Which Cyclo Cross ?

[Spy]

Hi all, I am looking to buy a cyclocross bike and have become a little confused as to what to get. It won't be used for competitions but for road (75%), Trail (20%) and off-road (5%)

I think I have narrowed it down to the

Specialized TriCross Sport (http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-Tricross-Sport-2011_37663.htm)

or

Giant TCX 1 (http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Giant-TCX-1-2011_39465.htm)

Which one would you recommend or is there a better model or option I should be looking at ?

Thanks for your help.

[Fume troll]

I got the tricross. The Giant spec is probably a bit better, with the 105 bits, but I very much doubt I'd notice the differnce. Is it worth £200 that you could be spending on accessories?

If you're in hill country (like I am) then you'll appreciate the granny ring on the front of the Tricross. The Mavic rims on the tricross are also good.

Cheers,

FT.

[anonymous-user]

Spy said:

Hi all, I am looking to buy a cyclocross bike and have become a little confused as to what to get. It won't be used for competitions but for road (75%), Trail (20%) and off-road (5%)

I think I have narrowed it down to the

Specialized TriCross Sport (http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-Tricross-Sport-2011_37663.htm)

or

Giant TCX 1 (http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Giant-TCX-1-2011_39465.htm)

Which one would you recommend or is there a better model or option I should be looking at ?

Thanks for your help.

first of all, you can take a regular road bike quite a long way from tarmac before you get into trouble, i use mine on fireroads and bridlepaths. if 75% of your time is on road, i would look at spending a bit less, spending £100 or so on a nicer set of wheels and use them for the road work. keep the original wheels and use them for trails. stock cx bikes dont really go "off road", the bars are too narrow to offer you any control and the grip is minimal even with knobbly tyres.

some manufacturers are cashing in on the cx market and knowing that 95% of them will leave tarmac, use regular road bike frames and just add some knobbly tyres and top pull brakes for "the look". be careful that the frame geometry will suit and there is enough clearence under the bb to not cause a problem

i have a friend who built one of these up into an awesome cx racer and who uses bridlepaths on his daily commute.
http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/detail.asp/sku=upgra-cro...
i would give fat birds a call and see what they can do for you. a pair of 32 hole mavic open pro rims on tiagra hubs and some nice dt spokes should be around £250, then just spec bits to suit. you could build a

i would also look at the Ridley Crossbow or the boardman team cx (which has discs, heavy but effective) and this focus mares has good reviews from customers too
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/focus-mares-ax-20-105-2011...

[Spy]

Thanks guys. The reason I have thrown the Giant in is that I have found a previous year modelk at a discount which makes it look like a bargain when you look at teh components it comes with. The Mares does look like good value though.

Also, I looked ta the Kineses frames which look good. Fatbirds have a ready made bike the Crosslight 5T based on that forum but it starts looking poor value when you compare the components they have used for the price they are asking I think: http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/detail.asp/sku=upgra-cro...

[UpTheIron]

I've got a Focus Mares Expert (2010 model) and I'm pretty happy with it. It only gets used in competitive events and the odd pleasure ride and spends the rest of it's life towing a trail-a-bike.

Only gripe I have is the brakes are weak, but this is a problem with pretty much all CX. I'd be keen to try a Boardman or something else with disc brakes if I was buying again.

[anonymous-user]

Spy said:

Thanks guys. The reason I have thrown the Giant in is that I have found a previous year modelk at a discount which makes it look like a bargain when you look at teh components it comes with. The Mares does look like good value though.

Also, I looked ta the Kineses frames which look good. Fatbirds have a ready made bike the Crosslight 5T based on that forum but it starts looking poor value when you compare the components they have used for the price they are asking I think: http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/detail.asp/sku=upgra-cro...

why do you think its poor value? because its tiagra not 105? simple, they have fitted a far better wheelset as a compromise. you have highlighted my point perfectly. tiagra is very common on cx bikes because its so durable and reliable. stuff like 105 and ultegra just isnt really used on cx bikes because its much more precise and refined, a bit of mud or something in there and it will all cease up. fat birds have specced it well and gone for a great wheelset instead of the usual shiny mechs. cx is tough, stuff breaks, the mechs and things take one hell of a thrashing so to be honest tiagra is perfect. the marketing men at giant et al will slap on a bit of 105 knowing it wont go anywhere other than tarmac and you think you are getting a better bike overall...

with the kenesis, fat birds have built a cx bike that could be raced/used as intended not dressed up a road bike to cash in on a developing trend.

[Spy]

pablo said:

why do you think its poor value? because its tiagra not 105? simple, they have fitted a far better wheelset as a compromise. you have highlighted my point perfectly. tiagra is very common on cx bikes because its so durable and reliable. stuff like 105 and ultegra just isnt really used on cx bikes because its much more precise and refined, a bit of mud or something in there and it will all cease up. fat birds have specced it well and gone for a great wheelset instead of the usual shiny mechs. cx is tough, stuff breaks, the mechs and things take one hell of a thrashing so to be honest tiagra is perfect. the marketing men at giant et al will slap on a bit of 105 knowing it wont go anywhere other than tarmac and you think you are getting a better bike overall...

with the kenesis, fat birds have built a cx bike that could be raced/used as intended not dressed up a road bike to cash in on a developing trend.

Thanks Pablo. I didn't realise that the Tiagra groupset is more hard wearing than the 105. What makes you think that is the case ?

I understood that the Giant bike is used by teh Rabobank Cyclocross team and therefore I would have thought it would be pretty hard wearing !

[anonymous-user]

I have a Kona Jake 2010 which is my commuting workhorse. Fitted with Tiagra which has been faultless in the year & a bit I have had it. The 32mm tyres suit my commute which is 50% trail with horrible big lumpy gravel most of the way. I have SpeedKing knobbly tyres & slime filled tubes (was getting punctures weekly before due to thorns too!). Goes well enough on the road. The brakes are pretty rubbish compared to the discs on my MTB & the brakes on my proper road bike as others said. It makes a good commuter as I have proper full mudguards on it, the bottom bracket is a bit higher too which I needed as have to cross a few branches on the ride to work!

[anonymous-user]

Spy said:

Thanks Pablo. I didn't realise that the Tiagra groupset is more hard wearing than the 105. What makes you think that is the case ?

I understood that the Giant bike is used by teh Rabobank Cyclocross team and therefore I would have thought it would be pretty hard wearing !

i hope i dont sound like an arse, i just hate bike shops ripping people off and not giving out accurate information then selling people what they have in stock not what the person actually needs

105, ultegra etc are designed to be lighter and more accurate, thus require more maintenance due to the precise nature of the shifting. i'm not saying that tiagra is any worse at shifting, just that the materials used and the design are not as refined as the top end stuff and as such, tiagra tends to work better in worse conditions.

Rabobank will use a Giant, just not that one..... most cx riders are using carbon wheels as an example. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOuU__NZ1PM&fea... have a look at the terrain around 2:15-2:25 you see a good few people on carbon rims such as zipp 303s.

[Spy]

OK, thanks Pablo. If the deal on teh Giant falls through, I may look at the Crosslight