to €1,300

So far I've looked at :
Genesis Croix de Fer (a thing of beauty)
Reynolds 753 (last years color was nicer)
Cro-Mo Forks.
Tiagra Groupset
http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/cross/croix-de-fer/croix-de-fer

Genesis CdF (little brother)
520 tubing
Same forks
Sora Groupo.
Avid BB7 brakes
http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/cross/croix-de-fer/cdf

Boardman CX Team
Alloy, tapered steerer, BB30
Carbon Fork
Sram Apex Gears
FSA Cranks
Ritchley Finishing kit.
Avid BB5 brakes
http://www.boardmanbikes.com/cx/cx_team.html

I like the hidden gear cables on the Sram shifters but don't like the bar top brakes. Not sure how the Shimano measures up. I have old 105 stuff on the road bike. Never used Tiagra or Sora.

I guess the question is Alloy BB30 and Carbon fork or Posh steel.
How much difference will there be in the Sram and different Shimano gear set ups?
Is there anything else out there I could be looking at?

Also what size should I be looking at? I ride 58 or 59 for a road bike and 18 or 19" on the MTB. Do I need a slightly smaller bike for CX than road?

Raam

Personally I wouldn't bother with the disc brakes. You could probably get a better deal without them.

Raam

I've been advised to go a size down on CX bikes. The BB sits higher than a road bike and the chainstays are a little longer to allow for a bit more comfort. I originally disregarded that and bought a 58cm BMC before and it felt like I was on a giraffe. I currently have a 57.5 Kinesis and it fits much better. Of course, each manufacturer have their own geometries so it's not as if a 58 in one brand is directly comparable with a 58 in another brand.

StaggerLee

I got a Giant TCX recently, mainly for commuting and winter training. Have aspirations of doing CX in the winter :rolleyes:

Anyway, as has been mentioned, look at going for a size down. I got an 57.5 and was very stretched out on it. My roadbike is a 58.

Ended up changing and flipping the stem.

woodseb

i recently picked up a Ridley one from CRC with good spec - some discounts to be had on last years models

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=1156

Raam

The TCX is quite popular and folk seem to like it. If you can find someone nice enough to let you try their CX bike then do that before purchasing anything.

studiorat

Yeah it's a funny one. 58 feels a tiny bit small on my road bike. The 58 felt good sitting on the Boardman but quite long. Maybe 57.5 might be right for me.

What's the gearing like on the Giant for the road?

I still drawn to the "exotica" of the Croix de Fer. So Shallow!

StaggerLee

The Tiagra / Sora mix on the TCX works fine, nothing fancy, does the job.

studiorat

The 2013 one seems to have 105. I like that hidden cables thing.

thebionicdude

I ride a 58cm Cannondale on the road. My CX bike is a 56cm Cannondale.

The geometry is slightly different but I ride the CX as my winter-bike on the road too, size down would be standard practice I'd have thought.

StaggerLee

studiorat wrote: »

The 2013 one seems to have 105. I like that hidden cables thing.

On the giant? Thats the TCX1, I've the 2.
You'll need to put tyres on it, the stock ones aren't the best, no use for the road.

lennymc

i have a medium TCX 2.0 that i picked up last year, its fine. Mix of tiagra and sora, which is fine. Not too bad to replace if/when you crash. I use it for commuting sometimes, it currently has slicks and mudguard on it. Raced it last year and it was more than adequate for me. I would also stay away from disks, they will be heavier than non disks, and depending on what you are racing on/braking like I have heard of pads wearing down very quickly. Im in Dublin city centre if you want to take a look at the tcx. Its a bit heavy, but, for a bike that you can race at the weekend and use during the week its fine. HTH

edit - re BB30 - i use BB30 on the road bike, and dont find them all that durable. I would imagine that they would be fairly shot quite quickly given the abuse that cx bikes take in races. CX can be hard on bikes, especially when everything clogs with mud. It is great tho.

dooverylittle

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBPXUJRIV/planet_x_uncle_john_sram_rival_bike

lennymc

im half thinking of going singlespeed for cx this year..

Raam

lennymc wrote: »

im half thinking of going singlespeed for cx this year..

