Croix de fer 30?

[smifffymoto]

I want a new bike.
Basically the criteria is,able to put on a rear rack,hydraulic brakes and comfortable geometry as I have a dicky back and able to get up mountains fairly easily.

The Croix de fer seems to match my criteria.Am I missing some other options from other brands?

[Rob_T]

get it in titanium and never look back

[smifffymoto]

Why? Is it so much better?

[Rob_T]

in my experience and opinion it is a far smoother, lighter ride and worth every single penny.

[Stiggolas]

I have a Croix de Fer 20 and find it the most comfortable bike I've owned since a Carlton when I was in my teens. The only issue is its weight. The best part of 13kg is heavier than my mountain bike..As above the Ti version is to die for if you can stretch the finances

[Chicken Chaser]

I bought a 30 this morning. Awaiting delivery now. I figured if I liked it that much but wanted a bit less weight then Id strip it and buy a Ti frame later. The Ti bikes are more expensive than the sum of their parts. Youre better off building a frame up.

[smifffymoto]

I read your what bike thread CC.Was there a stand out feature that tipped it for the CdF.

Does anybody make a carbon framed bike that will take racks?

[Chicken Chaser]

Im a fan of Genesis and what they do, I have a Core hardtail from a few years ago which I still enjoy.

I originally thought about an Equilibrium a few years back but didnt get one, then I saw the Croix last year and liked what they had done to it. If the Equilibrium Disc had better clearances, then I might have gone for that but I rode the Croix and really liked the ride. I rode a CAADX which was decent, but not as easy natured as I was looking for, rode a Pinnacle Arkose which I was very impressed with, rode a Diverge which just didnt do it for me.

At full value, I wouldnt have bought the Croix but Winstanleys are still selling last years. Luckily, they had my size in so for £1000 Ive got one witih full 105 including hydraulic discs. At that price, I couldnt spec a frame up with separate similar components.

I'll probably swap the wheels out straight away and sell the ones they ship with and then just tweak the finishing kit if needed. I'm looking forward to using it on the road and off-road, and taking it away with the family. Ironically, it may render my hardtail redundant!

[jamiebae]

If you have the skills/time check the cost of self-building up a Croix de Fer against what you pay for a fully built one. The frameset is £400 on its own and you can build it up to exactly the spec you want - if you buy the bits online from someone like Wiggle it seems to work out cheaper than the fully built versions.

http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/adventure/adve...

It's £800 cheaper to buy the frameset than the fully built version with Tiagra gears and TRP brakes, or £1,100 less than the CdF 30 with 105 hydraulic discs and given those budgets I'm sure you could put a better spec together yourself.

[Chicken Chaser]

I tried buying it cheaper. This was my breakdown

Frameset: £320
Wheels: £250
Full 105 Groupset with rotors callipers shifters chainset chain cassette & BB - £550
Bars: £30
Seatpost: £25
Bartape: £20
Tyres: £40
Stem: £15

Frame was offered at 20% off which knocked it down, and wheels were Kinesis CX Disc (I could sell what comes with it and upgrade for less than £150), full groupset could be had from Merlin at £499, bars were a flared alloy, seatpost was alloy, Tyres would be fairly low end for £20 each and a cheap Deda stem from Ribble.

Total was around the £1250 mark. It didnt work out a great deal cheaper for HyRd brakes either and 105 was the minimum I wanted so that I could go for 11spd.

[smifffymoto]

I can't get it cheaper than the 1800€ price tag doing a self build either.
I could get the shifter/ brakes from bikediscount in Germany roughly 120€ cheaper than Wiggle and still couldn't do it.

[jamiebae]

Fair enough, at £250 the wheels will be a lot better than the ones the fully built bike comes with though. When I looked it wasn't full hydraulic brakes so I guess that's what makes the difference, a 105 group with rim brakes is about £300, then eBay the brakes and buy the HyRd or some cable discs and you're not much over £400 (if at all). The other prices (bar tape at £20, bars at £30) will be nicer than the stock stuff too so I'd argue you're going to have a nicer bike at the end, and personally I'd rather build it myself as a bit of a project but for a lot of other people they'd rather have it fully built and save the hassle I guess.

[jamiebae]

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/eastway-zener-d2-105-2016

Buy that, and the CdF frame plus a new BB and some more suitable tyres and you're sorted for below the budget. I knew it'd be possible somehow, plus you can sell the frame for a few quid I'm sure 😉

[Chicken Chaser]

I think that would cost more. If you used the wheels from that, then you'd be looking at under £1100 but I dont think you'd flog the frame for more than £100.

I was offered the new 30 at £1200 if anyone fancies the grey and red scheme. It was delivered too, but for £200 cheaper, I decided to take last years colour scheme.

[smifffymoto]

A 2017 for £1200?
Where from? That's a fantastic price.

[Chicken Chaser]

I dont want to have everyone chasing them down so if you want to find out, drop me a pm. I still think £1000 for a 2016 with arguably better rims is a better price!

[Chicken Chaser]

Bit of a snag, small bike has come with 172.5mm cranks, small size specs from Genesis state 170mm cranks which is what I ride on all my other bikes. I've emailed them to see what they say. Hopefully can be resolved soon enough.