new in cyclocross new bike opinion need

The spirit of Grav-lo-cross. No but seriously, cyclocross and gravel go here!

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grouk
Posts: 232
Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2014 5:29 pm

by grouk

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

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ITTY
Posts: 221
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2014 8:08 pm
Location: Bremerton, WA

by ITTY

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.
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stormur
Posts: 1173
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2014 3:50 pm
Location: FIN

by stormur

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 ? :mrgreen:

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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grouk
Posts: 232
Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2014 5:29 pm

by grouk

Thank you both

if i get a 2nd hand spec crux was cool but but not I am able to find any. planet x have some ready cx bikes a good price
and about frame size is the same thing, i use a 56 whith 120mm stem, my cx frame will be a 56?

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ITTY
Posts: 221
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Location: Bremerton, WA

by ITTY

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.
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Geoff
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Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 2:25 am
Location: Canada

by Geoff

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.

grouk
Posts: 232
Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2014 5:29 pm

by grouk

i just cant find a good/unexpensive frame. here in my contry simply cyclocross dont exist. so there is no second hand market. new i dont find any that i like. I have no hurry but ... you know

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kman
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Joined: Wed Jul 13, 2005 10:51 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

by kman

Are you plannimg on racing or just riding offroad?
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grouk
Posts: 232
Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2014 5:29 pm

by grouk

only riding offroad. i allready race road bike so cyclocross is only for recovery rides and to do some diferent

OJ
Posts: 877
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2006 5:25 pm
Location: Winterpeg

by OJ

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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stormur
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Location: FIN

by stormur

If you can receive postal packages, you can have anything you can imagine :) You need only address and credit card ;)
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I can be wrong, and have plenty of examples for that ;)

Geoff
Posts: 5395
Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2003 2:25 am
Location: Canada

by Geoff

Sorry, there's no such thing as 'recovery 'cross'! That's what road is for...

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Briscoelab
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Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2006 6:01 pm

by Briscoelab

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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