You will regret that when you race Swords.

marketty

That croix de fer is very pretty. I have a Charge Filter which would be similar. When I bought it last year you could have it with apex and discs, tiagra and discs or sora and cantis. I got the sora and cantis for €550 which was 50% off on wiggle last october. came with proper mudguards too. and rack mounts. Bargain. I use it for commuting, audax and training, haven't raced cross on it (yet!) it has been bomb proof so far in all weathers. Don't know if discs are worth it but I wouldn't bother with a fancy group, winter riding is hard enough on components and I'd say the mud in cross just chews parts up.
The Planet X uncle John looks good to me

GlennaMaddy

When I started cycling I got a high spec CX bike as it served as my road bike for a while. I have road bike now and if I were buying a CX bike again, I'd go with a low spec drivetrain and high spec everything else -but no carbon.
I've had two derailleurs destroyed during 2-3 years of CX and I'm halfway through my second set of wheels (breaking surface on the rims wear quickly) and 2nd casette.
I think a 10 speed casette is wasted on CX bike, the changes in pace are such that you find yourself deliberately skipping gears almost all the time.
I've had one nasty fall that dented my alloy frame, I think had my frame been made of carbon would have been written off.
Having two bikes with somebody in the pit washing one while you destroy the other on each lap has become popular, so, you'd nearly be better off buying two low-spec CX bikes.

Having said all that, the top guys are mostly on (2) high spec carbon machines, so maybe I'm doing something wrong!

lennymc

Raam wrote: »

You will regret that when you race Swords.

i regretted racing swords when i raced swords...

my reasoning - it would be less things to get clogged with mud, less maintenance, lighter, and anything i cant get up i could run up. I suppose its all about finding and choosing a gear you can work with.

studiorat

Used to cleaning mud out of an MTB and I've an idea of how quickly I can go through chains and stuff. I'm interested to hear people would rather rim brakes than disc brakes. I've had cantilever, v-brakes and discs in the past. On a MTB I'd go for discs every time.

How do the canti's work out in the mud and rain? Is there much control or are they on and off?

C3PO

lennymc wrote: »

im half thinking of going singlespeed for cx this year..

Yeh .... CX with all those gears is just too easy!

Lumen

studiorat wrote: »

How do the canti's work out in the mud and rain? Is there much control or are they on and off?

They're pretty crap, but in those conditions actual stopping ability is limited by tyre grip.

In my limited experience of CX grass was a bigger problem as it tangles up around the caliper, so you have to run with a lot of pad clearance.

Discs can be massively problematic in bad conditions too. I read some race reports from the US where people were swapping disc-equipped bikes almost every lap. CX is not mountain biking.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/01/news/bright-future-for-disc-brakes-fades-briefly-under-a-coating-of-verona-mud_271112

C3PO

studiorat wrote: »

Used to cleaning mud out of an MTB and I've an idea of how quickly I can go through chains and stuff. I'm interested to hear people would rather rim brakes than disc brakes. I've had cantilever, v-brakes and discs in the past. On a MTB I'd go for discs every time.

How do the canti's work out in the mud and rain? Is there much control or are they on and off?

Like you I wouldn't dream of anything other than discs on the mountain bikes but canti's are fine for Cross! It's probably because I'm so bloody slow but I don't really find that you brake really hard in CX! Anyway if canti's are good enough for Robin Seymour et al there plenty good enough for me!

lennymc

studiorat wrote: »

Used to cleaning mud out of an MTB and I've an idea of how quickly I can go through chains and stuff. I'm interested to hear people would rather rim brakes than disc brakes. I've had cantilever, v-brakes and discs in the past. On a MTB I'd go for discs every time.

How do the canti's work out in the mud and rain? Is there much control or are they on and off?

Cantis are fine in the mud and wet (and by fine, i mean terrible), but, your not going that fast anyway in a race. On the road I dont have any problems with them, and they only get clogged up on really muddy stuff when racing. I suspect that on the MTB your going a lot faster down hills that you would go on a cx bike. Its an hour of pure anerobic pain. Some of the cx races last year I averaged about 12 - 14 kph. They arent really that fast that you actually need great brakes (IMHO)

Mr. Grieves

Cantilever brakes are decent in the dry. In the wet and mud, where discs would be advantageous, the limiting factor is usually the grip of the tyres - it's easy to send the bike sideways with just a tap of the brakes! So for racing cantis are fine, and cheaper and lighter.

On the road I've found cantis a bit weak on a fast descent in the rain, but that's probably as much to do with my ability in setting them up well.

Singlespeed - I wouldn't. A single front ring is great though.

lennymc

Started a new thread so as not to clog up this one.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056971111

studiorat

lennymc wrote: »

Its an hour of pure anerobic pain. Some of the cx races last year I averaged about 12 - 14 kph. They arent really that fast that you actually need great brakes (IMHO)

So an hour and count the amount of laps?

lennymc

studiorat wrote: »

So an hour and count the amount of laps?

something like that. If you get passed by the leader of your race your down a lap, and finish on their lap. Most races are about an hour, there is normally someone calling out the numbers at the start finish line to someone else who notes them down. Its seriously good fun, try it, and dont worry about brakes

Raam

The thing to keep clear in CX is your jockey wheels. If they get clogged up then the hanger can snap or the RD gets mangled.

studiorat

lennymc wrote: »

and dont worry about brakes

True you won't need them pushing the thing around.

crosswords

Brakes are largely irrelevant when you learn to corner properly.