Hi all,
After a few years of mainly racing mtb in the winters I wanted to try out cyclocross as it seemed like a fun way to spend an hour or so.
Unfortunately i didn't have much of a budget but read a great article in cx magazine that inspired me a bit: http://www.cxmagazine.com/cheapbike. With this approach fit of the frame took preference over looks. Actually, looks were a distant priority for this build. Efficiency was the top priority; convert as much power-input to forard produlsion as possible within a limited budget.
Being a weight-weenie at heart i spent some time trawling the Internet for components and bought a dirt-cheap alu frameset with a carbon fork and a whatever-crankset. Then i got the deal of the century on a set of Zipp 303 tubular from 2010 - wide-body but pre-firecrest.
I also dived head-first into my 'odd bits and pieces from old builds that i've forgotten about years ago'-box where I found parts of a sram force groupset, an odd-sized stem and an old handlebar. The only thing i bought new was the TRP 8.4 CX brakes and the Challenge tubulars.
I ended up with a (ca.) 7,65 kg cross-bike for just under 1700 USD, which is ok I guess. The frame is sturdy enough for my needs but about as comfortable as a cast-iron sofa. The wheelset seems to offset this a bit - they (and the tires) are absolutely fantastic! The brakes are very good - they can be slightly binary as in either full on or full off, however that seemed to settle in with a bit of adjustment. So great stopping power, so-so modulation.
Hope you enjoy if not the looks, then the purposeness (is that a word?) of the build.
Build list:
IBeforehand do apologize for the horrible picture - it's a phone shot and my hands were frozen solid. The image is taken on a longer training ride, hence the bottle cage and Garmin. When racing that's obviously removed.
7,6 kg CX bike on a budget
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