Cycle cross bikes with disc brakes

[jamiebae]

I run a Genesis Day-One with 8 speed Alfine and it's a perfect commuter bike. I run 32c tyres with full length guards, the steel frame helps absorb the road buzz and imperfections and it needs zero maintenance. You can convert it to flat bars easily as there's only one shifter to switch (and a flat bar version is cheaply available).

It is heavier than a lot of dedicated CX bikes, but only by a KG or so and I can still cruise along as 25-28kph with very little effort on the flat.

[neenaw]

BGarside said:

Considering buying a new commuter this year (old one is now 14 years old) and these seem like ideal all-rounders; reasonably lightweight, loads of clearance for tyres and 'guards, even studded tyres for winter, and brakes that don't wear out the wheel rims.

Does anyone have a bike like this and have any experience to share or recommendations for a suitable brand / model to buy?

Don't really want to spend much over a grand, considering it'll be for commuting and also I'll have to convert it to straight bars (don't like drops).

Cheers,

Ben

I've been thinking about doing a similar thing to my Pro6 cyclocross bike to use it as a more comfortable commuter.
It's currently running 1x10 gearing so it would only be a case of picking up one shifter then it would be good to go as I've got plenty of spares like bars and levers in the garage to complete the conversion with.

Cyclocross bikes seem to strike a good balance between full on road bikes and hybrids due to the extra clearance for wider tyres and guards.

If you're building it up secondhand then you could probably get hold of a Pro6 frameset for a decent price and build it up from there.

[Barchettaman]

I can't understand how swapping in a flat bar adds to the comfort.

On my steel commuter I still have drop bars, just set up a couple of inches higher than my summer race bikes.

Combined with a cheap set of CX interruptor brake levers I have loads of hand positions, and with my hands in the hooks don't feel too low.

[donfisher]

Kermit power said:

I've now been running the HY-RDs for a couple of thousand miles, and definitely wouldn't change them for anything else. They're excellent.

That's what I was hoping to hear. I want to get one for the front of my Whyte to replace to Promax that it came with.

Do the pads adjusting themseleves work well/adequately?

[neenaw]

I've been messing about with mine this afternoon to see how it goes.
So far I've swapped pretty much everything over, just need a couple of new brake cables to get it up and running. I'll try it out for a few days and see how it goes, if I don't like it it'll only have cost me a couple of brake cables.

[Kermit power]

donfisher said:

Kermit power said:

I've now been running the HY-RDs for a couple of thousand miles, and definitely wouldn't change them for anything else. They're excellent.

That's what I was hoping to hear. I want to get one for the front of my Whyte to replace to Promax that it came with.

Do the pads adjusting themseleves work well/adequately?

Yes, no problem. They're not as powerful as the fully hydraulics on my MTBs, but they're far more powerful than the BB7 cables it came with, and far less hassle.

[thepawbroon]

jamiebae said:

I run a Genesis Day-One with 8 speed Alfine and it's a perfect commuter bike. I run 32c tyres with full length guards, the steel frame helps absorb the road buzz and imperfections and it needs zero maintenance. You can convert it to flat bars easily as there's only one shifter to switch (and a flat bar version is cheaply available).

It is heavier than a lot of dedicated CX bikes, but only by a KG or so and I can still cruise along as 25-28kph with very little effort on the flat.

Hi, have you had to change a puncture on the road at all? Was it a pain compared to a dérailleur bike? Hope you don't mind me asking, but the Day One is a possible commuter bike for me, and the P****** issue was potentially putting me off!

[jamiebae]

thepawbroon said:

Hi, have you had to change a puncture on the road at all? Was it a pain compared to a dérailleur bike? Hope you don't mind me asking, but the Day One is a possible commuter bike for me, and the P****** issue was potentially putting me off!

I've not had to so far (thankfully) - the standard tyres are pretty puncture resistant and Swiss roads are a lot better than UK ones. I imagine it would be a bit of a pain, especially as I have full length guards, so maybe I ought to do some research and see how best to do it. I guess you need to disconnect the gear selector cable, then slacken the wheel tensioning bolts and remove the wheel that way. Certainly more work than a normal geared bike, but the benefits in terms of set up and lack of maintenance make up for that in my view.

[BGarside]

Kell said:

What were you using previously to commute?

Maybe a rigid 29'er MTB would be suitable?

Edited by Kell on Tuesday 20th January 15:11

Using a steel expedition touring frame with 26" wheels. Bike weighs about 33lbs / 15kg so not light, but pretty indestructible.

Hoping to get something a bit lighter and more fun to ride as I probably cover at least half my annual mileage on the commuter bike.

[MC Bodge]

BGarside said:

Using a steel expedition touring frame with 26" wheels. Bike weighs about 33lbs / 15kg so not light, but pretty indestructible.

Hoping to get something a bit lighter and more fun to ride as I probably cover at least half my annual mileage on the commuter bike.

How far is your commute?

I would seriously consider trying drop bars again. On the road, the variety of hand positions can make a big difference to comfort and reducing wrist problems.

Alternatively, a bar with a lot of sweep like an On-one Mary can be good too. After breaking my drop shifter/brake lever, I have one on my Kinesis CX (commuter/hack) bike, with some Old X-lite bar ends mounted in-board.

[Watchman]

I've got one bike with a Mary bar and another with an Og. The latter is wider and slightly less swept, and is by far my fav. The Mary needs to be "just right" before you feel it is anything less than odd. I'm persisting with it on purely aesthetic grounds (the Mary bar is white and suits my bike's colour scheme) and because it comes with a 25mm centre to suit my stem but after another ride out on it yesterday, I am wondering what I could do to make it feel less odd.

The Og is spot on though. And you can get one in carbon if you're after ultimate weight reduction.

I have Whyte ergonomic grips on both. An utter revelation to the point where I am left wondering why all bikes aren't shipped with them as standard. They are far and away the best ergo-type grips I've tried.

[MC Bodge]

Yes, Mary bars need to be rotated to the correct angle for your wrists.

[BGarside]

jamiebae said:

I run a Genesis Day-One with 8 speed Alfine and it's a perfect commuter bike. I run 32c tyres with full length guards, the steel frame helps absorb the road buzz and imperfections and it needs zero maintenance. You can convert it to flat bars easily as there's only one shifter to switch (and a flat bar version is cheaply available).

It is heavier than a lot of dedicated CX bikes, but only by a KG or so and I can still cruise along as 25-28kph with very little effort on the flat.

Was thinking about maybe a hub-geared bike with discs for the ultimate in low maintenance, though I'm not sure how the hub would stand up to hard riding and the fact there are lots of hills around here. Also would want a hub I could periodically clean and re-lubricate, maybe the 11-speeder which has a lubrication port.

The Cube Hyde Race looks good value for the spec., compared to the Genesis, albeit with only the 8-speed hub. The Editor has 11-speed Alfine but costs around £1300.

As for drop bars, I just don't get on with them, and never use the lower half of the drops at all. I tend to ride them on the tops or the brake hoods, which are basically equivalent positions to the straight and bar end parts of a straight 'bar, except I find the straight part of a drop 'bar to be too close, if the brake hoods are at the correct reach.

The ergo grips are a good tip through - will look them up. I've been using cheaper ergo grips on my commuter for a while and they definitely reduce the pressure on my hands.