Cyclocross bike as a Winter road bike?

paulfgannon

Currently ride a Cube Peloton and want it to stay in good shape.Thinking of a cyclocross bike for the bad weather on the road,anyone any ideas??Is there any problem fitting mudguards etc etc.Anybody cycle one?

Raam

Plenty of people do it. Personally I'd rather ride a road bike on the road. Save the CX bike for racing CX. If you are gonna do CX races then go for a CX bike and use that on the road during the winter. If you have zero intention of doing CX then I'd get another road bike suitable for the winter. But hey, that's just me.

outfox

I used to run a CX as a winter bike, but gave up trying to get mudguards to fit. Still use it for club runs when it's dry. It doesn't offer any advantage over a road bike. And the canti brakes are woeful when its wet. However, the big 35 mm tyres are VERY comfy on the road. It's still one of my favourite bikes.

onthefringe

i have my cx bike running on slick 25's ..
the geometry is lovely
not the fastest thing on the road but the position for steady miles is lovely..
also less precious about it on damp days than the sunday best
i think a cx bike is a great piece of kit to have in the arsenal...

Peterx

The newer CX bikes with disc brakes look perfect for commuting/wintering, in/with an aluminium frameset for the pannier rack.
Saw three differnt lovely ones on the evening commute today. A Cannondale, Giant and a Fuji I think the third one was. All with disc brakes and pannier racks. Lovely.

tigerboon

It have a disc brakes road bike with about 35mm clearance on the front fork. The lowest gearing is 34/30. Thinking ahead to next winter, what do yous think is the best tyre for gritty roads, canal paths etc?

paulfgannon

That's my main interest for winter,tyres and mudguard clearance,maybe another road bike or touring bike.Will probably have to ride on slippery roads, so is the width or type of tyre more important?Whats the biggest tyre you could fit to a road or touring bike?

sherlok

i used to ride a CX bike with mudguards for commuting. Not heavy but the canti brakes didn't do too much in the wet. I used 25mm wide tyres and mudguards, but there was a lot of room for much bigger tyres.

I'm riding a light tourer/brevet type road bike now with mudguards. The biggest tire i can fit is a 28.

A CX bike with disc brakes would be a good commuter IMO if you'd like to run a wide tyre. The other advanatge of my current bike is that it has mudguard bosses. The CX bike required some jiggery pokery with clamps to hold the mudguards on.

Colonel Panic

A lot of manufacturers are capitalising on people liking CX bike geometry and tyre clearance by adding the holes for mudguard and racks.

I've got a Kona Jake the Snake for commuting and I love it.

Cookie_Monster

I've just picked one up for this purpose (and using the gravel trails around town).
Do it

coolemon

paulfgannon wrote: »

Whats the biggest tyre you could fit to a road or touring bike?

Touring bikes will differ. A Surly LHT will take a max 45mm tyre on a 700c wheel. Or 2.1" tyre on a 26" wheel.

ROK ON

I've bought and sold a fair few bikes in the past decade. I only regret selling one bike - a CX bike that I had. I agree that the brakes weren't up to much but every so often I find myself near a forest and would like to take a forest path, or near a canal where I would like to take a tow path. It's not really advisable in my road bikes - due largely to tyre restrictions and clearance.
I think that a single speed that could take CX tyres would be a great addition to any bike shed.
I know it's what I'm after.

arybvtcw0eolkf

I bought a Whyte CX as a commuter and fitted 28mm road tyres. I was going to buy a second set of wheels and use CX tyres for winter but then my son bought a really nice hybrid which he never used.

I fit CX tyres to this, and tbh this bike is way more practical & comfortable as a commuter than my CX fitted with road tyres.

However for training rides the CX bike is a lot lighter, just as robust and a hell of a lot quicker ~ but for leisurely commutes I'd rather the hybrid with CX tyres any day.

Colonel Panic

ROK ON wrote: »

I think that a single speed that could take CX tyres would be a great addition to any bike shed.

http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/urban/urban-cross/day-one

I want one of these so bad.

rollingscone

What would the preferences be for set up when using as a winter roadbike?

What are the advantages/disadvantages re fatter slicks vs 28mm tyres and do people try and "road" up their stem/saddle heights?

outfox

Only advantage I find is that 35 mm tyres are great for the really sh1te tar and chip roads where a lot of our club spins go. IMO, this advantage overcomes the poor braking. I don't think a CX offers any further advantages, apart from the obvious possibility of riding tracks etc.

smacl

rollingscone wrote: »

What would the preferences be for set up when using as a winter roadbike?

What are the advantages/disadvantages re fatter slicks vs 28mm tyres and do people try and "road" up their stem/saddle heights?

Don't know about slicks, but you need good clearance if you're thinking about ice tyres for the winter. I got great use out of the studded tyres on my hybrid last winter for a bit of icy off road in the hills and on the canal towpaths. Looking forward to having them as an option on the new cross bike this winter*



* if Rose ever manage to deliver it that is.

rollingscone

outfox wrote: »

Only advantage I find is that 35 mm tyres are great for the really sh1te tar and chip roads where a lot of our club spins go. IMO, this advantage overcomes the poor braking. I don't think a CX offers any further advantages, apart from the obvious possibility of riding tracks etc.

I already have a CX for CXy reasons so I'm really just talking tyres and adjustments to get the best winter road experience out of it.

RobFowl

Raam wrote: »

Plenty of people do it. Personally I'd rather ride a road bike on the road. Save the CX bike for racing CX. If you are gonna do CX races then go for a CX bike and use that on the road during the winter. If you have zero intention of doing CX then I'd get another road bike suitable for the winter. But hey, that's just me.

+1

poochiem

Took the CX out the Grand Canal yesterday as far as Robertstown. It's fairly rough in spots but still managed a 24k average. As regards commuting, even with the bag and the pedestrians I was able to hit 42k on 35mm tyres coming into Inchicore. Trouble with the tyres is they wear very quickly, I might consider a wheelset for commuting and one for off-roading.

smacl

poochiem wrote: »

Trouble with the tyres is they wear very quickly, I might consider a wheelset for commuting and one for off-roading.[/IMG]

I put 32mm marathon supremes on the hybrid and have the same going on the CX bike. They wear very well and are good for the roads and hard trail, but not much use in wet mud.

Lusk_Doyle

I use the cx bike with the cx tires for picking up the young lad from the creche. Works fine on the road with the pressure pumped up in the tires and the child seat on it. Should be fine for winter.

RobFowl

Lusk_Doyle wrote: »

Should be fine for winter.

Especially if it gets the same heavy usage it got last cross season

C3PO

I ran a CX bike as a winter trainer for a couple of years - the brakes were positively scary at times! I would only recommend it if you are planning to use the bike to race CX as well!

rollingscone

I might follow Alek's example and upgrade to Hydraulics at some point but then I tend to avoid the hills once the weather gets ropey.

Mech discs feel less reassuring than road calipers though.

Lusk_Doyle

RobFowl wrote: »

Especially if it gets the same heavy usage it got last cross season

Yea, I wasn't referring to my bike in that sentence!

carltonleon

I use 28mm GatorSkins on my TCX 2. I find it great for commuting in good or bad weather.