Hi all,
Today i bought my first cyclocross bike, Cannondale superx-rival which will arrive 2-3 weeks later.
I'm plannig some updates on components and want to hear your experiences.

1-I plan to modify the stock trp euro-x brakes with trp 8.4 linear brake system. I've read about them, and know that they are much more powerful than the cantilever systems. (I'm using red shifters&calipers on road bike)
What do you think? Would you go for a change? At least, i need my brakes to be as strong as on my road bike setup.

2-Bike is equipped with cross specific Fulcrum cx7 wheelset. They look cool and strong but weight factor seems much for me.(1850g claimed)
I plan to buy mavic ksyrium elite wheelset which is strong enough and about 1570g. (I have ksyrium sl's on road bike and love them)
Will you have any other alternatives, which are light&strong?

3-Chainset ratios are 36/46 with a 12-26 cassette. I plan to change the bb30 gossamer pro crankset with a lighter option, maybe with compact chainrings and use by 12-32 rival or 11-36 xx cassette.
My crankset alternatives are sram force compact, fsa slk and fsa k-force. Both sram and fsa offers very light cranksets and i want to use this bb30 weight advantage.
My road bike has a standart chainset with a 12-27 cassette but i can't climb over %10-15 grades. I want to ride this cross bike over any hilly routes without any doubt.

4-Which tire width do you recommend? I will be riding mostly on rough tarmac and looking for 28c conti 4 seasons.. I just can't be sure about their comfort level as i'm between 28c-35c sizes.
I need a tire with an enough comfort level on rough tarmacs and nice puncture protection with a low rolling resistance

Here is the spec. list and need your advices please...

So you bought an expensive cross bike which you're planning on upgrading so you can ride on crappy, paved roads? Kinda overkill no?

There's nothing wrong with DA, Ultegra, King or DT hubs/DT spokes/Mavic rims. I'd take them over both the wheelsets you mentioned.

If you're going to change the crank try to get some Cannondale Hollowgrams. I'd stay away from FSA.

If you use a huge mtn. bike cassette you'll need to change your rear derailleur too.

Don't hold your breath on that delivery. Cannondale are notoriously late in to Europe.

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2010 Bianchi 928 SL / SRAM Red, Easton EA90 SLX

Member of C.S. Grupetto

Why don't you post in the road forum? All the changes you want to make are to turn a CX bike into a (bumpy) road bike.

1. Swap the frame out for a road frame so you can run caliper brakes
2. Just about anything will work here - you need to be more specific with budget, weight, use, and durability desires.
3. You are running compact chainrings. I don't think the K-force will be much lighter. You can also run SRAM Red, or Shimano Ultegra/Dura-ace, or one of the boutique cranks (Clavicula)
4. That's a personal decision. You'll just have to experiment.

I plan to use this cyclocross bike as a secondary bike, specially for long, rough paved, hilly courses or just ride it in bad weather conditions.My roadbike with skinny tires and standart chainrings is not suitable for these kind of rides...
I know that if i go over 32t cassette, i have to use one of the 'exact ratio' rear derailleurs available at Sram mtb group.

What kind of problems you have with the fsa crank? The alternative crank to fsa is sram force for me.
What about this force crankset? Hollowgram sl's cost too much for me.


I already have a roadbike with caliper brakes, but trp linear brakes i've mentioned is different from road calipers. Your road frame&calipers usually don't accept bigger than 25c tires, but with this cyclocross frame&calipers you can go up to 45c size.


Timeline is given me directly by the distributor in Turkey, and i have nothing to do other than trusting them and waiting

I haven't had any problems with FSA because I won't buy any of their stuff. I've seen too many broken parts/complaints locally and on the internet. Yes, Hollowgrams are expensive. I only mentioned them because you're getting a Cannondale. SRAM would be a nice crank. It's a very popular choice on cross bikes.

