cyclocross bike

Shaggz

A strong 7
sean put this bug in my ear yesterday... what about a cx instead of a dedicated road bike as a second bike to supplement riding and training?
 

ArmyOfNone

Well-Known Member
sean put this bug in my ear yesterday... what about a cx instead of a dedicated road bike as a second bike to supplement riding and training?

I have been having this same discussion/debate as i look into purchasing a new roadie. At one point i thought i would buy a cx bike and have two sets of wheels (road/cx).

I think the cx bike's geometry will be more versatile and you will be able to do a bit more with it. I decided go with a roadie thats a bit quicker and snappier. Hopefully im correct.

i also figure the times that i will need a cx bike will be outweighed by the road rides i can/will do. Needless to say, i will have a cx bike in the future. I think a redline conquest pro.
 

Shaggz

A strong 7
no worries, this is helpful. AON echoed the internal debate that i am having - versatility vs. quick and snappy. i have plenty of opps to ride the roads to the rail trails, etc., and it *kind of* makes sense.
 

Shaggz

A strong 7
i haven't really looked yet. sean mentioned that raleigh makes a good one, and i saw the kona "jake". i really want to be around the $800 mark, and DO NOT want to exceed $900. The jake was about $700. i would like to take a ride to halter's some time to see what the dog has, too.
 

ArmyOfNone

Well-Known Member
no worries, this is helpful. AON echoed the internal debate that i am having - versatility vs. quick and snappy. i have plenty of opps to ride the roads to the rail trails, etc., and it *kind of* makes sense.

ya i think you just need to figure out how much use youll get out of each and then choose from there. Good luck!
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Steve,

In talking to you before, it seems you're fairly nervious about being pancaked by a car. If you're nervous about cars on the road it doesn't seem to make sense to buy a road bike. Or have you changed on the car-pancake fear?
 

Shaggz

A strong 7
still apprehensive, but i really think this (cs or road) will be a great training tool. there are lenty of rail trails, etc., w/in riding distance from my house and thought the cx may give me the best of both worlds.

plus jake is getting road time in and i need to step up my game if i am going to ride with him on a regular basis come mid-april.
 
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anrothar

entirely thrilled
my whole thing with cross bikes is the versatility. put slicks on them and they're barely discernable feelwise from a road bike. you can put bigger, touring tires on them if you want a bit more cush, you can put wider cross tires on them and actually go out xc mountain biking with them. especially at parks like kittatiny. they have room for studded tires for winter riding, and plenty of clearance at the brakes so snow or mud won't build up as much.
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
my whole thing with cross bikes is the versatility. put slicks on them and they're barely discernable feelwise from a road bike. you can put bigger, touring tires on them if you want a bit more cush, you can put wider cross tires on them and actually go out xc mountain biking with them. especially at parks like kittatiny. they have room for studded tires for winter riding, and plenty of clearance at the brakes so snow or mud won't build up as much.
Definitely second this. I've only gotten in a few rides on my CX, but if someone was to force me to get rid of all my bikes save one, it would likely be the CX that I'd keep.

That being said, there's still nothing like a dedicated road bike for road riding, particularly for faster stuff.

I bought my first road bike to train for mtbing, and opened a serious can of worms in the process. Or a barrel of monkeys. Or something.
 

walter

Fourth Party
this was a concern of mine as well. I had asked some questions way back to the guys I was dealing with and they said that the geo. and frame build was usually pretty close to a roadie. I dont know if this is true, never road a cx and havent been on a road bike in like 15 years. Will a cross bike allow me to be more aggressive on the road, in terms of terrain, and are their any actual differences in overall geometry and build?
 

ArmyOfNone

Well-Known Member
this was a concern of mine as well. I had asked some questions way back to the guys I was dealing with and they said that the geo. and frame build was usually pretty close to a roadie. I dont know if this is true, never road a cx and havent been on a road bike in like 15 years. Will a cross bike allow me to be more aggressive on the road, in terms of terrain, and are their any actual differences in overall geometry and build?

I believe the seat/chain stays are a bit longer and the bottom bracket is higher. The wheel base is wider/longer too. The geometry is different.
 
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