new in cyclocross new bike opinion need
Moderator: Moderator Team
hello.
I've always been a road bike guy. i have a spec roubaix that i love is my training bike i am finish build a venge DI2 and i have an old alluminium orbea for touring. mtb never raised me interest, and had no idea about cyclocross. then i start see the GCN videos about cyclocross and I started getting interested. but i do not know much about it. my real thing is road bikes so i dont want to spend a big buget in that bike.
My doubts are
what frame choose alluminium/carbon
disc/canti brake
OEM frame or brand frame
1*11/2*11/2*10
buy complete bike or build one?
thanks in advance
I've always been a road bike guy. i have a spec roubaix that i love is my training bike i am finish build a venge DI2 and i have an old alluminium orbea for touring. mtb never raised me interest, and had no idea about cyclocross. then i start see the GCN videos about cyclocross and I started getting interested. but i do not know much about it. my real thing is road bikes so i dont want to spend a big buget in that bike.
My doubts are
what frame choose alluminium/carbon
disc/canti brake
OEM frame or brand frame
1*11/2*11/2*10
buy complete bike or build one?
thanks in advance
Frame material isn't a huge deal in 'cross, as the majority of your suspension will be through your tires and (unfortunately) your body. Buy whatever looks cool, fits your budget, and is light enough. I'm currently riding steel, but will be on a carbon bike next year.
I'm still not decided on the disc/canti debate. I would go discs just to make it "future proof", but either one would probably be fine.
With regards to gearing, that is all up to personal preference. Coming from a single-speed background, the 1x11/1x10 setups are very attractive to me. Some pros still prefer the extra ring in front. Also, if you plan on riding it for training, the extra ring can be helpful to get you up steep MTB climbs without losing any speed on the flats.
And personally, I like to build my bikes and choose all the parts that go on them. However, if you can find a complete bike with parts you're happy with, it will certainly be cheaper than upgrading everything.
I'm still not decided on the disc/canti debate. I would go discs just to make it "future proof", but either one would probably be fine.
With regards to gearing, that is all up to personal preference. Coming from a single-speed background, the 1x11/1x10 setups are very attractive to me. Some pros still prefer the extra ring in front. Also, if you plan on riding it for training, the extra ring can be helpful to get you up steep MTB climbs without losing any speed on the flats.
And personally, I like to build my bikes and choose all the parts that go on them. However, if you can find a complete bike with parts you're happy with, it will certainly be cheaper than upgrading everything.
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ITTY wrote:
1.I'm still not decided on the disc/canti debate. I would go discs just to make it "future proof", but either one would probably be fine.
2.With regards to gearing, that is all up to personal preference. Coming from a single-speed background, the 1x11/1x10 setups are very attractive to me. Some pros still prefer the extra ring in front. Also, if you plan on riding it for training, the extra ring can be helpful to get you up steep MTB climbs without losing any speed on the flats.
3.And personally, I like to build my bikes and choose all the parts that go on them. However, if you can find a complete bike with parts you're happy with, it will certainly be cheaper than upgrading everything.
Ad.1
I assume, that in future manufacturers won't make road wheels for rim brakes ?
Ad.2
Don't go 1x10/11 unless you are VERY sure about knowing your needs. 1x is fine for races, for gravel grinding, club rides on soft off-road it just doesn't work. There's no "sweet spot" - you set up drivetrain for certain course and conditions- that's main idea of 1x - NOT versatility.
I would go 2x10/11 34-44 / 36-46 and 11-28 at the beginning ( CX require much more strength than road )
Ad.3 I would buy as 1st CX-er ready made bike . After while you will know what you dis-like and need . Then you can build "proper" bike.
You have to just decide do you want A. American style cx-er ( 69-70mm BB drop ) , B. Medium/ Average drop ( 64-66mm) or C . "european" ( 59-61mm )
IMO worth to condsider for the "my 1st cyclocross" bike are :
A. Trek Crockett, Specialized Crux
B. Giant TCX SLR 1
C. Ridley X-Ride / X-Fire ( if you must have CF frame ) , Colnago World Cup
If happends that you like CX and certain geometry in all above ou can go with same geometry and high-end frameset & components, so you have already pit-bike and then race bike
DIsc or canti - never ending "story" , I would choose canti - easy swap of wheels which you have some already, lighter build.
All bikes comes with low end parts : 99.9% of them are wheels and crank. Buying/ adapting new crank is easy and relatively cheap, changing wheels for "light" in case of disc brakes can be very pricey, and not worth overall in case of "trial bike" .
just my 0,02€
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Mark Twain
I can be wrong, and have plenty of examples for that
Mark Twain
I can be wrong, and have plenty of examples for that
Generally CX frame size is the same as road. The only thing that is different on mine is 5mm shorter top tube and a few more spacers under the stem to achieve less drop.
I would agree with the general rules on frame sizing. You really need to watch the toptube length, which is the key. Due to the height of the botombracket, you can get messed-up by just throwing a leg over and feeling 'uncomfortable'. Also, don't be afraid of having the headtube slightly taller than your road bike.
Carbon has it all over alloy frames. Carbon frames are nice and stiff in the headtube junction and make for nice, reliable braking...which leads us to the next question you asked.
There is no question that, in most cases, discs stop way better than cantis. Having said that, stopping power isn't everything. In fact, I would argue that modulation is even more important. Ike riding in a group for road, being able to control speed is what is important in 'cross. In my opinion, cantis do this better than discs. What I am looking for is really good feel for when the front is going to wash-out on me. I think I will probably be on canti brakes for some time yet.
Carbon has it all over alloy frames. Carbon frames are nice and stiff in the headtube junction and make for nice, reliable braking...which leads us to the next question you asked.
There is no question that, in most cases, discs stop way better than cantis. Having said that, stopping power isn't everything. In fact, I would argue that modulation is even more important. Ike riding in a group for road, being able to control speed is what is important in 'cross. In my opinion, cantis do this better than discs. What I am looking for is really good feel for when the front is going to wash-out on me. I think I will probably be on canti brakes for some time yet.
Are you plannimg on racing or just riding offroad?
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-- Frank Zappa
-- Frank Zappa
Giant has some low cost options to help get your feet wet. You can't go too wrong and Giant, Toyota of bikes, is available everywhere. Even the Giant TCX SLR 2 is pretty good at low price point.
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If buying your first cx bike, I'd get disc. A Crux or bike with similar geometry will be a nice transition from your road bikes. Ridley and some others have much higher bottom brackets. Those can be nice for some race courses, but generally aren't as good when using the bike for riding on gravel, trails, road, etc.
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