Other than switching to road tires for your intended use, I don't see the point to anything you're considering. No performance gains. Stock bike with road tires will be an excellent bad weather road bike. At most, switch to 50t outer chainring if necessary.

Are you the OP? Have you ever been to Turkey beyond the tourist parts? Have you ridden a bike on the backroads, or the endless cobbled streets of the Sirkeci area? What about the outer areas of the city, where roads can become hard packed and rocky? Have you done anything of this in the Winter? In the snow? In the rain?
Do you know where the person will be riding? Are you making assumptions about another person's comfort level or potential personal injuries that prevent them from taking all the bumps'n'licks that a lot of us put up with?




Okay, so OP answered the 'why' and he's looking for advice/help with his questions. Let's be helpful and not assuming jerks, please.

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Exp001 || TeamLACBC

I'm going to agree whith this. Cranks and brakes don't affect comfort. You'll notice a big difference in gear ratios between standard road and standard cross so you very well may not need a larger than a 26 or a 28 on the back. A 36 tooth on the front and a 36 tooth on the rear would certainly climb anything but I doubt you'd need it. It's an easy upgrade until you need a long cage derailleur. Then it is still easy. I'd wait and see. I'd also wait on switching out the brakes and going with a less expensive option of upgrading from the stock brake pads.

I built my cross bike with a 50t compact chainring. I like it fine for road. I have no problem keeping up with my riding partners on standard cranks and it is good on the hills and good enough for racing cross.

For terrible road conditions Conti Ultra Gatorskins are good. No experience with the 4 season.

I also upgraded to 2011 Kyrium Elites. I definite improvement over stock with the added benefit of being able to keep the stock set mounted with cross or snow tires..

Tyre-wise I'd choose GP4 Seasons over Gatorskins as they are a lot more durable and puncture-resistant IME - I have a pair into their third season that have not let me down despite having seen plenty of on/off road use, particularly riding greasy, rocky green shale tracks in Cornwall or loops of the Quantock Hills in Somerset. They do feel a bit 'wooden' on the road but I'm prepared to accept this for their durability and reliability.

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Just ride

Thanks for your useful advice.. I'll probably buy conti 4season 28c and topcontact 32c tires.
I'm just having difficulty about finding a folding version of topcontact tires. %90 of them on sale are the wired version.
By the way, stock rapid rob tires looks very similar to rr's. Maybe they're just the 2nd quality version of them.
But they have more than enough volume for a 35c tire and seems very comfortable.



My bike has arrived yesterday and that's about 10 days earlier before the deadline.. Maybe i'm just lucky
I'll share the stock photos from this topic.

Assuming jerk ? The irony of prefendreu's criticism is sublime. All I did was comment that I saw no functional advantage to the bulk of the technical changes the OP proposed for his stated use of a particular bicycle. A reasonable comment by any rational standard, open to reasonable discussion. To make the quantum leap that I'm an 'assuming jerk' is absurd. A but of projection, perhaps? To follow your form: what do you know about me ? My experience as a cyclist ? My technical knowledge of bicycles ? The extent of my travels ? My level of education ? My profession and standing in it ? My contributions, direct and indirect, to society locally and globally? Unwarranted, unprovoked personal attacks are the hallmark of an assuming jerk or worse. If the shoe fits, wear it, my friend.

Nothing. Similar to what you know about the OP, only difference is that I did not make any assumptions about you (go back and re-read if you have to), whereas you made plenty of assumptions about the OP by consistently questioning where the OP chooses to put their money in purchases. What difference does it make to you if the OP decides to buy a CX bike for road riding and/or commuting? You're calling the kettle black here, but you may be staring at a mirror.

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Exp001 || TeamLACBC

Not a single question or assumption in my original post - just the thought that the OP's bike was fine for stated use other than tires and perhaps a chainring. In any case, truce. We both enjoy bikes and can use our time for better things than Internet fights, including riding.

Weigh it please! Fork too! What size?